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Thursday, June 30, 2005
Poker's Annie Duke is all in (article)
After double majoring at Columbia University, Annie Duke, a divorced mother of four, has gone on to make a name for herself in professional poker.
BY ANNA DUBROVSKY
Sun, Jun. 26, 2005
LOS ANGELES - Annie Duke is going Hollywood.
The world's most successful female poker player is moving to Los Angeles to take advantage of her newfound celebrity.
''I was lucky enough that someone decided to turn a camera on what I did,'' Duke, who won $2.5 million in poker tournaments last year, said in a telephone interview. ``Because I've had success in a game that happens to be on TV, I've had a lot of doors open to me.''
Since many of those doors are in Hollywood, Duke is house-hunting in Los Angeles this month, ready to say farewell to Portland, Ore., where the 39-year-old divorced mother of four has been living since 2003.
Duke is profiting from an unprecedented poker boom in the United States. Once considered a seedy pastime reserved for cigar-chomping, visor-wearing men, it's become a high-profile ''sport'' that's televised by several networks and played by millions in casinos and on the Internet.
Duke recently formed her own production company and sold a poker-related game show to the GSN cable network, which is owned by Liberty Media Corp. and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Ten Dimes Productions -- the name is poker slang for $10,000 -- also is developing a horror film that Duke created.
In addition, she's promoting a line of poker products by ESPN and a new no-calorie soda, Coca-Cola Zero. Her autobiography is scheduled to be published in September, and she'll be a character in poker-themed video and cell-phone games that will be released this fall.
INSTANT STAR
That's the kind of attention you get when you beat nine men to win $2 million in last year's World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions. One of those men was her brother, Howard Lederer, who taught Duke how to play the game. Another was Phil Hellmuth, the temperamental ''bad boy'' of poker.
''People don't expect moms of four to be poker players,'' Duke said. ``People expect Calamity Jane types to be poker players.''
Duke grew up in a competitive family obsessed with card games, majored in English and psychology at Columbia University and planned to become a professor. She abandoned her doctoral studies in cognitive psychology after five years and moved to Montana, where she started playing poker to help pay the $125-per-month mortgage on a cabin made of chicken wire and stucco.
In 1994, Duke's brother convinced her to play in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. She made more than $70,000 and stood out as one of the few top-flight female players. Since then, she's become a regular on the TV poker circuit.
Her colorful life story was the basis for All In, a sitcom developed for NBC. Although the comedy, starring Janeane Garofalo as a poker-playing single mom with four kids, didn't make the network's fall lineup, Duke still feels fortunate.
''I'm very lucky because people seem to be interested in my story,'' she said.
Duke is currently competing in the 2005 World Series of Poker, a series of championship events operated by Harrah's Entertainment. The climax is the No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em event that begins on July 7. If the field includes the maximum of 6,600 players, the top prize would be $7.5 million, an increase of $2.5 million from last year.
Duke's children, ages 3 to 10, are out of school for the summer and staying with her in a rented house in Las Vegas while she plays high-stakes poker.
''It's hard for me to focus on poker when I miss my kids that much,'' she said.
Participation in the World Series of Poker has skyrocketed since 2003, when 839 players participated in the main event. The catalyst was the upset victory that year by Chris Moneymaker, a Tennessee accountant who won $2.5 million after qualifying in an online tournament.
EXPLOSION OF INTEREST
The explosion of interest in poker has changed the game, requiring its best players to make adjustments.
''Back in the day, you were playing against 70 professionals,'' Duke said. ``When you have a tournament that has 2,200 people in it, you have the same 70 professionals and a lot of amateurs. Beginners play a very different style of poker than pros do.''
These days, Duke is likely to be playing against people who learned the game from her.
She has endorsement agreements with an online poker site and a computer game called DD Tournament Poker 2005. She's also featured in instructional DVDs that will be released in October by Masters of Poker.
Meanwhile, she's fine-tuning her own game.
''There are times when I lack confidence in my decisions, and there are times when I falter,'' she said. ``I'm getting much better at it. What makes poker such a great game is you never master it.''
posted by Best Online Poker Site at 9:28 AM  
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
47-Year Old Day Trader Wins Seat in World Series of Poker Main Event
Bryan Awai, 47, from Valrico, Florida won a seat in the World Series of Poker maint event by playing in an oline poker tournament.
