Poker News

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The remaining twenty-seven players competing in the $5,000 event returned to the new 85-table poker room at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa to play for a champion. Within a few hours the Final Table was formed. The Grinder was the first to be bumped from the table winning, $15,730. Joey Brooks was able to withstand a short stack for much of the day before falling in 7th place winning $44,400. With six remaining players, they deliberated intently over each decision, each move. The stakes were high and the action was tense.

The $5,000 event was the richest event to date at the Borgata Winter Poker Open. Newly turned pro, Matthew Casterella, of White Plains, NY, withstood the pressure of the day and the competition to win the tournament and $375,100 in prize money. Casterella who spent most of the day without much expression on his face was all smiles, while collecting nearly $400,000 in prize money. "This is incredible. I have played a lot of poker, but this is my first major win. It feels great to have won this at Borgata."

Bill Edler, one of the top players in the world, was cheered on by a large selection of pros. Gavin Smith and Chris Bell led the cheering section for "Wild" Bill, who finished in 4th place taking home $84,700. Edler was visibly disappointed after the event noting, "I'm upset. When you make it this close, it's not about the money; it's about winning."

John Myung, another professional with over $1,000,000 in career earnings, fought valiantly with his short stack, but fell in third place winning $114,950. An amateur from Florida, Elio Cabrera fell in second just several hands after Myung. Cabrera, who won $211,750 for his efforts said, "I was not expecting second place to be so much money! This was such a fun tournament and a great time."

Thursday Night also featured the World Poker Tour Kick-Off Party at Gypsy Bar. Many top pros mingled with fans and celebrated the start of the WPT Classic. WSOP's 2006 Main Event winner Jamie Gold played Heads Up on the Poker Pro tables with many fans.

The $10,000 buy-in WPT Borgata Poker Classic day began with nearly 600 entries including the superstar of poker, Phil Ivey. One hundred thirty-six players won their way to the Main Event through one of the Super Satellites that have taken place throughout the Borgata Winter Open. Yesterday's winners included Egg Harbor Township, NJ, native Mike Hofeld. After the event Hofeld commented, "I started with $100 and now I am playing in the $10,000 buy-in event; not a bad return."

Rich Sudy played his best hand at MotorCity Casino Tuesday, even though his fingers only pushed a few buttons.

The 44-year-old poker player from Novi was trying out the newest attraction at the casino -- electronic poker tables.

It's the latest way MotorCity is trying to differentiate itself in Detroit's ultra-competitive gaming market. The tables, which aren't manned by dealers, are popular with gamblers who want to play more hands in less time.

MotorCity got its two, 10-seat tables on Jan. 15. Greektown Casino got electronic poker tables about a week later.

Regulators approved them for use in September. The electronic tables are leased and provide a savings for the casino because they don't need to pay a dealer.

PokerTek, a North Carolina software company, makes the tables. Using them is similar to playing poker online, but the tables have the appeal of playing in front of others rather than from behind a computer screen at home.

Sudy, an experienced Texas Hold'em poker player, investigated the tables for his girlfriend, who is new at the game. "They're pretty easy to use," Sudy said.

The casino takes less of your winnings and "the game moves faster than with a dealer. You can play more hands in less time," Sudy said.

"I think she'll definitely like it," he said. While he liked the game, he still prefers the real thing -- holding the cards and feeling the chips in his hands.

For conventional poker games, the casino keeps 10% of the pot, not to exceed $6 per pot. On electronic tables, the casino keeps 10%, not to exceed $4 per pot.

MotorCity Casino touts the tables as another new offering for customers, and officials say the tables weren't purchased as a way to save money.

"We're hiring seven new dealers at the casino," said assistant casino shift manager George Smith. "And the tables are leased. They cost money."

"The tables have a lot of appeal to both seasoned and beginner players," Smith said. "People like the speed and accuracy of the tables. It's like online but better because you actually get to see the people who you're playing against."
BY MARGARITA BAUZA

Poker is a democratic game. Whether you are male or female, young or old, rich or poor, black or white - it makes no difference at the poker table. If you like playing for pennies, thousands, or matchsticks, you can become a student of the game and improve your skill level.

A truly American pastime, it's been enjoyed by presidents, generals, Supreme Court Justices, members of Congress and average citizens for more than 150 years.

Poker can be played at home, in clubs, on cruises and in casinos. And until the United States government began intruding on our right to play poker online, that was accessible also.

Unfortunately, even as public support for poker grows, some over-zealous government officials have decided that, while betting on horse races and buying lottery tickets online is okay, playing poker is not. In October 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) became law. While not out rightly banning online poker, it makes criminals out of many of the entrepreneurs who bring it to us.

Last week, two of these businessmen, the Canadian founders of NETeller, were arrested, detained and charged with violations of the 1961 Wire Act, the progenitor of the UIEGA. They face 20-year prison sentences if convicted. Reverberations from the arrests have severely curtailed online poker operations in the United States.

