Best Card Games for Family Night!

Best Card Games for Family Night!
Most psychologists will tell you that having a designated family night will keep the family together over the long haul. And did you know this is one of the secrets of LDS Families? It sure is, and many of these families have nearly 10-members in the immediate family too, amazing indeed. A strong family unit is paramount in this day and age, and I think we all know that don't we?
So, how about "family night" well, yes, you should be doing this, how about once a week. And at family night you better make it fun for the "whole" family, yes everyone. You'll need fun things to do, perhaps, centered-around dinner and entertainment, and something you can do together. So, how about a card game, one everyone can play. Remember everyone needs to be involved.
The game cannot be so complex and complicated that only the older kids or parents can win, thus, you need a strong element of chance, where even a very strategic thinker and player cannot win every time, otherwise the younger kids will lose interest pretty fast. It must also be exciting, challenges and most importantly down-right fun! And who says you only have to pick one card game? Why not have several, giving more chances for fun.

One game I recommend that you have on hand is "Uno" because it is easy to play, easy to learn, hard to cheat at, and gives everyone a fighting chance. Let's say you are going to buy 5-different card games, 5-different board games. Then each week play different games, still, UNO is one game you can play each week, without anyone losing interest. Please consider all this.

Read more

Roulette - How to Bet?

Roulette - How to Bet?
For novice gamblers, betting on Roulette seems to be confusing. Thus, they need some practice. Once you understand the terminology of this game, you can understand different betting systems. You will get knowledge of what and when to bet. However, on Roulette, you can only guess the number for betting.
Firstly, you have to get familiar with the Roulette wheel. Through this, you can get the idea of betting amount. It is essential to divide your betting amount for continuing this gambling game for long. After that, choose the number, which you have to bet. On the wheel, there is a number sequence both odd and even number. On each spin of the Roulette wheel, you will get the outcome. Therefore, be careful while choosing number.
For placing bet, you have to buy chips from the cashier window. You cannot play this game with money, as you have to place chips on the table for betting. Place straight up bet, because you will get maximum payouts. This bet is placed on a single number and the payout of this bet is 35 to 1 on a single number.
You can also bet on two numbers by placing your chips between two numbered squares. This bet is known as split bet and the payout of this bet is 17 to 1. However, for increasing your chances of winning, you can also place your bet on four numbers. This bet is known as corner bet and the payout is 8 to 1.
You can also try outside bets. This includes betting on even or odd number and black or red color. The chances of this bet are 50/50. However, the bet is placed on the number, so it depends on you as which number to choose for betting.

Read more

A Brief History of the World Series of Poker

A Brief History of the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is now a high profile poker tournament that takes place annually in Las Vegas. However, the first event in 1970 involved only seven players and it was not until the early 1980s, when the WSOP introduced satellite tournaments, that the event drew greater than fifty people. By the mid-1980s, this number had grown to over 2,000.
Television coverage of the series began as early as 1973 in the form of a documentary-style special narrated by Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, the legendary Las Vegas bookie and American sports commentator. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, CBS continued to provide light coverage of the event, which included tape-delayed broadcast of the final table some years.
In the late 1980s, ESPN took over duties from CBS and began providing fans extensive coverage of the event, albeit primitive compared to modern accessibility. The Discovery Channel briefly covered the event from 2000-2001 but ESPN resumed the reigns just as the poker phenomenon was erupting.
The Internet was changing the poker landscape. The game was more accessible to the masses than it ever been. Thanks to numerous online poker rooms, people from all over the world could play poker for money at any time. This created a sensation that has peaked but remains very much alive today.
As this phenomenon began its ascent, interest in The World Series of Poker, poker's highest profile game, ascended with it. ESPN was ready every step of the way to increase coverage to meet demand and even orchestrated a delayed final table in 2008 in order to maximize ratings. Most years viewers will have knowledge of the winner ahead of time, sapping some of the drama from broadcast. In 2006, the WSOP peaked with 8,773 players participating.
Although fans are likely to remember the events from 2002-2008 as the WSOP's signature moments, the event has a long and illustrious history. For instance, we pay great attention to the non-professionals who have won or come close to winning the final table. However, the first non-pro to win was Hal Fowler and he did it back in 1979. Some WSOP historians assert that Benny Binnion, the father of the WSOP, had to lend him the money for the entry fee.
During the 2000 WSOP, female poker player Annie Duke made it to the final ten, just four short of the final table that year. Therefore, in 2006, when Annie Duke got as far as the final 88, ESPN celebrated her success. One of their announcers even commented that Duke might be the first woman to reach the final table. However, the truth is that Barbara Enright had already become a legend earning that distinction in 1995.
Likewise, fans often believe that famous World Series of Poker participant Johnny Chan is the only player to reach the final two, three years in a row. However, Tennessee native Puggy Pearson was the first to do that back in 1971, 1972, and 1973. When he finally won the event in 1973, he also became the first non-Texan to accomplish the feat.

