viablepokerinformation.com

Party Poker is sending players to the Asian Poker Tour tournament in Manila. You read about all the places poker tournaments take place and all of the online qualifiers but Party is willing to send you to the Philippines. Now I have visited Las Vegas and London but the Philippines, man I am ready to go.

Here are the details.

PartyPoker.com is pleased to announce that online qualifiers have started for 2008’s inaugural Asian Poker Tour event in Manila , the Philippines. An estimated four hundred players will take part in this showpiece event with a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million and PartyPoker.com has 11 packages up for grabs. Qualifiers are already online, starting from $1, but you have to hurry as the event takes place from May 27th through to June 1st.

The package is worth $6,000 and includes the $2,500 main event buy-in, seven nights at the fantastic Dusit Thani Manila Hotel and $2,500 in spending money. There will be two main $300 +$20 satellites a week with routes into them starting at $1.

Link to the original site

“It looks as if the poker boom is surely here to stay.”

No that quote and that picture do not go together. I found that optimistic quote while reading my “B” roll of poker blogs and realized it might be time to comment on the growing divide between those who believe the poker boom is still booming and those who are observing what they believe are the ripples after the shark has already reentered the water. [For the purists, I am aware that it was Fonzi what jumped the shark and the shark never jumped anything but Henry Winkler on skis is just not as compelling a picture as Carcharodon carcharias in mid-air.]

So, is interest in poker still going up or is it on the downslide? Well first, it depends. In the United States the trend is definitely on the downside. TV ratings are down; sponsors are bailing from poker shows; tournament buy-ins are off and yes, there are some poker rooms closing. There is, of course, the profound effects of the UIGEA limiting the online access of new players. But in the States the signs are still mixed, new casinos are putting in poker rooms; old rooms are still being remodeled with more space and more staff and some of the smaller tours are doing well. The problem in the U.S. is at the top of the food chain with the World Poker Tour in particular.

In Europe the boom is in full swing, despite the attempts of nearly ever national government to greedily slow down the expansion. The European Union members have been fencing over online poker rights in general and brick and mortar licensing in many instances too. Still the numbers are up on the European Poker Tour but not without some problems regarding size. The card rooms on the continent are not ready to handle 1,000 player tournaments and regional gaming regulators are clearly not as flexible as they are in the States. Remember the World Series of Poker is run in a large convention hall, far from the security of the day-to-day casino operations. Tournaments all over the United States run in big convention halls that few, if any, European casinos have access to without slow moving bureaucratic gaming commission oversight. When it comes to a poker boom; size does matter.

The Latin America Poker Tour (there were two, now one) requires the cooperation and approval of various countries and whatever governmental machinations they might wish to create, invent or impose. Same goes for the various Asian Poker Tours and the melange of countries in Asia that either oppose gambling or wish to restrict gaming within cultural and social boundaries. The boom may well be history in one part of the globe before a single hand of Hold’em is dealt in another.

What does it all mean? We are not completely sure, but we will keep on eye on the various factors pushing, pulling, and eroding the poker boom. One observation is clearly true: Insider’s in the poker world have a very different view of the future of poker then does the average player. Not saying the insiders are right, perhaps they are too close to the subject but clearly, things they are a’changin’.

Link to the original site

One of the continuing struggles in poker is to institute standardized rules for all tournament play. There is honest debate among both players and tournament directors on many of the rules. I attended last year’s Tournament Directors Association meeting and was impressed with the diversity of views on how rules should be written and applied.

So it was heartening today at the start of Day Three of the World Poker Tour Championship at Bellagio to see some true rule cooperation. Before the cards were in the air, reknown and respected Tournament Director Jack McCelland stood up with Daniel Negreanu and asked the players their opinion of the “Show One Show All” rule. Daniel has written often in his blog that the application of the rule, particularly at Bellagio is not what was intended.

Interpretation #1: If you show your cards to one player, you must show them to all players. This is a rule everyone agrees on.