Some say that money, being made offshore and not on our soil, is the reason for this crackdown. The obvious answer is regulation. According to an economic analysis, $3.3 billion in incremental federal tax revenue could be raised annually if the government regulated Internet poker. It's been successfully done in the United Kingdom, to the benefit of the gaming sites, the players, and government coffers.

Others say that "morality" is the reason for the screw tightening, and that those who presume to decide what's right and wrong for us to do in the privacy of our homes believe that playing poker on a computer compromises John Q. Citizen's decency. The obvious answer to that is activism.

Visit www.pokerplayersalliance.org to find out how you can fight back with your vote, your signature, your money, and your mouth.
By Jill Cohen

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 24, 2006) – For the third straight year, a field of 64 of the world’s elite poker players will descend upon Las Vegas from March 1-4 as the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship brings a ‘who’s who’ from the poker world to the Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room.

Returning to compete this year are several of the worlds top poker pros, including: defending champion Ted Forrest; 2005 champion Phil Hellmuth; and Chris Ferguson, who will try to improve on his 2005 and 2006 runner-up status. Also completing will be Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Antonio Esfandiari, Sam Farha, Jamie Gold, Joe Hachem, Gus Hansen, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, among many others.

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship features 64 of the world's best poker players competing in a series of heads-up (one-on-one games of Texas Hold'em) matches to determine who is the best face-to-face poker player in the world. The tournament has a unique, single-elimination, bracket-style format modeled after college basketball tournaments.

The single-elimination competition begins Friday morning, March 2 and continues through Sunday, March 4 when a two-out-of-three championship match will determine the winner. The tournament will be taped for broadcast on NBC and CNBC over seven consecutive Sundays in April and May. The viewing gallery is open to guests on a first-come first-served basis.

“The National Heads-Up is poker playing at its finest,” offers Jon Miller, Executive VP of NBC Sports. “We’ve got 64 of the best poker players going head-to-head and there are no second chances – you lose, you go home. The caliber of players and the cut-throat game play makes for the most exciting spectator poker around.”

“This tournament is all about pressure,” offers Ted Forrest, the 2006 National Heads-Up Champion. “There are a lot of great players involved, but in the end, it’s all about who can focus on their cards and opponent, not on the big chance of going home empty handed. But I did it once, so I can certainly do it again.”

The National Heads-Up Tournament field of 64 includes three slots to be filled by the winners of two other tournaments: a Caesars Palace Poker Room tournament and the National Heads-Up Poker Online tournament. The Caesars Palace Poker Room tournament will give two players a chance to win the $20,000 seat in a traditional tournament setting on February 10 at 3pm inside the poker tournament room at Caesars Palace. There is a $230 entry fee with multiple $200 re-buys. Players can learn more at caesarspalace.com. Players can also try to win a single seat by competing in the 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Online Tournament held at nbcheadsup.com in January and February.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The poker action was wild at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa with two final tables taking place on Monday. The morning's action started with the conclusion of the Ladies Event which began with 390 players, the highest attendance of any Ladies Tournament in Atlantic City. The final table was formed around 1:00 AM as these tenacious female players continued to play until a champion was crowned. Emily Flax of Provincetown, MA, was the last lady standing at 4:00 AM, taking home $30,927 in first place.

"I am so excited I won," commented Flax. "I started to believe I had a real chance to win when we made the final table." After picking up her winnings and her engraved champion's watch, Flax's smile brightened up the entire Event Center as she told the crowd: "I'm going to Spa to enjoy my victory before heading home. Borgata is out of this world!"

The second place finisher, Nicole Rowe of Salisbury, NY, took home $17,035. Rowe, who learned to play poker online, explained, "I was stuck at home so much while I was pregnant, that I started playing poker in my free time and I guess I got good. I played my first tournament at Borgata a couple of weeks ago, but this was my first big tournament."

The Final Table for the $500+60 Limit Hold "Em Event took place on Monday after the Ladies Event. The final table featured calculated play and some tension amongst the players. It seemed like the final table would last for hours, but players fell quickly. Daniel Occhipinti of Saddleback, NJ won the event and $41,075 in first place prize money. He battled with Shawn Berthiame of Brooklyn, NY who took home $23,187 in prize money. Justin Peckholdt of Babylon, NY earned $12,187 for third place.

Monday also featured the start of the $2,500 buy-in No Limit Hold 'Em event. There were 249 entrants when the event began competing for their piece of the $622,500 prize pool. John Turner of Henderson Nevada, one of the top internet players in the world, is the current chip leader; but there is a lot of poker left to be played.

The pros have arrived in large numbers at Borgata. Many are ready to compete in Wednesday's $5,000 buy-in event. Others are arriving in time for Thursday's WPT Kick-Off Party at Gypsy Bar beginning at 8:00PM. The party will feature a heads up poker tournament with several top pros. The tournament is sponsored by Poker Tek.

