Who would have thought ten years ago that poker would be such a global phenomenon in 2010? If not for the online revolution and the ‘Chris Moneymaker effect’ poker could still largely be an underground game, played in sticky-floored cardrooms and only be a select group of pros and wealthy amateurs. How times have changed. During the past decade poker has become a mainstream pursuit, played my millions of people across the world every day, broadcast several nights a week on TV, and creating a global industry worth billions. Poker has taken over the world – this much we know. [ Read More ]
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The Future Of Poker
It’s not the Main Event but to many poker pros the $50k Player’s Championship is an even bigger deal. Since it began in 2006, the tournament has only had 650 entrants but with elite fields and winners like the late Chip Reese, Freddy Deeb, Scotty Nguyen and David Bach the poker world has taken notice. “Of course you get all the crazy money and prestige with winning the Main Event but to me winning this tournament is actually more important and I think there are other players who feel the same way,” said last year’s winner Bach. Although tournaments tend [ Read More ]
The state of Florida has been struggling with gaming laws for many years, but 2010 marked a new day for its casinos and an expansion of poker therein. As the state still may consider the legalization of intrastate online poker, per a bill introduced by State Representative Joseph Abruzzo, Florida has the ability to set the standard for poker laws around the United States. The most recent development in Florida gaming laws involved a pact with the Seminole Tribe, which will allow them exclusive rights for their seven existing casinos, one of which is the very popular Seminole Hard Rock [ Read More ]
Finally. That’s what many poker players in Florida are inevitably saying as both the Florida Senate and the Florida House passed a new deal this week that will transform the poker landscape of the state. Once the governor signs the new compact and the U.S. Department of Interior approves the new legislation, Florida should finally have uncapped poker. In some ways, Florida has been the laughingstock of live poker in the U.S. Due to a host of wacky restrictions, such as a $100 max buy-in at all cash games, casinos were running $5-$10 no-limit hold’em with a maximum buy-in of [ Read More ]
Phil Ivey used to be terrible at poker. Way before his seven WSOP bracelets and $12 million in live tournament wins, he was the sucker at the table. It’s irrefutable, say Daniel Negreanu and Barry Greenstein. ‘I heard people say he was a good player and I said, “are you kidding me?”’ says Greenstein. ‘He just played too loose and got his money in bad spots. Negreanu, who has known Ivey for almost a decade, reports similar traits. ‘He played, like, every hand. Most people thought he was a sucker.’ Both players have logged hundreds of hours with Ivey and [ Read More ]
It seemed as if this case was done and over, with the defendant not guilty of gambling and the game of skill argument accepted by the court. But the state of Colorado had other things in mind. Though they cannot retry Kevin Raley for “professional gambling,” the original charge that stemmed from his bar poker game, the state appealed the ruling that poker on the basis that the skill game argument had no place in the case. With that, the Kevin Raley and the Poker Players Alliance are taking it all the way to the Supreme Court. The case of [ Read More ]
A man charged with running illegal poker games was found guilt recently when the court rejected the argument the poker isn’t gambling because of the skill factor. Derry Township’s Lawrence R. Burns, 65, was heard to say he was disappointed with the verdict and that he plans to appeal it. Defense attorney David Millstein tried to convince the court that Texas Hold ‘em is more skill than luck, and thus his client was not guilty. Judge Richard McCormick wasn’t buying the argument. Sentencing has yet to commence, but it is unlikely that Burns will have to serve any jail time.
