Get to Know the FireGoblin, Michael Overstreet

Although a relatively unknown name in the poker world, Michael Overstreet or the FireGoblin made his tentative splash in the poker world when he became a runner-up finisher on a $20 180-man sit and go tourney.  He admits this event to be his crowning achievement, but little did he know that he would be able to bag the WCOOP title a few months later.

A Brief History of Michael Overstreet

Overstreet's day job is being a software engineer, and although he plays poker now and then all throughout his five-year history of being a poker player, he admits to being far from becoming a poker player.  In fact, there were times that he would play continuously and times that he would have a sabbatical from the game for months. [Read][more...]

Patrik Antonius Impersonator on Twitter

Patrik Antonius is in big trouble due to an overly eager fan of his posing as him on Twitter.  The poser has been posting false remarks about other players Patrik has played with.  Doyle Brunson, a fellow poker player has been offended by these tweets the fake Patrik has been posting on twitter.  Of course, Patrik then turned to coinflip.com to clear his name.

The Good and the Bad Side of Fans

Fans, of course, are great.  [Read][more...]

Professional Poker Player, Ernest Scherer III, to Stand Trial for His Parents’ Death

Last year, professional poker player, Ernest Scherer III, found himself considered as the most likely suspect of his parents', Ernest Scherer, Jr. and wife Charlene, murders.  Today, he is going to stand trial for their deaths.

A Background on Ernest Scherer III

Ernest Scherer III worked in the mortgage industry but has a passion for poker, as did his father.  It was in 2002 that he decided to quit his job and focus more on his games and winnings as his and his wife's source of income.  He might have won almost $400,000 from gambling alone, but then his gambling debts stated to pile up.  Since both Scherer III and his wife do not have a stable income to support themselves and a $40,000 credit card debt among other debts including mortgages and taxes, his situation turned to worst.

A Brief Look at the Crime

The bodies of Ernest Scherer, Jr. and wife Charlene Abendroth were found last March 2008 in their very own home, which is situated in Castlewood Country Club.  [Read][more...]

Swimmer Michael Phelps Gets Invited to APT’s 2009 Tournament for the Second Time

Award-winning Michael Phelps, United States' Olympic Swimmer, gets invited for the second time to play in the Asian Poker Tour 2009 Tournament, which will be held on August 12 to 23 at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino in Macau.  This is a 12-day event consisting of 15 preliminary tournaments before the Main Event of No Limit Hold'Em Poker.

Courting Michael Phelps to Play in a Major Poker Tournament

It is a fact that Michael Phelps has an interest in the game of poker.  In fact, he sometimes graces the poker tables of Las Vegas' Caesar's Palace and has even gotten into the final table at the Caesar's Poker Classic last 2008.

When Michael Phelps was interviewed by The Baltimore Sun last August 2008, his hometown newspaper, he was quoted as saying that he wanted to try his hand at the World Series of Poker.  This sparked the interest of Asian Poker Tour, and less than a week later, when he was playing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the prestigious tournament invited the man they have coined as the "human dolphin" to come and play at the second leg of the tournament in Macau.  However, Phelps did not take the APT's offer that time.

Aside from APT, other major poker tournaments like WSOP Europe are courting Phelps to grace their events.

Another Open Letter

Despite the fact that Phelps never showed up last year for the APT event in Macau, the poker tournament coordinators are once again extending their invitation for the 'human dolphin' to try his hand at their games.  The letter went on to say that, should Phelps accept the invitation to play at the APT Main Event, it will be an all-expense paid trip.

The letter was wittily written and full of poker puns, and it has even alluded to the Olympic swimmer's current public relations problems when the swimmer was suspended from competitive swimming for three months after a picture was released, showing Phelps with a bong.  The bong was allegedly Carter King's, PokerStars' WCOOP Main Event Champion last 2008, but this did not stop people from giving him a bad press.

Whether Michael Phelps is going to accept the invitation and play in the Macau APT Event, that still remains to be seen.  Whatever decision Phelps makes, to play at the APT or not, avid fans of poker are still sure to see their favorite professional poker players play against other pros for the huge prize money and the title of champion.

IcuRaRook Pads His Bankroll in PokerStars

Another phenomenon was experienced by PokerStars this week when Jeff Gray, known in the online poker community as IcuRaRook, blazed his way through the tournaments and took home thousands of dollars.  His winning streak was one that millions of online poker players would envy, and his wins further proved that he knows his game and he intends to take home the prize each and every time he plays.

Blazing His Way in PokerStars

Last Sunday, Jeff Gray, aka IcuRaRook, showed his talents when he landed the 120th place on PokerStars weekly poker tournament called the Sunday Million.  In this weekly tournament, he managed to win $1,186, but that did not stop him from wanting more as he played even later into the night up to the wee hours the next day.  Monday morning, he landed the second place where his winnings jumped to $30,151.45 at the $150k Guaranteed $100 plus rebuy tournament's final table.

