The qualities of a champion

Main Event action resumed with nine poker players in November after a four-month break and for the first time, final table play was split into two days. One player would rise above the rest and it turned out that Heinz had all the qualities necessary to become a great poker champion. His calculating mind, a feel for his opponents’ weaknesses and a cold-blooded ruthless approach combined to showcase his skills on each of the two final days of competition in poker’s biggest event.

The November Nine resume play

The young German player was ranked in seventh place when the Main Event resumed, with a chip count of 16,425,000. Sitting atop the standings was Staszko, his future opponent in the final heads up. The Czech player had 40,175,000 chips. By the end of play on the first day, after six players had been eliminated from the action, Heinz was firmly positioned as the chip leader with a huge advantage over Staszko and American Ben Lamb.

The second day and the heads-up finale

Crowd favorite Ben Lamb was surprisingly eliminated almost immediately from three-handed play on the second day of the Main Event final table. After knocking Lamb out, Martin Staszko had the lead and kept it for so long that fans on the WSOP Facebook page began listing their predictions how long it would take until the Czech won the tournament. After three hours of play, with the chip stacks almost equal, Staszko surged ahead and it looked like all was lost for Heinz, who was short-stacked with 45 million compared to Staszko’s 165 million.

On a pivotal hand, Heinz went all-in and Staszko called, enabling Heinz to double up and reverse the situation. He had gained a decisive lead and only ten minutes later, the Czech player was eliminated.

The poker Phoenix

Despite being behind, Pius Heinz never panicked and retained his cool, calculated grasp on the action. He was able to come from behind and get back on his feet when all seemed lost. These are the characteristics of a true poker champion who knows how to rise from the ashes, just like the mythical Phoenix. Pius Heiz of Germany demonstrated that he was truly worthy of the WSOP championship title and he is seen as the world’s leading poker star today.

For quite some time, online poker lobbyists in the US have veered their strategy from one of pleading the game’s case as a legitimate form of entertainment, to promoting its economic justifications for being regulated and legalized at the federal level. The taxation of online gambling, lobbyists claim, can provide oxygen to a financially asphyxiated American government, for whom even a drop in the ocean of debts brings much needed relief.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Obama administration will have the time or willingness to deal with such issues amidst the avalanche of problems that currently need solving, or whether the conservative members of the Tea Party, and the Republican Party in general, will not oppose the legalization of online gambling in the US. What is for certain is that the game’s online enthusiasts are still hoping for a silver lining at the end of this dark poker cloud.

The appeal for new sponsorships is predominantly being handled by the professional poker players agency, Check Raise Management. Check Raise operates internationally, offering players representation, management and marketing services. Speculations, however, have arisen regarding the players’ intent to seek out professional representation or independent management. Among Full Tilt’s former pros are heavyweight names such as Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harman, Chris Ferguson, Tom “Durr” Dwan and many others.

Essentially, the situation at hand can be defined as positive for all parties involved: the poker rooms are always interested in adding headline names to their poker pro lists, and the pros are always interested in being sponsored.

Check Raise, a UK-based agency, currently represents Jake Cody, Sam Trickett, James Bord and several other pros boasting prestigious titles from major international live poker tournaments.

Decision to revoke Full Tilt license taken after repeated failed attempts to secure player funds

Full Tilt Poker’s operating license was issued by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), Britain’s official regulatory body for online gambling. The AGCC announced its suspension of the online poker room’s license earlier this month, after Full Tilt repeatedly ignored requests to reimburse hundreds of thousands of US poker players whose online funds remain irretrievably frozen.

The AGCC’s decision came ten weeks following the April 15th announcement made by the United States Department of Justice regarding the closure of both Full Tilt and two other US-facing online rooms, Poker Stars and Absolute Poker. Meanwhile, former Full Tilt players in America are pursuing legal action in hopes of reclaiming their online funds.

PokerStars players reimbursed immediately

Despite joint legal implication in the United States, Poker Stars, who are registered and licensed in the Isle of Man, have managed to avoid licensing complications with British authorities. In contrast to Full Tilt players, Poker Stars players in the US were immediately repaid in full back in April.

Nevertheless, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has stated that they reserve the right to immediately withdraw the license of any site which acts so as to endanger their repuation and credibilty.

To date, 31 events have already taken place, and 3 others are currently in progress. Among these events, most were also held in the WSOP 2010, allowing for a direct comparison of player turnout from the previous year’s event. The data reveals that despite the shutdown of two major US poker rooms, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, the WSOP 2011 appears to be proceeding successfully.

In fact, regarding the number of players entering tournaments with limited value buy-ins ($1000 – $1500), the number of players who participated in these events has actually increased, in some cases significantly. For example, the number of players in the $ 1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament (#15) has increased from 650 players in 2010 to 765 in 2011. Similar spikes in player numbers were seen in tournament #3, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, which has grown from 800 participants in 2010 to 925 in 2011. Even events with significantly higher buy-ins, such as the $ 5,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament, have seen an overall increase of about 10% in the number of participating players.

