• Risk Versus Reward

  by Roy Cooke

  Weighing the upside versus the downside, what you stand to lose versus what you stand to gain, is pretty universal. It's how we figure out what to do in any given situation, assuming the governing factor is logic. Poker, like many important life …continued

• Trips in Your Hand in Omaha

  by Bob Ciaffone

  Two of the most interesting hands I played at the World Poker Open in Mississippi involved trips in my hand while playing pot-limit Omaha high. This holding is, of course, a serious drawback to your chances of winning the pot. Normally, to ever get …continued

• First Round of the NCAA Tournament

  by Chuck Sippl

  Relative to the regular season, NCAA tournament games are usually not easy to handicap, and for many good reasons: the unique pressure of the lose-and-out setup, the differing strengths of the many leagues represented, a team's lack of familiarity …continued

• The Waiting Game

  by Jan Fisher

  You are looking good; you have just gotten a haircut, a manicure, and perhaps a touchup where needed. You have donned your new outfit and are heading down to the cardroom to enjoy your favorite game. It is tournament time in town and you know the …continued

• We Have Met the Enemy, and He is Us - Part I

  by Lou Krieger

  "We have met the enemy, and he is us," is a 35-year-old catch phrase injected by cartoonist Walt Kelly into the mouth of Pogo, a philosophical possum who lives in the Okefenokee Swamp and is the feature character of the comic strip that bore …continued

• Adjust to the Speed of the Table

  by Michael Cappelletti

  Having played in hundreds of online no-limit hold'em tournaments over the last couple of years, I have experienced both extremely fast tables, where the players seem to be pushing their stacks in on every hand, and extremely slow, passive tables, …continued

• But It Still Ain't Poker

  by Michael Wiesenberg

  In the last issue, I presented the rules for a number of casino games that appear to be poker but are not. In fact, some casinos in their literature and on their Web sites state that they offer poker when in fact they don't. Such games fit this …continued

• Shuffle Up and Deal

  by Mike Sexton

  I've written a book for the World Poker Tour called Shuffle Up and Deal, published by Harper Collins. It includes a story on the origin of the World Poker Tour that was written by WPT founder Steve Lipscomb. (This chapter alone is worth the price …continued

• Embarrassment

  by Phil Hellmuth

  Daniel Negreanu recently told me, "Phil, I was absolutely embarrassed for you as I watched you play no-limit hold'em last week in the PPT (Professional Poker Tour) tournament. I think you're too focused on all of the great business …continued

• Strategy and Skill? Why Bother?

  by Roy West

  Hi. Come on in. I'm steaming a variety of fresh vegetables. It's about time I offered some salubrious comestibles during our wandering around in the dark corners of your poker mind. I know you like to talk strategy, but today let's speak …continued

• How Would You Play These Hands?

  by Tom McEvoy

  Following up on my last column, here are some more no-limit hold'em tournament scenarios that pose the question, "What's your best play?" You've probably been dealt hands like these in tournaments you've played in casinos or …continued

• No Prompting, Please

  by Vince Burgio

  Every couple of years, it seems, I have to publicly let off a little steam by writing a column about things that irritate me. So, I'll get right to it by telling you about the first thing that bugs me. It seems that every time I turn on the …continued

• World Poker Open Hands - Part II

  by Jim Brier

  This is the second in a series of columns covering some instructive hands that were played at the World Poker Open in Tunica, Mississippi. Since these hands involve actual players, I have changed their names in the column to protect their identities. …continued

• The Bellagio Five-Diamond World Poker Classic - Part III

  by Daniel Negreanu

  With two tables left in the event, I was the chip leader, but there was still lots of work to be done. My table absolutely stunk! It was full of top players, while the other table was full of newer players. Nonetheless, I held my own at that tough …continued

• Film Review: Owning Mahowny

  by Greg Dinkin

  "You know why he wants to win? So he has the money to keep losing. Now how - - - - - - up is that?" A bookie said this about Dan Mahowny, who was masterfully played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Owning Mahowny. That single segment of …continued

