Jeffrey Lisandro Wins WSOP POY

Jeffrey Lisandro won the 2009 World Series of Poker Player of the Year award after earning 355 points. The 2009 race was the most highly contested in recent years, four of the top six POY finishers this year won multiple bracelets this year. Last year’s winner, Erick Lindgren, won the title with 245 points and one bracelet.

Lisandro won a record-tying three WSOP bracelets, four final tables and six cashes in the 2009 WSOP. He won each of his bracelets in the three variations of Seven-card poker: the $2,500 Seven-card Razz, the $10,000 World Championship Seven-card Stud 8-or-Better and $1,500 Seven-card Stud. Only Phil Ivey (2002) and Ted Forrest (1993) have won three bracelets in one year.

Lisandro’s lead in the point race was so secure that only Ville Wahlbeck had a chance to catch him. He would have had to finish 8th to tie him or 7th or better in the Main Event to win. Lisandro was announced as the winner before the Main Event even reached the money bubble. (read more)

Total WSOP Prize Pools Surpass the $1 Billion Mark!

LAS VEGAS (July 7, 2009) – Despite a sluggish global economy, poker enthusiasts from 115 nations and territories descended on Las Vegas this summer to break a number of event records at the 40th annual World Series of Poker®, including the mark for most total player entries.

The 60,875 entries in this year’s 57 tournaments eclipsed the previous record of 58,720 entries established in 2008. The strong showing helped propel the total WSOP prize pool past $1 billion since the tournament’s inception in 1970. The total 2009 prize pool surpassed $174 million and, for only the second time in WSOP history, every member of the Main Event final table will win $1 million or more.

"Our results have exceeded every expectation," said WSOP President and Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. "The enormous global demand for high-stakes poker and our coveted gold bracelet have been on display at the Rio for the past five weeks, and we’re looking forward to continuing on with the Main Event and setting this year's November Nine."
In addition, the 2009 WSOP established new records for:

Most million-dollar tournaments: Thirty-nine of 57 events in this year’s WSOP boasted a prize pool of $1 million or more. (read more)

Short Casino and Gambling Jokes

Last night I got thrown out of the casino. I completely misunderstood the crap table.
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I know a guy at the casino who won’t gamble. He just watches the games and makes mental bets. Last week, he lost his mind.
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The wife of a doctor rang the casino to get her husband paged. They refused. The house didn’t make doctor calls.
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At the casino I lost so badly I had to sell the car in the car park. The people at Hertz are going to be really angry.
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I’m going to the casino tonight. I hope I break even. I need the money.
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Crown Casino in Melbourne is very “high-tech”. They’ve got special areas, like the Oak Room and thew Mahogany Room. Alice Springs Casino, on the other hand, is a little more basic. They’ve got the Chipboard Room and the Corrugated Iron Room.
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In Vegas, they’ll bet on anything. One casino was ready to let me bet on whether I’d win or lose there.
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Launceston must have the quietest casino in the world. I played poker. It was what I had to do wake up the dealer.
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As I walked in the casino, I passed some Siamese twins on their way out. I said, “Did you win?”
They said, “Yes and no.”
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I had nothing to do, so just for a laugh I went to the casino. In three hours I’d laughed away my car.
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The dealers at Sydney’s casino really hate you winning. I won $100 at roulette and the croupier said, “I’ll toss you, double or nothing.”
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I walked around the casino with a pocket full of chips. I’m still trying to get the smell of vinegar out of my trousers.
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The casino in Alice Springs is a bit backward. They don’t even have Keno. Instead, they’ve got as girl who comes up to your table and says, “Okay, I’m thinking of a number between one and ten…”
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With gamblers, they say a fool and his money are soon parted. What I want to know is how did a fool and his money get together in the first place?
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I think gambling was invented as a tax on people who are bad at mathematics.
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I think gambling is a great way to get nothing for something.
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"What'll you have, Normie?"
"Well, I'm in a gambling mood, Sammy. I'll take a glass of whatever comes out of that tap."
"Looks like beer, Norm."
"Call me Mister Lucky."
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Rodney Dangerfield joined Gamblers Anonymous. They gave him three-to-one he wouldn't make it.

The Best Poker Games

Due to the dominance of skill on the outcome of most hands. Played at many different sites online, it is a somewhat unique online casinos game in that it is played against other players rather than against the casino.

Poker comes in a variety of forms and has been climbing up steadily in popularity for many years now. There are many kinds of poker games being played around the world, from the really serious gambling ones, to the ones that are being played just simply for fun.

