Women In Poker

I know there has been much publicity revolving about Isabelle "No Mercy" Mercier these days and rightfully so. Endorsed by Pokerstars and also representing Team Canada in the WSOP, people are going to be talking. What I am most impressed about with this women is the respect she retains at the tables. Way to many times poker rooms endorse a woman based on sexual appearance. Don't get me wrong I am not saying that this is wrong and believe me sex has always been a contributing factor when it comes to advertising but what bothers me is the attitude this portrays about women.

Poker in my opinion, winning poker takes alot of skill, thought and knowledge. It's a remarkable game and to be able to m,aster it is an achievement, but...and here come the buts. To hire a person who you are going to have represent your site or business for a game, would you not rather have that person be respected because of the solid game they play or because their boobs are popping out their shirt (if they are in fact wearing one)

We had this topic come up on a forum I participate in and it is typical men are from Mars women are from Venus attitude. I enjoy reading about players who are able to out think their opponents, annihilate them and are strategic. Ones who are more concerned about the game and taking it seriously vs those who play the game and are there for looks. Women who don't bring their sex appeal to their game, women like Isabelle or Annie, who can use it without having to go over board. These are strong players, and strong women.

I think it's about time some publicity swings Isabelle's way and all the other women who are amazing poker players instead of weekly gossip column over who did what at what event. I am tired of seeing half naked endorsed sponsors who really don't deserve all the attention they receive. Not when you have others out there who bring with them as much game as the men.

But sex sells right!

Mixing Up The Home Games

Alright so we play alot with friends at least 4 times a week. After a while I find playing holdem gets kind of boring. I love poker, don't get me wrong it but you can only play so much of it with friends before you find yourself not enjoying it like you use to. Anyway we mix our games up every now and than to wild card poker. There is nothing better than everyone betting into a pot and than dropping out of the race because they hit a kill card or someone ended up with 5 Q's lol. It makes for a really good night of fun, huge pots even for those players who play small limits and just a great game.

I figured I would share a game we play and it adds a nice element of surprise at the end.


"Burn The Biffell"

Each player gets dealt 3 or 4 cards (up to the dealer as to how difficult the game will be)After which you deal another 10 cards down on the table in two rows. Top row is your good cards and bottom row is your bad cards.Than everyone bets or checks their hole cards (normally check it)You flip over first good card than you flip over first bad card, players who have this card in their whole cards must now show them and they become dead cards, meaning you throw them in.

Betting rounds take place again and usually when someone has to lose a whole card there is betting. You repeat this process till all cards are flipped except for the last bad card. Betting takes place and the best part of this is the last card has yet to be turned over so people are betting on what seems to be a live hand. Than the last bad card is flipped, usually once this happens a couple people end up losing their hands. Than betting again after which whoever has the best 5 card hand wins.

Pots can become a nice size so I usually cap betting till the last bad card is flipped. This is a great game cause people are usually betting there hands from the first round and when that last bad card is flipped it can determine if you are still winning or if your hand has now been declared dead.

12 Month Study Into Online Gambling

Another bill has been introduced to the house regarding the state of online gambling. However this one is to properly study and assess the current trends.It will look into regulations through various countries and what the government bodies of these countries have done to ensure that these have been met. It has been reported that The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences perform this task over a twelve month period in order to get a proper conclusion and to determine what steps may be necessary for online gambling.

The bill HR2140, was introduced by representative Shelley Berkley who was quoted saying "One of the advantages of this legislation is that it doesn't take a side. It doesn't say online gambling is good or bad. It says, 'Let's study the issue.' "

HR 2140 has come up two weeks after Barney Franks' Internet Gambling Regulation Enforcement Act which was presented to regulate online gambling.

The irony in this is back in 2003 John Conyers who is the Judiciary Judiciary Committee Chairman and a co-sponsor of the forth coming bill also presented one similar to it, wanting a study to legalization of online gaming. Quite possibly had this bill passed back than we may not be in the situation we all are in. Who knows, I don't think the US government ever expected online gaming or even online poker for that matter to be such a huge success.

