PokerListings.com - Blog

Full Tilt Color Coding

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:11:55 +0100

#fullimg: color-coding_34836.jpg# James over at CodingtheWheel.com has written two really fantastic posts on how to use color coding on Full Tilt to revolutionize your table selection.

As James says in the first blog, "What's arguably the single biggest deficiency of the losing poker player at any limit? Poor table/game selection."

This solution helps you identify at a glance the quality of players on Full Tilt tables.

The first part of this task involves understanding the system, and the theory on how it can be implemented. For that you're going to want to head to the first post:

The Felt Is Always Greener on the Other Side

Once you've digested that nugget of awesome, you can head to his second blog which provides you with the logic and code for automating color coding from your Poker Tracker player database.

((Full Tilt)) Color Coding In Twenty Minutes or Less

Unfortunately for the average technophobe, Coding the Wheel is a blog designed for computer programmers with an interest in poker. To use the code he wrote you're going to need to understand C# and can compile and run code on your system.

Even if you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, the first blog is still worth a read.

Also, now that PokerStars has added color coding to its software, it won't be long until there's a packaged program available to automate this for you.

Once one's available, I'll be sure to let you know.

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Phil Galfond's Acting Debut

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:16:22 +0100

Judging by these two videos having only 330, and 100 views at the time of writing this, none of you have ever witnessed the glory of Phil Galfond's acting debut.

According to Galfond, these videos were made to help a friend of his out with her film project.

According to me, they're goddamn hilarious.

The only question I have is this: how is it possible for these to have been kept a secret for over two years?

Without further ado, I give you the first of two short films: Mark and Amy.

The second film, titled Dynamic also stars OMGClayAiken.

Now I'm not saying I could have done any better in his place, but I highly doubt we'll be seeing Galfond make the jump from the tables to the silver screen any time soon.

-Lind

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The Perfect PC Setup for the Online Grinder

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:51:57 +0100

#fullimg:dual-monitors_34679.jpg# My father once taught me a very important lesson: Always use the proper tool for the job.

If playing online poker is your job, or even your hobby, you're going to want the right PC.

The first thing to know is that you don't have to buy the most expensive computer and accessories to get what you need. You just need to know what you're looking for.

If you do it right, getting the optimal grinder's PC won't actually cost you all that much.

When you're looking for items to buy you should be paying attention to:

Technical quality
Compatibility
Price
Comfort

The Box

The actual PC is the most important part, but also one of the easiest pieces to configure. As long as you know the very basics of what you want, the details are relatively insignificant.

If you walk into a computer shop saying you want a Dual DVI 512meg vid card for less than $150, that's exactly what you'll get. The exact model and brand doesn't really matter here.

Your computer is made up of the following items:

Mainboard (Motherboard )
- Sound Card
- Network Card
Graphics Card
CPU (Processor)
RAM (Memory)
Hard Drive
PSU (Power Supply)
Case

The Mainboard

This is the central nervous system of your computer. It controls everything else in the computer.

Although you really shouldn't buy cheap anything when it comes to your computer, this is the one thing you never want to skimp on. Get a crappy Mainboard and everything suffers.

If you're piecing together a computer yourself, you need to also make sure that your Mainboard is compatible with the restof the items you're about to buy. If you're not a computer geek, just ask someone who is or someone in the store to help you set up your system.

These days, almost all Mainboards come with sound, network and graphics cards built in. This saves you having to buy specific cards for these functions, which in turn saves you money.

I would still recommend you get a Mainboard without an onboard graphics card or just don't use it. You're going to want a real graphics card for your machine, so make sure the Mainboard has a PCI Express slot to accept your new graphics card.

As for brand names, I will only recommend two brands: ASUS or MSI.

Recommended: MSI P45 Platinum

Sound Card: As mentioned earlier, pretty much every Mainboard sports an onboard 5.1 surround sound card. Unless you're planning on doing high-end recording or music production, this will be more than enough for what you need.

Save your money and stick to the onboard option.

Recommended: On-board

Network Card: All Mainboards have built in network cards, but if you want to go wireless you'll need to buy a wireless card as well.

Recommended: Onboard

Graphics Card

If you want to run dual monitors (and I highly, HIGHLY recommend you do), you want to get a graphics card with Dual-DVI video outputs. Get an ATI or NVIDIA graphics card, ideally with a minimum of 512 megabytes DDR3 ram.

This card will be far more powerful than anything you're ever going to need, but considering the price of a card such as this you'd be a fool to buy anything less.

This card will be more than enough power to run everything, including high-end games (but not at the maximum texture and graphics quality).

If you want to use your PC for high-end gaming as well as poker, grab a vid card with a little more juice.

Recommended: BFG GeForce (Nvidia) 9800GT

CPU

The Central Processing Unit is your computer's brain. Anytime your computer has to do a calculation, or perform any sort of task requiring "thinking" or logic, it's using the CPU.

Online poker actually requires a decent amount of CPU usage, especially if you're running multiple tables across multiple screens. You don't need anything crazy, but don't get anything less than a Dual core Intel 2.6 gigahertz processor.

Why Intel? I personally hate AMD and will only recommend Intel chips. There's a reason Apple Computers has begun using all Intel chips in their systems. Intel simply makes the best CPUs on the market.

All the dual core and better chips are 64 bit also, allowing you to use 64-bit software (such as Windows 7 Ultimate x64).

In case you don't know, 64-bit software can operate much faster with much more efficiency as its 32-bit equivalent. Since you have a 64-bit chip, you might as well use 64-bit software.

Soon enough there will be no such thing as 32 bit (also known as x86), as 64 bit is slowly taking over the entire marketplace.

Recommended: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200, 2.66GHz

RAM

Random Access Memory is your computer's muscle. While your CPU is doing all the thinking work, the RAM is doing all the heavy lifting.

The more RAM you have, the quicker your computer will run. Simple as that. Make sure you get RAM compatible with your Mainboard and a minimum of two Gigabytes.

If you want to have a high-speed machine (especially if you want to do any serious gaming), get 4 gigs and call it a day.

It's always better to buy RAM in pairs and buy all of it at once. Having different brands of RAM used in the same computer has been known to cause errors.

Plus, all RAM these days is DDR (Dual Data Rate). This means to get the most performance out of your RAM, you need to have two identical chips in the correct RAM slots on the Mainboard.

If you want 4 gigs of RAM it's better to buy two 2-gig chips rather than four 1-gig chips.

Recommended: OCZ Dual Channel DDR2 2x2048MB (4-Gig)

Hard Drive

As long as your hard drives are compatible with your Mainboard (almost all current Mainboards are running the SATA2 interface) just get the one with enough storage.

Every day the price of drives goes down and the storage gets bigger. Buy whatever's big and cheap, probably around 500 gigs in size.

Recommended: Western Digital Caviar 500Gig

PSU

The Power Supply Unit takes the power from your wall and distributes the correct amount of juice to everything in your computer.

You want to make sure you get a PSU with enough power to run your computer without issue. Basically, get a 750-watt PSU and you're good to go.

Recommended: Ultra LSP750

Case

All the guts and wires of the computer need to be contained somewhere - that's your case.

The case also includes all the fans required to keep your computer cool. If you don't have fans, your computer will melt or set itself on fire.

When looking for a case you need find something that looks cool, fits your parts and, most importantly, is quiet.

With all the fans running in a PC, they can get pretty damn noisy. A good case will keep your computer cool and quiet without forcing you to wear earplugs in your own room.

Recommended: Cooler Master HAF 932

All the Rest

Now that you have a PC, you need the rest of the crap that goes with it. This includes:

Monitors
Mouse
Keyboard
Speakers
Chair

Monitors

I cannot be any clearer on this one. Monitors should always be plural.

Once you start using dual screens, you'll see why it's impossible for you to ever come back. Your best bet is a pair of 20" or 22" widescreen LCD monitors, side by each.

Recommended: Two Viewsonic vx2262wm 22" Widescreen LCD

Mouse

What mouse to use is really a matter of personal preference.

You need something that functions accurately and consistently on the surface you're using it on. If you want to avoid carpel tunnel I would highly recommend you look into a trackball or "thumb" mouse, such as the Logitech TrackMan Wheel.

These let you keep your wrist stationary, using just your thumb to control the pointer. It takes a little bit of usage to re-learn how to operate your mouse, but once you do you'll find yourself being more accurate with less effort.

Also, these work on any surface without any surface jump errors. When your money is on the line, an accurate mouse is a requirement.

Recommended: Logitech TrackMan Wheel

Keyboard

This really doesn't matter for poker as anything will work. Simply for ergonomics I'd recommend getting a split or wave keyboard.

You'll have to re-train yourself to type on it, but it's a small amount of work to keep your wrists happy.

Recommended: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Speakers

You're going to need to hear your computer somehow. Use your headphones, grab cheap speakers, or buy a full-on surround sound system. Whatever works for you.

Chair

Anytime you're spending hours at a time at a desk, you need a proper task chair to give you the back support needed to keep yourself healthy and pain free.

