The Inside Straight

U.S. Settles With Antigua and Barbuda
$21 Million a Far Cry From the $3.4 Billion That Was Sought
By Bob Pajich

A World Trade Organization arbitration panel ruled in December that Antigua and Barbuda are entitled to $21 million a year from the United States, far below the $3.4 billion that these Caribbean islands sought in their claim against the United States concerning Internet gambling.

The panel ruled for that dollar amount because it took into account only the money Antigua and Barbuda are losing through online horse-racing wagers, which are legal in some states.

Mark Mendel, the lead attorney in this case, said that all of the WTO panels leading up to the settlement acknowledged the widespread use of online gambling in the U.S., despite continued U.S. attempts to snuff it out. But the panel that ruled on the compensation amount refused to account for all sectors of online wagering that takes place in the U.S.; it took into account only the online wagers that are taxed and regulated.

"They basically reversed themselves," Mendel said. "Why they did that, I don't know, and probably never will."

Antigua and Barbuda, which act as a single member of the WTO, filed a complaint against the U.S. through the WTO in 2003. The basics of the claim are that because the U.S. allows certain forms of online wagering (horse betting), but continues to try to stop its citizens from accessing other forms of online gambling (including horse-betting wagers from offshore companies), it violates a portion of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) that covers recreational activities, including online gambling.

WTO arbitration panels have repeatedly ruled in favor of the smallest member of the WTO, and the $21 million annual settlement is what the panel believes the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is entitled to. The $3.4 billion figure that Antigua and Barbuda sought is the amount the island nation estimated will be lost annually by its online gambling companies because of the U.S. stance against online gambling.

The Rest of the World
The European Union, Japan, Canada, India, Costa Rica, and Macau joined Antigua and Barbuda in seeking sanctions against the U.S. through the WTO. In December, the U.S. settled with the EU, Japan, and Canada. Those countries will receive sanctions that affect U.S. postal and courier, research and development, and storage and warehouse sectors. A monetary figure was not released. Negotiations with India, Costa Rica, and Macau continue.

Gambling companies, particularly in the WTO powerhouse the UK, encouraged their host countries to play hardball with the U.S. and seek sanctions in the billions of dollars in order to try to force the U.S. to revisit its anti-online gambling stance. Instead, the trade representatives from these countries settled for much less, essentially letting the U.S. off for significantly less than what the gambling industry and the countries will lose (in the form of taxes) from being cut off from the U.S., the largest gambling market in the world.

Harrah's Sale Won't Change World Series of Poker
Sale to Private Equity Companies Nearing Completion
By Bob Pajich

The pending closing of the multi billion dollar sale of Harrah's to two private firms will not change the way the World Series of Poker will be run in 2008, and the current management personnel who will stay with the company say that the WSOP will remain an important property for the company for years to come.

"The World Series of Poker will remain a key brand in the Harrah's portfolio, and one earmarked for expansion on a number of fronts," said WSOP Communications Director Gary Thompson.

Thompson noted that the senior management team, led by Harrah's Chairman and CEO Gary Loveman, will remain in place. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and his team also will remain.

In April, Harrah's shareholders approved a $17.7 billion sale of the company to private equity buyers Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group. It took this long for the company to receive sale approval from the gaming boards of each state in which Harrah's operates casinos, as well as the foreign countries in which Harrah's also has casinos. These final hurdles will allow the sale to go through sometime in early 2008.

Harrah's is the largest casino operator in the world. With more than 50 casinos, it nearly hit the $10 billion in revenue mark in 2007. Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group will buy Harrah's for $90 a share. The stock traded at around $88.80 in December.

$5,000 Heads-Up Event to Take Place in Canada
Canadian Open Poker Championship Coming March 5-9
By Bob Pajich

The Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary, Canada, will host the Canadian Open Poker Championship, March 5-9. The highlight of this weeklong tournament is a $5,000 heads-up no-limit hold'em tournament that will be capped at 128 entrants.

The schedule is as follows:



The COPC is owned by Heads Up Entertainment Inc., which calls itself "a global media and entertainment company engaged in the creation of branded entertainment through the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on poker and other entertainment themes." It's currently in negotiations to hold more Canadian poker championship events in 2008.

For more information, call (403) 236-7542.

Women's Poker Hall of Fame Debuts
History in the Making
By Lupe Soto

Barbara Enright, Susie Isaacs, Linda Johnson, and Marsha Waggoner are slated to be inducted into the new Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF) on Feb. 2, 2008, at Binion's Casino in Las Vegas. Mike Sexton will be the master of ceremonies and Jan Fisher will be the featured guest speaker at the induction ceremony and luncheon.

