Poker Terms - The Origin Of The Nuts

Poker Terms - The Origin Of The Nuts by Marc Weinberg for Online Poker Insider For a change of pace (instead of me whining about a bad beat or gloating over an improbable victory), I dedicate this column to a little poker etymology, namely discussing the origin of an interesting poker term, "the nuts". You hear it all the time playing poker, but where does "the nuts" derive from, and how did it come to mean the absolute best hand in a poker game? When you hold the nuts in poker you have an unbeatable hand. If a hold'em board shows Ad-Td-Jc-2c-3s and you hold the Qs-Kh then you my friend have the stone cold mortal nuts. This cool poker term dates way back to the Wild West where cowboys would gather round a table, preferably in a saloon but alternatively around a campfire, and play cards. Back then poker players would not always bet with cash or chips. It was a more rustic time, and men would often bet their horse and wagon on a poker hand. Legend has it that when a cowboy bet his wagon he would unscrew the nuts from his wagon wheels and place them in the pot. The reason behind this gesture was that in the event that he lost the pot he could not leap up, hop into his wagon and ride away with his wager. The fact that he was willing to put those nuts in the pot as surety for the strength of his hand resonated through the prairie, and came to be synonymous with the best hand. A cowboy would only bet "the nuts" when he was convinced that his hand was the best out there. Everyone knows that Wild Bill was gunned down while holding Aces and Eights, and that we now call it the dead man's hand. But who at your table knows the true origin of the nuts, other than you of course, pardner.

Al Ardebili Captures World Poker Tour Title at Borgata Poker Open

Al Ardebili Captures World Poker Tour Title at Borgata Poker Open Six players entered the Borgata Event Center last night, one left a champion. The marquee event of the 2005 Borgata Poker Open lived up to its hype and supplied spectators with some of the most intriguing poker play on the WPT to date. Jersey City's Al Ardebili captured the title and first-place prize of $1,498,650 after he beat Margate, N.J.'s Richard Festejo in the final hand. Both New Jersey natives won their buy-ins into the WPT finals via Borgata Super Satellite tournaments earlier this month, after participating in $300 and $1000 events respectively. Taking an enormous chance, Festejo risked his chip stack on a bluff with only a seven and eight of hearts and was quickly rebuffed when Ardebili called with his ace of hearts and nine of spades. Unfortunately for Festejo, who had started the final table with the shortest stack, neither the flop, turn, or river offered any help and Ardebili eliminated him with only ace high. Festejo earned $799,280 for finishing second. Kathy Liebert reached the highest spot for the ladies, finishing third and collecting a cool $427,115. She was joined in the money by fellow female standouts Evelyn Ng, who finished 11, and Clonie Gowen, who finished 31. Celebrities, poker stars, and local "home-game heros," all saw action on a level playing field at the 2005 Borgata Poker Open, as players came from all over the world for a chance at the WPT title. WPT announcer and star player in his own right, Mike Sexton, applauded Borgata and explained that the property has the key ingredients to make the perfect mix of atmosphere and great game play that has become the calling card of Borgata. "Borgata is the perfect fit for the WPT because a: it's a very classy and elegant casino property, b: it's the finest property in Atlantic City, and c: the WPT truly has the greatest venues in the game and it's only fitting that our East Coast stop here in Atlantic City is Borgata." With almost double the players of last year's series, the 2005 Borgata Poker Open broke attendance records and rewarded more money than previous Borgata Poker Open events. The WPT main event, featuring a prize pool of over $5 million, was the biggest tournament in Atlantic City's history. The series also featured a 500-player Ladies Only event. Next year's Borgata Poker Open will be held in the casino-hotel's expanded 85-table poker room, part of a $200 million expansion project which will provide guests more gaming space, dining options and entertainment experiences, expected to debut in spring of 2006.

Fairground attracted to online casinos

Fairground attracted to online casinos An investment company with links to software firm Microgaming will debut on the London Stock Exchange in October with the aim of acquiring a portfolio of online casino sites. Fairground will raise £3.6m on listing to fund the acquisition spree, which is believed to focus on buying a range of smaller Microgaming-powered casino sites. However, analysts said the company could find difficulty in today’s heated merger and acquisition (M&A) market, with vendor expectations running high. “The key problem in today’s market is the valuation gap between the expectations of the acquirer and those of the vendor,” Paul Leyland, leisure analyst at Seymour Pierce, said. The firm’s admission statement said it had been formed with the “specific purpose of taking advantage of expected consolidation within the online gaming sector”. Fairground stressed it had built a “close relationship with Microgaming”, and Greg Harris, a technology analyst at Cannacord Capital, said this was its key asset. Evan Hoff, its chief executive, was one of the founders of South African marketing firm Forwardslah, which provides back-office support to Microgaming’s largest casino operator Carmen Media. Hoff told the UK media it would be looking to acquire “relatively small operators”. But there is speculation in the market Fairground could be used as for a reverse merger with a larger online casino operator. Reverse mergers are effectively a fast-track listing for firms looking to avoid the lengthy admission process. Earlier this year the AIM-listed cash shell Leisure & Gaming merged with Curaçao-based VIP sports in a similar move.