If you're uncomfortable, you're not going to be able to play your best game.

High-end office chairs can cost thousands of dollars, but you can find decent task chairs for cheap prices by hitting up Staples or IKEA. Just be sure to get a task chair instead of an executive chair.

Task chairs keep your weight forward in the proper position for typing, rather than lounged back where you need to strain to reach the keyboard.

It's possible to shave a few hundred dollars off of this system without having to sacrifice all that much performance. To do this, get less RAM, a cheaper case, cheaper (or on board) video card and a slower processor.

But it's always best to do something correct the first time rather than have to buy it twice. Buy a PC that's faster than you need right now, and it will still be adequate in a couple of years.

If you have any questions about specifics parts, or compatibility, feel free to drop your question in a comment. I'll see what I can do to help you out.

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How to Mod Your Full Tilt Poker Client

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:31:14 +0100

#fullimg: matrix-table_34500.jpg# All true geeks of the world share an understanding of one very important principal: no matter what it is, it's always better after it's been modded, customized and hacked.

Being a true geek, I've come to the conclusion that using the standard images and sounds that ship with the standard Full Tilt client just won't do.

The beauty of modding your Full Tilt client is that it's actually very simple and will only take as much time as you're willing to put into it.

The first thing to understand is this is 100% legal. Full Tilt ships its software with its sounds and images unprotected and easily accessible. Only you can see the changes you make and it does not affect the game play in any way.

The First Step

Regardless of which way you choose to mod your client, the first step is the same. The golden rule for modding or hacking is universal: back up everything before you do anything.

The only folder you're going to be working with is the Graphics folder found in the Full Tilt program folder. On most computers the Full Tilt program folder can be found here:

C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics

Copy this folder to someplace safe, like your desktop. This way if anything goes wrong, or you just want to revert back to normal, you can simply copy the folder back (or if all else fails, re-install the program to reset to default).

Copying Folders

There are hundreds of people out there who have modded their clients long before you ever thought about it.

Many of these people will offer up their mods for free or for a fee, depending on how nice they are. You can find these mods in most poker forums. Just search Google to find something like this:

ftp_racetrack_dark.zip || Mirror

All you have to do is copy their folders over your own, re-start your client and you're up and running. Simple as that.

Self-Installing Mods

Some of the more tech-savvy modders out there have created a self-install program for their mods.

These are identical to the previous example, only instead of you having to click and drag folders into the correct spots, you just hit install and it does it for you.

Other than that, there are no differences between a self install and simply having someone send you a ZIP of all the files and folders.

Do It Yourself

The true geek always wants something original, something personal. Even if it sucks, it's just something you can look at and say "I did that."

For that reason, I'm going to show you how to mod the bejesus out of Full Tilt by yourself.

Everything You See Can Be Modded

You can change just about anything you see.

The more you want to change, the more time you're going to have to spend. But to make a really slick custom experience, it only takes a few hours (assuming you're decent with Photoshop).

I'll show you some of the changes I've made and how to make them. To make more, just browse through the Graphics folder and see what you recognize and would like to change.

The Log In

The first screen you see when you start up Full Tilt is the Log-In screen (unless you have it automatically log you in). This is the first screen I've made changes on. The default screen looks like this:

Since that's not very much fun, I made just a few changes:

The biggest change is turning Patrik Antonius into Mr. Burns. To do this browse to:

C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\Log-In\Pro-Antonius.png

In there you'll see the photo of Antonius. You want to open that photo and replace Patrik with Mr. Burns (Or whatever you'd like to put there. Other options I considered included: Megan Fox, Foghorn Leghorn and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man).

When editing photos you need to make sure you do not alter the actual photo size, properties or format.

The simplest way to make sure you don't do this is to open the Antonius photo in Photoshop and create a new layer. Put what you want over top of Antonius and then hide the Antonius layer:

Save the photo over top of the old one (you've backed up the original right?) and you've finished your first mod.

As you can see I changed the Full Tilt logo to my own PokerListings logo and I've changed the Chris Ferguson video intro to Stewie.

These two mods will appear in the client lobby as well. You can find the files here:

Logo: C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\Logo\Logo.png

Video Cover: C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\MIA\Content\start_plate.jpg

Creating Custom Avatars

If you have avatars enabled, this can be one of the most fun things to mod. Here's an example of a Brian avatar I made for myself.

The first thing to note about creating a custom avatar on Full Tilt is that you will be the only user who can see it. The rest of the world will see the stock avatar your custom one is replacing.

To edit an avatar, simply head to this folder:

C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\Table\Avatars\Public

In this folder you will see 72 numbered folders. Each folder contains four images which make up each avatar's various moods.

To find your avatar to change, open the public.png picture located at the bottom of the folder.

Find your avatar and count how many places your avatar is from the left. Since the folders start at 0, if your avatar is the 15th from the left, you'll find its images in folder #14.

Open that folder and edit the image 0.png in Photoshop. Change it to whatever you would like, then save your new avatar over the old one.

You will only have your custom avatar for the one "neutral" mood unless you copy your avatar (or a separate version of the avatar) over the remaining .png images in that folder.

You can see your newly edited avatar in the avatar selection list in the Full Tilt Client.

Creating Custom Tables

Modding the log-in screen is fun, but the actual tables are where you spend 99% of your time with the client. This is where you want to spend the majority of your time modding.

Modding the table isn't quite as easy as the other items, but it's not altogether difficult either. The first thing you need to know is that there are two different types of tables on Full Tilt: Classic and RaceTrack.

Most serious poker players use the RaceTrack tables. These tables give maximum area to the playing field, instead of avatars and graphics. But it's up to you to choose which one you like best and mod accordingly.

Tables are made out of multiple parts. There's a background, table, cards, chips, pods (where your username and info is) and other random pieces. You can change as many or as few of these elements as you like.

Before we get into actually modding the tables, there is one more important thing to know. The background and the table are separate files. Each table has its own unique background, while all tables share the same table image.

While the background images are simple JPEG images, the table image is an .SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic). To edit an .SVG you need vector graphic editing software, such as Adobe Illustrator.

In my opinion editing this is far too much work and is too limiting to be worthwhile. Instead of editing this table, replace the table file with a blank/transparent one.

This will leave all tables in the client "table less," with the chips and cards floating in space. This also allows you to add a custom table directly into the background image, giving you the freedom to mod your table separately for each background.

The Table.svg file can be found here:

C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\NewTable\RaceTrack\Backgrounds\Table.svg

If you would like to use a blank table, download the file below by right-clicking and choosing "save file as" or "save link as" and replace the Table.svg on your local disk.

Table.svg || Mirror

Now, it's time to create your own backgrounds. When doing this you need to decide what's more important: a cool looking table or a simple, easy-to-use table.

Most people who mod their tables do it to make things as simple as possible. The less distracting your tables are, the less likely you are to make a mistake while multi-tabling 16 tables.

Here are two tables I made for this example. I literally only spent five minutes on each one, as they are only made for this blog (so no need to point out flaws in the comments).

Download the Matrix table

Download the Stay Positive table

How to Install your Background into the Client

You have two options for adding your new table background into the client. The easy way is to open up any Table.jpg file found in any of the folders here:

C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\NewTable\RaceTrack\Backgrounds

Edit the file and save over the original. This will replace the table for whichever folder you opened.

If you saved over the Table.jpg file in the Green Carpet folder, when you choose Green Carpet as your table in the client, you will see your new table instead.

The true geek way to do it is to create your own folder for each background you create and add those folders into the table selection list in the client.

Steps to Adding your Folders

1. Create a folder in the backgrounds parent and name it something fitting.

2. Copy a Table.jpg file from any other folder into your new folder.

3. Edit that Table.jpg file however you want (remember to include a picture of a table if you used the blank vector graphic)

4. Save your edited picture

5. Open Backgrounds.ini in Notepad

The Backgrounds.ini file can be found here:

C:\Program Files\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\NewTable\RaceTrack\Backgrounds\Backgrounds.ini

To open this file in Notepad, right click on the file and choose "Open With." Click on notepad.

You need to replace the default folders in the list and below with your own. Since the default backgrounds no longer have an actual table, you can simply remove them from the list.

Since I created two custom tables, I have both of mine in my list. Your file should look like this (with your folder names in place of mine "StayPos" and "Matrix".

----------------------------------------------------------------

[Backgrounds]

Sys1="StayPos"

Sys2="Matrix"

Sys3="Final"

[StayPos]

MenuName="Stay Positive"

Folder="Stay Pos"

FinalOnly=0

[Matrix]

MenuName="Matrix"

Folder="Matrix"

FinalOnly=0

[Final]

MenuName="Final Table"

Folder="FinalTable"

FinalOnly=1

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You need to make sure that your backgrounds are all above "Final". And all of your tables have FinalOnly=1 as their bottom line. The one background with FinalOnly=1 is the table used for Multi Table Tournament final tables.

You can only have one final table background, and it has to be last in your list. I left mine as I found it.