June 17, 2005 -- On Saturday, May 28, Bryan Awai, 47, from Valrico, Florida won a seat in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event.
Mr. Awai picked up poker at an early age and has been playing regularly for the last ten years. His recent online poker tournament victory still came as a surprise. “I couldn’t believe it, to play in the World Series of Poker has been a life long dream of mine,” said Mr. Awai.
The 47-year old Florida native prefers to play poker online and frequently visits his favorite poker site to have an edge on his opponents. “Online poker forums have an absolutely brilliant concept. It’s the first place I got to when researching poker rooms.”
Initially 700 people competed for the WSOP main event seat by participating in a leader board competition open to all players who signed up via a poker forum. 122 players reached the final, but Mr. Awai played the best poker and was able to claim the first place prize worth approximately $12,500.
The World Series of Poker main event starts on July 7 at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This year’s winner will more than likely take home a staggering $10,000,000 when the competition wraps up on July 15.
posted by Best Online Poker Site at 9:43 AM
Friday, June 17, 2005
Poker Boot Camp Gives Wannabes Lessons
Newswire, - Now, budding players have a Las Vegas-based school dedicated to Texas hold 'em.
With a professional poker player as the instructor and a curriculum structured much like a college classroom, the Leonard Benson Co.'s Poker Boot Camp has hosted more than 200 students since mid-February.
"We attract new players who want to learn the game, and experienced players who are looking to improve their play," said Jim Sherwood, marketing director for the Poker Boot Camp, which is owned by the Leonard Benson Co., a gaming products supplier.
"A very small percentage of the attendees have expressed a true desire to make poker playing a full-time career, but many are interested in supplementing their income," Sherwood said.
The object of the poker school is to help players either gain the necessary skills -- or the courage -- to feel comfortable sitting at a casino poker table, or to help experienced players "repair the leaks" in their game.
"Poker is hot right now, there's no question about that," Sherwood said. "We researched this market thoroughly and believe our structured training curriculum is the best poker training program."
Angel Largay, a 15-year professional poker player, developed the curriculum, which includes techniques to help players understand their opponents as well as various mathematical formulas on betting strategies throughout the game, bluffing and chip management.
The idea, Largay said, is to give his students an edge in a game that has grown in size and interest. About 90 percent of the players sitting at any given Las Vegas casino poker table don't have much experience.
"The entire preparation for the typical new poker player before sitting down at a table is watching three episodes of the World Poker Tour and buying a pair of cool sunglasses," Largay said. "They're hoping to catch a miracle."
Largay, who is originally from Alaska, splits his time between Las Vegas casinos and California card rooms. He doesn't like to play tournaments, saying more money can be earned at regular games in the poker rooms.
"The longtime players love all these new players because that's more money to be made," Largay said. "Think about it, a tourist coming to Las Vegas to play poker isn't going to sit at a table to fold all the time. They're going to play hands, and that's a great turn of events for experienced players."
Novice players can enroll in a four-hour course that explains the fundamentals of the game.
Players can choose between a series of three 15-hour workshops for both limit Texas hold 'em, in which the size of wagers are capped; and no-limit Texas hold 'em, the game made famous during the championship event in the World Series of Poker.
While various discounts and early registration incentives can reduce the cost, attendees regularly pay $99 for the introductory course, and between $395 and $595 for each of the 15-hour workshops that run over a weekend or on five consecutive weeknights.
The classes are taught out of a storefront dealer's school near Tropicana Avenue and Mountain Vista Street, but additional locations are being sought.
During a recent Workshop 201, in which advanced strategies for limit Texas hold 'em play were offered, a high-level discussion on when to raise or call during a certain time with a full table during a Texas hold 'em game hit home with one student.
"That tip right there was worth the price of the class," said Frank Gorrell, a retired gaming employee and self-described poker fanatic who has read some 30 books on the game and debated the strategies of several name poker players with Largay during the class session.
"I have a degree in mathematics, so some of the strategies he offered made a lot of sense," he said. "The courses help me better my skills."
The Poker Boot Camp's first seminars took place in November and tested the market's interest. The full program was launched in February.
The school has been advertised in gaming publications, Las Vegas newspapers, and through local television.
Sherwood said the company hopes to market the school nationally by the end of the year.
