April Kyle's blog

Adios Amigos

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 22:57:21 +0000

Now that our run here at Pokerblog has ended (and what a fine, fun run it was) I thought I'd take a moment to point you to other spots on the web that might help fill the void in your life created by our absence.

For tournament news, be sure to check out Spaceman's work at Bluff along with the boys at LasVegasVegas. LVV is also a great source for all things Vegas, such as the news that Harrah's is being sold. Also keep an eye on our friends over at CardSquad and Pokerworks, plus there are literally hundreds of poker bloggers cranking out pokery goodness daily. Haley has a pretty extensive list of them all on her site.

It's been a pleasure filling this site with poker news for you, and we thank for you joining us. When you think of us, do so fondly, and with a shot of Tuaca in your hand.

Read the Blog!

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:53:20 +0000

I too am back from a fun-filled blogger Vegas weekend, though unlike my Pokerblog counterparts, I picked up a cold along the way. Who knew Tuaca wasn't a good preventative??

What I liked most about this article was the advertisement placed right in the middle of it. It has of course changed since I first saw it, but you can view the page as I saw it here. Alternatively, you can hit refresh a few dozen times and it'll pop up for you again... but who wants to work that hard for a joke?
Our own PokerShrink has been reviewing the Vegas card rooms over at PokerNews.
Chris Fargis gives a lesson in Triple Draw and Badugi.
Philadelphia may soon legalize poker in the state's casinos. Don't everyone move at once!
Hayden Christensen has been tapped to play a young Phil Hellmuth in an upcoming movie about his life. You probably know Hayden best for his role as a young Darth Vader in the Star Wars prequels. I'm worried by taking this role he's typecasting himself.

And cleaning out the starred items in Google Reader, I point you to:

Tilt and Flow by Dr. Pauly
Sophism by Dr. Pauly
Form Letter to a Young Internet Pro by Absinthe
Iggy has the list of blogger trip recaps all in one handy post for you
The Bible of Rigged Online Poker - presented without comment

Visit them all and show some blogger love!

Don't I Know You? - Sunday 11/19 Party Poker 200k Guarantee

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:23:52 +0000

I hope all of our US readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week (for the rest of you, I hope your Thursday was magnificent). I myself was traveling all week, a fun exercise that ended with me stuck on an interstate for 10 hours. Thus, I missed the final table of this past Sunday's Party 200k Guarantee, but Haley has a recap over at PokerNews. My traveling and general Thanksgiving merriment (read: passed out on couch after big turkey dinner) have put me a bit behind on the To Do list, but, operating under the premise "better late than never", I offer you my recap of the 11/19 200k tournament.

If you've never heard of professional poker player David Ross, do yourself a favor and cozy up with the 2+2 archives. Our favorite Party Poker man [bonus code Tuaca!] Bill Rini makes it easy for you, by linking to each one of David's weekly reports on his attempts to turn pro. That attempt ended up successful, and David is now a top online pro. He's also Canadian, which allows him (for now) to continue playing on Party Poker.

Let the Lawsuits Begin!

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:28:57 +0000

You no doubt remember your grade school government lessons that explained how the Congressional branch makes the laws while the Judicial branch interprets them. After the passing of the UIGEA, many people expected a legal frenzy to begin, with each challenger trying to strike out the true intent of the law.

Here comes their chance. We now have the first post-UIGEA arrests. The Associated Press is reporting that New York prosecutors have brought charges against 27 people connected with an online sports betting operation. The site, Playwithal.com was run by poker player James Giordano, however there was no poker being played on the site. Also nabbed was MLB scout Frank Falzarano, though the why is not yet known.

Assets totalling $500 million were seized, such as condos, jewelry, art and Bellagio casino chips. The DA's office has scheduled a news conference for today where they will show off the assets and hopefully shed more light on the charges, which include "enterprise corruption" [what the hell?], money laundering [those chips laying around don't help that defense much], and promoting gambling [gasp!].

