Expekt signs on to Tain network

Expekt signs on to Tain network Nordic-focused sportsbook Expekt has officially signed a deal to join the Tain poker network, as exclusively revealed earlier this month by eGaming Review. Expekt will become by far the largest member of the Tain network, which currently includes Scandinavian sportsbooks pointbet and Scandic Bookmakers. Erik Ahlberg, chief executive of Tain, said it was a “very exciting” development for his company “Expekt.com is the market leader in Scandinavia and one of the biggest players in Europe,” Ahlberg said. Tain has provided sportsbook software for Expekt since it was launched in 1999 and casino software from when it was launched in 2003. “We feel that it is only natural to get maximum synergies by moving all our key products to the same provider,” Per-Ivan Selinder, CEO of Expekt.com, said. Expekt.com will switch to Tain Poker on the 23rd of October, 2005. view previous story

Listing date set for Cassava?

Listing date set for Cassava? Cassava Enterprises, the Gibraltar-based owner of 888.com, hit the headlines in the UK this week with reports its predicted US$1.3bn listing on the London Stock Exchange could occur as soon as 1 September. Cassava has been linked with an IPO since March 2005, but reports increasingly suggest the company will almost certainly now list next month. view previous story A Cassava spokesman said an IPO was still only “the preferred option” and no final decision has been made. But he added a decision was expected “very shortly” and a report in the Financial Times said it was looking at 1 September to make its public debut. The company, which operators the world’s largest online casino alongside the successful poker site Pacific Poker, will have a predicted valuation of US$1.3bn. Annual profits for Cassava are believed to be between US$70-100m, but it is expected to list at a lower multiple than rival company PartyGaming. Party made its stock market debut in July 2005 at a valuation of US$8.5bn, and has since seen its share price rise by over 40%. A separate report in the UK Sunday Express newspaper said Cassava was expected to mount a bid for PokerStars following a successful listing. The potential deal would likely make the combined company second only to PartyGaming as the largest listed egaming company.

E-Poker-Chips.com Identifies the Most Popular Types of Poker Chips

E-Poker-Chips.com Identifies the Most Popular Types of Poker Chips E-Poker-Chips.com states that for the last 75 years, clay chips have not actually been constructed out of pure clay. Actual clay chips were used in the United States during the late 1800's; however, these easily broken chips were quickly replaced by clay filled composites that provided much greater durability and security. In the early part of the 1900’s chips were commonly molded from Plaskon, an urea formaldehyde molding compound. In the 1930’s die cut metal foil was applied to the chips to give unique identity and added security. Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Casino with these chips. In the 40’s printed centers appeared and edge spots were added for even greater security. The 1950’s saw most casinos using the newest chips with house designs, logos or both molded into the rim and top of chip. Today the style and materials utilized in the manufacture of gaming chips are unique to the particular casino. Some have metal “coin” centers with structural plastic outer rims. Cloth fiber reinforced polymer molded chips and a just introduced all metal alloy poker chip that is anodized in different brilliant colors. Clay composite chips can be quite expensive and difficult to find due to their popularity. These chips usually are in weight ranges between 8 grams and 11.5 grams and are casino standard 39 mm diameter. Composite Metal Core Chips These heavy (8g or 11.5g), very durable chips are readily available and can usually be customized through a hot stamping or decaling process for added security. These chips are injection molded from a particulate filled thermoset (does not soften when heated) plastic around an internal metal slug for that exact “Casino” look and feel. Almost all metal core chips are manufactured in either Taiwan or China. Chips from China are, on the whole, of a lesser quality, probably owing to the lack of quality control including less precision in composite mixing, and imperfect dyes used in manufacturing. Chips manufactured in Taiwan are usually of a higher overall quality that becomes quite evident in the general appearance and feel. There does not appear to be any price differential between the two. However, good quality chips are available from China and “made in Taiwan” is not always a guarantee of acceptable quality so it is important to examine a sample before making a large purchase. Casino Chips These are, of course, the very best, especially when it comes to security. Casino chips are produced by an extremely limited number of bonded companies all located within the US. Each casino has a unique secret blend composition used to mold their chips; this is one of the primary defenses to prevent counterfeiting. The chips are injection molded with copyrighted designs in manufacturing facilities that have security that rivals the US mint. Most modern casino chips are a synthetic polymer acrylic composite with a laminated center. The only avenue available to acquire real casino chips is to buy them from the casino at face value or from a reseller that will usually include a hefty mark-up. Casino chips vary slightly in weight, however most weight in around 10g. Plastic Chips Plastic chips are the most basic gaming chip option and can be purchased almost anywhere. You can find extremely cheap chips sold at supermarkets in the toy aisle to heavy solid plastic chips that can weight as much as 7g. Plastic chips do not offer much in the way of security and are easily damaged. They lack the look and heft of composite chips and tend to tinkle when splashing the pot. Plastic chips are good for people who might be new to poker (or other games that use markers) or people who have a very limited budget. As with composite chips, its important to request samples of the chips you are considering. Most reputable vendors will send a chip sample if you send a self addressed stamped envelope. Bicycle manufacturers two sets of plastic chips that come in travel cases: the Poker Portfolio (approx. $15 to $20) includes 300 chips and 2 decks of cards; the Poker Attaché (approx. $27.50 to $32.50) includes 500 chips, 2 decks of cards, and a dealer button. Poker Chips provides detailed information about the history and types of poker chips, as well as poker chips cases and sets, and advice on where to buy poker chips. Poker Chips is the sister site of Pool Tables Web.

