With Poker Mania, It's All Hands On Deck

With Poker Mania, It's All Hands On Deck by Annalisa Burgos for Forbes.com You could call it the new American pastime. From Las Vegas to Atlantic City, N.J., and from card parlors to cyberspace, poker is the game. You might go so far as to say poker is the game of the globe--if you don't count football (soccer). In the past few years, the game has attracted millions of new players. Tournaments such as the World Series of Poker--a six-week marathon that kicked off June 2--and around-the-clock play on the Internet have helped fuel the frenzy. So has a group of young Hollywood stars, including Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio. To be sure, promoters have also managed to exploit the game's Everyman image, and casinos have used the game to attract new customers. Poker mania has produced TV shows, best-selling books, magazines and a host of celebrities. Even the venerable New York Times has hired a poker columnist for the first time in its history. Nearly 2 million play online poker each month. In New Jersey and Nevada alone--the only two states that track data--revenue hit $152 million in 2004, up 45% from 2003. Fun aside, the headlines and the big money comes down to the tournaments. Two major brands dominate. The older, more established (36 years in the running) is the World Series of Poker, which is owned and operated by Harrah's Entertainment (nyse: HET - news - people ), now in the process of merging with Caesars Entertainment (nyse: CZR - news - people). Cable-TV channel ESPN, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS - news - people ), broadcasts the tournament. The series consists of several tournaments offering smaller prize money, in addition to the main tournament, which decides the world champion. This year, some 6,600 will compete in the main tournament July 7-15. Many of the competitors paid $10,000 to enter, with the hope of winning a jackpot of some $8 million. The other major brand is the World Poker Tour, now four years old and run by WPT Enterprises (nasdaq: WPTE - news - people ), a majority-owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment (nasdaq: LACO - news - people ). A TV show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments airs on the Travel Channel in the U.S. and 50 other global markets. The tournaments are held in various casinos and on cruise ships throughout the world. The WPT is credited with making the game more accessible and exciting with its innovative camera shots that allow viewers to see players' hands, or hole cards. Click on the links below to view several poker mania videos. Meet Mr. Poker Bluffing The Big Boys Mastering The Poker-Room Face Training Tomorrow's Poker Champs Poker Joins The Big Leagues

U of M student wins $41,000 at College Poker Championship

U of M student wins $41,000 at College Poker Championship by Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS - A University of Minnesota student who was named the best college poker player in the world will receive a trophy and a $41,000 scholarship on Thursday. Chad Flood, 20, a junior from Fond du Lac, Wis., finished ahead of 25,000 players May 22 in the second annual College Poker Championship. "I thought it would be a long shot to win the whole thing since there are so many people in it," Flood said Wednesday. "I was pretty shocked for a while." Flood, an economics major, finished in the top 100 in last year's competition. He learned regular poker when he was in junior high but didn't start playing Texas Hold 'Em until three or four years ago. In college, Flood became more interested in Texas Hold 'Em, which has gained popularity after being featured on TV and played by celebrities. Flood also started playing the game online for money and read a few strategy books about it. "Playing a lot and reading the books - I just became better and better," he said. Although he's already reached the top for his age, Flood said he plans to play in the competition again next year and looks forward to turning 21, which will make him eligible to play in more competitions. "I'd like to compete in the World Poker Tour or World Series of Poker," he said. "Maybe I'll make some trips to Las Vegas and see how I do."

Poker Expert Phil Gordon to Kick in with Daily Podcast from 2005 World Series of Poker Beginning June 6

Poker Expert Phil Gordon to Kick in with Daily Podcast from 2005 World Series of Poker Beginning June 6 Beginning this week (6/6/05), poker fans will be able to connect to the high-stakes excitement of the 2005 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas by subscribing, free of charge, to top pro and commentator Phil Gordon's daily podcast from this legendary event. Both iPod owners and other interested digital downloaders can subscribe to Phil's reports by logging onto www.expertinsight.com. A professional poker player who has won well in excess of $1.3 million in tournament play, expert analyst, and co-host of TV's "Celebrity Poker Showdown," Gordon will provide fans with a table-eye view of the hottest action on the floor. He will break down the thought process, strategy, and twists and turns as they unfold, in the quest to lay down a winning hand in poker's premiere event -- and stay alive in the quest to walk away with an estimated $10 million in cash and the title of World Series of Poker Champion. Gordon's journal-style Web posting will be transmitted daily throughout the tournament as he takes listeners on a journey all the way to the Final Table on July 15th. Mixed into Phil's early commentary are his interviews with world-class poker pros and celebrities such as Daniel Negreanu, Layne Flack, Erick Lindgren, Annie Duke, and James Woods. Gordon believes that podcasting, which combines the freedom of expression of blogging with XML-based audio downloading technology, is the perfect venue for providing poker fans with a sense of context, excitement and insight on breaking news from the tournament. Gordon has also taken a progressive approach to instructional videos with the release of his DVD, "Final Table Poker With Phil Gordon" (more information available at www.expertinsight.com). Rather than a traditional tutorial, Gordon places viewers at the final table of a high-stakes tournament and inside the mind of a professional as he breaks down how winning decisions are made in tournament play. Gordon's definitive strategy guide to No Limit Hold'em, The Little Green Book of No-Limit Hold'em (Simon Spotlight Entertainment), is also scheduled for release October 4, 2005.

Legends of Poker - Doyle Brunson

Legends of Poker - Doyle Brunson Al Moe for PokerNews.com Seven of the first eight World Series of Poker Champions hailed from the state of Texas. What could account for that? Was it something in the water? Were those players really that good? Or was it simply that they were playing the toughest, most exciting poker game ever invented: Texas Hold'em? Nobody knows for sure why, but the fellows from Texas just dominated the competition when it came to big money, high pressure Texas Hold'em, and Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson was arguably the finest player by the end of the 1970's. Born in Longworth, Texas in 1933, Doyle grew up with his brother and sister in a small home his father was able to provide them by working at the Planters Gin Co. He recalled his father as "The calmest, most even-tempered individual I've ever been exposed to," and from Doyle's later accomplishments in poker, he must have inherited his calm demeanor from his father. to read the rest of this article, visit pokernews.com

Computer malfunction hits video poker machines

Computer malfunction hits video poker machines The Associated Press A computer malfunction caused some of the Oregon Lottery's video poker machines to "tilt" in the middle of games over the weekend, cashing the player out automatically. Outages were reported on machines across the state, although it was not immediately clear just how many players were affected. Lottery staff and the system's vendor, GTECH, worked on the problem most of Sunday, said Chuck Baumann, Oregon Lottery spokesman. No money was reported lost by players, and lottery officials don't know how much state revenue has been lost. Problems with video-poker machines have been uncommon since the games were introduced in 1992, Baumann said. Terminals recently were upgraded to include video slot machine games, in addition to poker, but it is not yet clear whether the upgrade is related to the problem.