Looks like there is another cheating scandal brewing. This time it’s Ultimate Bet poker. This is the second time around for this room in a little more than 12 months. I am not sure how much more of this kind of thing online poker can stand but it needs to stop.

Again, I would urge both Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth to leave this poker room post haste. Hellmuth would be a prime target for sponsorship from the two big players at Full Tilt or Pokerstars as well as Annie Duke. It’s just not worth ruining your reputation over.

Cheating Scandal At Kahnwahe Licensed Ultimate Bet.
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Do you know when it’s time to stop? Do you know when your poker ego is out of line? If you don’t then you need to. So many times we have all seen situations, particularly after losing a big pot, when players tend to lose focus and are unable to maintain their focus.

One thing I take pride in is my ability to remain focused while playing tournament or cash games. Even when I lose to a bad beat or I have been out played I am usually able to maintain my composure. Both of these scenarios are situations when your ego can easily get you and your bankroll in a whole lot of trouble. There are a couple of things that I like to do when I feel that I am not in control. Perhaps these things will help your game too.

1. Step away from the table and think through the hand one last time. You may have made a mistake where you thought you had played correctly.
2. Give your opponent credit for out playing you if it is warranted.
3. If you are getting bad beats consistently it may be time for you to pack it up and try again another time. Sometimes it is just not in the cards for you no matter how well you play.

Any of the above are reasons for you to evaluate and re-evaluate your game. At any rate keep your pipe dreams in check and your ego at home. Your bankroll will appreciate it.

I never thought it would come to this but the World Poker Tour is on the verge of a collapse if something doesn’t change fast. The poker show that put poker on the map is now in serious danger of becoming extinct. That would not bode well for poker at all. Is it a sign of the times? With all of the economic issues on Wall Street maybe it was just a matter of time before it finally hit the WPT.

What ever the case this is not good when pokers flagship show is taking on water so fast.

Looking back on the WPT we have to take a few things into consideration. First, they had a really difficult time keeping the show stable after Shauna Hiatt left. I know this didn’t necessarily affect their stock but it sure did make a huge difference in the production of the show. Every single replacement they put in had absolutely no knowledge of the game and had very poor interview skills as a result.

Second, the branding issue and the contract the players had to sign to play a WPT poker tournament. The WPT had complete control over the players images and prohibited logos causing a rift between the players and the WPT resulting in a very public law suite.

Third, you had the opening and closing of ClubWPT and WPTOnline poker rooms all within a few months of each other. Just about the time that the contractual issue was worked out and the law suite was settled their online venture fell through the floor as well.

Lastly, the WPT stock has dropped and they continue to lose millions of dollars each year. Revenues have dropped from $7.8 million last year to $5.1 in 2008. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the WPT is fighting for its financial life. Recently the WPT partnered with Full Tilt Poker. This partnership will give the WPT access to Full Tilts top Pro players like Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer and the like for advertising and promotion purposes.

All I can say is that Steve Lipscomb had better pull a rabbit out of his hat or the WPT won’t be around for much longer.

The idiocy has been put on hold as the Kentucky court of appeals has granted a stay to the domain name seizure as of November 16th.  The motion was successfully filed by the IMEGA (Interactive Media and Gaming Association) in response to the original decision to allow the domain seizure to move forward. This effectively would have prohibited Kentucky residents from playing online poker.

As I stated in my podcast this is a complete joke and wreaks of arrogance. Seizing a domain is childish and substantiates the fact that the folks that are governing and acting as over lords have no idea what this great game is all about.

The Poke Players Alliance, Interactive Gaming Council and Kentucky American Civil Liberties Union have also joined forces to help fight against the initial case.

Lets hope justice prevails.

“Will the cards ever turn?” That is the question I have been asking myself for the past two weeks. Lately it has been hand after hand after hand late in the tournament with the best hand and I end up sent to the rail. You would think my hand would hold up at some point before the end of 2008.

lol

Seriously, it is what it is. I am playing very good poker but right now my hands are not holding up worth anything. I have been run down after all the money goes in five out of eight times this week alone. The other times I have lost on one outers and two outers. These things happen in poker but it sure is tough medicine to take sometimes. On the other hand I have been very pleased that despite having to endure some tough beats that my game has not change one inch. I have stayed with my principles and kept my head on straight throughout this bumpy ride and still reaped the benefits of good solid aggressive play.

That’s what you are supposed to do. Play your game and get your chips in good! So, although a bit bruised I am far from discouraged and as I have stated before I wear my bad beats as a badge of honor. Remember, bad players don’t get bad beats.

Many times I have experienced playing bottom two pair. Back when I first began playing Holdem I would slow play this kind of hand like a complete neophyte. I got away with it a few times for some big pots and then all of the sudden I started getting burned over and over and over again. It was only after I had reviewed my hand histories and read a few books that I realized how poorly I was playing this hand.

