Editorial

Predicting the winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event is just as successfully accomplished by throwing darts at a list of names as by analyzing chip stacks, table position, and skill level. Or at least that’s what Jerry Yang proved back in 2005. It is a foolhardy exercise…and one which is impossible to avoid every year. 

This year’s World Series of Poker broadcast on ESPN started strong, with ratings for the $50,000 Player’s Championship up 16% over last year’s numbers. Changes were made to the TV coverage of the WSOP Main Event with the airing of additional broadcasts and the inclusion of some graphics and poker terminology for the more knowledgeable fan (notating who was UTG, for example). Like the last two years, the final table was delayed for almost four months so that viewers could follow the Main Event and become invested in the outcome.

Frank Kassela had a spectacular summer at the 2010 World Series of Poker with two bracelet victories in $2,500 razz and $10,000 7-stud/8. The pro, originally from Germantown, Tennessee, hadn’t garnered significant TV time or won a major event, so he was not a “known pro” in the eyes of the masses. Perhaps that will change after Kassela wins the WSOP Player of the Year (POY) title. At present, he has POY virtually locked up. At the worst, he will tie for first place if Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi wins the main event when the November Nine reconvenes.

Do you cheat at poker? I’ve found that the answer isn’t always clear. The line between cheating and taking advantage of a poker situation without cheating is debatable.
 
Please take the following quiz. For each situation, simply answer “Yes” if you think it’s cheating, and “No” if you don’t think it’s cheating. I’m interested in your answers. Please email me with your comments or questions on this topic (see my email address below). In my next article I’ll discuss your answers and my answers.

It’s that time of year when all my free time is spent playing poker. There are tournaments everywhere in Las Vegas—at all limits, on the Strip and Downtown featuring all games at all hours of the day and night.

Ask your friends, family, neighbors. Like it or not, most will tell you that poker is a gambling game. On that basis, some well-meaning people frown on the game—even though it offers many benefits aside from the potential of winning money.

“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine...”
 

In my day job, I’m required to follow various ethical guidelines. I have a license, and the Office of Professional Responsibility, the agency which administers my license, could  revoke it if I don’t follow the rules.

In every science there are lingering questions that remain unresolved. All intelligent forms of life that we know about have something in common—consciousness. But what is it? What makes a person conscious, and where does that go when we die?

Contrary to what many people believe, the “show one, show all” rule is not really about the cards per se. It does not mean that if, for whatever reason, you expose one of your hole cards that you will then be obligated to show both of them.