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Full Tilt Poker Loses License
Following the series of crackdowns against online gambling in the US, another blow hits the industry: A gambling commission in the Channel Islands, UK has recently announced that it has withdrawn its license from Full Tilt.
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission which was responsible for the move said that while Full Tilt’s executives’ indictment in April prompted them to action, the company’s failure to pay back players was the critical factor. The commission had conducted a probe on the matter, the findings of which didn’t go well for Full Tilt.
“The nature of the findings necessitated the taking of immediate action in the public interest.", said the Alderney commission. Full Tilt was not able to dole out payments to players who still had remaining balances with the company. This, in turn, has caused several suits filed against the company including one by poker superstar Phil Ivey, further compounding to the situation.
Full Tilt Poker was one among three sites – with the Cereus Network and PokerStars – to be the subject of crackdowns conducted during mid April which resulted in several executives from these companies to be indicted with money laundering charges. The Full Tilt Poker domain was reinstated a couple of days later. Full Tilt, however, was not able to pay back what they owed to players. This is apparently due to very bad management of their internal finances. In addition they also broke some gambling rules by their regulator, such as letting their sponsored pros use more than one username to hide their identity.
Before the issue hits full force, Full Tilt Poker was poised to enter into a contract with European investors (rumored to be Paddy Poker) that would have allowed the company a much-needed boost. A hearing regarding the withdrawal of the license is set for Full Tilt Poker on March 26. This could be a make-or-break situation for Full Tilts as investors have little to gain acquiring a company neck-deep in woes. Can this great poker brand be saved? Only the future will tell.
Getting Away With A Bluff
Bluffing is an integral part of any poker game. Unfortunately, a lot of players don't understand how a bluff should be presented, and more importantly, when a bluff should be used.
If you're deciding that you're going to bluff the next pot before the hand even starts, then you're off to a very bad start. Many players picture such a scenario in their mind. They think that they're going to play a certain way to clearly indicate that they are strong and steal the next pot. It doesn't quite work like that. The problem with that approach is that you're only considering the image you'll be projecting when in fact you should be considering so much more data.
Everyone knows you can't bluff every single pot, and you can't get away with every single bluff attempt you make. The thing you need to understand about pulling off a bluff is that timing is everything. You need to look for cues and indicators that will trigger your mind to the possibility of a bluff, and for cues that tell your brain not to bother attempting a bluff.
In order to bluff successfully, you must read your opponents well. Why is reading your opponents so important? Well, it's quite simple really.
You don't want to bluff an opponent who has a strong hand; you want to bluff the ones with the weak hand. Remember, the whole idea of a bluff is to get other players to fold. Bluffing implies that you have no hand, or a very weak one. You do not want to get called. This is why timing is important because you want to bluff when you sense weakness out there, and you can only do that by learning how to read your opponents. If you detect strength, perhaps a bluff attempt is not your best move.
Another factor you need to consider is the number of players involved in the hand. If there's five opponents who all have some chips invested in the pot already, bluffing everyone is going to be hard. Additionally, from a pure mathematical standpoint, the odds that someone makes a hand and beats you will increase for each player involved in the hand. It's much easier to bluff one person than it is to bluff three at once.
Finally, you need to pay attention to the exposed cards. If you're playing Hold’em or Omaha, the board cards are shared with everyone and you need to watch for opportunities, but also be wary of danger flops.
For instance, when the flop presents a straight potential, a flush potential, a pair, and high cards, these are all opportunities to bluff. You can pretend to have made a flush or a straight. However you also risk facing an opponent who actually made the hand you're pretending to have. This is why it is important to read opponents well.
Also remember that bluffing should be used in moderation. If you get caught bluffing too frequently, not only will you loose a lot of chips, but you will also loose credibility for a future attempt. The more you fail, the harder it gets to bluff successfully.
Mastering your poker bankroll
The major pitfall for most starting players is playing out of their bankroll.
They play games that are too rich for their bankrolls and variance causes them to go busto. It’s real important to play at a level that if your AA losts to that 9-7 (but hey they were suited) it really won’t hurt you too much and you can look forward to the next time he tries that play.
But if you have a $500 bankroll and your playing at $200NL ($1-$2 blinds) then you just dumped most of your bankroll to a suckout and that can not only hurt, but it can keep hurting when people go on tilt or attempt to “win back” what they lost. It’s just bad bad bad bad.
So here is my master plan to take over the poker world:
$10NL – 20 Buy-Ins ($200)
$25NL – 20 Buy-Ins ($500)
$50NL – 20 Buy-Ins ($1000)
$100NL – 25 Buy-Ins ($2500)
$200NL – 30 Buy-Ins ($6000)
The amount in the parenthesis is the minimum amount I need in my bankroll to move up to that level. If upon moving up I drop 5 buy-ins below the min, I will move myself back down and rebuild.
It’s simple. It’s straightforward. It’s something I am going to work very hard to stay disciplined too.
Of course it is easier said than done. They to be a profitable online poker player is do know when to move down in limit. Often players’ ego will stop you from doing that, maybe because you do not want the players at the lower limit to recognize you and berate you for coming back at their level. Or for any sort of reason. This is a leak. Leave you ego in the closet when playing online poker, this is the number one rule.
Understanding Casino Bonuses
Online casinos are in a lot of competition with one another.