Interpretation #2: If you show one of your cards to the table, you must show both cards. This is a rule that most players do not think is appropriate.

So Jack stood up and asked the players about the #2 application of the rule. The players nearly unanimously voted against it. At which point Jack changed the rule at Bellagio.

Now that is cooperation.
___________________________________________

Later in the day another new rule:

The Bellagio has implemented another new rule for the money bubble. If a table has players who are all in, they do not reveal their hole cards until all the tables either complete their hands or also reach an all-in situation. That way, players at other tables don’t have the advantage of knowing whether a short stack at another table has busted, therefore allowing them to fold into the money.

Link to the original site

An estimated field of 400 players will gather in Manila next month for the first event of the 2008 Asian Poker Tour. The tournament is scheduled from May 27th to June 1st and carries a $1,000,000 guarantee. The tournament will have a $2,500 entry fee.

Well known tournament director, Matt Savage, has been lined up to run the event, which will be followed this year by events in Singapore, Macau and Seoul, South Korea. All four APT events for 2008 will be $1,000,000 guarantee tournaments.

Link to the original site

Just last week in a post on the WPT, I mentioned the long running and lingering lawsuit between the World Poker Tour and five professional players. My observations was: “the WPT could have and should have settled several years ago.” Well now the announcement has been made that the dispute has been settled.

The entire issue was centered on the wording of the WPT player release document and just how much control that gave the WPT to the use of player’s images for the promotion of the WPT. Several different wordings had been proposed by both sides and now, finally, there has been an agreement reached.

According to Steve Lipscomb, CEO of the WPT:

Chris Ferguson, speaking for the players, said:

“We are especially happy that this new release will apply to all poker players who wish to participate in WPT tournaments and events. WPTE has created some of the best poker events in the world, and we are excited to participate in them once again.”

.
It will interesting to see if Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch and Phil Gordon are in the field at the WPT Championship today.

[Note: Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch and Howard Lederer were in the field at the Bellagio today.]

Link to the original site

My poker buddies have been having another of our periodic email conversations about a particular poker hand when the term “average stack” came up. Whenever I talk about average stack, there are always players, even very good players who are surprised by the numbers.

Average stack is simply the measure of how many chips each player would have in a tournament if you divide the total chips by remaining players. So you start an event with 10,000 chips each and 500 players, it makes sense that with 250 players remaining the average stack is 20,000. Half the players are out, so everyone should have twice as many chips. Of course, that is not how tournaments actually play and there will be a wide distribution of those 2.5 million chips.

Lots of tournament players keep track of the average stack, it is one of the statistics most good computerized tournament clocks provide. In a smaller field tournament you can keep a fairly accurate count just by knowing the starting field and how many players remain. In big events, you can just consult the tournament clock.

OK, so you have survived Day One of a multi-day tournament and you are just below average stack. What does that mean? Well, what it does not mean is that you are just below the middle of the the field, because average stack is not the middle of the field, at least not once the cards have been dealt. The way poker works is that some player build big stacks and lots of others are short stacked.

In most tournaments at the end of Day One, the average stack will be in the top quarter of the field. On average only around 25% of the field will be above average. If you keep your stack at or around average in the first three quarters of a tournament’s playing time, you are actually doing well above average.

As play nears the final table, one of two things will happen to the average stack. Either the 25% rule will roughtly remain in effect and the final table will begin with several small stacks and a couple of big stacks or the big stacks will take out all of the small stacks as play approaches the final table and the final nine will be fairly equal in stacks, as they all have feasted on the short stacks equally.

Note: the longer a tournament runs, the higher the average stack percentage can go. In major tournaments of four or five days, players below average stack will at times be more than 80% of the field.

Link to the original site

This report is offered without commentary or critique. Readers are welcome to draw their own conclusions and scathing commentary is welcome in the comment section. There is a new form of poker being tried in several casinos. The Mirage in Las Vegas is one of the largest poker rooms to give Texas Hold’em Plus a trial run.