COMMERCE, California -- (PRESS RELEASE) - For any woman who has ever dreamed of a seat in a World Poker Tour (WPT) event, Commerce Casino has a "can't miss" opportunity on Saturday, Feb. 3 -- the Los Angeles Poker Classic Ladies No Limit Hold'Em Tournament. The winner will get both a spot in the WPT Celebrity Invitational from March 3-5 and a seat in the WPT World Championship in April. That's a chance at two for the price of one $1,060-buy-in!

Participants may have a difficult time deciding which event is more exciting: a $25,000 seat in the WPT World Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas -- which features poker's elite and where last year female poker pro Vanessa Rousso took home $263,265 for her 7th place finish; or the hottest ticket in poker, the WPT Celebrity Invitational, where the top players ante up with Hollywood's poker-passionate celebrities. Players in previous years have included James Woods, Ray Romano, Jason Alexander, Don Cheadle, Ron Livingston, Mimi Rogers, Ed Asner, Jennifer Tilly, Jon Favreau, Stephen Collins, Anne Heche, Sharon Lawrence, David Sutcliff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Norm McDonald, Dean Cain, Camryn Manheim, Sara Rue, Richard Karn, Willie Garson, Cheryl Hines, Kathy Griffin, Shannon Elizabeth and Lolita Davidovich. Commerce Casino Ladies' Tourney winner is guaranteed at least one celebrity at her table!

"We've gone all out this year," said Cheri Dokken, Tournament Director. "The L.A. Poker Classic will have 31 events this year, but only one that offers these two giant prizes-and it's just for our Ladies' Tournament winner. Women are rising in the poker ranks at lightening speed-both in numbers and winnings and we want to make sure this is one of the premier events on the women's poker calendar."

The $25,000 WPT World Championship entry fee will come out of the prize pool from the women's tourney, but there will be plenty of cash left over to add to the victor's haul.

The Ladies Event is part of Commerce Casino's annual L.A. Poker Classic, Jan. 25-March 5. The world's largest poker room will host its six weeks of non-stop poker action with 31 different tournaments, culminating in the $10,000-buy-in WPT championship event Saturday, Feb. 24. Commerce Casino will guarantee $2 million to the first place winner of the L.A. Poker Classic Championship event and $1 million to the runner-up. A complete schedule can be viewed on the Commerce Casino website, www.commercecasino.com .

Following on the heels of that event is the fourth annual WPT Celebrity Invitational from March 3-5, which is only open to invited guests and poker players who have already completed early buy-in for the WPT World Championship in April. The $200,000 prize pool is compliments of Commerce Casino.

The Los Angeles Poker Classic Ladies No Limit Hold'Em Tournament at Commerce Casino will begin at 3:30pm on Saturday Feb. 3. Players may register on site. For more information, go to www.commercecasino.com .

Commerce Casino

Commerce Casino is the largest poker casino in the world. There are more than 200 poker tables featuring just about every form of poker: Texas Hold'Em, 7-Card Stud, Omaha, Lowball, Pot Limit, Mexican Poker, Pineapple, Draw, Low-Ball and many others. Also offered are Pan and California games. Commerce Casino is located at 6131 East Telegraph Rd., Commerce, CA 90040, just off the Santa Ana (5) Freeway at the Washington Blvd. exit. The phone is (323) 721-2100.

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – (PRESS RELEASE) -- It was electric inside the Event Center at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa on Thursday. The forty remaining players from Event 1 ($500 buy-in event) returned to battle. The field that began with 1,370 players had been whittled down to three. Tae Baik of Leonia, NJ, knocked out the remaining two players to capture the first title of the 2007 Winter Poker Open and the $152,960 in first place prize money.

David Zhu of Scarbourough, Canada, was the second place finisher taking home $95,900. The third place finisher, Emad Alabsi of Wickliffe, Ohio takes home $58,225. Alabsi, who called himself the "The Beast" at the table, had a dominating table personality often singing for the table or laughing it up with the growing crowd. "I always have fun when I'm playing poker here; Borgata offers a great atmosphere to play in."

Baik, who wore the perfect "poker face" throughout the tournament, was all smiles when he received his prize money and Tag Heuer purchased from Bernie Robbins Fine Jewelry, given to all main event winners throughout the Winter Poker Open. Baik commented, "I have played tournaments in Borgata's new poker room before, but this is my first victory in a tournament of this magnitude."

Vinny Procopio, a constant fixture at Borgata events, was the seventh place finisher taking home $30,825. Procopio was enjoying his time at the final table and was pleased with his finish, inviting many of his poker friends to join him at his table at mur.mur this weekend.

The $750 buy-in event featured juicy poker action from the aggressive field. Players included Men "The Master" and Joseph Brooks, a winner at the 2006 Borgata Poker Open. The remaining 18 players return to Borgata Event Center on Friday to play for the championship and their piece of the $464,250 prize pool.

