Most professional poker players spend the lion’s share of their playing time in live games. The big-name tournament players are famous because of the television coverage of their live play. Lots of these players play online, but it’s not like the live tournament scene. Most celebrity poker players are sponsored by an online poker site. They wear the site’s logo in live events and play on the site for periodic promotions or whenever they want to.

Full Tilt Poker has professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Clonie Gowan, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen and Allen Cunningham on their team.

PokerStars has Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Barry Greenstein, Isabelle Mercier, Daniel Negreanu, Tom McEvoy, Victor Ramdin, Vanessa Rouso, and Humberto Brenes.

UltimateBet sponsors professionals Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Jim Worth, Devin Porter and Annie Duke.

Poker Stars is the biggest online poker room in the world. They offer more action for more games than anywhere else. The frequent-player points program is very flexible and the gaming software is fast and interactive, with lots of good options. Cash-outs couldn’t be easier; all the cash-out options are there and they will even FedEx any cash-out over $1000 to your door in a couple of days.

Poker Stars has built its massive player base all by themselves and are not connected to a playing network. The games offered are Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold’em, as well as both Hi and Hi-Lo versions of Omaha and Seven-Card Stud. The site also offers No-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo games, H.O.R.S.E., H.O.S.E., 2-7 Triple Draw, Five-Card Draw and Razz.

Stats for the site show 14,400 ring game players and as many as 120,000 tournament players at peak times. They also offer the best tournament action online.

Since 2004, Full Tilt Poker has worked tirelessly at becoming a leader in the industry of online poker. With aggressive marketing techniques, like sponsoring more than 40 of poker’s top professionals, Full Tilt has the second-highest traffic volumes in the industry. Peak hours will have 9,200 ring game players and as many as 60,000 tournament players. The points shop is one of the best online and the poker room software is unique and innovative.

Action is offered in Pot-Limit, No-Limit and Fixed Limit betting structures. Available games include Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, Five Card Draw and Razz. You can also find action for mixed games like H.O.R.S.E and H.O.S.E. Heads-up and short-handed games are also in abundance. Tournament action is top-notch with $5 million in weekly guaranteed events. Full Tilt also offers the best bonuses online today, giving depositors a $600 bonus.

Party Poker is no longer the biggest online poker room in the world, but it continues to be one of the best despite no longer accepting American action. The site is known for having great around-the-clock cash games and tournament action. The software is good and fast, but isn’t the flashiest available. The functionality of the software does offer features like deal making and very good hand-history access.

Party Poker runs lots of special events and tournament satellites, and they also have an excellent loyalty program for their regulars. Action is offered in Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo. Short-handed and heads-up action is available.  Limits vary between Fixed Limit, Pot Limit and No limit betting structures. Current volumes have 10,000 cash game players and 60,000 tournament players, at peak levels. Party Poker is still one of the world’s best poker sites.

Does age matter in Hold’em? I don’t think age matters unless there’s a bunch of experience behind that age. If a 65-year-old player that just learned the game sat down with a bunch of pros he would get destroyed, but if that same player has been playing poker for 40 years then it’s very different.

An older person may be able to get better reads off of players, but nothing can replace game experience. Becoming a top poker player is about playing the game and learning new edges as time goes by, slowly plugging leaks in your game.

Without paying your dues you leave everything up to luck, and that’s not where you want to be against the professionals. Even these young guns that are winning big tournaments are doing so because they’ve played thousands and thousands of hands and have worked on improving their style and knowledge.

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.

Lucky You departs from previous poker-themed films like the wildly impossible final hand from The Cincinnati Kid and the cookie-cutter tells from Rounders, but unfortunately it forgot a key component those films included: Great casting, great acting, and characters you actually liked and cheered for.

I was expecting a lot more from Lucky You since it was directed by Curtis Hanson, of L.A. Confidential fame. What drags the movie down is the horrible casting of Eric Bana in the lead role and Drew Barrymore as the woman he chases. Also along for the ride is Robert Duvall, who actually gives a good performance in stark contrast to the rest of the deadweight.

In the film Bana plays Huck Cheever, an overly aggressive poker player who constantly lets his emotions get the best of him resulting in him ending up broke, over and over again. Barrymore plays the horribly-named Billie Offer, a Vegas lounge singer who – thanks to Barrymore – can’t sing to save her life. Duvall is Bana’s estranged father, a poker legend who everyone in the world loves, except Bana who’s never forgiven him for walking out on him and his mom. The usual jaded father-and-son clichés ring true (yes they meet up at the final table, who didn’t see that one coming?), with only Duvall’s lively performance adding any real life to the story.