Sold - To Belle Rock Gaming Players! Belle Rock Gaming Auctions - Player Rewards Now a Thrilling Experience

The thrill and excitement of playing online reached new heights today with the launch of Belle Rock Gaming Auctions (http://www.bellerockgaming.com/auctionrelease) -- another fun innovation with which well-known online gaming group, Belle Rock Gaming will reward their players. This latest addition to Belle Rock Gaming's array of player benefits enables its players to bid online on a wide variety of sought after and collectable items. Their auction currency will be free Auctions Points they'll earn for playing at any of the Belle Rock Gaming casinos or for a variety of interactions with the casinos. "Our players will still be awarded Cash Back Points for use in their gaming accounts, but from today they will also earn a free Auction Point for every Cash Back Point. Using these to bid on any of the auction items, they can now also experience the thrill and excitement inherent to any bidding process," said Tim Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Carmen Media Group, owners of Belle Rock Gaming. With no reserved bids on any of the items up for auction, anything can be secured at a fraction of its real cost without players having to spend any money. Items on offer cater for a wide variety of preferences and include electronic equipment, jewelry, appliances, trips and tickets, home wares, sports equipment, and rare collectables. New items will be added regularly and an average of 10 new auctions will be hosted every day. One of the hot items on offer during August is a brand new SUV. "Irrespective of the value of the bid, the highest one wins. So the winning bidder can walk away with anything from a SUV to limited edition music collection for as little as 1 Auction Point if that was the only bid received," said Johnson. "Auction Points are updated daily so as they play, their Auction Points balance will be growing, allowing for so many more opportunities to win." Players will also earn Bonus Auction Points for a variety of interactions such as: * installing and logging into Belle Rock Gaming's Belle Rock Buddy * opening additional real Belle Rock Gaming casino accounts * updating or verifying their details * linking their accounts in the Belle Rock Buddy and * taking part in selected research surveys. The auction process is easy and straightforward. Belle Rock Gaming Auctions are accessed via the Belle Rock Buddy -- a revolutionary desktop application that provides secure, instant, fingertip access to all Belle Rock Gaming has to offer. Auction Points can be earned across any of the following Belle Rock Gaming online casinos: * River Belle Online Casino * River Belle Multiplayer Casino * The Gaming Club Online Casino * Lucky Nugget Online Casino * Jackpot City Online Casino * Aces High Online Casino * Showdown Online Casino * Home Casino "We believe Belle Rock Gaming Auctions will add to the thrilling entertainment our players are used to and we will continue to develop offerings that will ensure our players are spoilt for choice," said Johnson. About Belle Rock Gaming Belle Rock Gaming (http://www.bellerockgaming.com) is a group of online casinos, poker rooms and a multiplayer casino. It is owned by Carmen Media Group Limited, based in Gibraltar and is one of the most experienced and trusted online gaming operators in the world. Over the past 10 years, the various brands within the Belle Rock Gaming group have become synonymous with exciting entertainment, the most advanced games and the biggest promotions. All Belle Rock Gaming's online casinos carry the eCogra Players' Seal of Approval which testifies to fair play and responsible gaming, as well as secure and timely payouts. The group's brands include: River Belle Online Casino The Gaming Club Online Casino The Gaming Club Online Poker Room The Gaming Club Online Sportsbook Jackpot City Online Casino Lucky Nugget Online Casino Aces High Online Casino Showdown Online Casino Home Online Casino