Al Clemett, a mechanical engineer from Dallas participating in his second of the three limit workshops, took some of the knowledge he picked up in the workshop and turned it into a profit during an outing at Binion's. Bluffing and wagering to increase the size of a large pot, he won $500 on one hand on the river -- the last of five community cards in a Texas hold 'em game.
"I've always liked blackjack, but I've built up an interest in poker," Clemett said. "I'm planning on taking all the courses because maybe the game might help supplement my income when I retire."
Las Vegan Chris Salum, 34, was one of the youngest students in the workshop. After learning the game at an online poker site, decided he wanted to venture to the casinos.
"The classes have given me a better perspective about the game," Salum said. "I'm more comfortable and I think I've gained a bit of an edge."
posted by Best Online Poker Site at 10:32 AM
Friday, June 10, 2005
Poker Pro: Gavin Smith - his best week ever (Interview)
Poker Pro: Gavin Smith - his best week ever (Interview)PN: How about those last four of five days been like?
GS: I really haven't done much. I've been losing my arse on the internet, and kind of taking it easy. We stayed a couple nights at the Mirage, took in a show...but now, I'm just gearing up for Friday {WSOP}
PN: The $2,000 NL Event you won earlier in the week was your biggest win of your career was it not?
GS: Yes, it was.
PN: Then, a few days later you win the WPT tournament. Funny in poker how you work so long, and then all of a sudden the work comes to fruition.
GS: It's pretty weird. And it was doubly weird in the sense that my girlfriend and her brother launched my site two days before the $2,000 event, then boom I crack off a couple tournaments right away.
PN: Let's talk about your website, Gavin Live. What are your plans or goals for it?
GS: Basically, the biggest reason was to increase my exposure out there, and capitalize on the poker boom. I get to let people know what is going on in the poker world, as well as in my life on a day to day basis. Plus, there is a forum, where people can write in questions, and I can discuss hands with them, etc.
PN: How does one get from Guelph, Ontario Canada to moving to Las Vegas to play poker full time?
GS: Oddly enough, it wasn't the poker that led me to Vegas, because I was going to Vegas three or four times a year anyway. I was traveling the tournament scene before I moved to Vegas. I chased a girl, and that is what brought me to Vegas. I probably for the last eight years, have spent 8 - 9 months on the road in America playing the circuit.
PN: And that was back when the circuit was maybe a half a dozen big events a year
GS: Certainly not what it is today, that's for sure.
PN: Do you play cash games much, as opposed to tournaments?
GS: Up until now, I needed to play a lot of cash games, just to pay my day to day expenses. I would play side games as well as the tournaments. I was probably playing 12 hours a day of poker...pretty much seven days a week. Now I can slow down a little bit.
The way tournaments are geared, you have to win a lot just to stay afloat. I was staying afloat, but I wasn't getting ahead in tournaments. Prior to the 1.1 million, in the last year, I had probably cashed $250,000-$300,000 or so. But I went on a cold streak last year, and that got me back to even.
PN: Any thoughts on a difference between playing tournaments, and playing live? Is there a big difference?
GS: Tournaments are so much more about survival than live games. There are so many more hands in a tournament that I can't call with, that I would call with in a live game, because I can't go back into my pocket for more money. I may flop some huge draw, 17 outs or something, but I have to throw the hand away in a tournament. I would call almost 100% of the time in a live game.
PN: I noticed Erick Lindgren sweating you pretty hard at the WPT. Has he been a big influence to you?
GS: Erick is a funny one. Because years ago, Erick came to visit me in LA when I was at a tournament. He called me up, and said "Can I share your room?", I said sure, and he basically picked my brain for three days straight about tournament poker. Somewhere along the line {Laughs} he rocketed by me, and now I am picking his brain about tournament poker. Erick has been a great help in my tournament game, and he is a big part of my tournament success, and he has been a great friend.
PN: How much do you play online, and what are the good and bad points of online play, and which site do you play at?
GS: I play every day on Full Tilt poker. I like the fact that I can walk over to my computer in my underwear, and just play....no traffic, no lines. I also like the fact that the play is much faster, and I can play multiple games at the same time.
The only thing I don't like is I think my table image is a big part of my game. I like to create like a clown image, and I can't do that online to the same effect I can online.
PN: Do you think that clown image gets you calls?
GS: It gets me calls, it gets me people making crazy plays against me...it gets me a number of different things. In the $2,000 no limit, a player made a play at me with queen high, and a pot of 560,000, with only 760,000 chips in play. I don't think he ever makes that play against someone with a different table image.