It's dismaying to see an arrest coming already, before banks have even received instructions on how to comply with the new law. It's also disappointing that the "ringleader" is identified as a poker player. While it may be accurate, it just makes it that much easier for people to associate poker players with all that is unholy and evil online. Clearly if one of us is breaking the law, we all are. Not knowing a lot of details about the charges and evidence at this time, I can't offer a conjecture as to the defense. I do think this case will be watched closely and that many people in the online gaming world will use it as a benchmark for any legal challenges they might wish to make.

We'll keep you updated on this case as it develops.

Death of a Dwarf

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:24:31 +0000

The details are still a bit sketchy, but it appears that the beloved poker "Blogfather" Iggy is with us no longer. I'm far too destraught over this development to be appropriately eloquent, but I wanted to direct his many loyal fans to the virtual memorial services currently being hosted by AlCantHang.

Personally, I'll never forget the first time I met Iggy, in the blogger habitat known as the MGM Grand Sportsbook Bar. He shook my hand, gave me a hug, and told me he loved my blog. I knew it was just a line; something he said to all the girls to get his dwarf self in to their big girl pants, but I was flattered nonetheless. Since that magical meeting the Iggster and I have have had many special adventures, and he and I are soley responsible for turning tens of poker bloggers into degenerate roulette players.

Farewell dear Iggy... may we all be so lucky as to acheive even half of your greatness, and I'll meet you again at a casino in the great beyond. Just make sure you save me a seat at the roulette table.

The Revolution Will Be Televised

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 22:22:23 +0000

ALT HED: This Election Brought to You By Bonus Code Tuaca

It's four o'clock Texas time and election day is soon coming to a close. I've got invites to results watch parties all over the city, but I think I'm going to ride this one out at home with my Republican roommate and fellow poker bloggers on the geek chat otherwise known as IRC. All these party invites got me thinking though... why is there no election night drinking game?

A friend of mine remarked, "I know I'm drinking tonight; I just don't know if it's going to be out of despair or elation." My gut says it's going to be elation, but hey; let's not take chances - let's get a good buzz going before the polls close on the West Coast.

Here's my proposed rules, add your own in the comments:

Newscaster refers to a state as either "red" or "blue": 1 drink
Policy wonk says "mandate", "message", or "ideology": 2 drinks
Democrat wins a House or Senate seat previously occupied by a Republican: 1 drink
Republican wins a House or Senate seat previous occupied by a Democrat: 2 drinks
Sponsor or co-sponsor of the original anti-online gambling bill wins reelection: 2 drinks

Texas version:

Kinky Friedman says something adorably dumb: 1 drink
Carol Keeton Rhylander Strayhorn refers to herself as "Grandma": 1 drink
Chris Bell is exciting: Quit drinking. You're clearly wasted; alcohol poisioning can't be far off.
Rick Perry wins re-election: down the nearest bottle

Update!

Everytime Dan Rather says some folksy, weird, kinda makes you feel uncomfortable metaphor, take one drink.
Everytime Stephen Colbert says "truthiness", take one drink.

"Only Slightly Less Well Known is This!" - Party Poker Sunday 200k Results - 11/5/06

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:16:05 +0000

We here in the good old U S of A tend to be a wee bit on the self-centered side, forgetting that there are indeed other countries out there that enjoy some of the same recreation that we do. It's why the World Series (baseball version) has been won by an American team since its inception, and no one ever invites a Canadian football team to play in the Super Bowl.

In poker, we're always aware of the international aspect, but even then we forget that the show is still going on at many of the online sites that have now banned US players. Promotions have ended, like the Party Poker [Bonus code Tuaca] Sunday Million now turning to the Sunday 200k Guarantee, and the Monster jackpot rolling in to the Bad Beat Jackpot, but every Sunday there's a healthy tournament going on, full of our friends from across the pond (and those who might have an address putting them there).

These Party Poker [did I mention Tuaca?] final tables always crack me up. As soon as the final ten players are seated, someone begins the persuasion efforts to work out a deal and usually gets a majority of players to go along with them. This time it was even more comical, as all players came to the table with fairly even chip stacks. I understand time zone differences and all make it a little late for those overseas, but once you make the final table, put on a pot of coffee and win it all!