6. Open Layout.xml in Notepad.

Layout.xml can be found here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Full Tilt Poker\Graphics\NewTable\RaceTrack\Layout.xml

This folder is filled with settings and information. Be careful not to mess around with anything in here unless you know what you're doing.

Hit Ctrl-F and enter "Marble" into the search box. It should find the word and highlight it here (I've highlighted the section we're going to edit in yellow):

Read through the first line until you get to Red Carpet. This you need to change to the name of the folder you used as the first line in the Backgrounds.ini list.

Change that, and change the id="" to the name used for the id in the Backgrounds.ini (it should be the same as the folder).

If you have multiple backgrounds, continue to edit lines below the first in the correct order. Once you have all your folders names added, you need to remove all lines between your folders and the line with the id="Final Table".

When you're done your file should look like this (only with your folder names in place of mine):

Hit save and you're done. Now start (or re-start) your Full Tilt Client.

When you first open a table the tables might be all white and messed up. Just right-click and choose the name of the background you would like to use.

Once you do that, you're done.

Browse around and make any more changes you like. If you have any questions, post them in the comments box below.

-Lind

Visit PokerListings.com

What to Buy with WSOP Main Event Moneyz!

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:28:02 +0100

#fullimg: pic_34534.jpg# The players at the final table of the 2009 Main Event have a serious problem: Millions of dollars and nothing to blow it on.

Sure, they'll be in Las Vegas and they could burn it up in a haze of pit games and luxury suites, but they'll want something to remember their extravagance with.

We're going to suggest that they do what we do every time we come into a large sum of money, spend it all in once place!

You've probably been told repeatedly to do exactly the opposite and NOT spend it all in one place but that shit doesn't play in this day and age.

Here's our one-stop shopping list to help the November Nine get rid of those pesky millions.

9th Place - $1.2 Million - The Chopard Super Ice Cube Watch

Who doesn't want a watch worth $1.1 million?

I've always said you aren't a true player until you have at least 66 carats of diamonds on your person. Plus, with the leftover $100k you can hire a team of sharp-shooters to keep an eye on your left wrist.

8th Place - $1.3 Million - Kharma's Grand Enigma Speakers

Have you ever listened to Dark Side of the Moon? Have you ever listened to Dark Side of the Moon on ... $1 million speakers?

If you're saying "But Sean you ass-hat, that's only $1 million, not $1.3," you're forgetting:

Million-dollar speakers are only useful as a coffee table unless you get a turntable, pre-amp, power amp and speaker cables.

$300k should hook you up with a nice Linn or MAC setup.

7th Place - $1.4 Million - Lamborghini Reventon

One of the rarest cars ever, Lamborghini only made 20 hand-numbered Reventons. Since the actual price depends on the Euros to dollars conversion at the time of purchase, the price of this car is listed as anywhere from $1.4 to $1.6 million.

Since only 20 were built, and they were all purchased before they came out of the factory, it's not really a car you can buy. But this ride's just far more fun than the oh-so-common Bugatti Veyron.

Also, since Ivey already owns a Veyron, if he finishes in 7th it just wouldn't make sense for him to buy another.

The Reventon, modeled after the F-22 Raptor fighter jet, rocks a disgusting 650 horsepower powerplant. Best of all, the instrument cluster was clearly stolen out of Night Rider.

6th Place - $1.5 Million - All five of the five most valuable comics of all time

Even non-comic-book fans have probably heard the words "Action Comics #1" spoken in that order. If you haven't you should have since it was the first time the world ever read the name Superman.

Sure you could buy a Picasso, or a Van Gogh, but the only reason to hang art on your walls in the first place is to impress company. The kind of company I want to be hanging out with would be much more impressed with these on my wall.

The framed picture above includes (in order from left to right):

Action Comics #1, 1938 (first appearance of Superman) - $440k

Detective Comics #27, 1939 (first appearance of Batman) - $375k

Marvel Comics #1, 1939 (first appearance of the Human Torch and other heroes) - $330k

Superman #1, 1939 (the first comic dedicated to Superman) - $270k

All American Comics #16, 1940 (first appearance of the Green Lantern) - $160k

5th Place - $1.9 Million - 1977 Learjet 36A

You're not a baller until you own your own jet. Sure this baby's over 30 years old, but it seats six, rocks leather club seating and even includes a built-in Freon air conditioner!

Let's be honest, this is the best damn plane you're going to get for $1.9 million. In fact, the plane itself only costs $1.77 million, but I'm assuming the whole taxes + insurance + jet fuel + getting a pilot part of things will probably run you at least the difference.

In fact, you should probably make it to a couple more Main Event final tables if you want to use this plane more than once.

4th Place - $2.5 Million - A two-month stay in the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Palms Las Vegas

There is no single suite available for rent more baller than the Hugh Hef suite at the Palms. Or if there is, I don't want to know about it. Then again with a price tag of $40,000 per night, this better be the greatest suite ever built.

Some of the features of this include:

Outdoor, cantilevered Playboy Jacuzzi pool with glass end (It literally hangs over the building giving you a sick view of the strip... or vertigo)
Full Bar
Gym with sauna and personal spa
In-suite glass elevator
Rotating bed
Extra-large show tub
Poker table
And a private sunbathing area ... with a bar

If it's good enough for the Hef, it's good enough for me.

NOTE: Playboy Playmates to be shown off in the extra-large show tub cost extra.

3rd Place - $3.4 Million - Military Hovercraft

With this military-built gem you can roll up to your next party with style, or invade a small country.

This hovercraft is currently property of the Sri Lanka Navy, but can be yours for as little as $2.7 million. It has a 65-person capacity with a max speed of 50 knots (57 mph).

Yes, this only costs $2.7 million, but that only leaves you with $700k to hire your 64-man private militia.

Nothing says "let's party!" like a hovercraft spewing 64 armor-clad men with Kalashnikovs!

On the plus side, this baby is pretty much green, burning only 39.5 gallons of fuel per hour. Sure the Reventon was a sick car, but it can't carry your newly hired private militia over a lake now can it?

2nd Place - $5.1 Million - 1 Bedroom Manhattan Condo

At the bargain price of only $4.9 million, you can own this one bedroom, 1.5 bathroom condo in the historic 100-year-old Plaza building overlooking Central Park South.

This condo is a pre-war 1,212 square foot simplex with one of the best views in town and 6-star hotel services and amenities.

A beautiful old condo in the greatest city on earth. What more could you ask for?

1st Place - $8.5 Million -Six-bedroom home in Honolulu Hawaii

I'll tell you what more you could ask for: a ridiculously stunning mansion on one of the greatest beaches in the world, that's what's more.

9,200 square feet, 250-foot driveway, marble floors, pool, spa, built-in wine cooler, 270 degree ocean views and a master bedroom larger than my entire 2-bedroom apartment.

After seeing this place, finishing second to end up in a one-bedroom condo in New York seems almost like a punishment. Honestly, just take a look at that view. Sick.

Visit PokerListings.com

Three More iPhone Poker Apps Worth Talking About

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:50:24 +0100

#fullimg: iphone-wuggle_34309.jpg#

Over 21 million people in this world own an iPhone. If just 1% of those people play poker, that's over 210,000 people who should read this blog.

The original "quick guide" to poker on the iPhone went over some of the best and worst iPhone poker apps available in the app store. At the time I had ranked Zynga as the best poker app available, while Imagine Poker was the absolute worst.

In all seriousness, Imagine Poker really is the worst poker iPhone app I've ever used. Who decided that playing poker against the Mona Lisa or Napoleon is something anyone would be interested in?

Just thinking about having paid for that app tilts the living shit out of me.

But I digress. After a bit more digging around, here are three more poker apps worth talking about.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Texas Hold'em by Apple ($4.99)

One-Word Rating: Scrumptious

This app was excluded from the first article, simply because Apple doesn't need any more free press than it already gets. After a couple of updates and some more time logged using the app, I'm here to say that it's truly a four-star app.

The game itself has two ways to play: against the computer or against other local iPhone players. This multiplayer feature is sort of useless since if you have a bunch of friends in the same room wanting to play poker, why not just grab a deck of cards?

The single player mode has a pseudo storyline, where you build up your roll by beating small-stakes games on your quest to reach the top of the poker world.

Actually playing the game is what makes Apple's app so slick. In landscape mode the game functions much like other Hold'em apps. And as you'd expect from Apple, the controls are easy to use and free of any glitches or annoyances.

You can tap to skip computer game play and speed up the amount of time it takes to play, and you can fold your cards with a flick.

If you turn the iPhone into portrait mode, you get a mix of animated table, chips and cards - even actually a video of a dealer and players. You get to watch your players make their bets, giving you a pseudo-immersive experience completely unique to this brand.

The only major downfall of the app comes from having no ability to play with other real people online. You're either playing against silicone or friends in the same room.

Considering the price ($5) and the lack of online play, the app isn't perfect. But it's still worth a four-star rating.

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Texas Wuggle (99¢)

One-Word Rating: Putrescence

This app seemed promising: arcade "puzzle style" game play consisting of franticly moving cards around to make poker hands.