Online poker players question game fixing

Online poker players question game fixing By Nick O'Neill For Indiana Daily Student While players can get their poker fix by arranging games with their friends, more and more people are looking to Internet to get winning hand anytime of the day. Most students at least have friends who play, if they do not play themselves. However, some serious poker players call into question the validity of these online games. Adam Friedman, IU alumnus and competitor in the 2005 World Series of Poker, has little faith in these internet poker sites. "I am positive these games are fixed," Friedman said, "You can tell by paying attention to the hands people draw and how some people are betting. Friedman is a student of the game. He has been around a poker table long enough to know when something is not right. "Things that I never have seen playing regular poker will happen on a consistent basis in these online games." Friedman said, "The only advice I would give any player is to not get involved with online poker … it will cost you." Josh Ackerman, a student at the University of Colorado and an avid poker player, said he uses online poker as practice for when he sits down at a real table. "I play in the free games online." Ackerman said, "It is good practice without the risk of losing any money." IU Professor Chris Falk disagrees with Friedman's claim that online poker is fixed. Falk is an online veteran of four years, as well as a friend of Friedman. "If the word got out that the sites were fixed, no one would play," Falk said. Falk's explanation for the change of the online games style, as opposed to poker at a table, is a result of the anonymous nature of being online. "People are not worried about their tables making fun of their unusual play." Falk said, "Just the nature of being online will open the door for stupid moves." Friedman is doing a lot better than almost any online poker player can say. He has not invested any of his own money and still claims to be ahead by a "decent amount." He won a online tournament a couple years ago and has used that money to build on his earnings. He does not really spend any of his winnings; he just uses it to stay in the game. "Money is a tool to gamble," Friedman said, "However, only play with what you can afford to lose." Players with Friedman's talent are few among many. The average student who plays casually could be setting himself or herself up for heartbreak, according to Friedman, the Internet poker sites bring in million of dollars every day, most of it coming from college students. These sites are hard to monitor since it is illegal for them to exist in the United States. All the sites are coming from Canada or overseas. Falk believes that within a few years several states will legalize running online sights within their borders. "It is just a matter of time before renegade states like Illinois, Georgia, and Alaska make online poker legal." Falk said. "They will make good money off these sights through taxes." With the popularity of games like Texas Hold'em, the end to online poker seems to be nowhere in sight. Friedman suggests that hopeful players study games like Hold'em to make sure they can recognize a dishonest table. Friedman himself thinks Texas Hold'em is a rather boring game, but he is aware of its popularity among his peers. "These days, Texas Hold'em is to white suburban kids, as crack-cocaine was to them in the '70s," Friedman said. "That is the best thing I can compare it to."