The Swiss are traditionally known for kick-ass hot chocolate and peaceful foreign relations, but Swiss player Tiefenmuehle was having none of that, knocking out half of the final table. bb_king69 ran his pocket 9s into T's pocket Jacks, and the board was no help; sending bb home in 10th place. Next out was novpe, who pushed his short stack all-in with pocket 6s and found himself up against T's Q-9. Two nines on the board sent him out in 9th place. The Swiss Reign of Terror continued when Tiefenmuehle's A-K outlasted NannaU's all-in with A-4; neither player getting any help from the board.

Read the Blog!

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 14:08:33 +0000

Some reading material to destroy your Monday work productivity...

Dr. Chako takes a look at a serious, hard-hitting issue affecting all poker players.
While not getting a lot of mention in the poker world, there is a new very important poker book out - The Mathematics of Poker. Terrence Chan reviews the book and says fear of equations shouldn't keep you away.
Lou Krieger points out the need for an online gaming PAC (you know, a real one).
While we turn online gambling in to a crime, the Brits are making it easier than ever for you to gamboool.
The Daily Kos has a fantastic analysis of the brick and mortar casino money trail. [Thanks to Bill for the link]
From OnePennyGame comes an anti-gambling ban clothing line.
Last but certainly not least, don't miss the Pokerati election guide, and most importantly, don't forget to get out and vote!!!

Jamie Gold says Jamie Good, Crispin Bad

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:52:30 +0000

Jamie Gold's lawyers have finally responded to Crispin Leyser's claim that he's owed 6 million, and Wicked Chops Poker has posted the highlights. Among them, Gold alleges that Leyser was down on his luck and looking for a handout, to which Gold, in his infinite generosity, offered to help him out. Gold claims he never offered to give Leyser a full 6 million, just that he would "help him out." However once Gold hit the money in the WSOP, Leyser started to harass him, which Gold claims led him to leave the most expensive voice mail in history. Furthermore, Gold claims that Leyser didn't want taxes or tip coming out of his share of the winnings.

Read the full breakdown over at WCP, and heck, read the full motion if you're so inclined; but note that we will mock you for having nothing better to do on a Friday afternoon. I think this motion, along with the ESPN coverage of Gold, are really helping to improve his image. I especially like how Gold makes it known that Leyser didn't want any tip coming out of his portion. It's a perfect excuse for not dropping a few dimes in the dealer tip pool.

This is, at the core, a case of he said/he said, though I doubt it would be hard to find character witnesses to back up the claim that Leyser was in financial trouble and perhaps a wee bit needy. Finding sources to back up Gold's claim that he was just trying to help a brotha out? That may be a little bit harder, given the Hollywood crowd Gold runs with. I tend to lean more on Leyser's side, just because I don't see him continuing on with this battle unless he truly believes that Gold promised him half his winnings. And for God's sake, why would you ever, in a million years, tell someone you were going to give him half if you had absolutely no intention of doing so?? He's calling and texting you all the time?? Turn off the damn phone. You are at the World Series of Poker after all, and voice mail was created for a reason...

Read the Blog!

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 07:04:23 +0000

Any of our readers know Hoa Mahn Nguyen, from Sunnyvale, California? Paddy Power Poker is looking for him.
As we've seen, try to take away a poker player's right to play online and you'll encounter little resistance. But try and take away a geek's right to strip a female night elf naked and dance and there will be hell to pay.
A year ago, I sat on a friend's porch during a beautiful South Carolina night and talked poker. One of my favorite people in the world was leading the discussion, and he's written a brillant-as-usual piece about the brainstorming process we went through.
The infamous Dr. Pauly was quoted in a recent BusinessWeek article about the online gaming ban.
Our pal Bill Rini offers his analysis of the ban and makes a new friend in the process.
Dan points us to a great podcast with Nolan Dalla.

Possible Pumpkin Eater at the Wynn

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:40:26 +0000

The fine folks at LasVegasVegas are reporting that a 25-year old poker professional was caught marking cards and arrested. This is, of course, all rumor at this point; and I do, of course, have calls in to try and get someone to spill the beans. You heard anything Shrinky? I'm trying to think of all the 25-year old pros I know, and I only know of one.... who does tend to play at the Wynn a lot... and I haven't called him yet, so, uhh... maybe I should do that.