• Two Pearls

  by Lee H. Jones

  Many of my columns have a single overarching theme, but not this one. No, this time you're going to get two pearls of wisdom for the price of one. If you are violating either of these principles and will just internalize one of them, you will …continued

• TV Series TILT Bad for Poker

  The television series TILT, depicting poker in Las Vegas, is aptly named. It is a continuing saga of people who are unsavory, and it puts poker players in a poor light. It is unfortunate that this series comes at a time when poker is being seen as …continued

• Play a Tournament With Me - Part II

  by Linda Johnson

  In my last column, I left off as we hit the first limit increase in the Professional Poker Tour event at Commerce Casino; 181 players started the event and 12 of them were eliminated in round one. My starting stack had increased from $10,000 to …continued

• Dumb and Dumber III

  Years ago I was once talked into writing a column that offered advice about which players to play with and which ones to avoid. You know, really hilarious illustrations, such as, "Try to play against plumbers because they have leaks in their …continued

• Plugging Some Leaks - Part IX

  by Rolf Slotboom

  In my last column on plugging leaks, I discussed some common mistakes in tournament play. In this column, I will go back to live play and analyze two rather advanced concepts in both limit and big-bet poker. Leak No. 20: Putting your entire stack at …continued

• An Omaha Eight-or-Better Situation

  by Mark Gregorich

  I traveled to Los Angeles recently to attend the L.A. Poker Classic, an annual affair at Commerce Casino. This tournament always features some of the best side action of the year, and this year was certainly no exception. There were several times when …continued

• iPods and Poker

  by Barry Tanenbaum

  Newsweek had a fascinating article titled "Do iPods Play Favorites" that reminded me of poker. The author, technology writer Steven Levy, bemoaned the fact that his iPod, which is supposed to play music randomly, seemed to play some songs …continued

• Stories From L.A.: A Telltale Sigh and a Bathroom Bluff

  by Matt Lessinger

  In February, I made my annual three-day trek to Commerce Casino for the L.A. Poker Classic. My first game was a single-table satellite for the $1,500 no-limit hold'em event, and I started out on fire. By the end of the first limit, I had turned my …continued

• Travelin' Man

  by Allyn Jaffrey Shulman

  Yet another youngster has joined the ranks of those who use their poker finesse to become instant millionaires. He's 24-year-old Michael Mizrachi, and he was hungry to win the big event at Commerce Casino's L.A. Poker Classic after finishing …continued

• There's a New Game in Town

  by Jesse Jones

  I just checked my ranking on CardPlayer.com and noticed that my overall ranking was 126th in 2004. I feel privileged to be among the top-ranked players and hope to improve in 2005. My first tournament in 2005 was the Aussie Millions in Melbourne, …continued

• Queens Any Good?

  by Thomas Keller

  I had two interesting hands come up recently during the 2005 L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino. I was initially seated at a star-studded table of players, including Layne Flack, Sam Grizzle, Erick Lindgren, and Phil Hellmuth. On the very first …continued

• Master Behind the Microphone: Matt Savage

  by Lee Munzer

  We're about to take a journey inside the hottest reality offering on television, big-time tournament poker. To take us through the championship event portal, I met with Matt Savage, who will discuss his evolution from porter and pin-chasing duties …continued

• Online Champ to Live Hero

  by Scott Fischman

  I have been noticing a bit of a trend lately that I am ecstatic about for a couple of reasons. I have noticed players capturing huge online tournament wins, followed very closely by huge live tournament wins. The first reason this excites me is that …continued

• Poker Etiquette

  by Martin de Knijff

  The subject I am going to write about in this column is a rather sensitive one, with the risk of getting new "enemies." I think it's about time someone speaks up about some of the bad things going on in tournament poker today. Ever since …continued

• Ask Chip and Karina

  by Chip and Karina Jett

  Q: You both took part in the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino in February. What was it like? Karina: I always enjoy the Commerce. The staff is great, the food is good, and the action is phenomenal - three good qualities I look for in a poker …continued

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