When many poker players would have been satisfied with a winnings reaching into $32,000 when the weekend was over, IcuRaRook once more showed his determination when he played and won in the $5 tournament plus $1,901 rebuy on Monday night. [Read][more...]

“Fbt” Mueller: A Man to Watch Out For

Raised in Vancouver in British Columbia, Greg Mueller became a fan of hockey which was no surprise. He entered the world of hockey in his younger years and signed up with a team from Germany. In the course of nine years as a professional hockey player, Mueller came across the game of poker and found success. After he retired from the world of hockey, Greg Mueller resurfaced in the world of poker taking it up by storm. In 2003, he made his debut at the LA Poker Classic with two cashes and an appearance at the final table of the game. In 2005 at the World Series of Poker, he had four cashes in hand and made a mark as one of the best poker players in the series.

Greg's towering height of 6'5 may intimidate poker players who will be coming up against him. This is only one factor why he is quite a fearsome opponent. Greg Mueller is off to a good start in the World Series of Poker. He ranked 7th in the Seven Card Stud, $10k buy in. Two weeks later, Mueller won his first ever series bracelet in the Limit Hold'em event with a $10k buy in. This was a difficult game for him but he won against his opponents to bring home the pot with a total of $460, 841. This win sealed his status as one of the best hold'em poker players of today. These two winnings gave Greg Mueller the recognition as the top player in the world in the hold'em poker category. [Read][more...]

Meet Mike Sexton

Mike Sexton will be 62 In September of this year as he was born in September 1947.  His birth state makes him a Hoosier although he and his brother went to the University of Ohio on a gymnast full scholarship.  He has been playing card games since he was a youth and his skill at the games was evident early in his adult life.  He played in college and even more when he finished a two-year hitch in the Army as Fort Bragg.  His after service job was as a Dance Instructor and working with a friend in a company the friend started.  The company sold articles to bases in North and South Carolina.  Along with his work he spent many hours playing variations of poker in the local card rooms.  His marriage ended and he lost the job, so he stepped up his poker playing for a few years and then he headed for Vegas to try his hand as a professional poker player.  One of the players that was his good friend growing up, and a player he learned from, later became a world-class seven-card stud player.  His friend from his youth was Danny Robinson. [Read][more...]

Stay Focused on Poker when Online

When a player is online at a casino that offers both poker and other casino games, the temptation is to try a few slot spins or some Baccarat.  This is okay if the player really only risks a very small percentage of his stake.  The problem is these games can be very easy to lose sight of playing poker and actually can hook some players.  You read about poker pros that win easily at poker and then lose large amounts on table games or sports.  This is the problem with the other forms of gambling on the net.  The player has no edge at all like they do in poker and it catches up quickly when the losing streak sets in.  Do not bet on games with serious money where you have no edge.  This should be all good poker players' commitment to keeping their poker stake together.

A decent poker stake will keep the player in the game and they can weather the bad beats and the run of crappy cards and poor flops.  This is true because a solid poker player should be able to wait until the hands turn around and give them a chance at some larger pots.  If the stake has been decimated by table games, this could endanger the poker playing also. [Read][more...]

Poker Player and Murderer Possibly The Same

A thirty-year-old poker pro was arrested in Las Vegas Monday for the murder of his father and mother in their home in early March of last year.  Ernest Scherer III was arrested for the brutal killing of his Father and Mother in a San Francisco bedroom community of Pleasanton, California.  A person that worked for the Country Club Administration discovered the bodies several days later in the Country Club community.  A phone call from the daughter who lived in Utah alerted them to a possible problem, as she could not get her parents on the phone.

There is some information on a possible motive for the murder.  Scherer III was deep in debt and not doing well in the poker world.  Since turning pro in 2002 he had won $339,000 according to tournament records.  He had a wife and a child that lived in Southern California.  His Father was pressing his son for the return of a $616,000 loan he made to buy his son a home in Brea, California.  This tragic situation was brought on by the mounting debts from gaming, credit card debts and the pressure to repay the home loan.  [Read][more...]

What the courts are saying and the Steve Martin story

The courts in very recent cases are coming down on the side of poker is a skill game and the player's skill will make a difference over time.  Consistent poker winners are very skillful and do not just depend on luck to win.  These players want to take as much of the gamble out of a played hand as possible.  By doing this they let the poor player depend on luck to win and they have the edge in the game. Like casinos know, having the edge over time will make you a winner.  The more skilled the player, will lead to more winning sessions.

The comedian Steve Martin tells a great poker story.  When he was still playing online he decided to quit playing one night and experienced an Ambien event.   He took the sleeping pill and continued to play.  When he awoke in the morning, he checked his poker account.  He discovered that he had $1500 dollars in his account.  He remembered only having $500 in his account when he took the pill. [Read][more...]

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