The public (men and women) is invited to attend this event by becoming a charter member of the WiPHOF. Membership is $75 and includes a ticket to the induction ceremony and luncheon, a commemorative gift, and entry into an invitational freeroll tournament on Feb. 3 at noon. The freeroll will be played for $1,000 in cash and special prizes donated by Card Player, The Venetian, The Bicycle Casino, Ocean's Eleven Casino, ClubUBT.com, Binion's, Ujogo.com, and more. In addition, the first-place finisher will win entry to the World Poker Tour Boot Camp! Also, 20 percent of the membership fee will be donated to the Breast Cancer Angels Foundation, which provides financial aid and services to women living with breast cancer.

The criteria for selection into the WiPHOF are significant, and a candidate must meet all three points to be eligible:

1. Must have been active as a player or industry leader at some time during a period beginning at least 15 years prior to election.

2. Must have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way, either by wins/cashes in major tournaments or by making significant contributions to the poker industry.

3. Must be a proponent of women's poker. Though not required to play in women-only events, she must support their existence.

For the past nine months, the WiPHOF board of directors has researched and developed this program. The board members are Suzanne Carter, director of marketing at Ocean's Eleven Casino; Karina Jett, professional player; Maureen Feduniak, professional player and industry professional; Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, professional player and industry professional; and Lupe Soto, LIPS founder. Also contributing their time are Margie Heinz (the first woman to deal at the World Series of Poker), for historical review, and Gyla Whitlow, induction ceremony event producer.

The WiPHOF will induct four very deserving and talented women in its inaugural year:

Barbara Enright was the first woman inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame and the first woman to sit at the final table of a WSOP main event. She is also the first woman to win three WSOP bracelets and has more than $1 million in career earnings.

Susie Isaacs was the first woman to win the WSOP ladies championship back-to-back, and has cashed several times in the World Series of Poker main event, including a 10th-place finish. She also is an accomplished author and lecturer.

Linda Johnson, the "First Lady of Poker," is the studio announcer for the World Poker Tour. A skilled professional poker player, she has won a gold bracelet at the WSOP. She served as publisher of Card Player for eight years, and still writes a column for Card Player, and also is a partner in Card Player Cruises. She was a co-founder of the World Poker Industry Conference, the World Poker Players Conference, and the Tournament Directors Association. She was the original chairperson for the Poker Players Alliance and still serves on its board of directors. Today, Linda teaches for the WPT Boot Camp and hosts charity events and seminars in cardrooms around the world.

Marsha Waggoner, "The Grand Dame of Poker," has cashed in 19 WSOP events. She started in the industry as a dealer and quickly found her way to the tables. As a professional player, her tournament winnings are close to $1 million.

Seating for the induction ceremony and luncheon is limited to the first 250 members. Please preregister by visiting this website: www.womanspokerhalloffame.com.

Poker Academy Goes International
Software Will Be Available in Dozens of Countries
By Bob Pajich

Now, poker fans who enjoy learning as much about the game as possible but don't speak English will have access to Poker Academy's world-class instructional programs, Poker Academy Poker Pro and Poker Academy Prospector.

Thanks to an agreement with French software publisher Anuman, the Poker Academy suite of poker tools is now available in the following countries: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Republic of the Ivory Coast, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

"We continue to grow the number of languages we offer our product in, and this will increase us from English and French to five or six new languages, including Russian, German, Italian, Spanish, and others," said Kurt Lange, president of Poker Academy. "Anuman was an easy choice for us, even though we had multiple bidders working with us to expand our international presence, and that is because of the great success they have had in France. They have made this a top product in France; they understand the product and the market, and they are committed to success."

Poker Academy publishes the extremely helpful Poker Pro and Poker Prospector, two must-have programs for any serious poker player. The programs enable poker players to analyze their game through simulations and by collecting reams of information garnered from playing online. Reviews for the software can be found at CardPlayer.com.

RGA Files Complaint Against U.S. With EU
Claims U.S. Discriminates Against Member Companies
By Bob Pajich

An online organization that calls as members some of the largest online gambling companies in the world announced that it would file a formal complaint against the United States for "discrimination based on violations of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules."

The Remote Gambling Association says the compliant filed with the European Union opens up another front in the battle for online gambling in the U.S. According to the RGA, the complaint is filed under a provision of the EU's Trade Barriers Regulation, which enables any EU company or association of companies to complain about trade obstacles.

The complaint forces the EU to investigate the allegations of U.S. discrimination against online gambling. If the EU finds evidence of the allegations, EU officials will then have to decide if they should pursue talks with the U.S. to end the discrimination. If these talks did not solve the issue, the EU would then have the right to go to the WTO for help, said the RGA.

But earlier this year, the U.S. revised a WTO agreement removing gambling from the industries that fall under WTO rule, so, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the EU would have no right to seek WTO assistance for this issue.
RGA members include PartyGaming, 888, Paddy Power, William Hill, PlayTech, Victor Chandler, SportingBet, Ladbrokes, and others. RGA is based in the UK.