I typically like games which require you to race a timer, and especially if you get to bet on your ability to complete the level at hand.

The app made me excited and I even watched a video trailer for the game. I paid for it, started it up and played my first match. It took me 3 or 4 rounds to get used to the controls and figure out some sort of strategy.

The strategy was simple: Bet all in every round.

In less than five minutes I had turned the starting $50 into $1.6 billion. Yeah, you read that correctly. $1.6 BILLION. So as far as I was concerned, the main game mode had been wrapped in less than 5 min.

Still, no worries, there's a survival mode. I figured I'd give that a shot.

You might think I'm exaggerating when I make this next claim, but let me tell you this: I am being 100% honest. I even had two people in the office watching me in disbelief.

I literally played until the game sped up to inhuman speeds to force the end. In that game I made a club flush every single hand. I either was dealt a club flush, or was one card out and hit on my first draw every time.

No really, I made a club flush EVERY SINGLE HAND. Two of them were straight flushes, the rest just a regular old club flush.

Ten minutes of game play and I had high scores to the point where you just don't care anymore.

It's like when you start playing Tetris on Facebook. You're rocking along, you get really good and start posting some really sick high scores. You're rocking 250k points in marathon mode and are feeling pretty good about it.

Then you look at the leader boards and see that the best people have over 968k. At the very top of your game, you're still only one-quarter of the way to the best score.

At that point, it just doesn't seem like fun to play anymore.

Texas Wuggle gets a resounding zero stars. Unless you're three years old, where anything moving or shiny will entertain you, this app is pretty garbage.

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((World Poker Tour)) Texas Hold'em ($3.99)

One-Word Rating: Acceptable

Anytime I start up a game that has a super flashy, obviously high-budget opening video sequence, I start to worry.

Only two things are possible at this point:

They have a huge overall budget for the game, allowing them to put full resources and effort behind all features and aspects.
The game sucks, and to make it look legit they spent all of the development money on a fancy video rather than working on making it enjoyable.

It seems this game is mostly the result of the former rather than the latter. The game is actually pretty tight. The controls are simple and accurate and the game play is what you would expect.

This game offers play almost identical to the landscape version of Apple's Texas Hold'em, but WPT also allows players to create a profile and play with real players online. For this reason, WPT might actually be the better choice between the two titles.

One of my biggest complaints though is what WPT likely thinks is its biggest asset: Professional poker player likenesses at the table.

I hate sitting next to a computer version of Jesus Ferguson only to watch the half-assed AI have him overcall for his tournament life with A5 offsuit. It's just embarrassing to watch the computer make a player as talented as him look like a complete jerk off.

So while it won't give you fancy-playing video opponents, it will let you play against other people for your hard-earned play money balance. It's also cheaper than Apple's product, so might be your best choice.

I give WPT a three-and-a-half star rating. It probably should get four, but in typical WPT fashion, the app was busy trying to be far too flashy and exciting. I just want to play poker.

WPT is not as strong of an overall app as Apple's, but it has online play. If you don't fancy you'll be playing online, the Apple app might be the one for you. Otherwise, this is your obvious choice.

Visit PokerListings.com

The First Online Poker Room: IRC Poker

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:44:47 +0100

#fullimg: irc-poker_34239.jpg#

When people talk about the first online poker room, they're usually referring to Planet Poker - the brainchild of Mike Caro and the site that dealt the first ever real-money online poker hand on Jan. 1, 1998.

What most people don't know is the idea for online poker had been around and functioning for years before then.

In 1988, Finnish programmer Jarkko "WiZ" Oikarinen invented IRC (Internet Relay Chat). IRC was the first online "chat room" allowing anyone to set up an IRC server and anyone on that server to create his or her own chat rooms (or channels as they're known).

Over time IRC grew in size and functionality, eventually allowing users to do things like send files and, more importantly, create and run scripts - basically computer programs that operate within the parent program itself.

In the early 1990s, Todd Mummert and Greg Reynolds created a server and script that allowed IRC users to play poker games and poker tournaments online.

Since IRC requires a greater understanding of computers than that of the average user, IRC was (and still is) almost exclusively populated by geeks and computer nerds.

This translated into the only users of the first online poker room being programmers, mathematicians and software engineers.

Some of the WSOP bracelet winners that learned or perfected their games in the IRC rooms: Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Jay "Sippy" Sipelstein and Perry "Tiltboy" Friedman.

The server ran the following rooms:

#7stud - 7-card Stud high/low (8 or better)

#7studhi - 7-card Stud high

#botsonly - 10-20 Hold'em (reserved for bots)

#h1-nobots - 10-20 Hold'em (reserved for humans)

#holdem - 10-20 Hold'em (the original channel)

#holdemii - 10-20 Hold'em

#holdem1 - 10-20 Hold'em

#holdem2 - 20-40 Hold'em ($2k minimum buyin)

#holdem3 - 50-100 Hold'em ($5k minimum buyin)

#holdempot - Pot-Limit Hold'em

#nolimit - No-Limit Hold'em

#ohlpot - Pot-Limit Omaha high/low (8 or better)

#omaha - 10-20 Omaha high/low (8 or better)

#omahahi - Omaha high only

#omahapot - Pot-Limit Omaha high only

#ptourney - Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments

#tourney - No-Limit Hold'em tournaments

Although all play on these servers was for fake money, and any player could log in and receive 1,000 chips per day, the overall standard of play was much higher than the play-money games found on major online sites these days.

Because of the types of players and the small number of total users on the system, people took the game very seriously and very strategic poker was the norm.

Between 1995 and 2001, more than 10 million hands played on the servers were also recorded by a program named Observer, written by Michael Maurer. All of these hands have been saved in the IRC poker database.

This database has been used for running numerous queries on poker statistics and other mathematical tests. This was also the first time any person had access to millions of hands of data, opening the door for players to look for trends or build graphs out of poker hands.

The servers were taken offline in 2001, mostly as a result of real-money online poker becoming legitimate and accessible.

For the first few years of its existence, IRC Poker was purely text based. The picture at the top of this article is an example of what it looked like to play.

Simply as a nostalgic novelty, it's still possible to download IRC poker scripts and set up your own tournaments. To do this you just need a couple of things:

Download and install an IRC client, such as mIRC.
Download and install a poker script. I used this one for the photo example at the top (how to install this script can be found in the included readme.txt file).
You need to log in to a server such as irc.efnet.info, but any server will do. To log in to a server just type /server irc.efnet.info
Once you're logged in you need to join a channel or create a new one. To do this type: /j #channelname.
When you're in the channel you just need to right-click to access the poker script. This will let you change some variables and choose to start the tournament.
The instructions on screen will tell everyone in the room "Type add to play." Once everyone who wants to play types "add," you must right-click and tell the tourney to begin.
When the action is on you, type your actions to play.

Actions:

Fold
Check
Call
Bet ##
Raise ##
All in

If you're a geek who likes to play poker and you want to experience what is was like to play the first online poker ever created, do it up.

If you want an almost empty server for playing some games, I recommend this server to create your own games on: ircpoker.com:6667

In the main IRC window, type: /server ircpoker.com:6667

-Lind

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Rad How-To: Play Poker with Your Rock Band Guitar

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:21:46 +0100

The thought came to me sort of like this: I'm lazy, and I like the idea of playing poker while sitting on my couch watching TV.

Originally, I developed a system to play poker online using voice-control software, but this isn't very useful if you want to chat with your roommates or eat a BLT while you play.

The next logical step would be using the wireless poker controller, but I just don't like the idea of paying for something I can build myself for free.

The Rock Band (and Guitar Hero) instruments are, basically, wireless controllers. You hit a button on the guitar and it sends that button-press to its little receiver hanging from your Playstation's USB port.

I saw no reason why I shouldn't be able to plug the instrument into my computer and use it as my very own wireless poker controller. And besides, playing poker by using a guitar … that's just rad.

Note: The following how-to was done using a 2nd-generation Rock Band guitar for PS3. Although Guitar Hero instruments and versions for other consoles should work the same, I haven't tested them.

And, as always, follow what you read below at your own risk. I'm not taking the heat for your controller crapping out and costing you a $500 pot.

Three Steps of Set-Up

Setting up your guitar (or drums) as your wireless poker controller isn't all that hard. You can do it in three simple steps, and if you're not all that adept with computers, don't worry.

Step 1

Plug the guitar receiver into your computer. Your computer should automatically install the guitar, and it will even show up as a game controller (you can find a link to see those in your control panel).

You might have to hit the sync buttons. Also: make sure the guitar is turned on.

Step 2

You now have your guitar working as a game controller. Basically, this means the guitar will send commands to your computer.

You need your computer to translate these commands into keystrokes, and then make those keystrokes execute specific commands in your poker software.

First, download and install this program:

http://www.windyhilltech.com/poker/ps/config.php#download

This program allows you to control your Full Tilt or PokerStars game windows using only your keyboard. You need to set this software up to have all the commands you're going to need.