Survey Reveals Online Poker Patterns

Survey Reveals Online Poker Patterns By Casino City Times A survey of U.S. poker players commissioned by The World Poker Exchange, sponsor of the upcoming London Open lifestyle poker tournament in August, reveals preferences regarding playing poker, a game that is reaching new heights in popularity. Seventy-five percent of players engage in a game at least three times a month. Respondents indicated that 39 percent play five times or more a month. A 57 percent majority of online poker players believe that winning is more about skill than luck versus the 74 percent of traditional casino poker players who believe that skill definitely trumps luck. Where Poker Players Are Gathering For A Game Given a choice, nearly half of poker players (45 percent) want to play online, and the same amount (45 percent) prefer playing face-to-face with friends. Women are six times more likely to prefer playing online than in a casino (48 percent vs. 8 percent). Overall, more than three out of four players (77 percent) regularly play online each month. Among players who play games online, nearly six in ten surveyed (59 percent) prefer to play poker online because it is less intimidating than playing in a casino. A full, 75 percent of online poker players also reported enjoying that online is both convenient and comfortable to play at home. Additionally, as a benefit, they can find a game at any time. Sixty-six percent of the respondents stated they prefer playing online because they don't need to worry about maintaining a "poker face", and 48 percent consider playing online a good way to practice for face-to-face games. Forty-three percent like online play because hands are dealt faster than in a casino. Venus Vs. Mars Poker Playing Habits Men and women play poker about the same amount of time, with 60 percent of men playing up to four times each month and 62 percent of women playing up to four times per month. Despite playing the same number of times each month, nearly half the women (49 percent) consider themselves a "social player," compared to 28 percent of men. Almost one in five (17 percent) men rate themselves as "serious players" versus only 7 percent of women players. When it comes to playing poker in a casino, 73 percent of men reported that they are comfortable playing poker in this environment, while only 52 percent of women would be at ease doing so. Wagering for Fun, Thrills and to Win More than half of all players surveyed (53 percent) say they make bets for fun, even if it means "losing a small amount." A strong majority (69 percent) wagers enough to "win a little money occasionally." Only six percent wager enough to supplement their incomes and 2 percent "play full-time as an occupation." Win or lose, four in 10 players say they love the thrill of betting on poker games. Celebrity Fantasy Game Player Preferences From a list of celebrities, George Clooney was the most desired fantasy poker player, with more than one in five respondents (21 percent) saying they would most like to play with him. Other popular celebrities that people want to play poker with included Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Shannon Elizabeth and Mimi Rogers. Women were 20 percent more likely to want to play with George Clooney (33 percent among women to 13 percent among men), and men were five times more likely than women to choose Jennifer Lopez as a playing partner (24 percent among men to 5 percent among women). World Poker Exchange commissioned KRC Research to conduct a Poker Player Habits and Attitudes survey in June, 2005 encompassing 301 online interviews of poker players age 18 and up. The margin of error is estimated at +/- 5.7% at the 95% confidence level. KRC Research is a full-service opinion and marketing research division unit of Interpublic, with offices in Washington, DC, Boston, New York and London.

Best Poker Magazines - Mags About Poker

Best Poker Magazines - Mags About Poker By Toby Bochan For About.com Poker Whether you subscribe or read the articles online, these magazines are a great place to read advice and stories from poker pros and players around the country, as well as find tournament listings and new card rooms to play at. 1) Card Player Card Player Magazine was the first of its kind and is still my favorite, though it does skew it's information to intermediate to advanced players. They get an amazing array of pros and great writers to populate their pages, and the accompaning Web site is superb. 2) Bluff Bluff's subhead is "The Thrill of Poker" and the magazine has tried to make its poker news and advice exciting and engaging in each bimonthly issue since its October 2004 launch. I really enjoy the writing, interviews, and layout of this publication which recently (6/2005) snagged Lou Kreiger away from Card Player magazine. 3) All In Launched at the end of 2004, this mag covers poker playing advice as well as the flashier, celeb-filled side of poker -- witness the cover of issue #2, featuring movie star and poker player Ben Affleck. They've got Phil Gordon, host of Celebrity Poker, on their roster of regular writers appearing in each bi-monthly issue. 4) Poker Player Newspaper While it's got "newspaper" in it's name and is a large-format publication, I think of this more of a weekly magazine than a paper. Either way, this publication has great columns and each week review another card room and fill you in on where to play poker in another state in their "United States of Poker" feature. 5) Woman Poker Player This, one of the newest of the poker magazines, focuses on the ladies of poker and advice just for women. While its intended readership is obviously female, there are great interviews and advice that any poker player can enjoy and benefit from. 6) Casino Player While not strictly a poker magazine, I've found this magazine invaluable for planning trips to casinos to play poker, since it has great advice on where to stay and play. There's usually a poker article or poker room review, as well as tournament listings. 7) Poker Pro The first summer 2005 issue of this new magazine shows a lot of promise -- Doyle Brunson, the "Godfather of Poker" graces its cover and the issue is filled with information on the top players of poker. Each month they also offer a Q&A section with reader questions answered by a different pro.