POKER VARIATIONS

Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is by far the most renowned form of poker, both online and at land-based poker rooms. Because players share the board cards, as many as 10 can play. Each player is dealt 2 hole cards, then a round of betting ensues. 3 more cards are dealt face-up, known as the flop, the beginning of the community cards. Another round of betting, and then a single card is dealt up, known as the turn. Another betting round, and the final card, known as the river, is dealt. After a round of betting for the showdown, the player remaining with the best 5-card hand wins.

• Limit Texas Hold'em - Betting amounts are pre-determined and limited to a fixed sum.

• No Limit Texas Hold'em - Made famous by the poker legend Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim Preston with no maximum bet restriction.

OMAHA

Omaha is a slightly more complicated version of Hold'em. The difference is that players are dealt with 4 hole cards, instead of 2. When composing an Omaha hand, players must use 2 of their hole cards to combine with 3 of the the board cards for best hand. The betting rounds remain the same as in Hold'em.

Omaha also has its own variation, known as Omaha High-Low. This gives players the chance to make the lowest hand, under the same conditions, as well as the highest hand.

• Omaha Hi - Only the high hand wins the pot.

• Omaha 8 / Omaha Hi-Lo - The pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualified low hand which are 5 cards under 8 with no pair. If there is no qualified low, the high hand wins the pot.

SEVEN CARD STUD

Seven-Card Stud is played between 2 and 8 players. It consists of an initial ante, followed by 5 betting rounds. Each player in a game of stud gets 3 cards face down, and 4 cards that must be exposed for all players to see. The goal of Seven-Card Stud is to make the best 5-card poker hand with the given seven cards.

• Seven Card Stud Hi - The most straight-forward stud variation, as the straight-up high hand wins the whole pot.

• Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo - The pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualified low hand with 5 cards under 8 with no pair. If there is no qualified low, the high hand wins the whole pot.

• Razz – It is the Seven Card Stud in reverse. The only difference is that you're trying to get the lowest possible hand. Straights and flushed usually don't count against you. The lowest possible poker hand is A-2-3-4-5. Ace counts as a low card in Razz and is usually played with fixed betting limits.

CARIBBEAN STUD POKER

Caribbean Stud is different. In this game, everyone plays against the casino or house, which acts as a dealer. The house pays out all winning bets. To win a round of Caribbean Stud, a player must beat only the dealer’s hand and the players in the game do not contend between each other.

H.O.R.S.E

HORSE is the combination of Texas Holdem Game, Omaha, Razz and Stud. Play alternates between the 4 different types of online poker games and it's thought to be the test of a truly good poker player to be able to play all 4 card games.

FIVE CARD DRAW

Five Card Draw can be played with between two and five players. Each player in a game of Draw receives 5 cards face down, and may discard or draw up to 5 cards after the first betting round. The player with the highest five-card poker hand at showdown wins the pot.

Poker is perhaps the most recognized card game around. Its popularity cuts across cultures and national borders and it is played by millions of people around the world.

The Final 9 will be facing again at the 2009 WSOP November final

The latest update from Las Vegas and the exciting World Series of Poker is that the nine millionaire winners have been grouped up after the many play-offs. In exactly 114 days, on the 7th of November, they will meet up again at the Vegas poker tables, this time for the no-limit Texas Holdem Game main event. The one to classify last out of these 9 players will win the $1.26 million and then it s all uphill from there with the prizes increasing in this richest poker tournament ever played. Still 114 days left, almost 4 months but the top prize of the $8.55 million crown will be definitely worth the wait and all the training practice the 9 contestants will face before that.

July 3rd saw the start of the Main Event Tournament located at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Every contestant started out with 30,000 starting chips with an unprecedented field of players split over four days.Poker pro major, Phil Ivey, one of these 9 final players commented, “So I guess I’m going to actually start watching some poker on TV. So far I’ve just made the final table, so it’s a pretty big accomplishment. Winning it would be top of the line. Everybody here knows what they’re doing and they have good tournament strategy. To me it’s a poker game. I love to play so I’m just going to do my best, trust my reads and perform the best I can.” Ivey, obviously confident in his poker skills, did not comment further on the strategy he will use against the eight opponents.

Ivey is not new to WSOP wins as he classified seven times, such as at 10th place in 2003, 20th in 2005 and 23rd in 2002 as well as the two gold bracelets wins this year. He has won $3.46 million at the series so far, is a favourite for this year’s event where he will start off with 5 percent of the chips in play, 9.75 million.(read more)

Online Slots at Golden Casino

Online slot players can be a picky group of people. They are usually set in their ways and prefer certain types of slots compared to others. That is why Golden Casino is a favorite among online slots players.

Slot games come in many different shapes and sizes. There are three reel slots, five reel slots, progressives, and slots with multiple bonus rounds. All of these different types of slots are available at Golden Casino.

The casino runs on Vegas Technologies software. For online players, there are few things that matter as much as how loose the slots play, and how high the jackpots. Golden Casino has a combination of both going on.