There are 28 Super Satellites and Second Chance Tournaments remaining -- 28 opportunities to take as little as $120 and turn it into thousands.

BARABOO - More than 2 years after packing away the chips, the Ho-Chunk Casino in Baraboo reopened its poker tables at 10 a.m. Sunday with 40 players filling four tables and more excited gamblers waiting in the wings.

The casino's table games were removed on June 30, 2004, after a state Supreme Court ruling in 2003 that nullified the gambling compacts Gov. Jim Doyle negotiated with Wisconsin's tribes. That ruling was reversed by the same court in July and the casino has been training dealers and preparing tables ever since, said casino spokeswoman Beth Anacker.

The resumption of table games at the casino could mean the addition of at least $70 million to state coffers. After the 2004 ruling, the tribe suspended payments owed to the state under the 2003 compact.

According to the state, the tribe owes taxpayers $70 million in back payments. That figure takes into account a $30 million payment the tribe made last year, said Scott Larrivee, a spokesman for the state Department of Administration.

Larrivee said Tuesday that negotiations were ongoing regarding Ho-Chunk's payments to the state under the compact.

"The state will continue to work with the tribe to ensure that their compact payments are made," Larrivee said in a statement. "The state of Wisconsin is pursuing all available options - negotiation, arbitration, mediation - to collect those payments for taxpayers, and remains optimistic that the Ho-Chunk will make their payment before the end of the state fiscal year" in June.

Ho-Chunk officials could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

The opening of the poker tables Sunday followed the opening of craps tables on Dec. 1 and roulette on Dec. 17. Tables for Let it Ride and three-card poker will open Feb. 1.

"It's a relief to have something to offer," said Amy Kirby, table games operations manager, while overseeing three packed tables Tuesday. ". . . For the past 2 years, that's been the question out on the floor: When is poker coming back?" she added.

As momentum built and rumors swirled prior to the tables' reopening, the casino was receiving so many calls it set up a poker hot line - 608-356-6210, ext. 2190 - to answer questions, Anacker said.

The poker room is in the same 11,000-square-foot circus- tent-shaped dome that houses the casino's new off-track betting parlor. There are 12 poker tables set up, though only five have been going at once so far, Kirby said.

Games and blinds are flexible to the players' consensus, Kirby said, and could vary from the popular Texas Hold'em to Omaha, and from blinds of $2-$4 up to $15-$30.

There are no tournaments scheduled but the casino is planning for them in the future, she said.

The nearest casino that offers similar table games is the Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee, Kirby said.
By CHRISTINA BEAM

Building on the recent success of the 2006 Borgata Poker Open -- the biggest poker tournament in Atlantic City's history -- and the debut of its new, 85-table room -- the largest poker room in Atlantic City -- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced it will kick off the New Year with the second annual Borgata Winter Open. The 14-day tournament will begin January 17, 2007, and will conclude with the Borgata Poker Classic, part of the WORLD POKER TOUR(R) (WPT), on January 26-30, 2007.

The Borgata Winter Poker Open will mark the WORLD POKER TOUR's sixth visit to Borgata. The most recent Borgata Poker Open in September drew a record 540 players with a prize pool over $5,000,000. A virtual who's who of poker stars, the tournament drew such competitors as Michael "The Grinder" Mizrahi, Shannon Shorr, Daniel Negreanu (2004 WPT Player of the Year and winner of the 2004 Borgata Poker Open), Phil "the Unabomber" Laak, Academy-Award nominee Jennifer Tilly, David Williams, Antonio Esfandiari, actress Shannon Elizabeth, David "the Dragon" Pham and Maciek "Michael" Gracz, all vying for the WPT title. However, it was an up and coming amateur from North Carolina named Mark Newhouse, who captured the WPT title and the first-place prize of $1,519,020.

Last year also marked the debut of Borgata's revamped 21,500 square-foot poker room, home to three anchor events: Borgata Winter Open/WPT Poker Classic, Borgata Summer Open and the WPT/Borgata Poker Open. The Borgata Poker Room now features an eighteen-table High Limit Room offering food service; a nine-table tournament area offering bleacher seating for tournament viewing that may be partitioned off as a "reserved" poker area; and a 58-table Main Poker Room offering live poker action. The room is outfitted with over seventy plasma televisions and offers the largest variety of games and limits in Atlantic City. Highlights from 2006 include the first ever Borgata Summer Open, which drew nearly four-thousand entrants and cash prizes totaling $2,517,030; the fourth annual Borgata Poker Open, which drew nearly ten- thousand entrants with cash prizes totaling over $10 million; and $50,000 Guaranteed Friday tournaments, a favorite among amateurs and professionals alike.

