After event #1 of the Bodog Poker Open ($250 + $20 no limit holdem) was finished, it looked like the pros would dominate the whole thing. The big story was the second- and third-place finishes by Evelyn Ng and Josh Arieh, respectively. But the event was won by an unknown player named rusostreet who won $26,062.50.
Event #2, (6-handed) - No Limit Hold’em - $300 + $25 buy-in didn’t have poker stars filling up the final table, and the $23,292.50 was taken home by 3pounder. The second-place prize of $14,822 was won by pepsiontherocks.
Event #3 was the No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys - $100 + $10 buy-in. PckAces won $28,270 for first place, and ibakitup won $17,990 for second. KGBluvsOrEos had to settle for the third-place prize of $11,924.80.
In event #4 Pot Limit Hold’em - $200 + $15 buy-in, foldpreflop85 was the big winner of $14,100.
PokerStars has a new Grey Cup promotion where qualifiers go to the big CFL championship game and play a tournament for a million dollar prize pool against stars like Daniel Negreanu. PokerStars is also gearing up for the WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) which should once again prove to be among the biggest events ever played online.
PartyPoker has started qualifying players for its Million VI tournament next May. The cruise is an eight-day tour of the Mediterranean highlighted by an $8200 main event tournament. The $12,000 prize includes $1,100 in spending money.
Bodog has a new promotion that offers players the opportunity to launch their poker career a little early. Winning includes a cover story in Online Poker Pro Magazine and a buy-in to the tournament of the winner’s choice up to $10,000. The winner will be chosen from a random draw compiled of players that play in Player’s Choice satellite tournaments.
Are you ready for the World Series of Poker? That depends on who you are, I guess. If it’s your first trip there, getting ready for the most famous poker tournament in the world shouldn’t be a serious thing. If you love to play poker then you’ve looked forward to going to the big show since you first played. Your first trip should be fun and not too serious. If you’re nervous, you’ll make foolish decisions so just relax and play your game with a positive attitude.
You can still play your best game at the tables, but make sure you take in all that the tournament offers. All the latest things that are poker are on display at this tournament, and don’t forget your camera because all the poker stars will be there and you’ll be able to meet most of them if you want to. Take it all in; you may not get back next year, so enjoy the experience regardless of any outcomes on the tables.
If you’re returning from previous trips you should have some leaks worked out of your game over the last year. You should have been playing a lot of tournament poker over the last few weeks in the variations that you plan on playing at the WSOP. You should know by know that pre-registering for your events will save you hours of frustration the morning of your event.
You should also be envisioning yourself going deep into the tournament, playing at the final table, and eventually holding the bracelet in one hand and a wad of pretend cash in the other. You should believe that it can happen to you, because it will happen to you, because you deserve it. To believe anything else is a waste of your time. Winning a WSOP bracelet isn’t something that happens to you, it’s something you make happen. And it’s ok for you to have fun too.
If you’re a true beginner poker player who’s looking for a good poker room, you’ll want to think both big and small. Let’s start with the big.
By big we mean the size of the poker room. The more players at a poker room during peak hours the better chance there will be a bunch of other fish just like you trying to go from student to masters of the game too quickly. Another good thing to do is try out one of the more heavily-advertised rooms. Poker rooms like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Bodog get more traffic because the less-knowledgeable poker player knows they exist due to their large number of advertisements on TV, in magazines and online.
Now that we’ve covered the big, let’s talk about the small. When we’re referring to small we’re talking about limits and buy-ins. If you’re trying out online poker for the first time do not play over your head. This is one of the more common mistakes that poker rookies make, and the end result is their bankroll gets chewed up quick.
Look for rooms that offer cheap limits like 5 cent/10 cent or less, if you can find it. Don’t step up to $1/$2 table and think you’re going to start hauling in the big bucks. First of all, those limits aren’t where you win the big bucks. And, second you won’t make money as a rookie at those tables; you’ll simply lose it all faster.