"I like to play at Golden Casino because for me, I like to try all different games," said online slots player Gina Fowler, "some casinos only have a set number of games, but here I can try hundreds of different games."

Golden Casino also offers seven reel slots, something not found at many online casinos. Slot tournaments are another avenue that online slots players can take. The tournaments run on a daily basis, with major tournaments on the weekends.

The number of slot players that choose Golden Casino has risen greatly over the past several months. The casino is US player friendly, and has become the slots destination of choice for many online players.

Source: newonlinecasinos.org

Moon Eclipses Ivey Late

Darvin Moon is doing his best to establish himself as a threat as the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event nears the November Nine pause. The 45 year old hovered in the top ten of the leaderboard until the final 15 minutes of play when he put a 5 million chip difference between himself and Billy Kopp to take the overall for the second day in a row.

But even with 20,160,000 in chips Moon isn’t even close to threat of the player whose name still strikes fear into nearly every remaining player;Phil Ivey.

“I’m going to hide in a corner when I get up against him,” admitted Moon. ”Everybody that’s made it this far has way more card experience than me. If Phil Ivey is on my left and even looks at me, I’m mucking.”

Ivey finished the night fourth in chips with 11,350,000 after cresting as high as 15,000,000 during Day 7 play. With 27 players remaining the goal for Ivey on Wednesday will be to make the November Nine and give himself a chance at the ever elusive World Championship bracelet.

While Moon might be nervous facing Ivey, 23 year old Kopp feels that he’s on top of his game and is ready for whatever challenges Wednesday brings.

“I’m not really intimidated by anybody. It’s my ballgame,” said Kopp. “I feel like when a good players gets good cards and runs well at the same time there’s no stopping him.”

Dennis Phillips' impressive run at a second final table appearance was cut short on Day 7 in one of the most painful ways possible. Getting all his money in with A K against the A K of Francois Balmigere gave Phillips reason to believe he’d be continuing on. The cards though didn’t cooperate and Balmigere made a flush to send last November’s third place finisher home in 45th.

The day started with 64 players and in the three levels leading up to the dinner break the fast play of previous days continued. Twenty-five players saw their tournament end before the players broke for 90 minutes. Another well known pro, Joe Sebok, also couldn’t survive another day as a short stack and he was sent home with $108,047 for a 56th place finish. Also sent home during the first three levels were Fabrice Soulier, Prahlad Friedman, Tom Schneider and Blair Rodman.

One player well known to poker fans that did survive was Antonio Esfandiari. He’ll return to Day 8 with a less than average stack of 4,470,000. His chip stack took a roller coaster ride throughout the day and he was as high as third in chips.

And despite starting the day with a short stack the last female player left in the field, Leo Margets, still has a shot at becoming the first female member of the November Nine. The Spanish TV hostess finished the day with 1,530,000, the second smallest stack. She is ahead of only Balmigere who bagged up 1,440,000.

Action resumes at Noon PT on Wednesday and will continue until the 2009 November Nine have been determined. Tournament officials are preparing for a long day and if the last level of the night Tuesday, which saw only two players ousted, is any indication the action may take as much as nine levels to wrap up. (Author - Lance Bradley)

What are the Top Online Casino Games

Choosing the right casinos to play in can be quite tough, since there are countless ones out there. However, what's even more difficult is choosing the games that you will play.

Since there are more games than casinos, searching for the top games can be quite tedious. However, a few tips can help narrow down your choices. Don't forget though that this guide is not definite and that you still to take into consideration your own preferences in making your final choices.

Card games are perennial favorites in the casino. There are many different kinds of card games that you can choose from and all the games are reproduced faithfully in the online casinos. However, the most popular ones are those that involved skills in their game, like black jack games and texas holdem game. The games have, in fact, also been the subject of extensive analysis by renowned mathematicians to make a good strategy.

Other skill games are also quite popular to casino gamers. Craps is one particularly sought after game either at the tabletop casinos or online. The game is very popular because of the relative ease of setup and play that even a newbie can play it.

On the other hand, traditional games of chance still grab the attention of casino goers. Slot machines still lead the list as new systems are continuously being released by game manufacturers. Because of its popularity, the slots game has evolved from its early beginnings as the humble parlor machines that you see in bars to being some of the most technologically advanced pieces of equipment in the casino. The games themselves have also become very varied, some even including mini games that will definitely get you glued to the fame.

Now that you know what are the popular games out there, it's time to choose which games to play. You should already know by now what games you know how to play. Remember, that even if you read through the tutorials, it isn't a good idea to immediately rush in. try playing free games first in order to familiarize yourself with the game.