Read more

The World Series Of Poker Looks Like It Is Thriving, But Look Below The Surface

The World Series Of Poker Looks Like It Is Thriving, But Look Below The Surface
The World Series Of Poker had another record breaking year and remains the industry standard, In 2011, there was a record 75,672 entries compared to last year's record of 72,966. This year was up 3.7 percent of last year. Also, the prize pool set a record in 2011 with a whooping $191,999,010 dollars compared to last year's previous high of $187,109,850. This was also an increase of 2.6 percent. These numbers make you think everything is fine and dandy in the poker world.
If you take a look a little deeper you can see that most predictions of the turn out for this years tournament were deeply understated. In fact, they broke records as mentioned above. So Black Friday did not have the impact some thought it would. Despite thousands of players angry after three of the four sites failed to reimburse them even after the government cleared the way to do so. Many thought players might not be able to afford WSOP buy-ins because of the online poker crackdown. We believe the predictions were a year early. With sponsorship down and less fish playing online poker these days the sharks are not going to make much cash for buy ins. It just has not been long enough for the losses to kick in.
The television portion of the tournament has definitely taken a commercial hit. It's not surprising because the owners of these sites were huge sponsors especially Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker. If you have been watching the tournament on television you will see their logos are not on the players either. Even the UFC events don't have these sponsors anymore. If ratings are down this year they can lose even more sponsors. One good thing is GoDaddy has signed on this year to be a sponsor and maybe that is a good sign.
The bottom line is next year is the year to worry about. If poker players cant find online poker sites that accept players from the US, then they could lose interest and take up different hobbies. Even if their desire is to play, but there is no place online, they may get frustrated. Either way the lack of US poker sites is a problem and the fact these players have not had there funds returned to them is another. The environment over the next year can really get bad.
So how do we fix it and keep the greatest tournament in the world? That is not going to be an easy one. Here are some thoughts. First, if the government is prosecuting the operators of these poker sites criminally, then they should also pursue the funds being returned to the players just as vigorously. The poker players were not breaking any laws and their funds should be returned. Second, there needs to be a law that legalizes online poker at the very least if not all of gambling. The law makers should not play politics with this situation. It is time to get past the Indian gaming lobby and help the players. Until we get more poker sites accepting US players the game is in trouble and so is the tournament.