You can browse through all the tabs yourself, or follow my chart below setting each command listed to exactly what I've written. Unless you know what you're doing, don't change any settings other than what I have listed in the chart below

Tab	Command	Setting	Key or Mouse Code
Fixed Bet	Bet Pot		F5
Fixed Bet	All In (or max allowed bet)		F4
Actions1	Click Left Button	Enable the key is optional, check if desired.	F1
Actions1	Click Middle Button	Enable the key is optional, check if desired.	F2
Actions1	Click Right Button		F3
Actions2	Click Time on Active Table		F6

That's it; you've just set up your commands for poker. Move on to Step 3

You can tweak the settings by looking through the other tabs. For example, the Inc/Dec Bet tab will allow you to change the amount you can increase your raise increments by.

I prefer to use BB as my setting next to the WheelUp and WheelDown codes.

Step 3

Now that you have your poker windows controlled by the keyboard, you need to bind the guitar buttons to the specific keyboard functions.

Although you can use any program that will bind game controllers to keyboard keys, I've used Xpadder. You can get it here: http://xpadder.com/

Once you have Xpadder, you need to set it up. Follow the on-screen instructions initially until you get to the tabbed setup screen.

You want to click on the buttons tab. Press the neck buttons on the guitar one at a time. Each time you press a button it should show up as a box in the pink screen.

Make sure to click and drag the boxes into the order you see them in on the guitar (buttons 1 and 4 will be swapped unless you manually move them).

You should have five squares on the screen. Now tilt the guitar up until a sixth square shows up. Drag that square up above the six squares.

Click on the DPad tab. Set "up" to the strummer going up, set "right" to the whammy bar and set "down" to the strummer going down. You don't need to set left to anything at all.

Now click on finish and close. You should see six boxes and one big DPad plus sign on the screen. You want to click on each box and bind it to the proper F command.

Set them up identical to how you see them in the picture, then save your settings.

This sets:

Green to the left (check/fold) button, Red to the middle (call) button, Yellow to lower bet amount, Blue to increase bet amount and Orange to bet pot.

Moving your guitar into the Star Power position will hit F4, moving you all in. The strummer will act as your right (raise) button, regardless of the direction plucked.

And finally, the whammy bar acts as your Time Bank.

Now you're set. Make sure you have Xpadder and Poker Shortcuts running, open your Full Tilt or PokerStars client and log on to a table.

Note: For the software to work properly, you need to have the poker table active and the mouse hovering over the top of the table, but not over the chat box.

Now throw the strap over your head and play some power-chord poker.

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Watch 2M2MM Episode 5: The Boys Get Lucky

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:46:52 +0100

This week's episode of 2M2MM is online on the blog and definitely worth a watch. Hands down, my favorite episode yet.

When it comes to poker, the boys are not having the summer they had hoped. Before this episode started the crew was up only $160k, and things do not start out well in episode 5.

After getting into a somewhat heated argument with Dani, Jay goes on life tilt and decides he needs to get out of dodge for some homecooked comfort like only your mother can provide.

When at home, he promises to buy his mom front-row tickets to see Barry Manilow if they hit their $2mil target before playing from his old room with his brother sweating.

In an effort to change up the dynamic of the house, the rest of the boys get talked into going out on a triple date with Brian and his lady. Not only do Amil and Dani find dates at the Playboy club for the next day, but the date ends with the girls back at the house behind closed doors.

Even though they might not be running so well in poker, the boys still managed to get lucky in Vegas.

The Penalty stunt this week has all the potential in the world to be an awkward painful experience for all involved, but you're going to have to watch the show to see how it all turns out.

PS. When the videos get removed from YouTube, we'll post them from another source, but the other source seems to have viewing issues for people in certain locations. If you're unable to see the video above, we're sorry, there's nothing we can do.

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How to Set Up and Play Voice-Controlled Online Poker

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:04:00 +0100

Have you ever been so lazy that having to use your mouse to play online poker was just too much work?

Me neither. And when I first decided to put together a fully functional system for voice-controlled poker, I was doing it simply as a novelty.

Surprisingly while testing it out, I found that voice-controlled poker can actually be pretty useful.

There are times where I want to sit on my couch, watch TV, and play a table or two of online poker. Nothing too serious, just something to kill time. I've always hated using laptop touch pads, and voice control ended up being a perfect option.

This system I've set up is 100% functional. You can start your poker client, find a table, log-in, buy-in and post your blinds.

Once you're on a table you can do everything you would normally use your mouse for - freeing up your hands for more important tasks.

How to Set It Up

Just three steps stand between you and voice-controlled online poker. All of these steps are simple, but one of them will take a bit of time.

Watch the video above for the basics, or follow the detailed instructions below.

Step 1: Download and Install the Software

I'm sure there are other voice control programs out there, but I had two specific requirements for the software I needed:

It had to have enough functionality to get the job done.
It had to be free to try and cheap to buy.

e-speaking did both of these things so I'll be happy to give them a little free press.

(Note, the software is free to download and use, but after 15 days of use you are no longer allowed to add or edit the voice commands. After 30 days you can't use it at all. Luckily, if you like how it works it's only $15 to buy.)

You need to DL and install two files:

The Microsoft Speech Application Program Interface (SAPI)

The actual voice control software

Step 2: Learn to Use the Software

The software itself is pretty straight forward. I'd recommend running through some of the tutorials to get an idea of how it all works. Play around with the commands, try it out, and get comfortable.

You also need to train your computer for best results. If you click on the speech tab there's a Voice Training button. Running through that will train your computer to understand how you speak. (This is not required. I did half of this training only and it works great for me.)

Step 3: Configure the software for poker

This is the step I warned you about. It's actually not all that difficult but it does require a bit of effort to get it set up properly. Basically the only part of this software we're going to use is its mouse-click feature.

With this feature we can tell the program to click the mouse in a specific location whenever a certain phrase is spoken. To do this you just need to hover your mouse where you would want to click and speak "Add mouse click."

The software will bring you to a screen to add this command; the only thing you need to type in is the phrase you want to use.

NOTE: The software is smart enough to know which window you're in, so train the mouse click in relation to that window rather than the actual screen. This is good for poker because no matter where your table is on your screen the commands will still work.

You want to add a mouse click on everything you would ever need to click on in a game. Use a phrase that makes sense. I've set up mouse clicks for:

Auto blinds
Bet amount
Bet pot
Call
Chatbox
Check
Fold
Get chips
Post blind
Raise
Reload
Ship it
Sit out
Table Left
Table Right
Take seat one
Take seat two (all the way to take seat nine)

(The table left and table right allow me to use two tables at once. I set the mouse clicks to click on the menu bar of each table. You must be active in the left table to set a click for table right and vice-versa)

Other than those listed above I also have some commands for working in the lobby, such as "Hold'em" and "Omaha" to change between games. Fool around a bit and figure out what commands you need.

Set up whatever you want, however you want.

There are a couple of commands I use that aren't just a basic mouse click. I figure you might like to use them:

Phrase	Type	Action
Open Poker	Website/Program	C:\Program Files\((Full Tilt Poker))\((FullTiltPoker)).exe
Bet Amount	Keyboard/Mouse	{MouseLeftClick,471,723}&{CtrlDown}a{CtrlUp}&{Backspace}

For the bet amount, you want to set a regular mouse click on the bet amount text field. Then add everything after the mouse click tag as is.

This will select the box and erase everything in it. Once you do that you'll need to tell it to start writing what you speak. This command is set in the speech tab in options.

For example:

"Bet Amount, Start Typing, One Zero Zero, Stop Typing, Raise."

This is a little cumbersome, and when using voice control I find myself betting pot far more often than not. If there's an amount you typically bet, you could set it up to automatically type out that amount as well. Really, you can do whatever you like.

Because of how the software works, your poker table always needs to be the same size as it was when you trained the software. Most poker sites allow you to save a custom table layout. I suggest you do this to avoid having to re-train your software.

There you have it: voice-controlled poker, simple and free to try. Once you finish your first session while comfortably laid out on your couch, you can thank me in the comment boxes below.

-Lind

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The Future of Poker Bots

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:33:14 +0100

#fullimg: pokerbot_33405.jpg# There are hundreds of misconceptions and rumors about poker bots around, including what they are, how they work and if you should be worried about them at the tables.

Poker bots are nothing new. The concept of artificial opponents was originally developed for the game of chess. Over time, programmers were able to create computerized opponents that can defeat the world's greatest chess-playing humans.

But, luckily for us humans, No-Limit Hold'em is a far more complicated game to teach an A.I. than chess.

Limit Hold'em, however, thanks to its primarily mathematical nature, is a bit easier for bots to wrap their silicon heads around. Programmers at the University of Alberta are well known for creating Polaris, the first bot that can actually give humans some real competition in this variant.

But as of yet, no programmer has managed to create a truly competitive and competent bot for No-Limit Hold'em.

Rob Turner, the owner of www.pokerbotbasics.com (a site dedicated to the creation and legitimization of poker bots on commercial poker sites) is doubtful of such a feat, telling PokerListings, "It could be years before we see poker bots being unbeatable at the table. Maybe never."

What is a Poker Bot?