If you’re more into tournament play, then look for rooms that offer cheap tournaments where you can improve your skills without having your entire bankroll decimated in one fell swoop. Most rooms also offer introductory freerolls for new players. If you can money in one of those, you can offset some of the cost of your first deposit.
Finding a good poker tournament is a pretty easy thing to do these days. The hottest spots in the States are Vegas, Atlantic City and Southern California. These places have constant live action and they also hold most major professional events. The popularity of the game has also created some good events in Canada, Australia, and numerous countries in Europe.
WSOP, WPT, and PPT events can be consistently found in Vegas throughout the year. For daily action you can count on the Bellagio to deliver the goods. They run daily $500 + $40 No Limit Holdem and satellites at $130, starting at 9 am, Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday they run a $1000 + $80 with satellites of $240. The big events at the Bellagio are the annual Five Star World Poker Classic, the annual Five Diamond Poker Classic, and the annual Festa Al Lago.
The World Poker Finals at the Foxwoods in Connecticut is one of the best tourneys of the year. The WPT event is always a televised affair attracting the best in the game. The poker room at the Foxwoods has 70 tables and action is never limited. If you’re in Atlantic City, The Trump Taj Mahal poker room runs daily events and has recently been selected to host a CEO Poker Tour event. The big tournament of the year for the Taj is the United States Poker Championship.
The other hotbed for good tournaments is Southern California. San Jose has the Shooting Star at the Bay 101 Casino. It is a televised WPT event that attracts lots of top players. The California State Championships in Los Angeles has grown in popularity, as well as the Legends of Poker Tournament and the L.A. Poker Classic. Players flock to see poker stars and Hollywood celebrities battle it out for a championship.
There are enough poker tours in existence now that a player can find a good-sized tournament every weekend, in numerous places in the States. Live action tourneys are growing in size and frequency elsewhere on the planet, but they are still special events that are held on occasion. America is still the leader in live tournament action, and will be for some time to come.
So, you’ve taken your shot in a fair number of tourneys and maybe you’ve even cashed in a few times. But, you’re still one step away from making the final table and collecting some of the big cash. You’ve perfected the poker rookie’s tourney technique, now let’s take it up a notch. (Can’t understand poker jargon? Here’s a good poker glossary.)
Early tournament strategy
If you think you have the best hand, let your opponents think they have you beat and let them start the betting. This is slow-playing, of course. Once you’ve seen the river and you still think you’ve got your opponent beat, come out betting and hope your opponent feeds your pot. If you’re not sure that you’re holding the best hand at the table, don’t give that information away. Be aggressive (not insanely aggressive though) and try to steal the pot with a well-timed bet. Being aggressive is a good thing but if your opponent comes back at you with a raise, get out of the hand. Never pay to see if your opponent is attempting a bluff.
Middle tourney strategy
Most of the fish and bad players are gone by now, but watch out for those lucky stragglers who could bust you with a bad play that turns out to be a very lucky play. If you’re holding a strong hand after the flop, force your opponent to pay to play. Never give away that free card on the turn unless you’re sure you have the nuts. Giving that free card could be giving away the hand. Don’t bluff too much. If you end up getting called on a bluff at this level, you’re likely going down. Don’t go on tilt. If you’re chugging along and suddenly get ripped by a bad beat or a bluff, keep your cool. If you go on tilt, your stack will be in big trouble.
The final table
You’ve finally made it and have the big money in your sights. Try and throw in some semi-bluffs when the betting is low, or everyone’s in the mood to check. You’ll be able to steal a few pots like this, and if you hit one of your outs you could be in for a nice payday. Watch out for raises or check-raises when you’re semi-bluffing. Calling this is usually a big mistake. Pay close attention to chip-stack size at this point. If you have more chips than your opponents, use your chip power to push them around with larger-than-normal bets. If you have a good hand, don’t be afraid to bet the size of the smallest stack at the table. If a small stack goes all-in, make sure you have a great hand before calling. The short stack will hardly ever bluff this late in the tourney.