Read more

Inside the Mind of Phil Ivey - Hands to the Final Table of the WSOP

Inside the Mind of Phil Ivey - Hands to the Final Table of the WSOP
Phil Ivey-Not Every Hand Revealed
Let's see how Phil Ivey got to the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. This is information from hands reported by . The event started with 6,494 players. The winner will take home over $8.5 million.
Day 1D. July 7, 2009.
The first obstacle. Phil entered on the last day of the event. He got in, unlike 500+ other players who were left out and forced to find an outlet for $10,000 in that sleepy city of Las Vegas. By math, $5+ million in cash was standing in line outside the cage. By rumor, strippers had their best night of WSOP action.
Level 1 Hour 1.
Blinds: 50-100
Hand: Ivey builds his stack.
Flop 10h-6s-3s. Ivey bets 300 and is called by his lone opponent.
Turn Ks. Ivey bets 600. His opponent mucks.
Ivey: 31,000.
(My Comment: Your basic continuation bet on the flop by Ivey takes down the pot.)
Hand: The river helps...
Board: As-6c-9d-4c-6h. First player checks, and second player bets 1,250. Ivey raises to 4,000. First player folds but second player calls. Ivey shows Kd-6d, making trips on the river.
Level 3
Blinds: 150-300
Hand: Gotta know when to fold'em...
Turn: Ad-8s-8d-Kh. Player bets 1000, Ivey and another player calls.
River: 9s. Player bets 6,000, Ivey calls, but the last player raises to 16,000. Both Ivey and the first player fold. The raiser shows Ah-8h for a full house.
(My Comment: It's nice when you flop a full house. An easy fold with the river raise and two opponents.)
Hand:  to hold'em.
Flop: Ad-Jd-3h. Pot has 2,850. Ivey bets 1,700 and only gets one caller.
Turn: 2d. Both players check.
River: 9d Both players check. Ivey shows Ac-Kh to win pot.
Ivey at 58,000.
(My Comment: Excellent learning here. Even though, Ivey has top pair, top kicker he checks the turn. It's not because he thinks his opponent has a better hand. It's too control the pot size and possibly win more on the river if a scare card does not hit. A scare card did hit, though, and he had to check.)
Level 4
Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante
Hand: He's got him dominated.
Ivey calls an all-in bet of 8,825. Ivey show Ah-Qc. Opponent Ac-Jd.
Board: 8d-6s-3c-Ks-9d. Ivey wins pot.
Ivey at 82,000.
(My Comment: An easy call. A-Q and only risking a small percentage of his chip stack.)
Level 5
Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante
Hand: A semi-bluff on a draw?
Flop: As-6d-3s. Dutch Boyd bets 1,500 from the big blind. Ivey raises to 4,500. Boyd calls.
Turn: 4s. Both players check.
River: 8s. Both players check. Boyd shows 6h-3c for two pair. Ivey mucks.
Ivey at 105,000.
(My Comment: Difficult to know what is going on here. Maybe Ivey is playing his aggressive opponent with that flop raise. Maybe it's a semi-bluff on the flop. Not sure.)
End of day 1D: Ivey at 105,000. Leader at 340,000. Players left: 3,572
Day 2B: July 8, 2009
Level 6
Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante
Hand: They're just pocket , it's Ivey.
Pre-flop a player limps, Erick Lindgren raises to 2,500 from late position and is called by Ivey in the big blind as well as the limper.
Flop: 9c-8d-4d. Ivey bets out for 6,000. The limper folds but Lindgren moves all-in, for only 17,500. Ivey calls and shows Jd-Jc. Lindgren shows Qh-Qd.
Turn: 7c.
River: Jh. Ouch!
(My Comment: You gotta get lucky to win. Could you fold an overpair here?)
Level 7
Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante
Hand: Was it Ivey's stare?
Turn: 4h-Js-9h-7c. Ivey calls a bet of 15,000
River: 8s. Ivey's opponent checks. Ivey bets 45,000 and his opponent mucks. He shows a set, 9c-9d! Ivey does not show and collects his chips.
Ivey at 148,000.
(My Comment: What happened on the flop would be nice to know. But, what exactly do you think Ivey has here? Did he turn a straight? Is he going to call a big turn bet, to complete a straight on the river?)
End of Day 2B-Ivey at 325,000
Day 3: July July 10, 2009. 2,134 players left.
Level 10
Blinds: 600-1,200 with a 200 ante
Hand: Can't win 'em all.
Player moves all-in pre-flop and Ivey calls. Opponent has Ah-10c. Ivey has 9h-9s.
Board: 6d-4d-3h-5c-10d. Ivey loses hand.
Ivey at 355,000.
Level 11
Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante
Hand: Sometimes you got to fold the winning hand. Maybe here?
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 4,500 from under the gun and two players call.
Flop: Js-5s-5h. Ivey bets 9,000, next player raises to 18,000. Other player folds but Ivey calls.
