2012 September 24

by David “The Maven” Chicotsky

 Whether playing online or live, it’s very important to mix up the sizing of your bets, raises, and re-raises. There’s nothing wrong with having a good sense of the default amount you’d like to bet on a given flop, but always be willing to adjust your flop-bet. Size up or down from your baseline, depending on the known factors at the time.

 Let’s say you like to bet half of the pot on the flop as your standard continuation bet. There will be times where betting smaller or larger will be more optimal. If you’re in a situation where you have air and really need to get a fold, maybe bumping your bet up a little will make it more efficient. It’s also possible that you’ve already decided to only c-bet the flop and shutdown on the turn or river. This might be another scenario where you want to go ahead and increase the size of the bet.

by Russ Fox

I was playing in a $2-$5 blinds, no limit hold’em game at the Aria yesterday. After I folded my junk hand from under-the-gun, the solid recreational player on my left raised to $20. Three players called: a loose recreational player, a solid pro, and the big blind.

 On the flop of J♣ 8♥ 2♣, the big blind checked, the pre-flop raiser made a continuation bet of $35, and was immediately raised to $95 by the loose player. The pro re-raised to $200, the big blind and the pre-flop raiser folded, and the action was back on the loose player. He instantly said, “All-in for $560 more.” He was quickly called by the pro. The board completed with the 6♥ and A♥. The loose player showed 9♦ 3♠; the pro had 10♣ 9♣ to take down the pot.

by Lou Krieger

 This is the second and final segment in our two-part series on poker etiquette. [Read Part 1]

 Discussing hands in play. Discussing your hand with others, even if you have released it and are no longer contesting that pot, may provide information that would give another player an unfair advantage. If you want to discuss a hand with a neighbor, wait until the hand is concluded.

by Barbara Connors

We all know the feeling. You’re dealt a pair of pocket kings, and then the flop comes down with the one card in all the world you didn’t want to see — the ace. For this discussion, we’ll assume an uncoordinated flop where the only visible danger is that lone ace staring up at you. So now what? A moment ago, your hand was almost invincible. Then one ace crashes the party and your kings are behind to any moron with a ragged A-X. For the player with kings, that ace on the flop represents a proverbial fork in the road: You can take the safe path of folding to any significant action, or you can venture down the more challenging road of playing the hand to its conclusion-- on the assumption that your adversary doesn’t have the bullet.

 To make this choice, you must answer two questions. The first and most obvious question is, does he have the ace? To determine if your K-K is now second-best, you’ve got to use all the information at your disposal to make your best educated guess as to whether or not your opponent holds the dreaded ace. But an equally important question is, what’s at stake here? How much do you stand to win (or lose) if your educated guess turns out to be wrong?

by Ashley Adams

I’ve got to hand it to the American entrepreneurial spirit. Where there is a need for a service, someone, somehow finds a way to provide it—and make money at it. Such is the case in the poker world.

 Consider, for example, the lack of legal poker opportunities in much of our American landscape. True, there are more states with legal public poker rooms than ever before—35 at last count. But in many of these states, poker is still only publicly available in very few locations. In 15 other states, poker, as a form of gambling, is completely banned.

by A.C. Clark

Oregon’s #1 gaming destination, proud to present the most diverse selection of gaming options in the Northwest, Spirit Mountain Casino has it all—hot and scintillating slots and tempting tables. From beginners to veterans, everyone can get lucky in Grand Ronde. Spirit Mountain’s Poker Room, with 15 tables open 24 hours a day, offers the best gaming experience in all the state. The action is hot and cards move fast in this laid-out Vegas-style poker room. They run Deep Stack tournaments and numerous No Limit Hold’em games. New daytime tournaments begin at 10:30 am with $100 added. Saturdays are your best bet with $500 added for a $40 buy-in with $20 re-buys and add-ons... might go late. Action starts at noon. Live it up and test your luck at the Northwest’s Premier Entertainment Destination during their Anniversary Series, which runs from October 24th to October 27th. It should be another great series of events.

by Debbie Burkhead

Looking for a Fun Night? Join me, Karina, and Chip Jett, along with other poker pros and celebrities, Jason Alexander and Ray Romano, for a Celebrity Poker Tournament benefitting the Maximum Hope Foundation, hosted by Brad Garrett. The event is scheduled for noon on September 22 in the MGM poker room. The entry fee is $250 with $110 rebuys and add-ons, and the winner will receive $10,000. If you just want to come and mingle with the celebrities and poker pros, the non-player entry is $75. The night will include complimentary food and drinks, raffles, and auction items. The Maximum Hope Foundation is dedicated to providing practical assistance to families caring for a child with a lifelimiting illness. Please stop by or call the MGM poker room at 702-891-7777.

By Wendeen H. Eolis

Since the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ), announcement revising its position on the 1961 Wire Act, by exempting online poker from federal prosecution thereunder, the gaming industry nationwide has begun to see online poker and other online casino games as the coming of a new cash cow in America.
But, maybe not soon enough, argue some Wall Street analysts that have recently reviewed the financial outlook for Caesars Entertainment Corporation, owner of the fabled World Series of Poker.
Across the country, casino operators, state politicians seeking a remedy to address financial crises within their state budgets, as well as sympathizers to civil libertarian poker players are adding up the potential dollars to be found through licensed and regulated intrastate online poker--frustrated by the delays in reaching the finish line.
Political campaign planks, competing federal and state interests, and variable positions from state to state and within some states are doing as much to bog down progress in legalizing online poker in America as the revised interpretation of the Wire Act seems to do for promoting it.
Additionally, tribal nations regulated under the Indian Gaming Act and local politics across the country contribute to the complexities of legalizing online poker seamlessly throughout the United States.

by Haley Hintze

SOUTH POINT RECEIVES FORMAL NGC APPROVAL

 South Point Poker, LLC, the online counterpart to Las Vegas’s South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, received the first official Nevada online-poker operator’s license in late August, following its previous passing of a suitability hearing. With software development already entering the testing phase, South Point will likely be the first Nevada online poker site to debut, probably before year’s end. Reno’s Monarch casino received Nevada’s second interactive operator license only moments after South Point, but has not aggressively pursued a market-entry strategy.

POKER DECLARED GAME OF SKILL IN EDNY COURT DECISION