Seeking Relief In Bill To Stop Police Raids

Since the UIEGA took place almost a year ago there have been multiple police raids and indictments taking place throughout the United States. People have been charged with misdemeanors while others are being prosecuted to the fullest extent. It seems as though the US government has gone on a witch hunt to find every gambling card player out there and persecute even if it means arresting a veteran.

Last week the Dallas police raided yet another "illegal" poker room, Audie Murphey Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1837 due to complaints of surrounding neighbours. The room was allegedly taking in a rake which is deemed illegal however VWF lawyer Mr. Hinton said his clients "don't take a rake. They are given donations. The rest goes to charity. The post members busted in the raid "are harmless people trying to do something for a good cause." He said he seriously doubts that residents are in an uproar over illegal poker rooms in Dallas.

So far this year there have been 79 people cited for playing or operating games in four poker rooms. These numbers have already reached what was the grand total for 2006 and well above 2005's stats.

Deputy Chief Julian Bernal, commander of Dallas' vice and narcotics detectives commented that the police department can not ignore complaints regarding illegal gambling."I'd much rather go after people who are running prostitution and narcotics.The more gambling operations I have to contend with, the less resources I have to deal with our higher-priority operations." he said, adding that he hopes these raids will further deter players from breaking the law and all legal issues that may arise from it.

Other towns members claim that the VWF games are no different than those in the area who are benefiting local charities. Chief Bernel disputes that stating that "The issue is that in those games you make a donation to the charity and they give you chips," "You cannot cash your chips in and get anything back – win, lose or draw. The VFW had cash games, and they knew they were illegal."

It seems as though there is a mix of reactions in this community, as neighbours say they are fearful for what goes on in the VWF, while others say it's a group of veterans and shouldn't be bothered.

Whether the VWF is guilty or not, this is another case that is directly related to the UIGEA and it's after effects. Police are continually performing raids across the country even if it;s a group of seniors, and people have now become criminals. While some continue to try and keep their games and poker clubs underground, other players are now taking long trips to casinos where they won;t have to worry about legal problems

This may not last forever, now that House Bill 3186 was introduced last week by Senator Barney Franks.Currently it is being considered for vote by the full House and if passes would regulate online poker and lighten up some of the restrictions American players are currently facing. Hundreds upon thousands of people are pushing for this bill and what it will do, not just to have the ability to play poker. They want to be able to retain the right to choose what they do in their own homes without fear of persecution.

Why play poker if you don't want to win.

Why do players choose to play terrible poker I will never know. Isn't the point of playing to win?
I decided tonight I would play some poker online. Since starting the website I really have not had the chance to, so I figured a break was due. I entered the $5 rebuy tournament at Titan Poker with $1000 GP, 101 people in total so it's a decent size in players that I won't have to sit to long. Anyway this game started out like all the other rebuys, crazy maniac play. People chasing runner runner and winning or losing. My main strategy in this is to steer clear of these players till I have a hand that will crush them. literally throwing all my chips in because you know they will call...and they did. But what I don't get is why. Why not try to win, why give up?

For instance in one hand I was sitting in 34th position ( I always keep tabs of where I am in distance to the player in first place) I have $6400 in chips and am dealt AA. I mean you want AA except when you are first to act. So I called the blinds $150 and prayed to god that someone will bump it for me as they do every hand. Just my luck no one, and I end up with 6 others in the pot....bad move. The flop brings Ks 9c 4d. So I figure my only hope now is to buy all the blinds and not let anyone catch anything else so I go all in. BB calls with lol 97os. Normally I would be overjoyed with this but lately I have been in a rut so my stomach is churning and I'm thinking he's gonna hit that damn 7. Unfortunately for him he did not. This hand did hurt him but he still had $7000 in chips left. With blinds at $150 that is more than enough to work his way back up there, but what does he do goes all in next hand and is called by two others. He had 63os and was put out. I can understand being beat by a bad hand and tilting but I think this was more of a punishment to himself for making such a bad call.