"At Borgata, we strive to offer our poker players a full destination experience with A-list entertainment, exciting nightlife options, stellar dining, upscale accommodations, a robust poker program and above all, great service," said Larry Mullin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Borgata. "Borgata is excited to partner with the WORLD POKER TOUR once again to bring a world-class tournament to Atlantic City and offer our players a unique experience while they are here."

Televised nationally on the Travel Channel and one of the premier stops on WORLD POKER TOUR's 17-tournament tour, the Borgata Poker Classic will feature the world's top poker players along with local fan favorites competing in No- Limit Texas Hold'em poker. The buy-in amount is $10,000.

Online reservations are available for Main Events by visiting http://www.theborgata.com. On-site registration for all events begins Friday, January 12, 2007, and will be available until January 29 at 2PM.

Special hotel room rates are available to tournament players Sunday through Thursday at $100, Friday at $179 and Saturday at $199. Call 1.866. MYBORGATA for more details.

He defeated a record field of 8,773 players to capture a record $12 million prize at last year's World Series of Poker.

So what does Jamie Gold of Paramus do for his next challenge?

He sits down with the best cash players in the world for the third season of Game Show Network's "High Stakes Poker," which debuts 9 p.m. Monday.

Gold, who dominated the World Series with his play and talk, offered a humble reason for his appearance on the show that requires each player to come to the table with a minimum of $100,000 in cash.

"Before I was a poker player, I was a fan. So it was an honor for me to play with these guys," Gold said of the competition, which included poker superstars Doyle Brunson, Barry Greenstein and Daniel Negreanu.

Gold and Brunson hook up in a pair of big hands early

"I knew I was out of my league," Gold said by phone from California on Friday. "But one day I'll be able to tell my grandkids that I played against the best players in the world and I'll have the TV tapes to show them."

For Gold, the months since his victory have been tinged with controversy and grief. He's involved in a lawsuit over half his winnings and his father, Dr. Robert Gold, passed away last month after a battle with ALS.

This week, in addition to "High Stakes," he'll also appear on NBC's new poker show, "Poker After Dark," playing with world champions Brunson, Johnny Chan, Chris Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen and Chris Moneymaker. ("Poker After Dark" airs 2:05 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday with a weekly wrapup show at 1 a.m. Sunday.)
By MARC SCHWARZ

NBC's "POKER After Dark" features six great poker players in a $20,000 buy-in, winner-take-all tournament, which is broken down into 5 days of play. I'm compelled to say that I'm embarrassed by my bratlike conduct in the first-ever episode, which featured a classic, 7-minute-long "Phil Hellmuth tirade," but it did make for some pretty darn good television.

My tablemates for my explosion were World Champion of Poker Huck Seed, three-time World Poker Tour winner Gus Hansen, Annie Duke, Shawn "The Sheik" Sheikhan, and Steve Zolotow. Why did I lose my cool? Simply because I asked my tablemates to "Please be quiet for a moment" - during a key hand - and they continued to talk. If my tablemates did in fact go on talking after I asked for silence, then Tournament Directors Association rules they would be assessed a 20-minute penalty, and be forced to hold their tongues and/or leave the room.

I wanted a ruling from show producer, and longtime poker player, Morey Eskandani. I asked Eskandani what penalties were in place to prevent blatant violations of the rules and etiquette of poker tournaments. He said that they had no penalties in place as of yet, but that they would put some in place soon. This answer didn't sit well with me and I stormed off the set - only to return 20 minutes later.

At the time I felt like my tantrum was, at least in part, justified. Upon further review (when I saw the show), I saw a lot of innocent stuff going on.

It seems that I was the one who crossed the line here, and I apologize to everyone involved and to all of the television viewers for my conduct.

The hand

With the blinds at $300 to $600, I raised it up with A-10 (on the button) and, making up my mind that Duke (in the big blind) was likely to reraise me with many different hands that I could beat or match up well against; especially if she had an ace in her hand. Because I only had $7,000 in chips to her $23,000, I knew that Duke could afford to take a chance against me - she could lose only 30 percent of her chips.

Sheikhan folded in the small blind, and Duke reraised it $4,000 more. Now I was trying to decide on the best course of action. Should I follow up on my first line of thinking and call Duke? No, of course not; I decided that I should at least give myself a chance to read her first. If I felt extreme strength, then I would fold my hand. If I felt she was weak, then I would call with my hand (effectively moving all-in). This is when I asked for silence, and asked Duke, "Do you have anything?" Then Seed innocently joked, "You asked for us to be quiet so that you could talk!" Then Hansen then made an innocent joke, and finally Sheikhan said something as well.

Now, as I began to lose my cool (again, I felt like proper poker etiquette was not being observed), I also began to lose my reading abilities to a degree. However, I did eventually make the right move when I folded - Duke had pocket kings. Thus, after much unneeded drama, I made a good fold (A-10 is a 2 ½-1 underdog to K-K).

