It's World Poker Players Conference Time Again!

Have you ever stopped to think about the ways you can improve your poker game? There are so many opportunities out there, especially with the information superhighway and all of the books and poker groups. What may be one of the single best tools for improving your poker game is coming soon. It's the third annual World Poker Players Conference, hosted by Mike Caro and Card Player Cruises. On July 11 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, you can hone your poker-playing skills by attending this most valuable all-day event, featuring some of the best poker authorities, players, writers, and educators in the world. Reading like a "Who's Who" of poker, these speakers will be conducting seminars to interest everyone, and the day will end with round-table discussions that will enable attendees to participate.

Occurring the day before the opening event of the Orleans Open poker tournament (historically the biggest limit hold'em tournament in the world, having topped 1,000 players), the conference will begin at 10 a.m. with opening statements by Mike Caro, the legendary "Mad Genius of Poker." Always entertaining and informative, Mike alone is worth the price of admission.

But wait, there's more! High-limit hold'em specialist (and new Card Player columnist) Barry Tanenbaum will open the seminars with his presentation of many of the most costly hold'em errors. I have gotten to know Barry very well during the past few years, as he is a regular attendee of the Las Vegas Wednesday poker discussion group I mention occasionally in my columns. He is one of my poker heroes, and his information is second to none. Following Barry, there will be a seminar on the ABC's of tournament deal-making. Jack McClelland, who was scheduled to speak on this topic, had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict, so the presenter(s) will be named shortly. You'll receive some tips to enable you to avoid making bad deals, or at least to be better informed when you get to the point of making deal decisions. Next up, winning no-limit strategies will be presented by champion players Mike Sexton and Chris Ferguson. These players know of what they speak; thus far this year, Chris has won two World Series of Poker gold bracelets (giving him a total of five), and earlier this year, Mike captured the European Heads-Up Championship.

After the lunch break, the WPPC will reconvene with an interesting subject: the differences between online poker and live poker, presented by high-limit specialist Annie Duke. A successful player for many years, Annie will educate us on how to make adjustments between playing poker online and playing in a poker room. Following on the heels of last year's highly successful Omaha eight-or-better session, the Marks (Tenner, one of my partners in Card Player Cruises, and Gregorich, associate editor of Card Player and another of my poker idols) will present advanced Omaha eight-or-better strategies. Next up, moderator Wendeen Eolis has assembled a wonderful panel of experts to discuss, "Different Strokes for Different Folks: Winning Poker Concepts." Joining Wendeen will be Russ Hamilton, Robert Varkonyi, and Robert Williamson III. How they will fit all of their thoughts into an hour is yet to be seen!

Always a popular session at any conference is the question-and-answer panel, including "Tips From the Pros." Noted players and authors Tom McEvoy, Lou Krieger, and Lee Jones will host this gathering, and after sharing some of their best tips will open up the remaining time for questions. Oh, by the way, since there is an opening, I will sit on this panel, as well. With some persuasion, we are likely to get Linda Johnson up there, too. Prepare your questions in advance so that we can have some great exchanges. Rounding out the day will be the round-table discussion groups between the speakers and attendees. This will take place in tables of 10, with the guest speakers rotating to new tables every 10 minutes. Conference attendees will have the chance to discuss any topics they wish during this session. The day will end with closing comments from Mike Caro. It sounds like a full day to me, yet if you don't get enough poker at the conference, the Orleans will be hosting a 7 p.m. hold'em tourney, so you can take your new skills to the tables, in either live or tournament play.

So, how can you attend this event? Well, see the World Poker Players Conference (WPPC) ad on Pages 81 and 95, go to www.cardplayercruises.com, or call the Card Player Cruises office at (702) 567-9938 or (888) 999-4880. This is a great deal at $125, and if you preregister before July 1, you can reserve your seat for only $99. Hope to see you there. Class dismissed.

As always, please contact me with your column ideas, questions, and comments. I personally will answer every e-mail I get.