Of course, since these are casino games, winnings are very important. However you need to to also consider your budgets. Many casinos offer games that have bets that are reasonably priced. These are the ones that you can go on first, since you will probably have a small amount of money in the start. As you get to increase your fortunes, you can then increase your bets or go for the high stakes games that the casino offers. One thing to avoid are games that offer you a chance of winning, like the infamous wheel of fortune games. Even if they offer large prizes, these are great money suckers on should be avoided at all costs.

Free Online Casino Games

One of the best things that you can do when playing in an online casinos is getting a free game. And this one definitely will draw in many players to look out for new free items. However, looking for free casino games may be a little harder than you think.

So how to you look for free games? There are several ways that you can find bonus games in the casinos. However, you need to be a bit selective on the free games that you play. Also you should be aware of the things surrounding the free game to be sure that you won't encounter snags while playing.

The easiest way to get a free game is through introductory offers. These are basically the ones offered as test games when you first visit the site and before you sign up on them. However, note that since the games are only intros, you don't actually play with cash here, so you can expect to get any winnings from them. These are good as practice games though, as you can learn the controls of the games without having to spend any money. You can also play casually with these to while away your time.

When you do sign up for an account, the casino might often give away free games as part of their bonus. This may be for a single game only or in some cases, may be used for several different games, usually on a one time basis only. You won't immediately get to play your free credits though. Usually you will be required to deposit a certain amount of money first or, more often, play a certain number of paid games first before you use your free credits.

The last way that you can get free games is by being a regular in the casino. This one is the most frequent way that you can get free games, since these are regularly given out to players. Online casinos hand out free games to players as a means of making them stay. This one is also the most profitable since it is often given in much larger amounts and with more available games.

Perhaps the thing that will surprise you is that free casino games are not entirely free as you may think. The thing is, you will probably spend some amount before you can actually play the games. This, though, is not true with the intro games, since you really don't need to spend anything to play them. However, since you are not playing with cash, you also won't be getting anything out of them.

In the case of the other two ways, however, even if you do not place any actual money bets down, you still technically have to shell out cash in order to play them. This is not all that bad though. Since you sign up with the casino with the intent of playing games, this one can be seen as a sort of afterthought when playing.

Also note that while they are free, free games aren't permanent. They usually have a set valid period of play, after which they expire. So forget about accumulating freebies. You will have to play them as soon as you get them. But of course, you won't probably need being told about that, since you will probably play it right away. After all, it's for free.

The Deal On Free Online Play

Online casino gaming has become very popular with casino players. Players enjoy the the excitement of the game while staying within the comforts of their own homes. Players can also bet in real time games and have the results relayed to them as they happen.

But one thing that prevents the larger gaming public from enjoying the craze, is probably the cost of joining. Membership fees on the more established online casinos usually run into the hundreds of dollars. Many gamers are often not willing to shell out that much cash on membership and will often want single play opportunities. Sadly, most of the online casino sites only offer paid membership schemes.

This promises to change however, with the introduction of free online gaming. Free online play allows players a greater flexibility in their playing habits. Unlike pay to play online casinos, where registration is needed, free online casinos are indeed free of registration charges. The player only needs to download and install a game software to participate online. In some cases, the player will need to create a user account, but this is also free of charge.

Free online casino play also allows the gamer much flexibility as he can control his playing time online. He can also control his earnings more freely, as there is often not much maintaining requirements for his account.

Far from being just play, free online casinos actually offer premium that are at oar with their pay to play counterparts. These premiums may range from additional play opportunities to more monetary rewards. Freebies are also one of the more common reward items. Often, the online casino also has tie ups with advertisers (their biggest source of income after players), which translates to more premiums for players. These premiums are often in the form of discounts to the services offered by the advertisers, which can be pretty handy at times.

Another good thing with free online casinos is the ease that oner can get his earnings. These casinos often use easy payment schemes that allow players to quickly transfer or encash their earnings.

That last one is a word of precaution though. Because of the ease that funds can be released for the accounts of free online casino players, these sites are often targeted by unscrupulous individuals wanting to make quick bucks out of the players' earnings.

This can cause several security issues to be raised against free online casinos. Aside from the fact that player funds can be easily stolen, some games in these free casinos can be easily rigged through hacking.

However, rather than totally shying away from free online casinos, these can be taken as a warning. Players have their own responsibilities in taking care of and securing their accounts. The player also has the responsibility of reporting cheating as they happen.

Online casino sites also have their own responsibilities in protect their clients, more so with the free ones. Thus, many of the best online casino gambling sites have taken themselves to great lengths in coordinating with proper authorities to ensure that their services . They have even employed the same security measures employed by their pay to play counterparts, although very costly, just to ensure that they can provide their clients with better protection.

As such, online gamers can rest assured that whenever they lay their cards on the online casino table. They are well protected and will definitely enjoy the excitement of free play.