At its core, a poker bot is a very simple program:

It reads the poker table window as an image, and each part of the table with information specific to the hand is analyzed and recorded for computation.

Once the computer is asked for input (meaning the action is on the bot), it uses its programmed logic to pick the best course of action.

Of course, the "best" action is extremely subjective.

This will depend on the programmer's own poker skill, along with his ability to predict the scenario and create strong enough code for the computer to make the correct choice.

Are Poker Bots Out There?

There is some speculation whether poker bots are being used in earnest at all. The answer is a definite yes.

"Poker bots are already out there," says Turner, "lurking at many sites where people play, silently making their masters a few dollars every day.

"Every once in a while you can spot them - that time player768 went all-in except for a dollar on the turn, and then folded on the river? That was a poker bot that needed some fine tuning."

Once it's accepted that poker bots are in fact on the tables, it becomes a question of whether or not the bots are actually making money. According to Turner, the best bots make a marginal profit, if any at all.

"I've seen my bot win some great hands only to turn around and hand over hard earned chips to a housewife in Kansas."

Why do People Write Bots?

Much like any other programming quest, the goal is as much artistic as academic. As Turner explains, poker is a dream environment for such a creative endeavor.

"An online table comes complete with a pre-defined set of rules and all the information in one graphic," says Turner. "What your bot can do boils down to three moves: fold, call, or raise.

"As a hobbyist you can build a simple bot that makes a random play, or a complicated one that carefully watches players and evaluates their playing ability over time."

The true reasons for writing a poker bot don't come from the malicious intent of swindling human players out of money, but from the genuine challenge of creating a bot that can be a contender.

Can a Poker Room Ban Bots?

If a poker room wanted to completely ban bots from its tables it would be fairly easy to do. Known as bot-busting technology, the premise is very simple:

If all poker bots function by analyzing specific areas of the images on screen, the poker software needs to randomly make small changes to how the screen displays information.

For example, if instead of printing "King of Clubs" the software suddenly prints "K ing of Clubs," the code will break.

"Make a small change once every 20 minutes and you'll see bots freeze up, frustrating their owners, and driving bots from a bot-busting site to sites with tables that are easier to program for," advises Turner.

Should Poker Bots be Allowed?

This is the million-dollar question and there's fierce opposition on both sides. Since it's obvious which side of the fence the programmers stand on, PokerListings decided to put the question to some of the world's predominant poker professionals.

Some players, like Mike Matusow and Andy Black, feel bots have no place in the world of poker. High-stakes veteran and team Poker Stars pro Barry Greenstein, however, has a different view on the matter.

"I believe that poker sites should allow bots, but only on clearly defined tables. Players should know who the bots are, and have the choice if they would like to play them or not," says Greenstein.

Even though Greenstein feels bots should be allowed, he has no intention of playing them himself as a computer operating on a finite set of rules will make far fewer mistakes than a human playing with distractions and emotion.

Will Bots Ever Be Mainstream?

In 2005 Las Vegas hosted the first, and possibly only, poker-bot competition, where players sat their personally coded bots at the tables and had them play out until a winner.

With sites such as www.pokerbotbasics.com, which gives detailed tutorials on how to create your own bot, poker bots may become more mainstream.

In an effort to fast-track this movement, the owner of Pokerbot Basics has even pledged to pay any poker site $10,000 if they will openly allow bots at their tables.

As I write this article, no site has accepted this offer.

Many thanks to Rob Turner for his expertise on the subject and for supplying the picture for this article.

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty details of how poker bots function, head to his site and take a look around.

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Watch 2M2MM Episode 4 Right Here

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:15:25 +0100

The boys are back with this week's installment of 2 Months 2 Million, and as usual we have it up on the site for your viewing pleasure.

This week's show sees Jay "Pr1nnyraid" Rosenkrantz in need of an opponent after his regular opposition Blewjob left, having had enough.

The boys see Erica Schoenberg at the pool and Jay talks to her about an old beef after she blogged about him calling her fiancee David Benyamine a fish.

After making amends Jay challenges Benyamine to play him heads up, then begins to prepare for the challenge.

While Jay gets ready to play Benyamine heads up, Dani gets Schoenberg to play him heads up for $2k. Although $2,000 won't help much on their quest to make $2 million, Dani points out that it's not too often you get to sit across from one of poker's most beautiful girls.

Along with the usual baller antics and a creative penalty stunt, this week's episode of 2M2MM is definitely worth a watch.

If you're having trouble watching click play twice!

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New poker term: Nutshot

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:02:51 +0100

It's been one of my life long goals to have a term I invented become colloquialized.

I'm asking for all of your assistance in bringing my new word into your poker world: spread it like a plague.

Nut*shot (Noun): Having an inside straight draw (gutshot) to the best possible hand (the nuts).

Example: I needed to hit a nine on the turn or river to complete my nutshot.

There you have it, now go forth and spread it with vigor.

Thanks for the help

-Sean

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Quick Guide to Poker on the iPhone

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:00:03 +0100

#fullimg:iphone-imagine_33174.jpg#

Every iPhone-wielding poker player wants to know the same thing: How can I use my iPhone to play poker?

As most poker-playing iPhiles already know, Apple will not approve any application which can be used for "gambling."

For this reason, no poker sites have written native iPhone poker software. But that doesn't mean people aren't trying to find a way to work around the problem.

In-Browser Poker Rooms

Lots of poker sites offer full-featured play from inside a standard web-browser. Since the iPhone comes equipped with Safari, you might be thinking that you're home free.

Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple.

Almost all online poker rooms who offer in-browser play use Adobe Flash as their framework. This means to use the rooms, you need to have a browser that supports Flash (and has it installed).

At this time the iPhone doesn't have full Flash support, meaning the rooms do not work.

Adobe has said Flash would be coming soon to the iPhone, but there have been no official developments past that statement. Here's hoping it will come with an upcoming Firmware.

One site, Absolute Poker, offers a Java based in-browser room. Unfortunately, iPhone Safari doesn't really handle Java either.

You can install Java on your iPhone, but as far as I know (and I'm a pretty big geek), full-functioning Java support is not possible from the iPhone Safari at this time.

The Only Option

The only working option I've come across isn't really an iPhone solution at all. In theory you can use a remote-viewer app such as LogMeIn or iTap to remotely connect to your home computer.

While in theory any VNC viewer app should work, such as Mocha, I found Mocha to be too laggy and slow to be practical.

Using your iPhone as a controller you can command full functionality of your personal computer, including playing poker using the native poker software you already have installed.

Although I have successfully gotten this to work, I've found using anything but iTap or LogMeIn is far too laggy to be practical. As LogMeIn costs $30, I'd recommend iTap at $15 as the better choice.

In short, other than this one pseudo-option (which isn't 100% reliable for real-money play), there's no way to play real poker on an iPhone at this time.

If you would rather play free-money poker on a legitimate iPhone app, there are a bunch of choices for you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Official iPhone Poker Applications that Don't Suck

Zynga Live Poker (free)

Hands down this is the best poker app available from the app store. Best of all it's free, connects to your Facebook or MySpace account and pits you against live players.

On the downside, you're only playing for fake chips and bragging rights.

Software is decent, but I'd rather lose some of the pretty graphics and speed up the game play, as each hand takes forever to play out.

This program is available in many different versions. Basically if you pay for it, you get a lot of free chips and the ability to play tournaments. If that doesn't matter to you, stick to the free version.

Rating: As close as you can get to playing for real.

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MegaPoker Online (free)

This is very similar to Zynga.

Since this is the direct competition for Zynga, it only makes sense to closely compare the two apps.

When it comes down the details, MegaPoker Online has fewer players and not as slick of an interface.

Rating: Would be great if Zynga didn't exist.

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Tim's Tourney Timer ($1.99)

This app does exactly what you'd want a tourney timer to do.

Blinds and structures are customizable, and the timer runs even if you use other apps on the phone.

Unfortunately the timer alarm won't sound unless the app is actually on the screen.

But hey, at least you don't lose the timer because someone phones you.

Rating: Absolutely worth it for anyone running a simple home poker game.

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Poker Income ($1.99)

This poker stat-tracking app includes a timer for live games, customizable interface, reports and comparisons, and full backup/export capabilities.

There are a couple more apps out there that do this (such as the Hot Poker Log ... no I didn't make that name up) but this one does it the best.

Rating: Beats the crap out of carrying a notebook and a pen.

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HeadsupFree (free)

This app is kind of cool. The only problem is you can't play it unless you have another person in the room with an iPhone (or Touch) with the program on the same wireless network.

But since the program is free, I'm not complaining.

Rating: If you have poker friends with iPhones, try it out.

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Official iPhone Poker Applications that Suck

Poker Superstars III ($0.99)

Don't waste your money. This game is clearly for non-poker players who like to watch the shows on TV.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Rating: Lame balls.

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THtouch ($0.99)

After installing, this game didn't even work.

But even if it did, it looks horrible and you play against computer opponents.

Rating: S**T sandwich.