“Plus” is played exactly like normal Texas Hold’em except that after the hole cards are dealt and before the first round of betting, each player in turn may discard one of their down cards and replace it for an amount equal to the small blind. The “Plus” bet goes into the pot and the deal then plays out like any other Hold’em hand.

One benefit, of course, is that the house is likely to get a full rake on the game with between $0 and $10 in a $2/$4 game or up to $20 in a $4/$8 game being added to the pot pre-flop.

We observed several tables of “Plus” being played at the Mirage and the most common play was for a player to buy a new down card and then still fold the hand. In effect, as many as 50% of the players were paying a small blind in nearly every hand. Players with an Ace-rag were always willing to buy a new card to go with their Ace.

Hold’em Plus is the first patented poker game played in a poker room, as opposed to table games like Caribbean Stud and Let It Ride. Rooms wishing to offer Hold’em Plus to have to pay a licensing fee to the developer.

Link to the original site

The first ever World Series of Poker Europe played last fall comes to Sky Sports television this week. This was the event that forever changed the poker insult: “You play like an eighteen year old!”

Several opportunities will be available to view all of the action:

April 21st 9 PM Sky Sports 3
April 22nd 9 PM Sky Sports 3
April 23rd 9 PM Sky Sports 3
April 24th 9 PM Sky Sports 2
April 25th 9 PM Sky Sports 3
April 26th 11 PM Sky Sports 2
April 22nd 9 PM Sky Sports Xtra
April 22nd 9:30 PM Sky Sports 2

The 2nd edition of the World Series of Poker Europe will take place this year, again in London, on Sept.

Link to the original site

Eight Hundred and Forty-One players started the European Poker Tour Championship two days ago and now 124 have survived to Day Three. Despite the dominance of Norwegian players at the very top of the leader board; there are many notable names still in the running. Here are the top 10 and other names you may know:

Oyvind Riisem Norway 441,400
Johnny Lodden Norway 380,300
Borge Dypvik Norway 296,000
Andreas Hagen Norway 276,800
Joe Hachem Australia 255,300
James Campbell USA 241,700
Luca Pagano Italy 229,000
Amit Makhija USA 219,100
Andreas Fluri Switzerland 205,900
Sorel Mizzi Canada 203,200
Benjamin Kang Germany 179,900
Freddy Deeb USA 153,300
Marcel Luske Holland 128,700
Antonio Esfandiari USA 121,400
Raymond Rahme South Africa 104,200
Eli Elezra USA 77,500
Jan Heitmann Germany 63,400
Surinder Sunar UK 51,600
Anna Wroblewski USA 51,200
Leonardo Fernandez Argentina 47,600
Alexander Kravchenko Russia 42,200
Ted Lawson USA 30,000
Mel Judah UK 19,300

Going into Day Four, the Magician leads the way.

Antonio Esfandiari USA 1,198,000
Robin Keston UK 916,000
Denes Kalo Hungary 642,000
Johnny Lodden Norway 623,000
Maxime Villemure Canada 600,000
Mostafa Belkhayate Morocco 523,000
Gerasimos Deres Sweden 494,500
Henrik Gwinner Denmark 487,000
David Shade Kruger USA 486,500
Thomas Boekhoff Germany 465,000
Luca Pagano Italy 279,500
Joe Hachem Australia 214,500
Freddy Deeb USA 140,500
Raymond Rahme South Africa 133,000

Link to the original site

I have been thinking a lot about the World Poker Tour this past week. In formulating this “Report Card” I have tried to not come off as completely negative and critical. To be fair the WPT has done a lot for poker but therein lies the first problem. The chief spokesperson for WPT is Steve Lipscomb: the founder, CEO, public relations spokesperson and all around face of the WPT. Let me say what everyone in the poker community knows: Steve Lipscomb does too much and says too much without benefit of a cool, calm, trained public relations staff and that invariably leads to trouble.