Bottom two pair should never be a hand you get married to and certainly not one worthy of going broke with. Even in a cash game playing bottom two pair can get you in a heep of trouble. Having said all that it is inevitable that you will hit this hand from time to time. Most often I tend to hit this hand while in the blinds. Here is my take on how to handle bottom two pair from any situation.

1. First and foremost I flat refuse to go broke with this hand in a tournament or cash game format. It just is not strong enough to withstand any serious pressure after you bet out.

2. The hand is extremely vulnerable when your opponent has top pair so you want to play the hand aggressively. I do not want my opponent to see another card after the flop so I am going to bet out hard holding this hand.

3. Despite holding a decent hand I still may be beat no matter what position I am playing it from. Again, I need to know where I am at in the hand and if I get some serious pressure be willing to fold the hand with minimal damage to my stack.

No, I do not encourage flaunting this hand with slow plays trying to milk the pot. This is a hit and run type of hand in a cash game or tournament format. Make your move and get outta there!

Sure, there are exceptions to every rule but you need to know where you’re at and with whom you are playing with. So when playing bottom two pair proceed with extreme caution.

Looks like Clonie Gowen is unhappy with her deal with Full Tilt Poker. Apparently she believes she was jilted when the revenue was distributed to Full Tilt full members earlier in the year and she is now seeking retribution. I find this rather odd to say the least. The reason being is that most people know that full Full Tilt members are comprised of the founders of Full Tilt plus Patrick Antonious. Most everyone else is a Friend of Full Tilt professional or Full Tilt friend. The founding members of Full Tilt each have a 1% stake in ownership.

Full Tilt poker is estimated to be worth approximately $2 Billion dollars.

Gowen believes that when she was being courted by Full Tilt that a verbal commitment was made assuring her of being a full Full Tilt member. Again, if you take notice to the founders and full Full Tilt members you will see that they are all upper echelon poker professionals like Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Gus Hanson, Andy Bloch etc. Clonie is indeed a good poker player and successful cash game player but she is nowhere near the top echelon of tournament or cash game players. I don’t see this law suit going anywhere especially since she has nothing in writing other than her being a Full Tilt Pro.

Here are the claims made in the case filed in Nevada on November 14th:

• Breach of Contract
• Breach of Fiduciary Duties
• Breach of Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing
• Unjust Enrichment
• Fraud/Intentional Misrepresentation

Qualify for the WSOP at PokerStars.com. Sign up now!

Now you can play poker with your MySpace and Facebook friends on your Apple iPhone. Live Poker  by Zynga software is now available for the iPhone. Here are some of the features available:

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Harrah’s Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman has indicated that online poker is on the upswing and that it will be legal in the short term. This is fantastic news after the last round of legislation under the Bush regime that basically legitimized the UIGEA. The puzzling thing is why the Bush administration would wait two years after it was signed to all of the sudden try and push it over the top?

Again, with all of the XXX video on the internet you would think that would be more harmful to the kids and the moral decline of our society but somehow poker is the main contributor to the moral decline of society?

Are you serious?

Anyhow, here is the complete article and statement that Loveman gave about online poker.

Harrah’s Optimistic For Online Poker.

22 year old Peter Eastgate has won the 2008 World Series of Poker No Limit Championship event! Eastgate was heads-up against 27-year-old Russian Ivan Demidov. Demidov was favored to pull out the victory but the poker gods had other things in mind.

The final hand had Demidov going all in holding two pair while Eastgate had an Ace to Five straight. With no help on the turn or river Demodov was done as the final card hit the felt handing the victory to Eastgate.

Peter Eastgate is now the youngest WSOP Main Event winner in history.

I found an article on betting patterns that I thought was worth the read. This is not super complicated or anything like that but the author simply shows you how and what to look for when you are in a hand with your opponent. Betting patters are extremely important whether you are playing live or online poker.

Enjoy!

Betting Patterns And Hand Reading.

November 9th is finally here. After a three month break from the 2008 WSOP Championship No Limit event the tournament will begin playing to its conclusion this afternoon. Nine players have waded their way through 6,844 other players to make the final table in this poker tournament. Each player has already pocketed $1 million dollars and will be playing for a first prize of over $9 million dollars.

Either way it goes this has been a heck of a ride for everyone involved.

The chip leader is 53 year old trucking account manager Dennis Phillips from St. Louis. Phillips is sitting on a hefty $26 million in chips and he certainly won’t be in any rush to get involved early. Next in line is Ivan Demidov who plays poker semi-professionally and hales from Moscow. Demidov is sitting on a cool $24 million in chips and is armed and dangerous.