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Imagine Poker ($2.99)

Have you ever wanted to pretend you're Napoleon and play against famous people such as the Mona Lisa and Blackbeard?

I know I haven't.

Rating: Barely fit for gambling toddlers.

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BikiniPokerFree (free)

It's video strip poker, only the girls are cartoon and don't get naked. As lame as it is to play video poker simply to see a cartoon girl in a bikini, I still played it for 15 min.

Rating: Maybe if the girls took all their gear off it wouldn't be a complete waste of time.

Actually, no. It would still be a waste of time.

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There are countless other poker apps available in the app store. Other than the ones I've listed here, I haven't come across one that seems worthwhile to even try out.

If I'm wrong and there's a great app I've missed, let me know in the comments.

For now, keep your fingers crossed (or send an email or two to Adobe) that Flash for the iPhone will be released shortly.

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How to Beat Phil Ivey

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:05:38 +0100

#fullimg: pic_33169.jpg# With the WSOP Main Event final table just two months away, eight of the finalists must be asking themselves the same question: How can I beat Ivey?

The biggest mistake the rest of the November Nine can make is to put Ivey on a pedestal. Once they fool themselves into thinking of Ivey as a poker god who can't be beat, he will gain a huge edge.

Kevin Schaffel, who's going into the final table sixth in chips, has his head in the right place.

"I fear anybody that can knock me out at the time I'm in a hand with them," he said in an interview with PokerListings shortly after making the final table. "But I don't really fear anybody in particular right now."

On the other end of the spectrum is the chip leader Darvin Moon, who said in a similar interview he's unwilling to play against Ivey if he can at all prevent it.

"I'll stay away from him," Moon said. "I'll hide in a corner when I'm against him. I'm concerned about all of them, but if Phil Ivey is on my left, if he even looks at me, I'm mucking."

To beat a player as strong as Ivey, you need to first embrace the fact that he's just another poker player. Just because he might be the best doesn't mean he can't be beat. This is a lesson the players need to take to heart if they want to have a fighting chance at the final table.

Considering his experience, it's doubtful anyone will be as prepared to play his "A" game as Ivey. Not only does he understand what it takes to win such an event, he truly wants it more than anyone.

Ivey sees this one final table as his chance to define himself as the greatest poker player of all time. A player as determined as this is a force almost none of us will ever have the honor of competing against.

Even though Ivey will be an intimidating poker giant stepping onto the battlefield, it's a big mistake to fear his presence at the table.

When asked if he fears Ivey at the table, Schaffel replied "Fear is not having any money and not knowing where your next dollar is coming from, so fear is not the right word."

Perhaps the word that best describes how to treat Ivey is respect. Respect him, and more importantly respect his game. In the end there's no need to fear him; he's just another guy playing the same game as you.

A flush will always beat a straight, regardless of who's holding the cards.

Ivey may be the most experienced player at the table, but as long as the other players don't accept defeat before they even take their seats, it's still anyone's bracelet.

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Random Number Generators for Dummies

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:40:41 +0100

Ever wondered how poker sites randomly shuffle the deck? Here's everything you need to know about RNGs, but were too afraid to ask.

Before we get into the generators, the first step in understanding how a poker site shuffles its decks is to understand what the word random actually means. The actual definition of random is very simple:

Random = impossible to be predicted.

Computers can only do what they're told to do. Until full-functioning artificial intelligence becomes a reality, a computer is a slave to the person operating it.

A computer cannot create, or think for itself. It can only be given a set of instructions and return the results from following them.

Does not Compute
(0100010001101111011001010111001100100000011011100110111101110100
0010000001000011011011110110110101110000011101010111010001100101)

The very first computer ever created ran on a series of switches. It would do different things depending which switches were on (1) or off (0). The first computers used physical, hand-modulated switches (just like you use to turn on the light in your living room).

As computers progressed, the switches became electronic, and computers went from processing a handful of switches a second to billions.

This is what's known as binary, 1's and 0's. All regular computers today still run on this simple system; everything you do on a computer can be broken down to a series of ones and zeros.

In fact the text title of this section (Does not Compute) is represented in binary by the series of ones and zeros next to it (eight digits for every letter).

Because computers working like this, everything a computer does has to be based on logic. 1+1 always equals 2, unless the computer is instructed otherwise.

A computer can't randomly choose a number, because when a computer is asked to pick a random number, its response is "How should I do that?"

As soon as you have to tell the computer how to select a random number, the number is no longer random.

Fake Random Numbers

In the scientific world, fake random number generators are known as Pseudo-Random Number Generators (PRNGs).

The majority of random number generators used by computers are not truly random. They are a number created by a programmed algorithm. Basically, you take a sophisticated mathematical algorithm, and use its result as your random number.

For those of you who know anything about math, you need to start with a number to put into the algorithm to be able to get anything out as a result. This initial number is known as the seed. A basic simple seed used by many PRNG's is using the system's internal clock to pick its number.

The problem with this approach is its vulnerability to be cracked. If anyone can get their hands on (or figure out) your algorithm, and the method for finding your seed number, they will be able to predict the identical random numbers with 0% error.

Obviously, this would be a mistake for a poker site, as it would allow anyone who can figure out its algorithm to compromise the game. Although these sorts of RNGs can be useful for non-crucial tasks, such as video games, they're not suitable for true security.

True Random Numbers

Although it's possible to argue that it's impossible to be truly random, it's absolutely possible to get very close. Close enough that it is impossible (using any technology available today) to predict the number generated.

To achieve this level of random, computers must find a seed which is, in itself, random. This is done by measuring a physical occurrence, or reaction, which happens naturally at random.

For example: measuring radioactive decay, thermal noise or even the movement of a lava lamp.

When using a system such as this, even if someone obtains your algorithm, they will still be unable to reproduce your results, without somehow managing to monitor the same source for the seed numbers.

Where Poker Comes in

Poker sites shuffle the deck randomly, using the random numbers their RNGs create. Every major poker site has outside experts evaluate the state of its RNG, to make sure the RNG is in fact creating unpredictable results.

Although some sites give out more information than others, all poker sites post public information about their specific RNG in use:

Single Shuffle versus Continuous Shuffle

Once you're confident that all poker sites use a valid RNG, making its shuffles unpredictable, the next thing to know is that there are two types of shuffling used by poker sites.

The single shuffle is the equivalent to a hand-shuffled physical deck. It's randomly shuffled, cut, then dealt. Once dealing has started, the deck remains intact as it was after the last shuffle.

Although this technique is the most "pure," it's not the only way a poker site can choose to operate. Some poker sites choose to add one more layer of security by using a continuous shuffle.

This means after every card is dealt, the deck is constantly being shuffled before every new card to be dealt. This layer of security makes it almost impossible to know what card will be dealt next.

Should You Worry About Online Security?

Let me put it this way: If any person can create a way to crack a true RNG, that single idea alone will bring them more wealth and fame than they could ever gain from cheating at poker.

It would be a creation worthy of a field's medal, and would become the backbone of all military code-breaking operations.

It would be the single biggest thing to happen in the computing world since the invention of the microchip. If you invented such a thing, you would have two choices:

Cheat at poker to become Phil Ivey-rich, while constantly having to hide and worry about being caught as a cheat.
Sell the idea to the military to become Bill Gates-rich, while at the same time becoming a national hero and computing god.

Which would you choose?

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How to Play Poker on a Mac

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:38:29 +0100

For years, only the people who supported the Microsoft Empire could play online poker on their computers, leaving Mac and Linux users out in the cold.

With the vast majority of the computing world running Windows, poker sites originally decided that it wasn't worth the development time and cost to create software for other platforms.

Only recently has M$ Windows dropped below a 90% market share, mostly as a result of increased sales of Apple computers. Using this statistic as their inspiration, three of the largest poker rooms have created Mac specific software allowing Mac users to play on their sites without any restraints or hindrances.

Playing Poker on a Mac

If you want to play poker on a Mac, you have three rooms to choose from. Luckily two of them are the largest, most well-known online poker rooms in the world.

It's no coincidence that the three rooms to create native Mac software also allow American traffic. To play poker on a Mac, aim your mouse at one of these links:

Absolute Poker
Full Tilt
PokerStars

Browser-Based Play

Aside from the standard download-and-install poker apps, it's possible to play on many of the largest sites from within your internet browser.

This is valuable for any computer user without download-and-install capabilities, or for users on other mobile browsers with Java and Flash compatibility. Browser-based play is available from the following sites (a complete list for all Mac compatible poker rooms also available here.):

Absolute Poker
bwin Poker
ChiliPoker
Hollywood Poker
Ladbrokes Poker
Pacific Poker
Paddy Power Poker
Party Poker
Red Kings Poker
Titan Poker

Playing Poker on Linux (Ubuntu)

Although no poker sites currently make native Linux software, it is possible to play poker on a Ubuntu box using a browser-based site, or by installing the Windows version using Wine.

Wine is a program allowing Ubuntu users to install and run many native Windows applications.