On the other hand, a slight decrease in the number of players has been seen in the Championship-type tournaments with buy-ins of over $10,000. For example, in event #7, the $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em Championship, the number of players decreased from 268 players at the WSOP 2010, to 249 at the WSOP 2011. Similarly, in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship, a total of 202 players have enrolled this year, compared with 212 last year and in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, total player enrollment fell from 150 to 126 players. Overall, these numbers reflect a minimal decrease.

The Main Event remains the great unknown of this year’s WSOP, as it is the most coveted by those who qualify online. In about three weeks we will be able to accurately assess the influence of “Black Friday” on what is undoubtedly the most important tournament in live poker.

The Sahara opened its doors in 1952, and for the next two decades, the most famous American and international show business personalities performed there, from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to Jerry Lewis and the Beatles.

But the once thriving casino could not withstand the fierce competition that resulted from the building of mega casino-resorts throughout Las Vegas. The Sahara’s 1700 rooms paled in comparison to the several thousand rooms, gaming tables and slot machines offered at these enormous, all-in-one entertainment spots. The Sahara’s swan song was likely expedited by the economic crisis of 2008/2009.

The closing of the Sahara Casino is not just the end of an era in Sin City. It is also the continuation of a longstanding employment crisis. Many casino employees, especially experienced ones, are disillusioned about future job prospects.

Nearly all online casinos offer games in both flash and fun mode. The flash version can be played online by connecting to the casino from any available computer. To do so, players open an account at a gaming site and use their login details to begin online flash casino play.

The same procedure applies to the free online casino. A player with an existing account in practice mode can use his regular login information to play in flash fun mode.

However, flash and fun game versions do have limitations. The most notable limitation is that not all of the games offered in the download version are adapted to the flash version. The same is true of free games.

The latter limitation exists for obvious reasons: first, progressives require that players bet real money; and second, the multiplayer features are not available due to the inability to mix players using virtual money and real money.

The benefits, though, often outweigh the drawbacks. Flash games are very convenient for players who do not always play from a single computer (i.e. the desktop to which they’ve downloaded the casino’s software). They allow players to enjoy casino games anytime, anywhere. Free games are beneficial for players who are new to a particular game and want to learn its rules and strategies before placing real money bets.

In the end, players who want to enjoy all the benefits, services and advantages of an online casino, would be best served by opening a player account and betting with real money.

Currently, Beach Life, a slot machine whose potential payout is quickly approaching €900,000, is among the biggest progressive jackpots. The Marvel Jackpot Slot, Ultimate Power, stands at just under €420,000, and Gold Rally is at more than €325,000.

For poker lovers, Winner Casino’s Caribbean Poker jackpot is nearly €132,000. Its Darts Jackpot is also impressive, at almost €420,000.

In addition to these progressive jackpots, Winner will unveil a new bonus package and special, seasonal promotions on Friday, March 25th. To obtain these bonuses, contact the casino’s support staff.

Those not yet enrolled in the casino can either download and install Winner’s software package on their PC or play Winner Casino games in Flash version. Both allow players to take advantage of the exceptional bonuses and promotions now available at Winner Casino.

A tournament that aims to be international
The Series hopes to become one of Europe’s biggest poker events, attracting poker champions not only from neighboring Italy, but also from throughout Europe and the international poker community.

The variety of tournament events allows players of all experience levels and budgets to share the felt with their favorite pros.

The 2011 European Series of Poker program
The tournament schedule includes seven events. It commences on March 8 with the Pink Event, a CHF 200+20 buy-in event dedicated exclusively to women.

The Pink Event will be followed, respectively, by the below:
• The Silver Event – buy-in of 2000+200CHF
• The Bronze Event – CHF 500+50 buy-in
• The Iron Event – CHF 700+70 CHF buy-in
• The Omaha Poker Steel Event – CHF 1000+100 buy-in
• The Gold Event – CHF 3000+300
• The Platinum High Roller Event – CHF 5000+500 buy-in (final event).

All but one event – The Omaha Poker Steel – are based on Texas Hold’em. Qualifying satellite tournaments will be played at the Casino of Lugano for all events except the Pink Event and the High Roller tournament.

Naturally, the more experience a player has, the better his mastery of the game will be. But there are many simple tactics that even beginning players can use to improve their chances of winning.

Among these tactics is the use of various blackjack handbooks, as well as blackjack and blackjack-related pages in Wikipedia, that publish images showing recommended moves based on the first cards a player receives.

These images, most often represented as tables, show the probabilities for each of five determined actions – stand, hit, double, split and surrender – combining with the initial cards to form a successful hand.

The probabilities are shown in percentages. Though none can ever be 100%, these calculations closely approximate the potential success rate for each action.

Land-based casinos prohibit players from using any sort of probability tools at the table.

They are permitted, however, in online blackjack, and players have plenty of time to use them. With this in mind, many blackjack players prefer the online casino version of the game to its live counterpart.