Sunday Night is the First High Stakes Poker Game of the 2009 Series

This 2009 season first that will appear on Sunday Night is a long awaited event by many avid poker players who enjoy the skill and daring players exhibit on this show.  Rumors are about that the stakes to sit down are going to be higher and this means that there will be some outrageously major size pots.  With more money in the game the temptation on solid hands will be to wager a good deal more to get as much profit out of the hand as is possible.  Two big hands that come together in the same pot will cause fireworks and the winner will smile and the loser will have to suck it up and play on.  Since this is the players' money the hurt will be real in terms of losing their own money and also doing poorly on the show.  Every player at this game has an ego to prove in real money that they are as good or better than any other player at the table.  The money score will tell the tale that is for sure.  Some of these players can easily afford the loss they may endure, but some are not as well off as the others.  [Read][more...]

The Economy and Poker

For many years the economy was never a bad factor for gambling when the economy was in the dumpster.  A bad economy was always a reason fro people to gamble.  In the thirties the horse racing handles and illegal bookmaking prospered as people tried to supplement their income or lack of it.  Gaming, as we know it now did not exist and the only legal gaming in the United States was the thoroughbred racing industry and the betting pools at the racetrack.  The bad economy of those days was a catalyst that pushed people to gamble.

This is not true with our current economic situation.  The live casinos in many of the big gaming centers are having a tough time keeping their revenue up and this is a distinct change in the usual situation when gaming and the poor economic conditions meet.

Poker is the one area of gambling that seems to continue to grow.  The tournaments all over Europe and the United States are full of not only the pros, but also the satellite-winning amateurs. The prize money continues to grow and the player count in the torments seems to continue to grow or at least not lose players. [Read][more...]

Poker and Books

Pokers has arrived as a study from books and not just from the play in dark smoke filled rooms in the back of a Honky Tonk.  Many of the old time players that learned that way have now written great books on how to play better poker.  The great Doyle Brunson comes to mind immediately as his books have been the bible for many of the newer poker pros that are seen on TV.  Since then, many of the big stars of today have taken the time to put into words their opinion on what works to make a player a winner.  The Internet has given many young players the needed number of real hands in real time to give them actual playing experience.  In the old days of only playing in live games, this hand and playing time experience only came from hours of real time play.

Learning the math and the way to play hands is well worth the time-spent reading.   Now, any player can find many solid books on the various poker games including both cash games and tournaments.  This time spent is cheaper than learning by losing in situations you may have avoided if you had done the reading.  This will still happen, but cutting these expensive lessons to a minimum by reading is a far cheaper way to learn. [Read][more...]