Poker Mom

The first event in the 2008 World Series of Poker is a $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament.  The play began yesterday, May 30, and is down to under 40 as of this update.  Eli Elezra, noted high-stakes cash game player, has been near the top of the pack for the majority of this tournament.  With 37 of the 352 original players left, Elezra is the chip leader with a $350,000 stack.

Other big-name poker starts still competing for the $794,112 first place prize include the sexy European Patrik Antonius, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, ex-member of the MIT Blackjack Team Andy Bloch, poker announcer Mike Sexton and female poker legend Kathy Liebert.  Liebert is riding a short stack with under $100,000 in chips.

Since I am reporting from home, I’ve been reading the official 2008 WSOP updates from worldseriesofpoker.com when I came across the details of a hand between Kathy Liebert and Jan Von Halle.  According to a report posted on the WSOP website by Gary Wise of Bluff Media:

“As soon as the hands were turned over, Andy Black, Joe Sebok, and Amnon Filippi all jumped from their seats and yelled for the floor to come over. Von Halle was given a warning for collusion as he checked the absolute nuts last to act on the river.

The other players at the table chuckled, but all understand the seriousness that can ensue. The tournament directors that came to the table didn’t find this a laughing matter at all.”

My guess is that Von Halle didn’t realize he had the royal flush.  Why would anyone knowingly check a royal flush on the river?  Heck, I’ve never been dealt a royal flush.  Sure I’ve managed to squeak out a lot of straight flushes but never a royal so who knows, I might mistakenly check a royal flush on the river too!  Speaking of royals – how many of you have been dealt a royal (live or online, not video poker)?  Share the details, I’d love to hear ‘em!

In this age of “going green”, even the World Series of Poker is stepping up to the plate.  An environmentally-friendly poker table will make its debut at the 2008 World Series of Poker which begins tomorrow, May 30, in Las Vegas.  The table is manufactured by EGM Green and will be awarded to the winner of the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

According to the EGM Green website:

“EGM Green is a venture by Executive Gaming Monthly (EGM) to bring 100% Eco-Friendly gaming products to casino and luxury markets. Applying sustainable design principles to poker tables and other casino products can significantly reduce volumes of waste and decrease use of natural resources and lower impacts on ecosystems. And your patrons will appreciate your use of eco-friendly products.”

Environmentalists around the world who moonlight as poker players can order an environmentally-friendly poker table for themselves from EGM Green.  Of course there is no price listed as each table will be custom-made to your specifications.  If you’re interested, the EGM Green website invites you to call the company’s president Eric Hansel at 201-927-3526 directly.

For those of us who aren’t able to make it to Las Vegas for the 2008 World Series of Poker, Bodog is hosting a Mini-SOP tournament.  According to a May 26, 2008 press release by Bodog:

“Bodog today announced that it is launching a new online poker tournament series this summer that will mirror all 25 Holdem events of the 2008 World Series of Poker* in Las Vegas at just a fraction of the buy-in. The Bodog Poker Mini-SOP will run from May 30-July 3, with each tournament held on the same date as its counterpart in Las Vegas but with buy-ins equal to just 1 percent of the actual buy-in of the WSOP* Event.”

One percent, that’s a price tag I can afford!  I can play in the Main Event of the Mini-SOP for a $100 buy-in, much better than the $10,000 buy-in for the World Series of Poker.  Plus I can play from the comfort of my own home.  Of course playing in the Bodog Mini-SOP will be nothing like playing in the WSOP but it is a fun and cheap alternative.  Bodog plans to cap off their event with a tournament which will award three seats to the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event.  Nothing like planning ahead for next year!

See you on Bodog!

The Full Tilt Poker $25,000 Heads-up Poker Championship was played online on 5/24.  Poker pro David Singer outlasted the field of 64 players to take home the $560,000 first place prize.  This was the first time Full Tilt has sponsored a Heads-up Championship and big name players Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Howard Lederer and 2008 National Heads-up Poker Champion Chris Ferguson took part in the event. 

According to the Full Tilt Poker News: “Singer claimed victory after defeating Emil “whitelime” Patel in the event’s final heads-up match when his pocket 8s stood up against whitelime’s 10-3 off-suit.”  Due to the success of this event, The Fabulous Poker King is predicting that this will become an annual event.

As more celebrities enter the big name poker events, their being signed by online poker sites.  Shannon Elizabeth is the newest celebrity to ink a deal having signed with Doyle Brunson’s DoylesRoom.com.  In a May 22, 2008 press release:

“In recent years, Shannon Elizabeth has quickly proven that poker prowess and stunning looks can easily go hand in hand. As a near-fixture at the tables in Vegas, Shannon has already competed in the legendary World Series of Poker and was the first woman to advance to a semi-final round in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.”

Shannon Elizabeth became every male’s fantasy girl after appearing in the smash comedy American Pie.  Players on DoylesRoom.com will have the ability to play against Shannon in the site’s popular celebrity bounty tournaments as well as in live poker games. 