Turn: 2h. Ivey checks, and his opponent moves all-in with 85,400. Ivey thinks for a few minutes and mucks. Opponent shows one card, the Jd.
Ivey at 358,000.
(My Comment: All-in moves on the river are often either a complete bluff or the nuts. Looks like the nuts to Ivey.)
Day 3 ends. Ivey at 358,000. Leader at 1,380,500.
Day 4: July 11, 2009. 810 players left.
Level 16
Blinds: 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante
Hand: The rockets hold up and get paid big. Oh, yeah, it's Ivey.
Ivey raises pre-flop to 16,000 from early position and is called by one player.
Flop: 7s-2d-Qh. Ivey bets 23,000 and is called.
Turn: 8h. Ivey bets 55,000 and is called.
River: 4d. Ivey bets big enough to put opponent all-in. Opponents calls. Ivey shows As-Ah. Opponent mucks.
Ivey at 900,000. (Note: There is no reporting on how much of this pot contributed to Ivey's increase in chips from 358,000.)
(My Comment: Ivey fires the third bullet on the river. No resistance. No scare card. Maximum rewards.)
Level 17
Blinds: 3,000-6,000 with a 1,000 ante
Hand: Fold, dude. It's Phil Ivey!
Turn: Ac-Jc-7s-8s. Ivey bets 70,000. Opponent calls.
River: 3d. Ivey bets 120,000. Opponent folds.
Ivey near 1 million.
(My Comment: Pre-flop and flop play would be nice to know. He may just have top pair on the turn, and he is betting for value and making it expensive for his opponent to catch.)
Hand: Hello, it's Phil I-v-e-y!
Board: Qh-5h-9c-7c. Opponent checks. Ivey moves all-in. Opponent calls and shows Ad-9d. Ivey shows Kd-Kc.
River: 7s. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 1.1 million.
Hand: Does he have to wear a name tag?
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 16,000 preflop and the player on the big blind calls.
Flop: 9c-6s-3d. Opponent check-calls Ivey's bet of 22,000.
Turn: 8d. Ivey bets 55,000 and is called.
River: Kc. Ivey bets 120,000 and opponent folds.
Ivey at 1.2 million.
(My Comment: Ivey keeps firing even with that King on the river. The check-call is an interesting play by his opponent. A check raise on the turn may have forced Ivey to fold.)
Day 4 ends: Ivey with 1,276,000. Leader at 1,819,000.
Day 5-July 12, 2009. 407 players left.
Hand: You ain't gonna hit a set against The Man.
Pre-flop a player moves all-in and Ivey calls. Opponent shows 9h-9c. Ivey has Kd-Kc. Board: Ad-Ac-5c-Ah-8h. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 830,000. (It's noted that Ivey had dropped to 220,000 but no hands were reported. Maybe you are not allowed to report when Ivey losses a lot of chips.)
Day 5 ends. Ivey with 1,400,000. Leader at 4,872,000.
Day 6-July 13, 2009. 185 players left.
Level 21
Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Hand: Will they ever learn?
Flop: Qc-10c-10h. Ivey and opponent checks.
Turn: As. Ivey and opponent checks.
River 8h. Ivey bets 50,000 and his opponent mucks.
Ivey at 1.7 million.
(My Comment: Whoever bets first here wins on the river, I believe.)
Level 23
Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante
Hand: You are moving all-in with A-K against Ivey? You are not playing online.
Pre-flop a player raises to 75,000 from early position and another player calls. Ivey pushes all-in from the small blind for 1,800,000. Original raiser calls the all-in bet for his last 700,000. The other player folds. Ivey has Ks-Kc. Opponent Ah-Kd.
Board: Jc-5s-4d-7d-Js. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 2,680,000.
(My Comment: The first raiser has a tough decision since it's a re-raise from Ivey in the worst position pre-flop. Ivey is aggressive pre-flop, but is he going to re-raise an upfront raiser unless he has a premium hand? I don't think so. If I was the player with the A-K, I would put Ivey on pocket Queens and be wrong.)
Level 24
Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante
Hand: Q-Q beats J-J--except against P.I.
Pre-flop a player raises to 80,000 and Ivey re-raises to 260,000. His opponent moves all-in for his last 620,000 and Ivey calls. Opponent shows Qs-Qc. Ivey Jc-Jh.
Board: Js-9s-4c-5c-7c. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 3,260,000.
(My Comment: He got lucky, but he wasn't risking many chips.)
Hand: Charity for an author.
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 80,000 and Blair Rodman moves all-in for 362,000. Ivey calls and shows Ad-9s. Rodman has 8s-8h.
Board: Kc-10c-4d-6h-2s. Ivey loses a small pot.
(My Comment: Same as before. The risk is small. Ivey actually was in better shape than he might have thought he would be in, given that he has two overcards.)
Level 25
Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Hand: Meet the son of the Poker Gods.
