Seated at his second final table at the 2007 World Series of Poker, this scene is all too familiar for Phil Hellmuth. With the blinds at $15,000-$30,000, he raises it to $90,000, leaving himself with just $170,000 behind. Phil riffles his few remaining neon orange and purple chips under the ...
2007 World Series of Poker: The Return of the Professional Seasoned Veterans Get Their First, and Hellmuth Breaks Record By Bob Pajich At press time, the second third of the World Series of Poker was completed, and the story line for this installment ...continued
Money may be the lingua franca of poker and the ultimate measure of one's skill and success on the felt, but what motivates the proven professional, the player who's demonstrated mastery over the years - over the decades - of his or her ...continued
Oh, I wish I was in the Land of Cotton Old times there are not forgotten … - Daniel Decatur Emmett, 1859 By the middle of the 19th century, draw poker with a 52-card deck had become the game of choice not only for planters and blacklegs, but ...continued
It's been a great World Series of Poker so far. As we go to press, about 40 events have concluded, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event is in full swing, and there have been lots of interesting story lines that have emerged. Eli Elezra and Jeffrey ...continued
Recently, while filming the next season of High Stakes Poker for the Game Show Network, a weird hand came up between Brian Brandon (a successful businessman "invitee" to the game) and me. With the blinds at $300-$600 and a $100 per man ante, ...continued
Let me start out by saying that I just love the shootout format, and hope to see this type of event catch on worldwide. In a typical tournament, a player who waits patiently is often rewarded by squeaking into the money, but to cash in a shootout, you ...continued
This hand came down halfway through day two of the $5,000 pot-limit Omaha (with rebuys) World Series of Poker event at the Rio recently. I started the hand with about $55,000 and my two opponents had me covered with about $60,000 each. The blinds were ...continued
You're playing a solid style of limit hold'em, sticking mostly to big cards, pairs, and suited connectors, adjusting your starting strategies to both the types and number of players in the pot. You've been running "flop-dead," ...continued
As discussed in the last issue, many people fear playing shorthanded. However, on the positive side, shorthanded play can be fun, exhilarating, engaging, and quite profitable. Of course, you will have to make several adjustments to your full-game ...continued
When in doubt, take the aggressive course of action. I firmly believe in that basic poker concept. Good things happen when you seize the initiative. You might sometimes cost yourself some bets, but you also can end up with entire pots that would have ...continued
As those who know me will attest, I am a pretty lazy individual. I often don't respond to e-mail from readers of my online journal (www.mattmatros.com/journal.htm) in a timely fashion, though I do usually respond to everyone eventually. It gnaws ...continued
As I'm writing this column, we're right in the thick of the World Series of Poker. First off, let me say that every year, the World Series always manages to rekindle my flame for tournament poker. There really is nothing quite like the rush of ...continued
In early spring, I visited Prague, Czech Republic, which is truly one of the most beautiful and civilized cities in the world. It has wonderful old architecture and vibrant, modern night life. And no-limit Texas hold'em is played at the Banco ...continued
This two-part column will look at some of the more interesting hands I played while winning the PokerStars Nightly Hundred Grand tournament. These tournaments typically attract around 900 players, with first place paying approximately $30,000. We ...continued
In October of 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) became the law of the land in America. Although Internet gambling was not made a crime, the restrictions on money transfers and advertising dealt a severe blow to both poker ...continued
"Got my hands on a little bit of dough." This is not a poker strategy or tactics piece. It's not even about poker, per se, but you'll quickly see its relevance to poker players. This came up because I was talking to some young ...continued
There are two essential skills for playing no-limit hold'em. They are starting-hand selection and reading your opponents. If you read virtually any good hold'em book, you will get a reasonable idea of appropriate starting hands. It is much ...continued
As I write this column, the 2007 World Series of Poker is about at its midpoint. I would like to share with you some thoughts on the event itself, as well as some of my personal experiences thus far. All grown up: Some of my best poker memories since ...continued
Someday before I die, I hope to find Big Denny in a jovial or even mildly agreeable mood. I had no such luck on my latest visit to the Barstow Card Casino. "Ya done it ta me again, Maxey," he growled. "What did I do now?" I ...continued
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