• Book Review - The Poker MBA

  by Victor H. Royer

  A whole deck full of jokers? That's just the beginning of what you get from The Poker MBA: Winning in Business No Matter What Cards You're Dealt (Crown Business). Throughout this book, jokers are wild and all 52 offer a business nugget, a …continued

• Holding Back

  by Jim Brier

  "Playing back" means that you raise. I am referring to situations where you raise, reraise, or check-raise your opponents without having a big, made hand. Failure to play back can be a big leak in a player's game, especially at the …continued

• Cappelletti in Amsterdam

  by Michael Cappelletti

  After a morning of seeing beautiful tulips in Kuchenhof, Netherlands, and an afternoon stroll through the Dam (a shopping area where you can buy anything), I played in a no-limit hold'em tournament at the Holland Casino, which was conveniently …continued

• Overcard on the Flop

  by Bob Ciaffone

  In hold'em, when an overcard to your pocket pair comes on the flop, you often have a tough decision to make. (Two overcards make a hand easy to play; you muck it if someone bets.) The overcard means you can easily be beat by the top card on the …continued

• Be Gritty, Not Nitty

  by Roy Cooke

  I've lost track of how many hours of side action I've played at World Series time. It's one of the most profitable times of the year for me, because of a very particular type of player who comes to Vegas during the WSOP. These players have …continued

• Native Northwest Hospitality Shines at Spirit Mountain Casino

  by Cover Story

  Nestled in Western Oregon's coastal foothills, Spirit Mountain Casino is a favorite destination for travelers and gamers in Oregon. As the state's No. 1 tourist attraction, Spirit Mountain draws nearly three million visitors per year. Spirit …continued

• World Series = Opportunity

  by Diego Cordovez

  One of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies takes place just prior to the climactic finish of Hoosiers, as the underdog farm boys from Hickory prepare to take on the big-city powerhouse for the Indiana state high school basketball …continued

• Create the Right 'Brand'

  by Greg Dinkin

  "You're much better looking in person than you are in your photo." That's how Bonnie Rattner greeted me when I walked into the Card Player office recently. After I stopped blushing, this comment alerted me to just how stupid I've …continued

• School's Back in Session!

  by Jan Fisher

  I have returned from my sabbatical and have this gnawing fear that you may not have kept up with your assignments while I was gone. I know how this can happen; when the cat's away … so to speak. Please know that there will be no test, …continued

• Two Gears

  by Russ Floyd

  I am a semiprofessional poker player who lives in Houston, Texas. In the two-plus weeks I was in Reno, Nevada, for the World Poker Challenge, I learned many things, one of which I'd like to share with you. In one of the events, I noticed a player …continued

• The Second Chance Poker Tournament

  by Oklahoma Johnny Hale

  Well, here I go again dreaming another dream about poker - and this dream is about to come true. It is a new poker tournament that I have dubbed The Second Chance Poker Tournament. Notice that I am getting better and did not name it after me. The …continued

• Phil is a Lucky Guy

  by Phil Hellmuth

  Just as I was about to write another Hand of the Week column describing a couple of bad beats that I received in seven-card stud (yes, Scotty Nguyen, I was going to write about that hand at Commerce Casino), I suddenly realized how lucky I really am. …continued

• Then and Now

  by Jeff Shulman

  As I am writing this column, half of the events have been concluded at the World Series of Poker. A few days ago, I was leaving Binion's Horseshoe when Puggy Pearson handed me a VCR tape of the 1973 WSOP championship. Jimmy "The Greek" …continued

• Research the Reverse

  by Warren Karp

  I remember the first time I walked into Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas. It just happened to be during May, and the World Series of Poker was in progress. I saw throngs of people lining the rails to get a glimpse of what turned out to be the final …continued

• Bringing Your 'A' Game

  by Daniel Kimberg

  No one's always at his best - not doctors, not athletes, and certainly not poker players. We all have days when we don't feel quite as sharp as we usually do. Even Tiger Woods admitted to playing only his 'B' game a few years ago (in …continued

• Linda Johnson Celebrity Challenge

  by Linda Johnson

  The second annual Linda Johnson Celebrity Challenge is slated to take place at Casinos Europa in San Jose, Costa Rica, June 25-30. If you are looking for a first-class poker tournament in a fabulous foreign locale, this is the event for you. During …continued

• The Dealer and the Backer

  by Tom McEvoy

  Attention all poker dealers! Have you ever had a dream, and then it came true? Have you ever dreamed of playing in the World Series rather than just dealing in it? Well, one dealer had his dream come true. Mike Majerus, a poker dealer for the past 10 …continued

• What About Bob?

  by Barry Mulholland

  When we think of excellent customer service, we usually think in terms of going the extra mile. In a poker room, that can take many forms: the friendly, attentive floorperson who patiently answers a new customer's many questions, the manager who …continued

• Meet Jennifer Harman - Part I

  by Daniel Negreanu

  In 1998, I was at the World Series of Poker, grinding away trying to scrape up the buy-ins for the tournaments, when I had a chance to meet a very special person - Jennifer Harman. At 5 feet 2 inches tall and barely 100 pounds, Jennifer isn't …continued

• Tournament Rules - The Final Episode

  by Mike O Malley

  This is the last in a series of columns that have detailed some of the rules being used in tournaments today that were developed by the TDA (Tournament Directors Association). The World Series of Poker has just begun as I write this, and Matt Savage, …continued

• The IRS Market Segment Specialization Program

  by Yolanda Smulik-Roche Roche

  The Internal Revenue Service recently promised to increase audit (and by inference, collection) activity. It has hired more than 1,000 examiners and collectors. Naturally, self-employed and small-business owners are anxious, because the Service makes …continued

• California Bill Would Bring Back Prohibition

  by I. Nelson Rose

  The California Assembly has voted 61-2 to reinstate Prohibition. The last time we had Prohibition, from 1919 to 1930, it was prohibiting "intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes." This time, California is going after gambling on the …continued

• The World Poker Tour

  by Mike Sexton

  Remember what poker is like today, how popular it is, how many states and countries offer legalized poker, and the media exposure for it. Remember today because the poker world as we know it is about to change. It's going to change because of the …continued

• Well, I Declare

  by Max Shapiro

  A while back I got a call from my brother Ira to wish me a happy birthday. Ira, who lives in a retirement village in New Jersey, meant well, but birthdays increasingly are becoming an occasion I'd just as soon forget. I mean, when you're …continued

• Useful Intangibles in Baseball Handicapping

  by Chuck Sippl

  Sharp oddsmakers combined with global wagering (due to the Internet and offshore sportsbooks) have made it more difficult in recent years to find "bettable" baseball games ("bettable" being defined as games in which the edges are …continued

• We're Taking You to Court

  by Roy West

  Hi. Come on in. I've made a mushroom meatloaf. We can dine and wine while we speak of our beloved game of poker. Now, about going to court. Don't panic! I just want to ask you a question that I ask all of my poker students. "If you were …continued

• Standing on a Jack in Lowball

  by Michael Wiesenberg

  You're on the button in a limit lowball game. Everyone passes to you. Your hand is J-8-7-3-2. In a double-limit game (such as those of Northern California), you just open; in a single-limit game (such as those of Southern California), you open for …continued

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