This is where I don't understand. I have been in these situations myself, but I don't give up ever. I play to win or make an effort doing so and I think that is what the main goal is. If you give up you are never going to be able to correct your mistakes. There is nothing more satisfying than being dead last and winning it all. Knowing that you played an absolutely superior game and came out on top. If you are going to just give up than you might as well not play at all.

North Carolina Says No To Skill

Once again another government body has said that poker, one of America's favourite past times is a game based on chance. Today's decision in the court of appeals was another blow to all poker players and is in most peoples minds a complete misconstrue of the game itself. Although legal issues surrounding the game is not recent news to most people, you may find it interesting that a state can conclude its citizens are not allowed to operate such a venue yet it is ok for this same state to start the lottery and introduce scratch tickets to their people, all within the last year. They have bombarded their people with the thought of a get rich over night dream of becoming the next multimillionaire yet the game of poker is all about luck.

This case stems back to 3 years ago where Howard Fierman a business man tried to open his own establishment and run a poker club. to his dismay he was told no that such a venue was considered illegal in his state and as such it would be a misdemeanor. Like many people are doing today, he took his to another level and filed an injunction. He was denied again and by 2006 he had filed an appeal. Fierman had expert witnesses on his behalf declare that this is a game of skill. In the short term, players may win by luck, but to succeed over the long haul there is skill involved.

The sate had only one witness who testified to the direct opposite that the game is luck and you may play with skill but with each turn of the card you are taking a chance. The witness also referred to watching poker on television and seeing a 9% chance of a players hand improving to take down the win .

Judge Barbra Jackson read the verdict which agreed with previous judgements to which she stated

"During oral arguments, counsel for plaintiff analogized
poker to golf, arguing that while a weekend golfer might, by luck, beat a
professional golfer such as Tiger Woods on one hole, over the span of eighteen
holes, Woods' superior skill would prevail. The same would be true for a poker
game, plaintiff contended, making poker, like golf, a game of skill." "This
analogy, while creative, is false. In golf, as in bowling or billiards, the
players are presented with an equal challenge, with each determining his fortune
by his own skill. Although chance inevitably intervenes, it is not inherent in
the game and does not overcome skill, and the player maintains the opportunity
to defeat chance with superior skill. Whereas in poker, a skilled player may
give himself a statistical advantage but is always subject to defeat at the turn
of a card, an instrumentality beyond his control. We think that is the critical
difference." "For the reasons stated above, we determine that chance
predominates over skill in the game of poker, making that game a game of chance
under N.C. General Statute 14-292 (2005). Accordingly, the decision of the trial
court should remain undisturbed."

I guess the only thing people can start doing is stop playing poker throw some numbers into a hat and pick your lucky ones for the night because the lottery is not a game of chance. Pulling the numbers out of a hat is the true game of skill.

Battle of the forums this weekend!!!!

The Poker Forum Challenge is a great group that hosts monthly games where forums play against each other for freerolls and money added tournaments. It's a really fun atmosphere of people. The games take place every month. On the first Saturday of each month, each forum team with at least 25 members will have a qualifying free roll tournament That is this Saturday. The second Saturday of the month will be a $5 buy-in tournament. The top five members of each team qualifying tournament and the top ten members from the buy-in tournament will then face off in a final tournament on the third Saturday of the month. The final table players will receive points for the team they play for. The forum team that has the most points will receive a $100 freeroll for the forum they play for and of course we go on the home page as that months winners plus bragging rights are good to.

To play in these you have to sign up for a team(hopefully ours) at The Poker Forum Challenge website http://www.thepokerforumchallenge.com/ once you have registered as a member at the top of the screen is a tab saying teams. Click on that one and you will find Pokerriver in the group of teams to choose from. than hit sign up and you are done. Or if you would prefer after you have registered send me your user name and I can add you myself.

They switch the poker rooms each month. I will be sending out passwords to the members who have registered and joined our team the Friday before the game. On the 2nd Saturday of the month they have their buyin tournaments which is always $5 and they always add money to it usually $250.

So if you would like to join we would be more than happy to have more on our team and hopefully be able to win this. Look forward to seeing you and if you have any other questions please feel free to ask.