National poker craze could create a generation of problem gamblers

National poker craze could create a generation of problem gamblers By Lynn Franey For Knight Ridder Newspapers Jack's never been to a Kansas City riverboat casino. He's only 15, after all, well shy of the legal Missouri gambling age of 21. But he sees plenty of the gambling life anyway, thanks to televised Las Vegas poker tournaments beamed right into his living room. The high school sophomore can admire his favorite professional poker players. Sit on the couch and ogle gigantic stacks of cash. And learn strategies for $5 poker throw-downs with his buddies. Many people, including Jack and his parents, see no harm in betting a few bucks with friends in the security of their home, no matter how young they are. It can be a brain-stimulating social event, one local therapist says. But experts caution that gambling's expansion - TV poker, casinos and lotteries, Internet casinos, horse and dog tracks, casino-style after-prom parties, publicized sports-betting lines - makes America's next generation more vulnerable to gambling problems. Between 4 percent and 6 percent of adolescents are problem gamblers, a rate about twice as high as that of adults, according to the most recent studies. An additional 8 percent to 10 percent are at risk of becoming problem gamblers. And those stats are a few years old, before poker captured such wide interest. Toy stores now sell Texas Hold'em sets. Experts worry the numbers will climb in coming years. The earlier someone starts gambling, the more likely he or she will become an adult problem gambler, research shows. Most adult problem gamblers began gambling around 10 or 11, said Jeff Derevensky, who leads the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems in Montreal, Quebec. "Gambling problems are a progressive disease ... Today's children are growing up in a society in which it is totally legal, in which you turn on the major networks, let alone the specialty networks, and you see poker tournaments with major stakes," he said. "... They are growing up in an environment much different than ever before, so we don't know what's going to happen." Teenagers, primarily boys, have long played poker and bet on football and pool games. One theory about youth gambling holds that all people take risks when they are children but stop when they mature. So the children will be all right. Psychologist Bruce Cappo says he doesn't see anything wrong with children, even as young as 12, betting on cards. "I'd much rather have them working out mathematical probabilities of poker hands than sitting playing a video game all day," Cappo said. If they're playing for small amounts, the winning moves back and forth among the players, and the children still get outside and engage in other activities, it's not harmful, said Cappo. His 19-year-old son is a college student who likes to play poker. "It would be the excess that would be a red flag for me," Cappo said. "There are things about cards that can be helpful. It can get their mind working and be a social event." Another theory about youth gambling has darker overtones. "The other theory says these kids who grow up now with these problems, they're only going to escalate because once they get more access (to gambling), what's going to happen?" Derevensky said. Some evidence is emerging that young people are beginning to make up an increasing share of problem gamblers. In New Jersey, people under age 21 made 6 percent of the calls last year to a gambling help line, up from 5 percent in 2003 and 2 percent the three previous years. The percentage of help-line callers saying they were students grew from less than 1 percent in 2000-2003 to 4 percent in 2004. Problem gambling is hurting some children's academic and financial futures: _Therapist Michael Hanson worked with a teenager who in the past two years has played so much poker that he buried himself in debt, flunked out of college and got kicked out of his house. _Jean Holthaus, a social worker, knows a young man who owed so much money from losing pool-hustling bets that he forged relatives' checks, dropped out of school and is in trouble with the law. _A sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis boasted last semester in the student newspaper's "featured poker player" of the week column that he often played poker online until 6 or 7 in the morning and slept until 4 p.m., missing classes and even a midterm exam. Counselors and others who work with young people are becoming aware of the potential for problems and beginning to take preventive measures. They're distributing educational videos to schools, holding conferences and using grants to study the issue. They're also advising parents to watch for warning signs of potential gambling problems. Betting more frequently and with larger amounts of money are important signals. But there are others, too: withdrawing from friends and family, losing interest in other activities, exhibiting signs of depression and performing poorly in school. These signs should prompt parents to get involved and seek a therapist's help, experts say. Children whose parents suffer from gambling or drug or alcohol addictions are particularly at risk. Many children who gamble now believe they can be big poker winners, said Ed Looney, a recovering compulsive gambler who leads the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling. "But it's a lot of luck," he said. "You get the cards or you don't get the cards. Parents should be aware of this, and if the kids play, they shouldn't play for money. They should play for fun, or little chips that don't mean anything." Without money, "They're not getting into the gambling aspect and it becomes a different animal." When there's money on the table, he said, "Kids are not in it just to play and be social. They're there to beat the other