If you have a Las Vegas poker expedition planned for this summer, listen up. Even though last summer was chock-full of tournaments for just about anyone's budget, amazingly, the biggest poker rooms in town are offering even more tournament choices for you in 2008.

We've been adding a slew of new writers to the mix here at Card Player in 2008, and I hope that you have enjoyed the new insights that these players have brought. From Gus Hansen talking tournament poker intricacies, to a dissection of winning pot-limit Omaha strategies, to the biggest cash-game players in the business sharing profitable live-game strategy, all of us at Card Player hope that these quality additions aid in your development, and increase your profits, as a player.

Card Player is heading back to the Playboy Mansion this year on May 17 as a main sponsor of the Urban Health Institute's (UHI) third-annual Vegas at the Playboy Mansion soiree. The event, which takes place on the grounds of one of the most famous private residences in the world, features a ton of poker, a ton of Playboy playmates, and (I guarantee) a ton of fun.

We're nearly a quarter of the way through the year and the Card Player 2008 Player of the Year leader board is taking shape. Familiar names such as Men Nguyen, Gavin Griffin, David Pham, Michael Binger, Erik Seidel, and Lee Watkinson all have started strongly on the tournament circuit this year, but one player - namely, Phil Ivey - recently made a mad dash to near the top.

In recent years, video training sites for poker have been flourishing. Numerous sites have popped up offering hand-for-hand analysis of both tournament and cash-game play, and the Internet's top players have teamed up with these sites to give students an inside track to their mad genius. Most Internet poker pros, when asked, will cite video training sites as being instrumental in their development.

This past month has been a busy one in regard to poker milestones. First, on Feb. 1, Gavin Griffin scored one of the most impressive achievements in recent poker history. By winning his first World Poker Tour title (the 2008 Borgata Winter Open), he became the first player to win poker's triple crown: a WPT title, a World Series of Poker gold bracelet (2004 pot-limit hold'em), and a European Poker Tour title. The EPT has seen tremendous growth over the past two years, thanks to PokerStars and other online sites sending tons of players to the events, and Griffin, who won the 2007 Grand Final championship event and $2.4 million, is the reigning champ. Congratulations, Gavin!

In this issue, we honor the tournament players who put up the most impressive results in 2007. David Pham, with 11 final tables and $1.8 million in earnings, emerged as the 2007 Player of the Year (POY) after another wire-to-wire contest. This was Pham's second title. During his career, he has won more than $7 million and the respect of all of his tournament peers. You can read a recap of the entire race and top 10 finishers in this issue.

The poker world saw the new year start with a bang as the first major tournament of 2008, the European Poker Tour $8,000 buy-in PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, shattered a host of records.

In this issue, we honor one of the game's greatest gentlemen, Chip Reese. Reese passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 4. In honor of his legacy, Card Player has collected memories from his family and friends, and we're honored to share this collection with you in this issue. Fittingly, as we go to press, the World Series of Poker announced that future winners of the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event will receive a trophy named after Reese, the winner of this inaugural event in 2006. Rest in peace, Chip … you were the greatest.