The infamous “Open Letter to the Poker Community” from a few years back is only the most notorious of his PR gaffs or was that his comments about Capitalism in Communist China? Either way, it is all well and good to promote your product, even to the point of some exaggeration but honestly does anyone except Steven Lipscomb believe that the WPT sole-handedly created the world wide poker phenomenon? Certainly, the televised WPT poker tournaments were a major factor in the increased public interest in poker; there really is no need to inflate that fact beyond all reason.

I will leave to the various poker forums the high and low lites of: WPT and Traktor Poker in China, WPT having “never made a profit”; WPT Academy and other spinoffs; WPT and the revolving hostess; WPT on the Game Show Network or the Travel Channel. To my mind the World Poker Tour does two things: they put on poker tournaments and they produce them into a television program. So I will stick with those two central items.

First, the tournaments. Other than the ongoing dispute with several professional players, which the WPT could have and should have settled several years ago. Other than that, I think the WPT tournaments have addressed most ongoing issues rather well. The ever changing schedule is a fact of life in the ups and downs of the current poker landscape. I have no issue with the schedule nor its reliance on Bellagio in Las Vegas for five tournaments. After all, it would make sense to go where the players live and where the tournaments are consistently well run and well attended. Say what you will about Jack McCelland’s interesting tournament rules, he and his staff at Bellagio run a player friendly event with style and minimal sideshows.

The WPT was slow to respond to the player’s complaints about the small chip stack to blind structure at the WPT final tables. But respond they have and as of now the WPT final tables offer the finest example of big stack professional poker of any tour or tournament structure. Props where props are due and the WPT has done well with this critical aspect of tournament poker.

Now to the televised show. The show as it now is presented on GSN has not kept up with the changing face of poker. This is not a harsh criticism, simply because editorial and directorial decisions about the show are really tough calls. Clearly though, I have some suggestions.

First a question: Is the show aimed at more new audience members or at the continuing audience from the first five years? The answer is probably: both! And therein, lies another problem. Too much basic information, annoys and bores the poker literate audience; not enough and new viewers get lost in the subtleties of professional poker. But the show needs some new blood. Here are my suggestions.

Do not fire Mike and Vince, but quit wasting their time by having them sit through and talk through the live event. You don’t use 90% of what they say live anyway. It is in post-production when they can see the hole cards where you get the bulk of their commentary, so drop the pretense and get them out of there. If you want some live quotes, Linda Johnson’s live commentary is always entertaining; oh wait, you lost Linda Johnson; now that was a mistake.

Second, if you are going to put microphones on the players at the final table; then you need to use that dialog in the show. A most recent example will illustrate. During Bellagio Cup III, Mike Matusow carried on a six hour conversation about deep stack poker. He was praising the new structure of the WPT, so good promotion for the tour from one of the best known and most critical players in the world. And his comments were very informative about how deep stack poker is different from other types of poker, he illustrated by commenting on several key hands. At times the other players joined in the conversation with Mike (I know I was there), it would have been perfect for Mike Sexton and Vince to build a entertaining and informative conversation around those comments. But all we hear of this, in the televised show, are two or three of The Mouth’s comments, all of which are being talked over by Vince on some completely different topic.

When Bellagio Cup III got down to heads up, a lot of talk table was aired between Mike and Kevin Saul; but that had been going on all night. Another strong and entertaining thread to make this final table unique and different from all the other WPT final tables. All I am saying is that the WPT format has gotten stale but they actually have a unique and fresh product if they would only choose to show it. Quit trying to force the broadcast into some formula that makes all the final tables look the same.

So overall, on this report card, I give WPT a B minus. They can do better, they have shown the ability to adjust to the changing market but the market is changing again. Who if anyone will catch the second wave of the poker boom and who will get swamped by the splash of the already descending shark?

Link to the original site