guy and get all his money." Scott Kaufman-Ross, a Washington University sophomore from New Jersey, played poker a lot last year with his dorm mates. No-limit Texas Hold'em, the most popular game right now, appeals to young men like himself. "That's excitement," said Kaufman-Ross, 19. "It's also the game with the most bluffing ... There's a lot of machismo in it and who can outmuscle other people." He keeps his bets small, he said, but knows other students who play with hundreds of dollars every day, as well as playing online. He admits to putting off writing a paper for an hour or so when he's playing, but won't let gambling interfere with schoolwork beyond that. "When you have the computer on and you have a split screen with poker and your paper, there's too many venues there for trouble," Kaufman-Ross said. "A, you'll lose your money, and B, you're not doing your work." As soon as he turns 21, though, he said, he'll hit the poker rooms at St. Louis casinos. Luke Sigle began trying his luck in Kansas City's casino poker rooms three months after he turned 21. Now the 22-year-old from Manhattan, Kan., plays poker here about every other week, while playing online at least several hours a day about six days a week. He qualified for the most recent World Series of Poker by winning an online tournament. The Web site paid his $10,000 World Series qualifying fee, but he lost on the first day. He started playing poker about three years ago when he was a track athlete at a Kansas community college. Now he's a semester away from graduation at Oklahoma State University. This summer and last, he's played poker like a full-time job. He says he's made enough money to pay off his car and essentially earned the equivalent of four years' worth of college tuition. Early on a recent Thursday afternoon, Sigle sat in the poker room of a local casino with several dozen people, almost all men, about a quarter of them appearing to be under 30. The air filled with the click-clack of poker chips being shuffled and reshuffled, stacked and restacked, arranged and rearranged in the players' constantly moving hands. As he played at one slow table, Sigle's eyes wandered to giant TV screens showing timber sports competitions. He rolled $5 chips through his fingers. He was up about $200 but then moved to another table, where he rapidly lost it all. After two hours, he left, ending up $3 for the day. He says he keeps poker in perspective by doing things that don't involve cards, like golfing and going to the lake with friends. He plans to get a regular job after graduation, but worries it won't pay him what he's been making playing poker. But poker does affect his life. He just missed the wedding of his best friend from high school because he was in Vegas for the World Series. And he hasn't played nearly as much golf the past two years as he would have liked. He owes his life as a poker player to the time period he grew up in, he said. If he'd graduated from high school in the early 1990s, rather than the early part of this decade, there would have been no TV poker to get him hooked on trying to qualify for the World Series. There would have been no Internet casinos for playing whenever he felt like it. (Before hitting the local casino recently, Sigle had won several hundred dollars playing online.) And there would have been no casinos where his pastime could bloom into nearly a vocation. He's alarmed about younger children already knowing how to play. "It's better than them having a party and drinking when they're seventh-graders, but if they're paying $5 buy-ins, that would be a little concerning that kids that age would start gambling," Sigle said. Jack's mother, who asked that the family's name not be used, says she's glad she knows where her son is and what he's doing when he's playing poker with his friends. They're not playing with much money, said Jack's father, just using bits of their allowance or some of their lawn-mowing earnings. No one in the circle of friends is so good that he wins consistently. Jack started playing poker when he was in middle school. He says he plays because it's better than sitting there bored. He likes hanging out with friends, and no one ever loses too much money. He says he probably wouldn't bother playing if they didn't play for money, because then players don't take it seriously enough. By contrast, 18-year-old Steve Yanda said he and his friends are probably "addicted" to the game, but not to the betting. "Playing poker isn't a problem," said Yanda, who will attend Marquette University this fall. "Playing poker and betting a whole lot of money is a problem." He isn't playing much this summer: "I use it to relax and you don't need to relax during the summer. There's nothing (like school stress) to get away from." Based on the children Behman Zakeri meets, the poker craze is not a fad ready to fade. Zakeri, who just played in his third World Series of Poker, owns a collector's frequented by teens and preteens. They buy cards for other games like Yu-Gi-Oh but talk about how they love to get together for poker games, he said. "What scares me with a lot of these kids is they don't have money. They work at Price Chopper or Hy-Vee. They make $200 or $300 a paycheck," he said. "If they lose that playing cards, they lose their whole paycheck. They don't understand the seriousness. "Poker is the most brutal lifestyle sport that any one person can do as a living. Thank God I have a job." Unlike Sigle, Zakeri had to pony up the $10,000 World Series entry fee because he failed to qualify through satellite tournaments. He busted out of the tourney the first day. When asked whether poker has had negative effects on his relationships, he says flatly: "I don't want to talk about that. Yes, there are bad times. When I win a major tournament, I'll write my autobiography and tell everybody the reality of poker."