Hands On - Your Fold-'Em-Or-Hold-'Em Guide To Poker

Hands On - Your Fold-'Em-Or-Hold-'Em Guide To Poker By Steve Rosenbloom For Chicago Tribune Because poker is more about people than cards and chips, it's imperative that you pay attention to your opponents all the time. Determine whether the player is aggressive or passive, tight or loose. Sometimes, though, even that isn't enough. Because in tournaments, tables get broken and players get moved, so there isn't always enough time to get an accurate idea of the kind of player you're facing. With 13 players remaining in the World Poker Tour's World Poker Finals at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket last November, Annie Duke drew A-J of hearts after a player newly moved to her table opened the pot for $50,000. Duke raised it to $200,000. "I knew that his hand wasn't huge," Duke said, "and if I know his hand isn't huge, and I have A-J of hearts, I'm going to come over the top of him because even against a lot of hands that call, I'm going to be even money. "Given that I thought his hand wasn't that big, I assumed I would raise and pick up the money that's lying out there, and that's great. "Since he was so timid all the time he was at the table, I said he's someone who'll lay down hands if he's weak." Then again, maybe not. Duke's opponent held pocket 8s and moved all in, calling the $200,000 and pushing in another $80,000. "There was no fold for me," said Duke, who plays at Ultimatebet.com. "Mathematically, I got a huge price because I was even money, and I was getting great odds (better than 5-1 in a hand where she was almost 50-50 with two overcards)." The flop came J-8-6. "The first card was a jack, and I said, `Yes,'" Duke said. "Then an 8 came right behind it." The turn came a 3. The river came a 6. Duke's seemingly timid opponent made a full house and doubled up. "Erik Seidel was at the other table, and I went over there and told him about the hand," said Duke, who endorses D&D Tournament Poker software. "He goes, `Why would you do that to him? Obviously he's not going to lay a hand down.' Erik had played with him the whole second day. So he knew. I didn't know. "It's interesting, because as you're making judgments about people, sometimes you make a judgment where they're just getting a weird distribution of cards. "Pay attention to what's going on, and then understand that's not necessarily what's going on." If Duke had known that her opponent was someone who wouldn't lay down a hand once he got involved, she would've mucked the A-J and waited to trap him with a big hand because the way to counter a tight-aggressive player is to raise with strong hands instead of draws. Table Talk Full house: a hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair.

Borgata Poker Open Adds Ladies to the Mixx

Borgata Poker Open Adds Ladies to the Mixx From Poker Tour Info The Event Center at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa was a sea of pink as the Ladies Only No Limit Hold 'em event kicked off Sunday and players sported their new pink Borgata Poker Open hats. With 516 competitors playing for the title, the ladies wasted no time taking to the felt like fish to water. Action flowed as the sound of chips being shuffled dominated the early rounds. The ladies action went long into the evening as players fought fatigue and short chip stacks in hopes of taking home the prestigious Borgata bracelet. Event seven's first-place finisher, New York City's Aena Kang, outlasted her opponents and played her hands to perfection, taking home $ 29,928 and the championship bracelet. In the end, her skill and aggressive play earned her the title of Ladies Only champion. Connecticut's Deborah Diehl, the second-place finisher, certainly deserved a round of applause for her efforts. Although she didn't win the bracelet, the $ 16,254 she took home made her day. Another highlight of the Ladies Only tournament was the success of a group of players representing WomensPokerClub.com, a web site dedicated to teaching women the ins and outs of the game. After several players cashed, the group made clear to future competitors that they are going to be a force to be reckoned with at upcoming tournaments. In addition to hosting the Ladies Only tournament, Borgata's premier nightclub and restaurant, Mixx, played host to a lavish and star-filled pre-party for the players of the WPT main event The party went off without a hitch as sponsor 2K Sports gave players a much needed rest from poker-related activities. Players mingled and danced to the upbeat sounds of the house DJ, while 2K Sports' new WPT-based game played on a large television screen. The game features several top poker pros and allows players to battle their way through WPT tournament events. Even game star Phil "the Unabomber" Laak took time to see if he could beat his computer-likeness. 2K Sports, who is looking to make a dramatic entrance into the poker video game market, will be releasing the game in late October 2005 for a projected price of around $ 20. Laak wasn't the only poker pro to kick up his heels during the evening as girlfriend and now poker superstar, Jennifer Tilly, took pictures with fans and worked the crowd elegantly as only a Grammy-nominated star could. Hosts Antonio Esfariandi and David Williams led the festivities, making sure everyone was having a good time. They were joined by a number of other poker stars like Clonie Gowen, Hoyt Corkins and Chris Bigler.