UPDATE: PokerShrink writes in with a link to the aptly named PokerParty Blog, which has an alleged name for alleged cheater. We'll update if/when we find out anything more.

Neteller Countdown Begins

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 16:47:05 +0000

Neteller issued a statement today clarifying their position on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. With FirePay having already announced it would pull out of the US market, players have been jumping ship over to Neteller based on a Wall Street Journal report that their business would continue as usual. The offical announcement from Neteller is yes, but maybe not forever.

The UIGEA gave banks and other financial institutions 270 days to work out plans for compliance with the Act. Neteller is stating that until the US Treasury Department comes out with the offical rules for bank compliance, they will continue to offer services as before. Once that 270 day period hits though, all bets are off.

While not a US company, Neteller clearly states that it has chosen to comply with the Act as if it were. This may seem odd, but as usual, it's all about the money. Investors don't like sinking money into a company that is clearly breaking the laws of the United States, and companies don't like scared investors. In addition, if any Neteller higher-ups ever want to visit the US, it's in the best interest to play along.

So, here's your workaround -
Neteller states that "The ability to withdraw funds will exist regardless of the customer’s location or ability to transfer to any site." Therefore, you can continue to play without fear of your money being in limbo so long as you don't donk off the remainders in your online balances. But if that does happen, all you'd need to do is find yourself a nice foreign buddy who would happily transfer you dollars from their online poker account to yours. Then you play and can still cash out like normal. This of course assumes that the online sites will continue to transact with Neteller, but given the stances announced by those who have decided to stay, I doubt we have to worry.

Read the Blog!

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 04:28:56 +0000

In all the hoopla over the online gambling ban, we've focused on how it affects us individually - completely ignoring the plight of hundreds of poker bots who will now find themselves out of work.
Wicked Chops Poker underwent a transformation this week and will now focus on good, wholesome, completely legal state lotteries.
Busy the first weekend in November? A march on Washington is planned for November 3-4 to protest our recent loss of freedoms.
Check out this post from RGP entitled "Ode to Party":

O Party, thou hast cleft my heart in twain!
With thee, I spent a thousand sleepless nights,
In ecstasies of pleasure and of pain,
So splendid were thy succulent delights!
Thy epic tournies, rife with jousting donks,
Did rescue me from abject destitution;
Now Dubya and his idiotic wonks
Do invite my bloody retribution!
How dare they say with whom you can transact,
And cordon you from he who loves you most?
I swear this day a solemn, sacred fact;
Election Day, those fuckers will be toast.
But if that fails, there's but one thing to do:
To Canada! Where we begin anew.
Now that your online poker options have been limited, perhaps some of you will turn to professional Rock-Paper-Scissors. The World RPS Society has a fun profiler quiz that will identify the type of player you are.
The folks over at Card Squad have been turning out some fantastic strategy pieces.
Oh, and we're all going to hell.

Wishful Humor

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:54:07 +0000

Courtesy of Bill Rini:

Strip Poker Tonight!

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:15:39 +0000

...I think. In what may be the most confusing press release ever, Impact Wrestling is reporting that tonight's episode of Extreme Championship Wrestling will feature the ECW Divas in a strip poker game. Per the Impact site, the show airs on the SciFi Network, which I found to be a little odd. Is this a Ferengi versus Federation smackdown? Does a geek in a stormtrooper costume battle it out with Hulk Hogan? A click over to the SciFi site confirmed that indeed, ECW airs at 10/9 central, smack in the middle of the network's standard geek fare, and appears to be your standard run-of-the-mill wrestling show.

So, how does a strip poker game make it in to all this? OK sure, that's a stupid question. My real question is, why is it EXTREME Strip Poker? It is possible to get EXTREMELY naked? Since this is the SciFi Network, does extremely naked mean that someone sheds their skin, a la "V"? Do I really want to watch that? [As a fan of the series, it would appear the answer is yes, yes I do.]

I moused over to the ECW site for more information about tonight's game, and found a soft-core porn site that offered little more insight in to the game than suggestive pics, videos, and spelling errors. (Don't all click at once, boys) You'll notice on the front page that the deck they're using has six Aces, which leads me to believe they acquired some Harrah's WSOP surplus.

Gentleman, set your Tivos...