Mobile Poker on the Bill at 2005 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe)

Mobile Poker on the Bill at 2005 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe) From Poker 777 London's Meridian Hotel will host the 2005 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe), between August 30th and September 1st. With mobile gaming being one of the hottest trends in entertainment today, and considering the fact that the popularity of poker has absolutely exploded, it's no surprise that mobile poker will get a place in the spotlight at GDC Europe. Chris Satchell, the general manager of Microsoft Xbox and John Cahill, the director of mobile games for Yahoo! will both deliver keynote speeches. Cahill's keynote address, entitled Yahoo! Games Gone Mobile: The Power of Connected Communities will focus on the mobile gaming pursuits of Yahoo! Games. A main component of the keynote will be a case study of Yahoo! Game's recently released Yahoo! Poker. Yahoo! Poker is a multiplayer poker game, compatible across multiple platforms, which allows mobile poker players to compete against people playing poker online on their PCs.

Thieves rob poker players, take their clothes

Thieves rob poker players, take their clothes By Associated Press For kfvs12 RIVERSIDE, Ohio Talk about losing your shirt playing poker. Police in Ohio say a dozen poker players lost all their clothes when they were robbed at gunpoint. It happened early yesterday at a private club in the Dayton suburb of Riverside. Police say thieves robbed the players, then stripped them of their clothes and tied them together with shoelaces and belts. The victims managed to free themselves and put on trash bags. But by then, the robbers were long gone. One of the poker players say the robbers were in the club for nearly an hour and even took the time to search through the cars in the parking lot.

WSOP Champ returns home to a full house

Home to a full house From The Age It's not many men who'll admit winning a bracelet has been a highlight of their life, but when $10-million man Joe Hachem arrived home in Melbourne this morning it was all about the bling. A white gold and diamond encrusted band around the world poker champion's wrist was outshone only by his broad grin - his poker face was nowhere in sight. Mr Hachem won the World Series of Poker Championships in Las Vegas last month, after a 14-hour final. Winning the bracelet was the high point of his experience; that and his family joining him in Las Vegas, he said. Today in Melbourne, the father of four was greeted by a throng of friends and family. They chanted "Hachem! Hachem!" as the multi-millionaire pushed a trolley through customs. Despite his win, Mr Hachem and his wife Jeannie travelled in economy class. "I had an entourage of about 10 or 12 people and I may have a lot of money at the moment but I'm not going to throw it away," he said. "And I'd rather stay with my family and friends than be a hotshot and be in first class." Mr Hachem doesn't know whether Australia's tax commissioner Michael Carmody will try to deal himself a share of the prize money. "That's something that's out of my hands, really. It's between Mr Carmody and my accountant and they can work it out together. "I'm not really sure about it. I play poker and raise a family and do a bit of finance on the side." At this stage, the money is stowed in an Australian bank account. Mr Hachem will try to get back the 30 per cent of his winnings taken by the US government. And he is hoping endorsements will prove to be as lucrative as the win. Internet poker sites and beer companies have already shown interest in "Aussie Joe" and picking him up from the airport today were representatives from Crown Casino, who hope to make him an ambassador. "It's been crazy. I'm just a boy from the suburbs and suddenly I've got all these flashes and cameras in my face every where I go," he said. His advice to budding poker players was simple: play for fun and don't bet your livelihood.