Pre-flop Ivey bets 110,000 from the button and his opponent re-raises to 325,000 from the big blind. Ivey calls.
Flop: Qs-4h-2h. Opponent checks and Ivey moves all-in for 910,000. His opponent calls and shows the Qc-7h. Ivey reveals Jh-5h.
Turn: not a heart.
River: is a heart. Ivey hits his flush.
Ivey at over 5,000,000 now.
(My Comment: He tried to steal from the button, and decided to call with the suited hand. The play on the flop is not a bad one since it's a semi-bluff--and in this case, the "bluff" didn't work but the "semi" did:))
Day 6 Ends. Ivey at 6,345,000 Leader: Darvin Moon - 9,745,000
Day 7 July 14, 2009. 64 players left
Level 26
Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Hand: You are not playing against Phil Hellmuth, bro.
Pre-flop Phil Ivey raises to 135,000 and gets one caller.
Flop: 9c-3h-3s. Both players check.
Turn: 9d. Opponent bets 150,000. Ivey calls.
River: 7s. Opponent bets 360,000. Ivey calls. Opponent has nothing with a Qh-10h. Ivey shows As-Qh, a better nothing.
Ivey now over 7 million.
(My Comment: This is another good learning hand. His opponent is one of the chip leaders. He wants to keep the pot small and keep his decisions easy. If he bets the flop and get called, his opponent will win this hand. Instead, he decides to call down his opponent's small bets. He induced a bluff on the turn and the river, to win a decent pot..
Level 27 Update
Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Hand: He had to take an early bathroom break, I guess.
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 150,000 from the cutoff and opponent calls from the big blind.
Flop: Ad-5d-Kc. Opponent check-calls Ivey's bets of 225,000.
Turn: 3h. Both players check.
River: 5s. Opponent bets into Ivey with 350,000. Ivey folds and loses small pot.
Ivey at 8.4 million.
(My Comment: My guess is that his opponent has either top or second pair. Ivey clearly tried to steal pre-flop and take down the pot with a continuation bet on the flop. Once it didn't work, he was done with this hand.)
Level 27
Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Hand: Chip leader my ass.
Billy Kopp is the new chip leader with over 16 million. He raises pre-flop to 150,000 from the hijack position. Ivey calls from the cutoff.
Flop: 7d-7c-2c. Both players check.
Turn: 4h. Both players check.
River: Ac. Kopp bets 225,000. Ivey raises to 700,000 and his opponent folds.
Ivey up to 8.6 million.
(My Comment: Maybe he hit his Ace or maybe he felt his opponent was weak. A river raise usually indicates strength but it's hard to know what is happening here between these top 10 chip leaders.)
Hand: Ivey ain't three betting with 7-2 offsuit, buddy.
Ivey raises pre-flop from the button to 150,000 and gets re-raised to 460,000. Ivey re-re-raises to 1,160,000, and is called.
Flop: Kh-10d-4s. Ivey bets 1,200,000 after opponent checks. His opponent folds.
Ivey over 10,000,000.
(My Comment: His opponent has to fold to that re-raise. Give up when you are beat.)
Level 28
Blinds: 40,000-80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Hand: You just got pocket Kings? I got a 7!
Pre-flop a player raises to 205,000 and Ivey calls from the small blind.
Flop: Qs-7h-4c. Both payers check.
Turn: 7d. Ivey bets 350,000 and is called.
River: 4d. Ivey bets 750,000 and is called. Ivey shows 9c-7c. His opponent shows his pocket kings before mucking.
Ivey at 11,300,000.
(My Comment: His opponent got too fancy and it cost him. Ivey will defend his big blind with a big range of cards. If you want him to fold, pre-flop raise more than normal. If you want Ivey in, bet smaller pre-flop but make a larger flop bet. While the flop looks safe. It turned out to be a tough loss for his opponent with K-K.)
Level 29
Blinds: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante
Hand: You making fun of my 7. This time I got a 9!
Pre-flop a player raises to 260,000 from early position and Ivey calls from the big blind.
Flop: 10s-9d-6h. Both players check.
Turn: 9s. Ivey checks. Opponent bets 200,000 and Ivey check-raises to 600,000. Opponent calls.
River: 8c. Ivey bets 1,000,000 and is called. Ivey shows Jh-9h and wins with trips.
Ivey at 14,890,000.
(My Comment: A check raise on the turn can be a bluff, but with that scare card and coordinated board, Ivey is telling you I have a big hand and I'm going to get maximum value for it.)
Day 7 ends: 27 players Ivey at 11,350,000. Leader: Darvin Moon - 20,160,000
Day 8: July 15,  'till final table of 9 players
Level 30.
Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante
Hand: He owed the gods a Queen from before.
Player moves all-in preflop for 1,030,000. Ivey calls with Jc-Js. Opponent has Qc-5c.
