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How Poker Developed Over The Ages

Articles / History / Info

How Poker Developed Over The Ages

Historians can’t quite agree how the game of poker emerged. They think the name of the game may have originated from the French word “poque”, a variation of the German “pochen” or “to knock” or “to brag”. This may refer to how bluffing is an integral part of the game—you pretend to have great cards, you play with your opponent’s mind. Poker is as much a matter of skill as a strategic air of arrogance; it is psychological warfare. The game itself may have been related to the ancient Persian game called “nas”. French immigrants who had settled in New...

Johnny Chan – Living The American Poker Dream

Articles / Players / WSOP

Johnny Chan – Living The American Poker Dream

Johnny Chan is one of the greatest poker players of all time. He has 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, and became world champion twice. And look at how much the man’s won—over four million dollars from career tournament earnings, not counting what he’s earned from cash game winnings. He’s always at the famous Bellagio’s “Big Game”, the world’s highest-limit cash game, which can make or break millionaires overnight. Risky? Maybe so, but it’s worked to his advantage. It’s possible that Johnny Chan has brought home hundreds of millions of dollars from regular poker play. Now that’s something to tell...

Andy Bloch – A Poker Millionaire

Articles / Players / WSOP

Andy Bloch – A Poker Millionaire

When Andy Bloch first started playing poker in 1992, he was a law student looking for a way of relaxing between midterms. Then he started getting serious about it, joining small weekly tournaments about once a month (paying an entrance fee of $35, which he saw as an “investment”). As Bloch’s skills grew, so did his confidence. He took a huge risk and joined a no-limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament, the World Poker Finals. He shouldered the $100(US) entry fee without flinching, even if it was the first time he had ever played no-limit. He won. In 1997, Tom Sims...

Poker Alice – The First Great Female Poker Player

Articles / History / Players / Stories

Poker Alice – The First Great Female Poker Player

Poker was a popular pastime in the days of the Wild West, and Hollywood pays homage to this sport in many films that either revolve around poker or feature it in one of its scenes. What Hollywood doesn’t tell you is that not all the poker players were men. Sure, it was a macho society where gambling was almost a “man’s job”, but there were a few women ahead of their time who actually played it professionally. One of the most famous female poker players in the 1880s was Poker Alice. She was a smart, independent, and colorful woman who...

Beginner To Poker? Think Omaha Poker!

Articles / Insights

Beginner To Poker? Think Omaha Poker!

Poker has several variations, with different levels of complexity. Poker enthusiasts can pick from the whole lot, finding the game play they find most interesting and appropriate for their skill level. For example, relatively new poker players may be better off trying Omaha Poker before jumping into Texas Hold Em. The game may not have as much publicity, or carry as much glamour (largely due to the widely anticipated World Series of Poker) but it’s still a very exciting game. Why is Omaha simpler than Texas Hold Em? Well, Texas Hold Em is an inherently random and uncertain game, where...

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 2)

Articles / History / Info / Insights / Stories

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 2)

Hollywood tends to distort poker with stereotypes and really stupid moves and tricks described by scriptwriters who obviously know nothing about the game. But once in a while, you come across a movie that does a decent job of bringing the excitement of poker to the big screen. Here are a few films to rent, enjoy, and be inspired by. One of the oldest poker movies in the history of Hollywood is the 1922 classic, Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler. It’s a bit kitschy, as you would expect from a movie this old. The premise is that psychic/arch criminal/madman Dr. Mabuse...

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 1)

Articles / History / Info / Insights / Stories

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 1)

Many movies incorporate the high-stakes, fast-action world of poker — hoping, perhaps, to spice up their plot and add edgy glamour to their characters. Unfortunately, many of those gambling scenes border on the ridiculous. Think of the downright ludicrous House of Games, the painfully stilted Honeymoon in Vegas, and the kitschy Maverick—all of which can make a serious gambler’s skin crawl, if only because of the way they completely dishonor the game and making it as tacky as the film themselves. Others, on the other hand, are very well done, and should be on any poker aficionado’s list of Movies...

Texas Holdem – What You Need To Know

Articles / Insights / Tips / WSOP

Texas Holdem – What You Need To Know

Who hasn’t heard of the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tournament? These two very popular tournaments have contributed a lot to making Texas Holdem Poker become one of the most popular variations of poker in existence today. From face to face games to online gambling, Texas Holdem Poker is played all over the world, by all sorts of people. If you are one of those people who know about Texas Holdem but have never really tried their hand at it, this post is for you. Before getting started on your Texas Holdem career, there are a few...

Understanding The Casino’s House Edge

Articles / Info / Tips

Understanding The Casino’s House Edge

No matter what the ads tell you, there’s no such thing as completely overcoming the house odds in blackjack. The casino will always have a slight advantage; they have to, it’s a business for them. They wouldn’t be dumb enough to bother with running a gambling operation where they have a higher risk of losing to the players. The rules of blackjack (or any other game) are designed to give them a higher edge. However, good blackjack players can play a hand well, and thus beat them in spite of the odds. It’s the challenge that makes the game so...

Why Einstein Would’ve Made a Good Poker Player

Articles / History / Insights / Stories

Why Einstein Would’ve Made a Good Poker Player

Thanks to cheesy Hollywood movies, some people think that poker is all about mindgames: outwitting the opponents, making a cool bluff. Take the phrase “poker faced”: expressionless, unreadable. They get the impression that Poker is about knowing how to tell a good lie. Well, possibly, but some “mindgames” are basically about good math. Yes, math. If you want to spend the whole evening working on your acting, join a theater group. This game requires some computation, analysis, and at the very least, the ability to multiply. For example, the best poker players can look at a hand and generate a...

Beginner’s Tips for Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments

Articles / Tips

Beginner’s Tips for Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments

Online Texas Hold ‘Em is one of the most popular poker games on the Internet. It attracts thousands of players — making it exciting, and also difficult. With so many experienced poker players battling it out for some of the highest pots on the web, online Texas Hold ‘Em can be intimidating to the beginner. Here are some tips from the masters: First of all, it’s important to wait for the right cards. One common mistake of new online players is that they get involved in too many games, and too many flops. This is one of the temptations of...