Think you’re any good? Try your luck at this online poker site!
So you want to win a poker tournament, do you? Step No. 1, don’t sit down in a tournament with me because that’s a clear ticket to second place at best. But seriously here’s a quick and fast rundown of how to play each level of a tourney to maximize your chances of at least making the money.
Early tournament strategy:
You’ll want to play tight when the tourney has just begun. This is when the crazies will be out making overly aggressive bets. Since you don’t know if they’re bluffing or have A-A tucked away, avoid any confrontations that will be too expensive. In the early rounds you’ll want to avoid going all-in pre-flop. Even if you have plucked A-A, your tournament could be over in a flash if you get cracked by an unlucky flop. Your main focus in the early rounds should be to hang around, while building your stack up as much as you can without taking any ill-advised risks.
Middle tournament strategy:
Ok, so you’ve outlasted most of the wackos and the fish, so the level of play should have increased. Now it’s time to play some real poker. Don’t get too over-confident or scared by the size of your stack compared to the rest of the table. With the blinds growing, the size of your stack and your opponents’ stacks can go from top of the table to the dregs in one hand. Since that’s the case, only call another player’s bet when you have good cards. Make sure you use your position against other players when you have it. If the flop doesn’t help your hand, it’s usually best to fold. Only stay in the hand if you think the flop also did absolutely nothing for your opponents’ hands. To figure this out, keep track of betting patterns.
The final table:
So you’ve avoided falling into any big traps while setting a few of your own along the way, and it’s been enough to get you to the final table. In most big tourneys you’ve cracked the money, but you still need to finish off well to win the big cash. If you have good cards you must make a play for the blinds with a raise. Be the aggressor and try to own the table. If you’re one of the shorter stacks it may be a good idea to go all-in pre-flop with premium cards. Anything like a high pair or A-K-A-J is worth an all-in. You’ll either steal the blinds or hopefully be in a good position to double-up. If you’re one of the bigger stacks, beware going up against the short stacks because if they put all their chips in the middle they’ve got a hand. Don’t get them back in the game and cripple yourself by calling an all-in with mediocre cards.
Ready to try your hand at an online poker tournament? Check this site out. And good luck!
Anyone going to the World Series of Poker this year had better be ready for a few changes from a year ago. We’re not just talking about the new added events or the change in venue for the $10,000 main event, either.
The changes in the online poker world (in America) haven’t been fully felt in the live poker world quite yet, but they will be once the WSOP rolls around again. Last year was another record-setting year for the WSOP. I say it was “another” record-setting year because for the past four or five years new records have been set only to be broken a year later. The records set last year will probably stand firm in 2007.
The WSOP has already made their cryptic speech about not accepting players who won their buy-in through playing poker online. This may cause some friction for new players, but the good poker rooms have already devised a strategy to make sure their players aren’t turned away at the sign-in desk at the Rio.
Last year’s main event drew in a record-shattering 8773 players. Depending which so-called poker-world experts you want to believe, that number could fall as low as 3000. Most Internet buzz predicts this year’s main event crowd to ring in between 4000-5000. Either way you cut it, that’s a big drop from last year.
A big drop in players means a couple of things. No. 1 is a big drop in overall prize money. Last year Jamie Gold ended up with a $12 million haul. If the player numbers dip to the 4000-5000 range, a first-place prize of $5-$6 million seems more likely. No. 2 is that the lower number of players (most of which would be WSOP rookies) increases the chances of a poker pro reclaiming the World Championship title. The fewer unknowns that take part in the biggest tournament in the world makes it more likely that a well-known and experienced poker pro will win the bracelet. With a depleted field, a David Williams is more likely to win than another Jamie Gold.
You can qualify online for the WSOP here.