Board: 10s-8h-2d-Qd-8s. Ivey loses.
(My Comment: It was a good call with only about a 10% chip loss.)
Level 30. 23 players left
Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante
Hand: What! This can't be--the favorite hand beats Ivey. Change the deck!
Pre-flop the first player raises to 290,000 and the second player moves all-in for almost 2.5 million. Ivey calls and the original raiser folds. Ivey has Jh-Jd. Opponent has Qh-Qd.
Board: 10h-5h-5c-7d-4d. Ivey loses.
Ivey down to under 6 million.
(My Comment: It's your basic cooler.)
Hand: What? Losing to Shulman. Change the dealer!
Ivey is first in pre-flop and calls from the small blind. Jeff Shulman checks from the big blind.
Flop: As-Js-2d. Ivey bets 120,000 and gets called by Shulman.
Turn: 2c. Ivey checks and folds after Shulman bets 200,000.
(My Comment: May as well take a shot with that Ace on the flop. Gotta figure your opponent would raise pre-flop with any Ace.)
Level 31. 19 players left
Blinds: 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante
Hand: There is a disturbance in the Force.
Player raises pre-flop to 400,000 under-the-gun and Ivey raises to 1,150,000. His opponent moves all-in. Ivey calls and shows Ac-10h. His opponent has 2c-2s.
Board: Jc-6d-3c-4c-9s. Ivey loses.
Ivey at 2,640,000.
(My Comment: Ivey needs chips and he is forcing the action.)
Level 31. 15 players left
Blinds: 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante
Hand:  a minute, I thought the world was coming to an end.
Phil Ivey raises pre-flop to 420,000 and gets one caller.
Flop: 8s-6c-4c. Ivey bets 600,000 and gets called
Turn: 4s. Both players check.
River: Kd. Both players check. Ivey shows 9s-9h, while opponent has 10c-9c. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 6.8 million. (There is no report how Ivey won over $4 million in chips. Someone check his pockets!)
(My Comment: Notice how he is not willing to make the pot bigger on the turn when the 4 pairs, or bet with the overcard on the river. He will only get called on the river by a player who has him beat.)
Level 32. 13 players left.
Blinds: 100,000-200,000 with a 30,000 ante
Hand: As it was before.
Ivey raises pre-flop to 525,000 and the big blind calls.
Flop: 6h-2h-2s. The big blind checks and Ivey bets 700,000. His opponent mucks.
Ivey at 7,200,000.
(My Comment: Your basic continuation bet on the flop by Ivey takes down the pot. Notice the texture of the flop is not threatening at all.)
Hand: As it should be.
Ivey raises to 500,000 pre-flop. Opponent calls.
Flop: 6s-5c-3d. Ivey bets 700,000 and opponent folds.
Ivey at 6.5 million (not reported on the hand or hands he lost 700,000).
(My Comment: Another continuation bet on the flop.)
Level 33. 12 players left.
Blinds: 120,000-240,000 with a 30,000 ante
Hand: As it is meant to be.
Ivey bets 675,000 pre-flop and is called.
Flop: Ad-7c-5d. Opponent check-calls Ivey's bet of 800,000.
Turn: 3d. Ivey gets his opponent to fold with a bet of 1,700,000.
Ivey at 9,030,000.
(My Comment: That looks like a scare card on the turn. I can't figure the check call on the flop by his opponent...a wide range of hands are possible.)
Hand: And as we hoped it would be.
A player moves all-in for 2,350,000 and Ivey calls. His opponent has Kc-Qs. Ivey Ah-10h.
Board: 8s-3s-3d-3h-5c. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 9,610,000.
(My Comment: I think this is the riskiest play of the day. He is risking more than one-third of his chips with A-10. Is it because the cards are suited? Even if he puts his opponent on a small or medium pair, the hand is a coin flip. I guess that's why he is Phil Ivey, and you are not=))
End of the Day
Players Remaining: 9 out of 6,494
Chip Counts:
1. Darvin Moon - 58,930,000
2. Eric Buchman - 34,800,000
3. Steven Begleiter - 29,885,000
4. Jeff Shulman - 19,580,000
5. Joe Cada - 13,215,000
6. Kevin Schaffel - 12,390,000
7. Phil Ivey - 9,765,000
8. Antoine Saout - 9,500,000
9. James Akenhead - 6,800,000
If he is in 7th place, why is he the favorite to win?
I think if you study these hands it will improve your game. Look at the difference on when he checks flops versus bets the flop, and when he checks turns and bets the turn, etc. The keys to his decision are based on who was the pre-flop raiser, the texture of the board, who he is playing against, the range of hands he put his opponent in, and the chip stacks.
While he got lucky in a few hands, it happened because he was pushing the action and he had outs if he got called. That's the key to winning poker tournaments. Be more aggressive than your opponents and push the action. You got to get lucky to win a major event, and really any event.