Poker etiquette and rules state: a) you have the right to silence when you are making a key decision; b) you cannot carry on after a request for silence; c) you cannot let your hole cards hit the floor; d) all of the above.

Answer: d.
By Phil Hellmuth

The final free-roll tournament in the World Series of Poker qualifying series at the Pahrump Nugget will be held Saturday, starting at 4 p.m.

A total of 28 players have qualified for the Saturday tournament, based on their having played 40 hours of live poker in the Nugget during December.

The top five finishers Saturday will be awarded points; 10, for first; 5, for second; 3, for third; 2, for fourth and 1, for fifth. The payoffs total $2,100, with the Nugget having paid out $2,310 in prize money.

A total of $10,000 will be at stake Feb. 24, when the top 20 players compete for at least one seat in the 2007 World Series of Poker, tentatively scheduled to begin June 1 at the Rio Casino-Hotel in Las Vegas.

The series leader, after 11 events, is Tom Duke, with 25 points (one first, three seconds). Blake Lozo has 20 points (two firsts), while Frank Polansky has 19 points (one victory).

The standings:

A total of 31 players have placed in the previous 11 World Series of Poker qualifying tournaments at the Pahrump Nugget.

Listed are the players, their points, and in parenthesis, wins:

1. Tom Duke, 25 (one).

2. Blake Lozo, 20 (two).

3. Frank Polansky, 19 (one).

4. Jim Robertson, 15 (one).

5. Rob Lisull, 14 (one).

6. Larry Mauch, 13 (one).

7. Butch Dole, 10 (one); ties -- Bernie DeSantos, 10 (one); Buzz Busbee, 10 (one).

10. Rob Reddick, 6.

11. Rollie Batayola, 5; ties -- Ken Fiege, 5; Ben Lagos, 5; Andy Franzen, 5; Russ Eleogram, 5; Skip Woodland, 5; Frank Kost, 5.

18. Rupert Hodnett, 4.

19. Don McDermott, 3; ties -- Doug Gregory, 3; Todd Bock, 3; Ron Kaltenbach, 3; Patti Franzen, 3; Rusty Rivas, 3.

25. Jack Morgadonna, 2; ties -- Ray Guin, 2; Nella Lawson, 2; Reno Gregory, 2.

29. Reno Soto, 1; ties -- Mike Greenwich, 1; Carmen Lombardozzi, 1.

The Crystal Casino and Ladies International Poker Series (LIPSTour.com) are proud to present the first annual Los Angeles Poker Expo. The Poker expo, scheduled for April 6-8, 2007 will be held at the Crystal Casino, 123 E. Artesia Blvd. Compton, CA 90220. The Expo will include a variety of poker retailers, authors, magazines and more! Poker enthusiasts can browse through poker related items like t-shirts, books, chips, felts, video's, apparel, tables, art, posters, games, card decks, magazines and so much more!

”This is the first of its kind for a casino here in Los Angeles” said Crystal Casino owner, Mark Kelegian. “We’re excited to open our doors to the public and feature Crystal Casino’s recently renovated property.”

During the Expo, Crystal Casino will host a series of poker tournaments leading up to a championship event. Also included in the series, is a ladies event hosted by Ladies International Poker Series. The winner of that tourney represents the Crystal Casino in the LIPS Tour Grand Championship scheduled for July at the Orleans Casino in July during the Orleans Open.

The LA Poker Expo is currently accepting vendor, sponsor, and advertiser applications on a first come first serve basis. For more details and to register for the expo, visit The Los Angeles Poker Expo website at http://www.lapokerexpo.com.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the recent success of the 2006 Borgata Poker Open -- the biggest poker tournament in Atlantic City's history -- and the debut of its new, 85-table room -- the largest poker room in Atlantic City -- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced it will kick off the New Year with the second annual Borgata Winter Open. The 14-day tournament will begin January 17, 2007, and will conclude with the Borgata Poker Classic, part of the WORLD POKER TOUR® (WPT), on January 26-30, 2007.

The Borgata Winter Poker Open will mark the WORLD POKER TOUR's sixth visit to Borgata. The most recent Borgata Poker Open in September drew a record 540 players with a prize pool over $5,000,000. A virtual who's who of poker stars, the tournament drew such competitors as Michael "The Grinder" Mizrahi, Shannon Shorr, Daniel Negreanu (2004 WPT Player of the Year and winner of the 2004 Borgata Poker Open), Phil "the Unabomber" Laak, Academy-Award nominee Jennifer Tilly, David Williams, Antonio Esfandiari, actress Shannon Elizabeth, David "the Dragon" Pham and Maciek "Michael" Gracz, all vying for the WPT title. However, it was an up and coming amateur from North Carolina named Mark Newhouse, who captured the WPT title and the first-place prize of $1,519,020.