Since Wine is a free program, you can download it by heading here: http://www.winehq.org/download

A guide on how to install and use Wine can be found here: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wine

If you already have Wine and just want to know how to install poker software, such as Party Poker, you just need to do one quick little step (this step is taken from the poster Kc8hr on http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=169495&page=2)

"Just download the installer, open a terminal window and type: wine

E.G: wine partypoker.exe

The program will install under ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Party*, and you will even have an entry for it under "Wine" in your start menu.

Thanks to developers finally creating applications for the Mac platform, and open source coders hacking their way into running windows apps on Linux boxes, it's no longer an issue to play poker on whatever platform you wish to use.

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Top 5 Strangest American Poker Laws

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:34:01 +0100

American law books are filled from cover to cover with random, obsolete, and outright strange laws created in a time long passed.

As I have surmised after spending no time doing any actual research into the subject, laws were created in the olden days only as a reaction to an odd situation. Some laws are so ridiculous I'm just not sure how they ever came to be in the first place, such as:

In Connecticut, by law, a pickle is not officially a pickle unless it bounces.

Or better yet:

In Florida, having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.

If you need a law to tell you that having sex with a porcupine is a bad idea, you have much bigger problems than needing to know a lawyer ... mainly the hundreds of quills you now have stuck deep into your bird.

Here are the craziest American laws pertaining to poker:

5. In San Francisco, it's illegal to play poker in public or gamble in a barricaded room.

So you can't play poker in public. You can play it in private, but you can't barricade the door. So I guess you just leave your front door open, and hope no one walks in?

As a side note, a regulation in San Francisco makes it unlawful to use already-worn underwear to wipe off cars in a car wash.

So next time you need to clean your car on your way to a private game in the Bay, don't even think about taking off those britches.

4. Riverboat gamblers in Iowa have a $5 maximum bet.

If you ever want to prevent people from playing poker, this law will do the trick. They never said you can't play, but you just can't bet more than $5. Have fun.

If you choose to spend your poker nights with your lady friend instead, make sure to take note that kisses may last for as much as, but no more than, five minutes.

Also, if you wear a mustache you're not allowed to kiss any woman in public.

3. In Schulter, Oklahoma, women may not gamble in the nude, in lingerie, or while wearing a towel.

This is the only poker law I completely agree with. How's a person supposed to concentrate on the game with naked, or nearly naked women are at the table. That's truly an unfair advantage.

I speak from personal experience after trying to play during the 2006 WSOP while sitting across from Anna Benson, who chose not to wear a shirt under her jacket. Good luck trying to focus on your cards while sitting across from this.

2. Both Massachusetts and New Hampshire had old laws that penalized gamblers who lost money.

Talk about kicking a horse while he's down. Not only did you lose all your money gambling, but you're now getting a fine as well. "If only you had won, I wouldn't have to write you this ticket".

What's next? Fines for being the victim of a mugging?

1. In New Hampshire, you cannot sell the clothes you are wearing to pay off a gambling debt.

New Hampshire has officially made it illegal to "lose your shirt" at a poker game. I assume this law came into effect after having to watch some unlucky gambler walk nakedly home through the streets every week.

Rather than stopping the guy from gambling, they just created a law to keep the guy dressed: the law makers must have been regulars at his game.

There you have it, the five most ridiculous poker laws in the United States. Luckily, I don't think any of these laws are actually enforced anymore, even if #3 should be.

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The Poker Player Hierarchy

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:00:08 +0100

Before one can understand the differences in poker players they must be classified into specific groups, or taxa.

As any responsible poker blogger would do, I've worked diligently to put together the official poker player taxonomic scheme.

Under the kingdom Riverrilla Bluff there are many different orders, genera and species. Here's the official poker player Hierarchy. Match up the definitions with the graphic representation to your right.

Kingdom Riverrilla Bluff

All humans who play poker in any capacity belong to this Kingdom.

Order Variantillia

Order Variantillia groups together all the poker players who, regardless of their dominant variation, are learned and skilled (at least somewhat) in multiple variations of poker, most commonly Omaha, O8 and Stud.

Order Holdemalia

All players exclusively interested in Texas Hold'em (or 100% of their poker knowledge is in this variation of the game) are classified under this order.

Genus Professionalae (Common name: Poker Professional)

Genus Professionalia groups together all poker players serious enough to be considered professional, in any sense of the word.

Genus Semiprolia (Common name: Poker Semi-Pro)

Genus Semiprolia takes ownership of all the Semi Professional poker players in the world.

Genus Enthusiastae (Common name: Poker Enthusiast)

Possibly the Genus with the most members, Enthusiastae belongs to all the poker enthusiasts of the world.

Genus Dabbilia (Common name: The dabbler)

The Dabbilia is the player who stumbles into a game every now and then, usually taking full advantage of the cocktail service.

Species Topprois (Common name: The top pros)

The top pros are the elite of the poker world. These are the players who are consistently showing up in the money of major events, and running up huge numbers in the cash games. The biggest names in poker, such as Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson, all belong to this species of player.

Species Pronlinnae (Common name: The Online Pro)

The online professional refers to the top players such as durrrr, urindanger and OMGClayAiken. These creatures have made most to all their money playing online poker.

Species Los del Rio (Common name: The One Hit Wonder)

There are a slew of well known poker "professionals" with only a single notable accomplishment to put on their resume. A couple big timers, with more money then I'll ever have, that belong to this Species include world champions Jamie Gold and Chris Moneymaker.

Grindillus Fulltimus (Common name: The Fulltime Grinder)

There are fulltime grinders filling the tables in most all of the online poker rooms. Many of these semi-pros grind through more hands in a session than even the most notable top online pros. Many of these players make a modest living off of their grind.

Partimmion (Common name: The part-time Grinder)

The part-time grinder punches in for his nine to five before logging in for his seven to eleven session. With the legit job the Partimmion doesn't need to win to live, sometimes giving them the stress-free edge they need to churn an impressive profit.

Busto Constillum (Common name: Always Down to the Felt)

Every serious poker player knows a couple Busto Constillums. These players are always broke, always looking for a stake and a way back into the game. Even when they hit a big prize, they always find a way to donate it all back.

Producea (Common name: Producer or Donator)

Producers are the players who build the rolls of the sharks. These players are playing for a good time, and could care less about the amount of chips and money they give away in the process. These players, such as Andy Beal, usually come with more money than god, and are playing for reasons other than the money.

Weekendus (Common name: The Weekend Warrior)

The Weekendus is the weekend warrior. Usually thinks they're much stronger of a player than they are, and have a strong talent for convincing themselves they're a long-term winning player at the game.

Oncorhynchus mykiss (Common name: Fish)

What would we do without the fish? The players who really have no idea that bottom pair isn't a powerhouse hand are what make poker such a wonderful game. Unfortunately, most fish have an annoying tendency to either go broke or evolve into a Weekendus.

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<i>Face the Ace</i> = Lameballs

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:22:35 +0100

In case you haven't seen it, Face the Ace is a new poker show on NBC. I'm not sure when it airs, and I can promise you I'm not going to try and find out.

The idea behind the show was exciting enough for me to tune in for the premiere: regular Joes with a shot at playing heads-up against the greatest poker players in the world for as much as $1 million.

Unfortunately, NBC not only dropped the ball, they left it in their own end-zone and walked to the sidelines.

The host of the show, Steve Schirripa, is better known for being the badass Bobby Bacala on the Sopranos. That badass is now making jokes that makes Home Videos Bob Saget look like a comedic genious. Here's a clip from the show:

Somehow, NBC has managed to turn this badass gangster into a run of the mill game-show host. The best way to describe the show came from a friend of mine:

"It's basically a couple of guys who have no idea what they're doing, playing against a bunch of pros who don't want to be there."

From the stilted studio audience applause to the suspenseful Who Wants to be a Millionaire soundtrack, the whole show feels more like a crappy game show than poker in any way.

The first player ever on the show had about as much charisma as a doorknob. His conversation at the table with Ivey started out more labored and painful than a cross-country trip sitting next to the bathroom on a greyhound bus.

He then proceeded to needle Ivey (the greatest poker player in the world) by saying "I walked over to Binions. I didn't see your name on the wall up there, or your picture, for the world series."

He then decides to ask Ivey, "When you gonna win one?" Apparently Ivey's seven non Main-Event bracelets aren't worthy of as much respect as one Main Event win.

After getting dealt pocket aces and queens in the first three hands dealt, the competitor wins the $40k, takes his money and runs.

The second competitor defeats his first two opponents, and will come back next week to play for $1 million.

For a poker player, there' aren't a lot of reasons to watch the show. And the actual poker was less entertaining than watching the q-tips play $1-$3 spread-limit Stud at the Mirage.

For the non-poker player, I'm just not sure why they would care. The whole point of a game show is to play along at home, convinced all the contestants are morons.

If you can't yell out answers, such as "One dollar!" or "What is the Gettysburg Address?" what's the point of watching?

If poker players don't want to watch it, and non-poker players don't want to watch it, I'm just not sure what it's doing on TV. If I was a betting man, I'd say it won't be around for a second season - if it even makes it out of the first.

-Lind

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