2009 June 8

Oklahoma is fast becoming the home of some of the biggest, baddest poker tournaments around, and now the Downstream Casino, a relative newcomer on the scene, is getting into the action with their new offering, The Four States Poker Championship. You will find complete details of this exciting new event in their ad, in this issue of Poker Player Newspaper.

Now that the WSOP is almost upon us, it is time for my annual guide to those players from the British Isles who are the most likely to bring home a bracelet. Failing that, these are all players who are certainly capable of going deep in multiple events this year.

Talk about a big first impression. That was Tiffany Michelle, the "hot chick" behind the big stack, playing her way through most of the 6,844 entries in the World Series of Poker's 2008 main event, finishing 17th and going home with $334,534 in prize money.

As the last couple days of the no-limit hold 'em championship began, one of the Harrah's officials confided to a news media acquaintance, "We're really hoping Tiffany makes it to the final table."

BARNEY FRANK INTRODUCES INTERNET GAMBLING REGULATION ACT:

I like to watch the program, The Apprentice. The last version of this popular show that features Donald Trump firing people was a shameful exhibition of how business should be run. Toward the end of the show four contestants remained: blue-collar Jesse James, comedienne Joan Rivers, former Playboy bunny Brandi Roderick, and poker player Annie Duke.

People have favorite colors, favorite chairs, favorite poker hands, and probably favorite underwear. I feel left out, because I don't have emotional favorites like those. I simply prefer things after I've concluded they're more valuable or more effective than competing choices. I don't have a favorite food, a favorite restaurant, or even a favorite dog.

Why am I telling you this? It's because this will be another in my series of self-interviews and it's about my favorite poker tips. Go figure.