They each want to capture the attention of new online casino players and keep the players they already have happy and coming back. This is why the online casinos make it a point to offer exciting bonuses to their players. And they use attractive bonuses to entice and lure the players.
Online casino players can do themselves a favor by understanding casino bonuses and exactly how they work. This way, they will know how to spot the really good ones and how to go about getting them.
When it comes to understanding casino bonuses, the first thing players should know is they come in many different types. One popular casino bonus players will see a lot is the initial deposit bonus. This bonus matches a players deposit by a predetermined percentage and for a certain maximum amount of money.
Many online casinos also offer no deposit bonuses. Each online casino will have its own way of offering this bonus. Some will offer players a bonus for registering and they can keep the bonus once they clear it. Others will offer players a bit of free money and a specific amount of time to spend it. They will be able to keep any of the cash they have won at the end of the time allotted.
Online casinos will often offer other types of bonuses as well. They may offer their players a referral bonus. This is a bonus the players will be given in exchange for bringing their friends to the online casino for enjoying the casino games as well. Some of the online casinos that offer this bonus will also give the referred player a bonus as well. Some other bonuses include loyalty bonuses, redeposit bonuses, game specific bonuses like if you only play roulette online for example, and others.
Understanding casino bonuses is a very important part of playing at an online casino because it offers the players the chance to have even more fun and win more money. Anyone looking forward to a casino bonus needs to do some reading up on the requirements of the bonus so they know they are eligible and so they know just what they have to do to clear the bonus. For example such bonuses usually apply to specific games, not all games.
Understanding casino bonuses is a little of homework, but it will you get the most of what is on offer in the Internet. Simply put, by making use of these bonuses, you the player will be able to get a lot of extra cash into your account.
The Best Online Casino
Have you already tried to play games at an online casino? This can be a very exhilarating experience if you like gambling. But why playing online and not simply going to a real casino?
Of course you can do both and each venue has its specific advantages. If you go gambling in the Sin City for example, than you will also have access to plenty of other attractions, like world-class cuisine, all kinds of shows, playing live poker, golfing, dancing and much more. You will also be in a social playing atmosphere with other visitors, gamblers and the casino and hotel staff, who is there to have fun or to serve you. You can make new friends or come with your friends. This is also an opportunity to travel abroad such as playing blackjack in Macau or Monte Carlo.
On the other hand online casinos have comparatively nice advantages too. You will be able to play from your computer without living your house. You will not need to prepare for a trip to play roulette as you can play at any time you wish once you have opened your account, even in the middle of the night. You will be able to choose from a much wider range of games just by the click of your mouse. In a brick and mortar there are fewer games and you need to locate them before you play.
Also online casinos have better odds than Las Vegas because they are much cheaper to run without the need for a lot of real estate and staff, free drinks, free food and flashy lights and decors. You can also switch from one online casino to another if you wish, just by a few clicks of your mouse. And online casinos offer plenty of attractive incentives such as sign up bonuses and VIP programs, perks that match land-based casinos incentive programs.
The game selection often exceeds 100 games at most online casinos, with every imaginable game from craps, roulette to slot machines or video poker, all under one single program. Online casinos regularly offer new games not yet available at live casinos. And you can play more and faster at an online casino thanks to their advanced software technology. So if you have not yet done so, give it a try and have fun.
High Stakes Poker on GSN
Ok so this show I have watched since the first day it aired. I was looking forward to this show. I am tired of watching the All-in fests that most online tournaments have become.
It's real interesting to see a full table of pros who actually know how each one plays and then watch the moves they make. I did grow a bit tired of watching Negreanu dropping cash bombs all over the table. He would toss in 500k on a pot that was like 30k, I mean come on. Does he really feel like he needs more exposure?
The Dr Gyno guy also annoyed me. It was pretty obvious that he was outclassed – sure he caught a pot or two but the pros definitely pushed him around most of the time, and he seemed to only be interested in being seen at that game. I was glad when he left.
As for Sheiky I was happy to see him sit at the table – but then he quickly established himself as the table ass and started whining about everything. It was hilarious to watch Farha put him in his place. While I enjoyed watching Sheikhan in the WSOP Main even battling with Matusow, I am really starting to grow tired of these types of players. All in all it was interesting to watch, you had Ted Forrest get stuck for about 150k and then battle himself back up to +25k or so, that was good poker to watch.
I did have a few complaints. First of all – AJ freaking Benza? That was the best they could come up with? I refuse to believe it. I like Gabe Kaplan as the poker commentator and he does a good job of adding insight, but AJ Benza? Whoever the guy is that made that decision should be immediately fired. At least if your going to hire the guy tell him to do something about the horrible hair plugs – Jesus.
And also the table mics. This sorta goes along with the choice of commentators, but can we turn their mikes down (or off in Benza's case) and turn up the table mics please? I am watching this to hear the table talk and hear the people snipe at each other, I could care less that AJ Benza needs Gabe to refresh for him if a flush beats a straight, seriously.
Just turn down the commentator's and turn up the table talk, please. To be able to hear Doyle say "I shoulda known better then to try to bluff an idiot" again makes the show so much better. Oh yeah and drop the player "profiles" where they follow them around the casino and waste 5 minutes of my life. Do I really need to see some of these guys toss around thousands of dollars on the blackjack table? Nope not really.
All in all though, it's a good show, and a good change from the same tourney format we see over and over. I hope they stick with it and evolve the show. For now this one will definitely stay on the TV record list.
