Downstream Casino’s third annual Four-States Poker Championship running from May 27 – June 4 will likely exceed the 1,300 players that attended last year, increasing prize pools and action on the cash tables.

Downstream Casino in Quapaw, Oklahoma has a weekly promotional event running March 9-May 25 called Beat the Boss. Players earn drawing tickets every time they win a pot in the poker room of $30 or more. Drawings are held at 8 p.m. every Wednesday. Eight players are selected during each drawing and each of the eight players receives 2,000 tournament chips. If players are in a cash game during the drawing they will receive 3,000 tournament chips. One of the designated eleven Downstream bosses for the week will have $2,000 cash chips. Boss and players will play for two hours right after drawing. When players win a pot with cash chips in it, they get to keep them aside for cashing later. If the Boss wins tournament chips, they are set aside and he continues to play with his cash chips. Check out more at www.downstreamcasino.com.

When it comes to mainstream poker news, September 2007 stands out for various reasons. That’s the month the WSOP held its first event outside the US with the inaugural WSOP-Europe. Annette Obrestad became the youngest player to win a World Series of Poker bracelet at age 19, and Greg Raymer won the PokerStars WCOOP pot-limit Omaha event. But there was something else that occurred in “The Middle” during that time that did not hit the mainstream news, and that was the very first episode of CPL Poker Podcast out of Blaine, Minnesota.

I recently had the opportunity to interview the crew of CPL, Mark “Verbal” Cardenas and “Karaoke” Phil Fuehrer to discuss the podcast in detail. “We really created CPL Poker Podcast to entertain our home league members. We listened to other poker podcasts and thought it would be fun. By episode forty, we branched out.” These entertainment gurus were quick to explain their nicknames as well. Mark earned his nickname “Verbal” after an error he made in the home league by pushing all-in with saying “call.” Verbal declarations are binding and so are some nicknames. Phil received his nickname because he can often be heard singing eighties songs.

Now with more than 300 listeners, the weekly show discusses a variety of topics that are targeted at low-limit players. It is the only poker podcast in the upper Midwest and the longest running. It airs on Mondays and discusses a wide range of topics from free poker leagues, online poker play, and casino tournaments and cash games. They provide their listeners “a poker viewpoint that is witty and humorous, but still based upon solid poker know-how.” The segment variety includes hand of the week, the CPL science segment, poker news and various interviews such as the Heartland Poker Tour’s first Minnesota event winner, Tom Stambaugh and most recently, Andy Bloch.

“Newer players can especially benefit from hearing the thoughts and tales of a couple of experienced low-limit hosts. Our banter and topics will certainly encourage players to keep on plugging away as they work to improve their game.” CPL currently boasts having listeners across the US although is focused on the Midwest poker scene. “We have plenty of entertainment and information for anyone who plays poker, regardless of where they reside.”

Both Mark and Phil play a variety of games in various places such as Full Tilt, the Free Poker Network, Running Aces Casino, Canterbury Park and in monthly home leagues. Their main tournament buy-ins range from $1 to $250 and cash game spreads from $2-$4 to $6-$12, limit to no-limit.

The CPL Poker Podcast hopes to become the most listened to podcast in the USA. They have seen progressive growth and look forward to expanding their market. From the basement in a Minneapolis suburb, equipped with a good mic and software, an informative and entertaining show is aired. “We’re a couple of low-limit players but think we put out an entertaining show so come check us out at www.cplpokerpodcast.com.”

Have news from “The Middle?” Email me at rsfpoker@aol.com andtell me all about it.

News from the middle is abundant now that 2010 has closed, and as we head into our second month of 2011, the news continues to roll in. From Minnesota to Mississippi and over to Florida, the poker winds have blown a storm of stories your way.

The Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, Florida concluded its Isle Open poker series with a bang. Matt Ezrol of Coconut Creek, Florida captured the $2,200 Championship Event and won a $100,000 grand prize for beating 197 other players to the top.

Although it is far from the middle, the sunshine state of Florida has become a shining beacon for poker players since a major liberalization of state gaming laws last July. Thirty poker rooms across the state now offer a heavy dose of poker action with scores of tournaments and live games, and a large variety of spreads.

Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) just wrapped up its stint at Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Oklahoma and card room manager Elliott Schecter was talk of the town. HPT host Fred Bevill did an on-location interview with Schecter followed by my own probe into the background of the 41 year-old Floridian who has made his home in the heartland.

Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma concluded its fifth annual “The River” poker series on September 3 and it was a huge success! The $2.5 million guaranteed main event with a $2,100 buy-in pulled in 1,440 players, making first place winner, Khoueng Souvoravong, the lucky recipient of a $646,690 prize.
 
Pokerati’s Dan Michalski made a great point that Winstar’s main event first place payout was more than the WSOP Main Event tenth place prize money. Greg Raymer placed eleventh in the event and took home $45,950 for his efforts.
 
Although the first place prize last year exceeded this year’s payout by $63,310, the 2010 main event drew 236 more players and “The River” was a full tournament series this time around. Winstar has become a staple in Midwest poker, and now that their closest competitor, Choctaw Casino, has signed with the WSOP for a circuit event, it will be interesting to see what kinds of numbers are drawn. Both casinos are a major landing point for Texas hold’em players straight out of the great state of Texas.

Welcome to Poker Player Newspaper’s newest column! I come bearing news of poker from America’s midsection, where card rooms are plenty and WSOP circuit events thrive. From the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, you can find out what is going on here in the heartland by reading my column as I travel from state to state. I will bring you exciting news about lucrative games, great rooms, events, promotions, and interesting characters from the 134+ card rooms in the region.
 

From its admittance into statehood in 1846, the introduction of a state lottery in 1985, to legalized gaming in 1989, Iowa’s history is rich with famous residents, agriculture, and poker. Some of its more famous poker playing residents included Buffalo Bill Cody and John Wayne. Today poker players can find sixteen card rooms in Iowa and an opulence of game spreads.