The poker scenes in Lucky You are actually well done and demonstrate that the filmmakers really did know something about poker when they were filming it. Having cameos by poker pros like Doyle Brunson and Barry Greenstein probably helped, as well as a bit-part by Jennifer Harman. Unfortunately they didn’t pay as close attention to the plot or the characters, or maybe Lucky You would be worth a look instead of being a poker film that fails in every aspect expect the poker.

In case you didn’t already know, Lucky You has been gathering dust on the Hollywood shelf for almost two years. Movies that go through long delays like that usually aren’t worth wasting 11 bucks to go see on the big screen, and Luck You is no exception.

The new laws in the U.S. certainly changed the face on online poker. Most sites have eventually stopped offering American action, although there are some sites that continue to do so. Here are the top five poker rooms online right now, in my opinion (three accept U.S. action, and two do not).

The top three get extra points for not running scared in the face of HR-4411 and continuing to provide U.S. action.

1. The cream of the crop continues to be Bodog. With the spillover from its sportsbook, this site has lots of action and lots of novice players. Bodog’s 10% deposit bonus is immediate and unlimited, which caters to the middle and high roller players. U.S. players are accepted and there is always lots of action in the cash games and tournaments.

2. PokerStars continues with business as usual and continues to provide the best action on the net. Frequent player points give the players lots of rewards and the tournament action is second to none. It ranks second for two reasons: Customer service doesn’t touch Bodog’s level of support, and the playing competition is far tougher at PokerStars.

3. Full Tilt poker has a good all-around site with good bonuses and lots of action. This site has had an aggressive advertising strategy which is centered on the signing of many professionals to promote the site. The opportunity to play against the pros has built a strong player base.

4. Party Poker has lost its claim as the biggest online poker room since it stopped taking U.S. action, but it is still one of the largest. Action can be found around the clock and big tournaments are a regular occurrence. Play is fast and reliable because the software is updated often. A bit smaller, but it’s still old faithful.

5. Titan Poker comes in fifth because of the best promotions online today. Deposit bonuses are great but the “refer a friend” bonuses are off the charts. Titan rewards players with tournament tickets and great sit ’n go jackpots. The software is nothing special and it remains to be seen what the bonuses are like once the player base is built, but for now it’s a great site to play on.

You think you’re a pretty good poker player? If any these 10 things sound like you, then you’re probably not.

1. Playing too many hands: This is the No. 1 sin for new poker players. Hand selection is key for winning poker. The old phrase goes you can’t win if you don’t play, but for beginners it really should say you can’t lose if you don’t play.
2. Showing your cards: If you can leave your opponents guessing as to what you had, DO IT! Don’t give away your poker skills (if you have any) by showing them to the rest of the table. Don’t give any more information then you need to.
3. Playing distracted: If you’re going to play poker then play poker. Don’t watch the game, or listen to your new CD, or play a few hands during class. Focus on the game or say good-bye to your money.
4. Chasing bad draws: Don’t go after that one card to the nuts just because if you hit it you’ll win a huge pot. Guess what? When you don’t hit it you’re handing money away over and over.
5. Not following pot odds: This is almost the same as No. 4 but unlike common sense, you can actually learn pot odds. Do yourself – and your wallet – a favor by learning and implementing them.
6. Playing over their heads: Too many players have lost their bankroll because they think the big-money tables are where they need to be. Start at the cheap tables and once you’re dominating them move up to higher stakes. Playing higher stakes too early will simply clean you out faster.
7. Calling too much: Don’t be a calling station. If you call more often than you raise or fold, your game has a big hole in it. Fill that hole.
8. Overvaluing Aces: The Ace isn’t the be-all-and-end-all card. Just because you have an Ace in your hole cards doesn’t make them worth playing every time.
9. Too much bluffing: I blame TV poker for this. All the pros making their big bluffs have made bluffing the next big thing. Bluffing is only the right thing to do in certain situations. Learn these situations and use the tactic of bluffing to make money, not lose it.
10. Thinking they’re the best: There are so, so, so many awful poker players out there that think they can beat anyone. They couldn’t beat a real poker pro if the pro was blindfolded the entire time. The first step to becoming a good poker player is to admit how much you suck.