The World Poker Tour Boot Camps are extremely popular and are a great way for aspiring poker superstars to step up their game under the tutelage of current poker stars.  All of the summer boot camps still have openings so plan your vacation and book a seat at one of the following WPT Summer 2008 Boot Camp events.

July 2008

After the World Series of Poker ends, the World Poker Tour boot camps start up again.  On July 19 and 20, 2008, a two-day CA$H Camp will be held at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Pros expected to appear at this camp include Mark Seif, Nick Brancato and Rick Fuller.

August 2008

Another two-day CA$H Camp will be held in August at the Cherokee Casino and Resort in Catoosa, Oklahoma.  Scheduled on August 23 and 24, the camp will also feature Mark Seif, Nick Brancato and Rick Fuller.

September 2008

Although September is split between Summer and Fall, I am including it in the summer schedule.  Two WPT boot camps will be held in September.  The first, scheduled on September 13 and 14 is a two-day tournament camp that will be held at the Trump Taj Mahal in New Jersey.  Poker pro Kenna James will be appearing at this event.

The second September event will be held on September 27 and 28 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.  This two-day tournament camp will feature female poker phenom Clonie Gowen.

Seats are available for all four of these events.  For more information, the WPT Boot Camp can be reached by calling (866) WPT-BOOT.

The internet is largely responsible for the poker boom.  With the advent of online poker rooms, players around the world have access to live poker – both cash games and tournaments – 24 hours a day and seven days a week, all from the comfort of their own home.  What better way to play poker than dressed in pajamas and sipping a cup of coffee?  If you’re new to online poker, it can be difficult to choose a site so I’ve compiled a list of my top five choices to help in your decision.

PokerMom’s Top Five Online Poker Sites

1.  PokerStars – I know that PokerStars isn’t the most popular of the online sites and not as many poker celebrities wear their tag, but it is the place where I got started in online poker so it makes it to the top spot on my list.

2. Full Tilt Poker – Full Tilt Poker is the home to more big name poker stars than any other site.  You cannot watch a single poker tournament on TV without seeing at least one person wearing their Full Tilt Poker swag.

3. Doyle’s Room – The user interface at Doyle’s Room is fantastic and the site was recently listed as #2 in customer service by Bluff magazine.

4. Bodog – I love the user interface at Bodog, it is by far the best user interface of all of the sites that I have played on.

5. PartyPoker – Party Poker’s parent company has been operating online casinos since 1997 and has a large and loyal customer base.

Yes, Phil Hellmuth (aka The Poker Brat) will be featured on cans of Milwaukee’s Best beer to try to capitalize on Hellmuth’s attempt to earn a 12th bracelet at the 2008 World Series of Poker.  According to an article on the topic appearing at PokerPages.com, “When the sponsor for the 2008 WSOP, Milwaukee’s Best Light, invited Hellmuth to visit their factory in Milwaukee earlier this month, they presented him with a can of “Milwaukee’s Best Light” off of the line that had Hellmuth’s picture and the quote: “If it weren’t for luck I’d win ‘em all!” on the can.” 

On May 7, the following was posted on Phil Hellmuth’s blog after he saw cans for the first time, “I suddenly felt overwhelmed and amazing inside.  Seeing the can was like winning a bracelet!  The feeling I had was really happy and powerful, and I guess that I’ll have to watch my ego, if it was big before…Now it may blow up!”

I’m not much of a beer fan and certainly not Milwaukee’s Best but it will be interesting to see if these cans sell out quickly.  Having a grandmother who owns an antique store, a little part of me thinks about buying a six pack and never opening it just in case Hellmuth walks away from the 2008 WSOP with his 12th bracelet. 

While Las Vegas is the gambling Mecca of the United States, there are poker rooms outside of Nevada that are worth mentioning.  One such poker room is located at Casino Arizona in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Featuring over 60 tables, the Casino Arizona poker room features Texas Hold’em, Stud, Omaha and other popular poker games. 

Casino Arizona holds regular tournaments as well as several other promotions for the cash games.  The bad beat jackpot at Casino Arizona is near and dear to my heart.  The last time I was there I ended up with four aces and the gentleman two seats over had aces full of tens.  That was a quick $1900 on my part plus $300 or so for my mom who was at the same $3/$6 table.

My mom and I often play poker together.  Last year we were playing in the wee hours of the morning when the bad beat jackpot had a $25,000 bonus.  My mom ended up with four aces and I had aces full of queens.  The whole table celebrated thinking that we’d hit the jackpot (which was sitting at $40,000) until the dealer calmly informed us that the three in my mom’s hand had to play in order to win.  Well unless there is a deuce on the board, a three won’t play.  The table thought it would have been great to see a mother/daughter win the bad beat jackpot but alas, we did not. 

If you’re ever visiting Arizona, the Casino Arizona poker room is the largest in the state and comes highly recommended from this PokerMom.