Poker Odds and Ends

Mark Gregorich

Silence is golden … The National Deaf Poker Tour recently debuted at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. More than 200 players participated in the $100 buy-in event, and John Merriman from Cleveland, Ohio, emerged as the victor.



The idea for the National Deaf Poker Tour was conceived by six deaf East Coast poker friends who attended college together and have stayed in touch with each other since then during poker trips to Las Vegas. There was concern originally in how problems such as the dealers not being able to communicate with the players would be handled. A solution to have sign-language interpreters available to help was effective, as well as having writing materials available at each table to help with communication. The event actually ran quite smoothly, and there are plans for several more Tour events this year, including one at Binion's in Las Vegas in July. You can go to http://www.nationaldeafpokertour.com/ for more information.



Way to go, Sweden! As the debate continues in the United States over the legalization of Internet poker, the government of Sweden has decided that it wants to be the "house," and has decided to run and own an Internet poker site for its citizens.



Svenska Spel, which is a gaming company owned by the Swedish government, is organizing and running the online site, which has attracted thousands of real-money Swedish players. The legal age to play in Sweden is 18, and poker is very popular there. The income from the site is expected to add more than $30 million to the country's bankroll in its first year of online site ownership.



Safe poker … Giving new meaning to "go all in", the latest line in poker products is poker-themed condoms. The FDA has approved the poker condoms, which are similar in design to poker chips. In fact, the producers of the product claim their item can double as a poker chip at your home poker party. As an added bonus, purchasers will be randomly selected to receive free entries into various poker tournaments. What will they think of next?



Young at heart … Congratulations are in order for Seattle resident Dr. Peter Fisher, who, at the age of 83, was the oldest player to finish in the money in both second-chance $1,000 buy-in tournaments on the PartyPoker Million V cruise. Dr. Fisher is well-known in the Seattle area for his poker expertise. He has been playing poker throughout most of his lifetime, and still plays at least four days a week. Well done!



It's in the cards … The penal system in Florida is distributing playing cards to thousands of its inmates that contain information about missing-person cases and unsolved criminal cases. Two murder suspects and four fugitives have already been apprehended due to tips generated from inmates who saw the cards.



Deal me in … The World Poker Tour will be featured in a new movie starring Burt Reynolds called Deal. In the movie, Reynolds befriends a young hotshot player, and they team together to make a run at the WPT Championship event. Some of today's most popular poker players, including Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak, will make appearances in the movie. (Hmm … it's too bad they don't need a redheaded studio announcer.) The famous WPT set will also be featured.



By the way, speaking of the WPT set, rumor has it that season five will be introducing a brand-new set at The Mirage. The old set has been shipped to New Orleans for use by the film production crew.



Japanese Poker Championship … I just returned from my annual trip to Japan to participate in the Japanese Poker Championship. Congratulations to Card Player columnist Mark Gregorich for capturing the title. Our host, Hiroshi Shimamura, was an outstanding tour guide, as he took us to many scenic areas around Japan. Our timing was perfect, as the beautiful cherry blossoms came to full bloom during the last few days of our visit.



Card Player Cruises … We are currently finalizing our 2007 poker cruise schedule, and it should be available at www.cardplayercruises.com very soon. The 2006 cruises are filling up quickly, so make your bookings as soon as possible to avoid missing the boat.



Now, let's play poker!

Linda is available to host poker tournaments, seminars, and corporate and charity events. You can contact her at [email protected] or through her website at http://www.lindapoker.com/.