Next in line is Scott Montgomery, 26, of Perth, Ont., with about 19.7 million chips,

After Scott there is Peter Eastgate, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Odense, Denmark, who holding 18.4 million chips. Eastgate also happens to be the youngest player at this final table.

Next is Ylon Schwartz, 38, of New York sitting on $12 million in chips.

Next up is David “Chino” Rheem, a 28-year-old professional poker player from Los Angeles, in seventh place holding 10.2 million chips

In last place is 31 year old Kelly Kim. Kelly is a professional player and is short stacked coming into this final table with only $2.6 million in chips. He will need to double up early and then once again to get back in the tournament. Otherwise, he won’t be long for the final table.

The tournament will be broadcast live on ESPN at 10a.m.

If you play online poker you have likely seen this ploy thousands of times. The min-raise is one of the worst plays you can use in a poker tournament. However, if you are not the player using the play, it can be one of the easiest to defend against.

We are all pretty much programmed to raise like you mean it. By that I mean you are going to raise three to four times the big blind for the purpose of protecting your hand. Fortunately, you have several players that do not understand this concept and will min-raise with any and all hands they attempt to play.

The min-raise effectively does two things:

1. It allows several players to get involved in the hand
2. It prices in anyone with anything close to having a hand

Neither of these two things are beneficial to the person that min-raised the pot. Once the min-raise has been made you can call with small pairs, suited connectors, suited gapped connectors, nut flush draws and the like.

Many times the player that min-raises has a big hand hoping to get re-raised which is the wrong way of thinking even in an online environment that tends to be aggressive. This presents yet an additional set of problems for the raiser.

- Where am I at after the flop with my big pocket pair?
- What do I do if I face any type of aggression post flop?
- The flop looks favorable but I keep getting called by two players on fourth street?

See what I mean?

If you are going to employ the min-raise as a tactic you need to be extremely disciplined and capable of laying down big hands. If not you won’t be playing in the tournament very long.

For those that are defending against it you have a variety of hands you may play to hit big with. Take advantage of that! Obviously if you have a big hand then you need to re-raise to narrow down the field. So don’t get frustrated with min-raisers – get even.

Finally the Ultimate Bet scandal has been brought to a close. If you were not aware Ultimate Bet has been mired in an online cheating scandal in which former WSOP Bracelet winner Russ Hamilton was involved in cheating players by being able to see his opponents hole cards. So far no criminal charges have been brought against Russ Hamilton at this time.

In the mean time Ultimate Bet has taken the first step in resolving the situation with its online players by returning $15 million dollars to poker players that play on their site. They have already returned $6.1 Million dollars to players directly involved in the scandal. Another $9 million dollars is expected to be paid in addition to the monies already awarded.

Hopefully, this will bring this scenario to a close for UB and ultimately the players affected by the situation with no further issues in the future.

Yes, those are the words we are all anxiously waiting to hear with the election of Barak Obama as President of the United States. When former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist got his beloved Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act passed it marked the beginning of the end of online poker in the United States for many companies that had been thriving previously. Shortly thereafter we saw operations like Party Gaming and several others make a mass exodus while losing the majority of their client base here in the U.S.

At the time Frist gave the following statement:

“Gambling is a serious addiction that undermines the family, dashes dreams, and frays the fabric of society. Congress has grappled with this issue for 10 years, and during that time we’ve watched this shadow industry explode. For me as majority leader, the bottom line is simple: Internet gambling is illegal. Although we can’t monitor every online gambler or regulate offshore gambling, we can police the financial institutions that disregard our laws.”

Oh really?

Gambling can indeed be addictive as can drinking alcohol or doing drugs. However, to simply outlaw the industry without fully attempting to understand how it works and how the people that participate in it are affected is irresponsible and reeks of arrogance. The line portraying poker as a “shadow industry” is a cop out. It is a cop out because no one bothered to take the time to determine how to make online poker work in this country. Instead of doing their homework our uppity congress decided to disengage instead of engaging.

One would think that with the revenue potential via taxes, as of 2005 online poker was a $200 million dollar a month industry, online poker could easily be regulated with little effort on our behalf. Each of the large internet gaming operations from Full Tilt to Party Poker have made it clear that they are ok with being transparent and paying taxes in order to provide their services to online poker players in the U.S. That is what really angers me as a poker player. It would be one thing if they just flat decided they were not interested in transparency. But when the very industry that we are outlawing has made overtures to comply with our standards it becomes puzzling to say the least.

So, whether you voted for President Obama or not he is our best chance to put the game that we love back online in a positive way for everyone involved. Somehow I am fairly confident that a man with a Harvard law degree can bring some sense to internet poker sites and tax it like any other service provided by a company here in America. I don’t expect it to be his top priority but it sure would be nice if it were somewhere on his “to do” list.

Is that too much to ask?