Category: Info

September 2, 2009

The History Of Poker Chips

In a recent post, I talked about how you can start your own home game. One of the requisites of doing this however, is having the right equipment and what is the most vital piece of equipment for poker? Chips, poker chips that is. For the uninitiated, once you’ve seen poker chips (even on TV), they’re all the same. For the enthusiast though, each poker chip set is different and he has his certain preferences regarding this matter. Let’s take a look at the basics of poker chips so that you can pick out the perfect set to start your...

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September 2, 2009

How To Start Your Own Home Poker Game

Watching all those TV shows of poker tournaments has made many people crave for the same excitement experienced in a real life poker game. The majority of poker games are played online, but poker enthusiasts know that nothing can compare to real life games. Yet finding tournaments offline are not always that easy. Your best bet is to start a home game of your own. What exactly is a home game? It doesn’t differ from any other poker tournament – especially of the sit and go variety – except that you usually have one table with around 6 to 8...

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September 2, 2009

Feel Like Taking A Poker Vacation?

Poker tournaments — they’re everywhere. Not just the big, worldwide competitions that attract thousands of players (and require thousands of dollars to join). There are also smaller events organized by websites, which require smaller buy-ins and allow recreational players to test their skills without being intimidated by a roomful of professionals. They have fun, they get to meet fellow poker aficionados, and they even get a chance to win a tidy sum. Not a bad way to spend a weekend. While the biggest annual tournaments command a rather heavy $10,000 buy-in, you can find weekly get-togethers that cost as low...

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September 2, 2009

Poker Etiquette – Ain’t Misbehaving

Tournaments are supposed to be fun…and they usually are. Unfortunately, a few people who have no respect for rules and get their kicks out of making everyone else miserable can ruin an event. They get into fights, insult other players, distract other people with their tantrums, and generally think that being a jerk is a good poker strategy. Fortunately, tournament organizers have caught on, and are strictly enforcing rules regarding proper conduct in poker rooms. Yes, you can get kicked out of tournaments for misbehavior, or at the very least, slapped with a time penalty that will affect your game...

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September 1, 2009

Shout-Outs (Multi-Table Tournaments)

In Europe, “rounders” are not the people who go from table to table, or even that cult movie with Matt Damon and Edward Norton (and if you don’t know what movie we’re talking about, you have no business saying that you love your poker!). Rounders are step tourneys, or multi-table tournaments. They are similar to American shoot-outs, which are typically played online as live events. Once in a while, the World Series of Poker holds a shoot-out event. Some websites also hold shoot-out satellites, or “independent rooms” that are extensions of other tournaments. These allow several players to participate in...

Articles / History / Info

September 1, 2009

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...

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August 31, 2009

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...

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August 31, 2009

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...

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August 31, 2009

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...