Last year also marked the debut of Borgata's revamped 21,500 square-foot poker room, home to three anchor events: Borgata Winter Open/WPT Poker Classic, Borgata Summer Open and the WPT/Borgata Poker Open. The Borgata Poker Room now features an eighteen-table High Limit Room offering food service; a nine-table tournament area offering bleacher seating for tournament viewing that may be partitioned off as a "reserved" poker area; and a 58-table Main Poker Room offering live poker action. The room is outfitted with over seventy plasma televisions and offers the largest variety of games and limits in Atlantic City. Highlights from 2006 include the first ever Borgata Summer Open, which drew nearly four-thousand entrants and cash prizes totaling $2,517,030; the fourth annual Borgata Poker Open, which drew nearly ten- thousand entrants with cash prizes totaling over $10 million; and $50,000 Guaranteed Friday tournaments, a favorite among amateurs and professionals alike.

"At Borgata, we strive to offer our poker players a full destination experience with A-list entertainment, exciting nightlife options, stellar dining, upscale accommodations, a robust poker program and above all, great service," said Larry Mullin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Borgata. "Borgata is excited to partner with the WORLD POKER TOUR once again to bring a world-class tournament to Atlantic City and offer our players a unique experience while they are here."

Televised nationally on the Travel Channel and one of the premier stops on WORLD POKER TOUR's 17-tournament tour, the Borgata Poker Classic will feature the world's top poker players along with local fan favorites competing in No- Limit Texas Hold'em poker. The buy-in amount is $10,000.

Online reservations are available for Main Events by visiting www.theborgata.com. On-site registration for all events begins Friday, January 12, 2007, and will be available until January 29 at 2PM.

Special hotel room rates are available to tournament players Sunday through Thursday at $100, Friday at $179 and Saturday at $199. Call 1.866. MYBORGATA for more details.

In last week's column, I dissected a hand that I played in the annual Christmas poker game held in Madison, Wis. This game had a $1,000 buy-in, pot limit game with $500 rebuys. After a lively game -- and a relatively small $1,450 win for me -- another game was held in late December. This time we had a $500 buy-in with $500 re-buys.

I had just won a $2,000 pot when I looked down at the Ah-Qh and decided to raise it up to the maximum before the flop. Thus, after three others called $5 apiece, I called the $5 bet and raised it up $35 more (making it $40 to go); I had to smile at the craziness of the game as seven of us took the flop.

The flop was 10h-7h-4s, four players checked to me, I bet out $100, and a total of four players called the $100 bet.

The next card off was the Jd, and now Brian Hetzel bet out $450. Two players folded, I called, and the remaining player folded.

The last card was the 4h (10h-7h-4s-Jd-4h) Hetzel checked, and I studied for about 30 seconds before I bet $850. Hetzel called, I showed him my ace high flush and collected the hefty $3,380 pot.

Let's take a closer look at the play of this hand. Before the flop, it is a natural and easy tactic to raise up the size of the pot as the first raiser. Of course, the fact that I had just won a big pot the hand before makes it an even easier play, as I was feeling good about risking chips at that moment: due to some extra confidence and a recent surge in the chip stack.

On the flop, my $100 bet was about perfect. I definitely think that it is important to bet here, both to build a pot and to put myself in position to continue to draw in the hand later on. I mean my hand -- an ace-high flush draw and two over-cards -- was now a favorite over anyone that had a pair on the board, or even over pocket jacks.

Also, by betting merely $100 on the flop, I am pricing players into the pot. I mean, with $280 in the pot my $100 bet was modest, and it did in fact lure four players into playing along with me.

One more reason I like the $100 bet is that I was limiting the amount that someone could reraise me on the flop, thus I was controlling the size of the pot.

On the turn, Hetzel's $450 bet -- with what turned out to be a made straight (9-8) -- was perfect.

Should Hetzel bet more here? Many top pros would say that he should. They would tell you that Hetzel needs to protect his hand with a huge pot-sized bet that would drive all of his opponents out of the pot.

But why drive someone out of the pot that has one big pair, and is thus drawing dead? Why drive someone out of the pot that has a weaker straight draw than the made straight you already have completed?

Deciding on the perfect amount to bet depends on a complicated risk/reward scenario and the strength of your hand. In this case, I agree that Hetzel should make a bet of at least 30 percent the size of the pot. Keep this in mind, it is hard to complete a straight, and I like to get paid off when I do finally make one.

As to my $450 call on the turn, I do not think it a hard call at all. After all, I did have a heart draw and I needed a king to complete the best possible straight.

On the end, after Hetzel checked, I felt great about my flush, and now I began to think about being a salesman: How much could I get Hetzel to call?

I knew that I should wait at least 30 seconds before I bet, as an instantaneous bet often gives off a powerful scent, and I wanted a weak scent as I had a powerful hand. I thought, ''If I bet the whole size of the pot, Brian will fold.'' Finally, I just sort of felt like I should bet $850, which was about half of the size of the pot.
By Phil Hellmuth

If you're saving up your money to play in one of the big $10,000 events on the poker circuit, these five tips will help make you a winner.

