Roland Isra overcame a huge chip disadvantage at final table to win the WSOP circuit championship at Caesars Atlantic City. Although Isra, a 52 year old professional poker player from New York City had come to the threshold of a major tournament victory before, he always seemed to be the victim of cruel misfortune. But he endured and finally earned a major breakthrough victory.

PokerStars launched a brand spanking new tournament series called the North American Poker Tour (NAPT). At press time, only two stops were announced ... well three if you include the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure as the first stop in the inaugural NAPT season). The first NAPT event in the continental US is set for Las Vegas' Venetian Casino on February 20-24. The $5,000 buy-in no-limit championship is the anchor event in the Venetian's stellar Deep Stack series. Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut will also be a stop on the NAPT from April 7-11.

Today we'll continue our poker quiz.

Which three Hall of Fame poker players reached an untimely demise while playing poker? (a) Wild Bill Hickock, (b) Jack Straus, (c) Edmond Hoyle, (d) Nick "The Greek" Dandolos, (e) Tom Abdo, or (f) Johnny Moss?

[Randall Emmett and Richard Jackson turned a chance meeting at a high stakes poker game in Las Vegas into a movie production deal. In this second part of the series, their new business venture takes flight and moves from the poker table to the movie set.]

"In many cases, I play them slowly, but I don't slow-play them. That is, I play them cautiously." -Doyle Brunson, No-Limit Hold'em, SuperSytem Vol. 2.

Most professional players, including Doyle Brunson, prioritize their betting action and style when in a hand as follows; 1) play aggressively, 2) play super-aggressively, 3) play slowly or cautiously, 4) slow-play or essentially play a strong hand as though it is weaker than it really is. Slow-playing is the last on the list.

The weather was cold and there was snow on the ground but the action inside the Grand Hyatt, Washington (DC), was hot and heavy as the annual poker tournament fundraiser to benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America commenced. The PVA was formed 63 years ago and has raised both money and awareness of the challenges returning veterans realize when facing life changing injuries. Millions of dollars have been raised and progress has been made not only in the advancement in treating spinal cord injuries, but in finding ways to make life easier for those facing their new reality.

Dear Ace, I'm sick and tired of my fiancé's obsession with gambling. He's had weekly poker nights every Thursday for years now, and he's always trying to plan our vacations for casinos when I'd rather he take me somewhere romantic. How can I get him to be the man I want him to be?-Wistful in West Hills

I accompanied Hobby to the shipyard at San Pedro for an inspection of his new super-yacht, which would be named Lazybuns II. In the past if he needed work done he would have sailed to a less expensive yard in Ensenada, Mexico. Hobby had acquired the new vessel from a wealthy Mexican of dubious character who had attempted to undo the transaction. It involved a high-stakes poker game and a forced buyout for much less than the ship's value.

In a psychologically demanding game like poker, winning involves outthinking and outwitting your opponents and is a far cry from force-of-will sports like weightlifting, where a desire to push weight always wages war with a countervailing impulse to let go of the damned thing before gravity destroys you.

Selectivity and aggression require players to take a position somewhere between those two extremes to optimize the chances for success. "Do I push, pull, or fold; or do I simply wait and see what develops before committing my chips to the pot?" That's always the
question, isn't it?

The Tachi Palace's Card Room Manager John T. Stewart, a former professional singer with a heart for hard rock, could be considered the Mick Jagger of his business. Born in Santa Cruz, California in 1971, Stewart is nowhere near as old as Jagger, but he has staying power in a business that, in some instances, has a very high turnover rate. Stewart is the kind of guy who is loyal and likes structure, and with over seven years at Tachi Palace, this rocker turned card room manager believes he has the best gig in town.