Read more

Poker Coaching and Training For the 2010 WSOP

Poker Coaching and Training For the 2010 WSOP
As this year's WSOP approaches at the end of May, beginning of June, many poker players are seeking to brush up on their games, both online and off. Like a professional golfer, poker players of all skill levels can benefit from time to time by having a professional analyze their poker games. While most poker coaches provide training all year around for poker players, this time of year is the best time to think about getting a few coaching sessions and getting ready for the Main Event which offers life-changing prize money just for reaching the final table!
Some coaches, like big name pros are very expensive and out of reach for your average Joe-poker player. However, you can find deals out there on the net and receive live and coaching one-on-one so that you can really get into working on your game. 1 hour-ish sessions can involve many Q&A's but also usually involve watching a player play a game online and then providing analysis both in real time and after the fact by email. This is an exclusive opportunity to find out what is good and what needs to be improved upon in your poker game. There are classes and groups where you will learn in kind of a lecture format from a speaker, but for your best experience and spend of your money, one on one coaching is the most productive.
Make sure that you pick a coach that you can qualify yourself, meaning; does he teach what you want to learn and in the manner you want to learn it? Do not spend your money on a coach who is not able to give you what you need out of your poker game. Make sure he is available to talk to by email at least, both before and after your coaching sessions. Follow up is most times just as important as the coaching session itself.
The advantage of coaching using internet play is that you can see such a large number of hands and get much more experience and bang for your buck as opposed to live play in a bricks and mortar casino. Whereas you might see 20-30 hands in an hour of casino play you may see 50-100 hands depending on the game you are playing, during online play.
Many times you can find coaches that also provide coaching for games other than No Limit Holdem. Obviously there are many other events being played at the WSOP other than the NL Hold'em Main Event, so players who are looking for help with their Omaha, Stud, Razz, or HORSE games can also find it online.
So, if you are interested in playing at the 2010 WSOP at the Rio in Vegas, now is the time to look into some coaching sessions to help prepare. It is a very small investment for what could be a huge return! This years event promises to have some of the biggest prize pools in years as players come from all over the world to compete. You can bet that many of these foreign born players are working on their game with poker coaches. In order to keep up with the competition, coaching is an almost necessary activity in this day and age.

Read more

Rush Poker Strategy - Profitable Tactics For Rush Poker

Rush Poker Strategy - Profitable Tactics For Rush Poker
Rush Poker is an exciting new game format exclusive to Full Tilt poker. It's been designed to make online poker faster paced and more fun, with loads of action which of course attracts recreational players and gamblers.
So far the game is available only as small stakes (up to $0.50/$1.00) no limit holdem. You can choose to play either 9 seated or 6 seated, and the game plays as normal except for a very important change. Once you're out of a hand (either at showdown, or if you fold) you're "rushed" off to another table and immediately dealt a fresh hand. You don't even have to wait for the action to come to you, you can simply hit the quick fold button, and even if it isn't your turn to cat you'll be reseated and dealt new cards.
This makes for an incredibly fast paced game. No longer will you have to wait 20 minutes for a good hand, if you don't like what you're dealt then fold and see a new hand right away. In fact, most players see an average of 300 hands per hour playing this game, and some players see over500 per hour!
Rush poker strategy differs quite a bit from normal ring games. Because it's so easy to fold you know that most players will be playing only premium hands, so after the flop you'll have a reasonable idea that they hold either 2 high cards, a pocket pair, or Ax. Be careful of the player in the big blind though, if you allow them to enter the hand by limping in you'll have no idea what they hold. Always raise pre-flop if you're going to play a hand, that will stop the big blind seeing the flop for free.
You should also be re-raising a lot. Players in rush poker love to fold with anything other than a premium hand, since they know they'll be dealt another good hand soon, so take advantage of that. Raise, and re-raise often and you'll find you can steal the pot more often than not.
Finally, you'll find that low cards can be your friend. Since most players will only be playing big cards, if you come in with low cards and hit trips on the flop you'll trap them and earn a big pot!
Rush poker strategy will certainly be refined over time as more and more top players study the game and figure out the best tactics, but by following the basic strategy outlined here you should be profitable in most games.

Read more