1. Don't lay odds on your pre-flop raises.

In these big tournaments, after about level four, antes are introduced to go along with the blinds. For example, if the blinds are 400-800, the ante will be 100. With nine players at the table, there will be 2,100 in the pot before the cards are even dealt.

If you have a hand that you want to raise with, I suggest making it 2,000 to go.

The so-called standard raise would be to 2,400 (three times the big blind), but you can get away with a smaller raise and accomplish the same objective.

With a smaller raise, say 2,000, you risk less to win the 2,100; the standard raise costs you 2,400 to win that same 2,100 pot.

2. Protect your chips before protecting the pot.

When you're involved in a pot, the first thing to think about is protecting the chips that you already have. Then you can focus on protecting your hand and not losing the pot.

In other words, in marginal situations, where you probably have the best hand but could easily be wrong, err toward the side of caution. Yes, this approach will cause you to get outdrawn by your opponents more often, but when they do, you'll lose the minimum rather than all the chips in front of you.

For example, you hold pocket aces and the board reads K-K-7-2. If your opponent checks, play cautiously and check as well. If she bets on the river card, you should usually just call and hope that she doesn't have the third king in her hand.

3. Avoid coin flip situations.

When you make it all the way to the end of the tournament, try to avoid playing large pots in situations where the odds of you winning are close to 50-50.

Having a middle pair versus two higher cards (7-7 versus A-K) is a classic example. The best way to stay out of trouble in a marginal situation like this is to avoid reraising before the flop. Instead, just call to see the flop first.

And don't go crazy with the all-in bets!

If you continually put all of your money in before the flop, you're destined to go broke. Sooner or later, your small pair will be in terrible shape against a bigger pair, or you'll be in that coin flip against two overcards. Both are situations that good players try to avoid.

4. Don't bluff too much.

If you bluff too much, your table image will be damaged. It will be less and less likely that you'll be able to get away with future bluffs as the tournament progresses.

Small semi-bluffs are OK for the most part, but when risking a large percentage of your chips, you should rarely be bluffing big.

5. Understand your stack size and never give up.

I often see short-stacked players make desperate moves. They think they have no other choice since they're so low on ammunition, but their desperation is often premature.

You needn't be overly concerned with how your chips stack up against the tournament average. It's more important to focus on your stack size in relation to the blinds and antes.

For example, if you have 12,000 in chips, and the blinds are 600-1,200, you only have 10 times the big blind. At that point, when you do decide to play a hand, you'll need to push it all in.

That doesn't mean you should go all-in with a trash hand. You can wait at least one full round before taking your best shot at the pot.

These five tips are the recipe for success in deep stack tournaments like the World Poker Tour. Keep them in mind and you'll outlast much of the competition.
By Daniel Negreanu

Texas Hold’em requires a good knowledge of the rules of the game and mathematical skill, said Mitch Schock, manager of the North Dakota State Championship Poker Tournament. It also requires more subtle skills, such as how to read an opposing player’s face and maintain a “poker” face yourself.

More than 700 people from North Dakota and other states are expected to try their skills in the third annual poker tournament being held this weekend at the Vegas Hotel in Minot. The 50 best players from the qualifying rounds Saturday and from the qualifying rounds today will be given a chance to play for a $25,000 pot on Monday. On Saturday afternoon, poker players frowned, inspected their cards and did their best to ignore the tension mounting at the table.

Players came from Alaska, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Texas, Arizona and Florida as well as from North Dakota. Wendy Rupert, general manager of the Vegas Hotel, said some of the players from out of state have relatives in town and decided to visit when they heard about the poker tournament. Each player paid a $100 entry fee for the opportunity to enter the competition. The number of players in the tournament has increased each year since it started.

Schock, who finished 29th in the World Series of Poker last spring, also manages the Dakota Poker Tour in North Dakota. Texas Hold’em has exploded in popularity over the past five years, said Schock, and has become a popular spectator sport aired on ESPN. It became more fun to watch the game once a camera was focused on the cards held by the players, letting the audience see the player’s hand.

The popularity of Texas Hold’em was one of the reasons the state championship poker tournament was started a few years ago. Rupert said they were looking for an event that would draw a large crowd during a time of year when there aren’t a lot of events in Minot. The poker tournament also provides an alternative New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day activity, she said, and many of the poker players and their families will spend money in Minot. People who want to come and watch the poker tournament will also be able to have a drink or a meal in the Sevens Bar and Restaurant.

“We even have confetti for the winner,” Rupert said.

The tournament is being sponsored by the Minot State University Alumni Association. Chad McNally, from Minot State University, said some of the proceeds from the tournament will go to fund scholarships for students.

The poker tournament will continue through Monday at the Vegas Hotel.
By ANDREA JOHNSON