Blogs

Jeff Haney of the Las Vegas Sun looks at poker students in a two-day seminar on no-limit cash games learn strategy by going to battle, then analyzing it.

One of the participants in last weekend’s World Series of Poker Academy, a two-day instructional camp focusing on no-limit Texas hold ’em cash games, had just asked about the possibility of learning optimal strategy through a chart listing which starting hands to play from various positions.

The essence of Seif’s reply: It wouldn’t work in no-limit hold ’em. Although such charts are commonly used in teaching limit hold ’em, the no-limit version of the game contains many more nuances, rendering the by-the-number, chart-based approach ineffective.

Here’s a more powerful technique, Seif explained as he dealt the next hand. The “live hand demonstration” portion of the poker academy allows the participants to play out sample hands just as they would in a live cash game, and provides for a dissection of the action afterward that touches on important facets of poker theory.

Seif was one of four poker professionals serving as instructors for the latest World Series of Poker Academy, along with Alex Outhred, Mark Gregorich and Michael Gracz. This was only the second camp — and the first in Las Vegas — to focus on Texas hold ’em cash games rather than tournaments, and it drew more than 50 participants. The cost was $1,899 — typical for the seminars, which regularly sell out.

Source: Las Vegas Sun

Karl Krautschneider started the day in the chip lead and finished the day with the chip lead to be crowned a deserved winner of the SKYCITY Adelaide Hold’em Championships Main Event and the first champion on the new PokerStars.net ANZPT.

The counsellor from Melbourne carefully picked his way through a final table loaded with experience to take home the $170,000 first prize ahead of Australian-based American Tony bond18 Dunst. The title was decided when the money went in on a flop of Kc-2s-4c. Dunst showed Kd-2d for two pair while Krautschneider held 9c-8c for a flush draw. The 3d was good for Dunst, but the 7c filled Krautschneider flush.

As a side note, he won entry through a $33 re-buy event on Pokerstars.

Source: Bluff Australasia

Gary Wise of ESPN Poker Club looks back at some of the amazing and tumultous stories that made 2008.

The November Nine

The final table of the WSOP was announced to be delayed almost four months to heighten TV viewer interest and drum up familairity with the 'November Nine" players. There was great debate on the announcement but the combatants benefited financially and the TV ratings grew in mammoth proportions.

Online Scandal

A group of industrious poker players  discovered that hole cards could be seen on Absolute Poker and one of the largest sites Ultimate Bet, was shown to be cheating for 4 years to the sum of $20 million.

Scotty Nguyen

'The Prince of Poker'  became the first player to win poker's biggest 2 tournaments (some consider), adding the 2008 WSOP $50,000 HORSE title to he's 1998 WSOP Main Event title. A drunken Nguyen berated dealers and oppenents in the amazing win. Public opinion was strong on he's drunk tirades.

Demidov's Double

Russia's Ivan Demidov third-place finish in the WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) was notable as he had an unusual target on he's back being one of the waiting November Nine. He went on to finish second in the WSOp main event.

Heads-Up and The Year of the Pro

Chris ' Jesus' Ferguson took home the National Heads-Up Poker Championship after twice coming second, losing the finals in 2005-06 to Phil Hellmuth and Ted Forrest respectively.

Live tournament pro also made come-backs with Negranu, Matusow, Greenstein, Nguyen and Layne Flack among the pros returning to glory.

Eastgate Wins Main Event

Denmark's 22-year-old wunderkind Peter Eastgate became the youngest player in history to take the WSOP main event title, taking the record held previously for 19 years by Phil Hellmuth. Eastgate's victory netted him $9.1 million, the second-largest prize in recorded tournament history!

Source: ESPN

Jason Alexander, the actor - best known as the perennial loser George Costanza on the award-winning sitcom Seinfeld - recently signed an exclusive sponsorship agreement with PokerStars.

I'm still getting over he's appearance on Criminal Minds. Putting on a shoulder-length white wig and a lullaby voice for an extra degree of sinisterness, Alexander is almost unrecognizable in the role.