PN: How many events do you think you will play in at the WSOP this year?
GS: I'm taking June 9, 13, and the 18th-21st for a wedding. I will probably take Sunday the 26th off, July 2nd, and that is probably it.
PN: Let's talk about the business of poker for a minute. What do you think the most glaring need in the poker world is, from a player's perspective?
GS: From a players perspective, I think it is the need to gel together as players, and have a common voice. I think we need someone to stand up for us. As much as the World Poker Tour has helped poker, and I love the WPT, but for them to say we can't wear logos, and make money off our images is ridiculous. It s a travesty. The reason we don't is we need an organization to stand up, and say "If we don't have these rights, you don't have us.". There have been a lot of people who have been talking about doing something like this, but its tough. In the PGA, you have to get a 150 people together on the same page, in the poker world you need to get 10,000 players on the same page, so it is definitely a challenge.
PN: Thanks for the time, Gavin.
GS: You bet. I would like to thank my girlfriend for all her support, and her and her brother for doing my website. Also, I have to thank Erick for all his support as well.
posted by Best Online Poker Site at 8:25 AM
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Casino Coins Online Casino Affiliate Program
The well known online poker site programs are considered as the best and one of the top online gaming affiliate programs. Webmasters have the opportunity to earn a lot of money simply by advertising the online casinos featured in this program from within their own websites. This online casino affiliate program is available in 4 different languages, with the potential of reaching more than 40 countries around the globe.
posted by Best Online Poker Site at 5:23 PM
Thursday, May 26, 2005
WPT Enterprises (World Poker Tour) announces first quarter results.
WPT Enterprises, the parent company of such properties as the World Poker Tour, and the PPT (Professional Poker Tour) got its report card today, as the company announced its first quarter results. The stock (NASDAQ: WPTE) has been trading publicly since August of last year.
Revenues for the first quarter of 2005 were $4.1 million. WPTE reported a net loss for the quarter of $1.6 million or about 8 cents a share.
"Our first quarter 2005 best results demonstrate the company's continued ability to execute on our strategic plan and initiatives that have been targeted to generate growth," said Steve Lipscomb, President and CEO of WPTE. "The success of the show and strength of the brand was confirmed by the Travel Channel's decision to exercise its option for the fourth season of the show. In addition, the show's strong ratings in international markets enabled us to complete distribution agreements to broadcast the show in France and Italy, two major European markets. The WPT continues to achieve worldwide recognition."
The picture is a bit deceiving, as there weren't very many shows to deliver in the first quarter, and expenses were high as they include all production expenses on the PPT shows, which have yet to be sold to a television outlet. The company cut new deals to distribute its World Poker Tour show to France, and Italy, and also had higher than expected licensing revenues.
Wall Street did not react positively to the news, as the stock was down about 4.5% during trading, and off another 4% during after hours trading.
Second quarter revenues will be up substantially, mostly due to increased show delivery to the Travel Channel. The company is incredibly cash healthy, as there is over 30 million in cash and short term investments, and zero debt.
"I am encouraged by the overall growth of our franchise in general as indicated by the increase in total players and prize pools in Season 3 of the WPT," continues Lipscomb. "We are also excited by growth trends in the online gaming space and believe that the second quarter deployment of our online gaming site, will further diversify our revenue base as well as create additional opportunities in various business segments. We continue to make progress on the strategic objectives that were set for 2005 to enhance shareholder value."
The launch of the real money online site (the last I heard, the site will only be available to players outside the US due to legal restrictions) will no doubt provide a huge boost to the company's bottom line, and eventually probably be its largest revenue stream. The WPT brand is strong, and getting stronger overseas, so the future is incredibly bright for WPTE. If they could allow American players, you could argue they would be a top three online poker site right away, just based on the strength of the brand.
posted by Best Online Poker Site at 8:58 AM
Friday, May 20, 2005
Alamo Poker School- The Best Online Poker Site
Alamo Poker School- The Best Online Poker SiteVisit the Alamo Poker School, here you can try out a few lessons that should help improve your poker game. The intention is not to turn you into a pro, (to do that requires a lot of study and massive experience), but rather to give you the confidence to play low limit poker for real money and enjoy the excitement of it.
posted by Best Online Poker Site at 9:55 AM
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