NBC National Heads-Up Championship Opens Three Seats to the Public
Win Your Seat at Caesars Palace for $65
By Kristy Arnett

The NBC National Heads-Up Championship has become one of the premier poker events of the year, not only because of its unique format, but also because of its exclusive field of players. Nearly all of the 64 seats are filled by invitation-only competitors. The first few rounds of invitations have been sent out, and this year, three seats are available to the public.

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is once again serving as host and also will be awarding one coveted seat into the exclusive event. On Feb. 17, a $500 satellite will take place at 2 p.m. It is open to the public, and one player will get the chance of a lifetime to compete heads up against the world's best players in a televised event. Single-table satellites as low as $65 start on Feb. 1 and will run daily starting at 9 a.m. The other two seats will be filled by online qualifiers.

Last year, poker pro Marco Traniello won the Caesars qualifier and competed in the 2007 event that boasted a star-studded field that included his wife, Jennifer Harman. She is among the many National Heads-Up veterans who have been invited back for the 2008 event, including Doyle Brunson, Barry Greenstein, Antonio Esfandiari, Erick Lindgren, Phil Ivey, and Daniel Negreanu.

Reigning NBC Heads-Up Champion Paul Wasicka has been invited, giving him the chance to defend his title. In last year's semifinal, Wasicka defeated Shannon Elizabeth, who also has been extended an invitation to attempt to best last year's finish.

NBC is giving new players a chance, as well, including those who had a particularly successful 2007. No one had a better year in major live tournaments than Card Player 2007 Player of the Year (POY) David Pham. He has been invited, along with Jonathan Little, who finished third in the POY race. The most recent World Series of Poker main-event champion, Jerry Yang, and high-stakes cash-game player Brian Townsend also have been invited to play.

These players have not yet confirmed their participation and have not been invited in any particular order. Festivities will kick off with a pairing party at the PURE nightclub inside Caesars Palace. Play begins on Feb. 28, 2008, and a winner will be crowned on March 2. The winner will receive $500,000 and priceless bragging rights. ♠

Orleans Introduces Player of the Year and Month for Cash Prizes
$5,000 Awarded Each Month and $100,000 at Year-End
By Kristy Arnett

Successful tournament players have one characteristic in common, consistency, and The Orleans is adding an extra incentive for players to bring their A-game every time. In 2008, players can earn points in the daily no-limit hold'em tournaments that will go toward Orleans Player of the Year and Player of the Month standings for cash prizes.

Every day, The Orleans holds no-limit hold'em tournaments at noon and 7 p.m. (The exceptions are that the tournaments on Monday at noon and Thursday at 7 p.m. are Omaha eight-or-better and do not award points.) The buy-in is $80 for all tournaments, excluding the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 7 p.m. tournaments, which have a $105 buy-in.

All players who cash in any of these tournaments receive points, with the number depending on the number of entrants. The top three players at the end of each month will receive a share of $5,000. At the end of the year, the top nine players will receive a share of $100,000, with the first-place winner receiving $50,000 and a gold bracelet.

Card Player Revises 2008 POY Scoring Criteria
Changes Made to Include More International Events
By Bob Pajich

Every year, Card Player recognizes the best tournament poker player in the world with its Player of the Year (POY) award. We keep track of the results of all of the major poker tournaments held in the calendar year, give points to the players according to a mathematical formula, and then watch as the race plays out. It's more fun than Mike Matusow and a case of Pro Player energy drink.

For 2008, Card Player will recognize even more tournaments for the POY contest, giving a nod to all of the major tournaments held in Europe. Card Player also will count more shorthanded and heads-up events. The following changes have been made to the 2008 Card Player POY scoring criteria:

• The championship events of the following international tourneys all count in the POY standings: European Poker Tour, Asia Pacific Poker Tour, Aussie Millions, and World Series of Poker Europe.

• At least the final six players in sixhanded events will receive points. In events that have buy-ins of $10,000 or more, the top 18 will receive points.

• Players in heads-up events will now receive points. For events with a cap of 64 entrants, the top four will receive points. For 65-128 entrants, the top eight will receive points; for 129-plus entrants, the top 16 will receive points.

Besides the predetermined tournaments, events will qualify for POY points if they meet the following requirements:

• Events in a tournament series with at least $750,000 in the overall prize pool or single events with at least $250,000 in the prize pool

• Events with at least 60 players and at least a $300 buy-in

• 2007 brick-and-mortar (land-based) casino Player of the Year events with at least a $300 buy-in and a minimum of 60 players

• Invitational events must have at least $500,000 in the prize pool

• International events must have at least $1.5 million in the prize pool (the following international events will automatically qualify: EPT main events, APPT main events, Aussie Millions main events, and WSOPE main events)

• Online events with a prize pool of more than $5,000,000 (only players who release their real names - with site verification - will receive points)

Card Player uses a mathematical formula to calculate the number of points that a player earns per tournament by taking into consideration place finished, buy-in, and number of players per event. The entire formula, including examples, can be found at www.CardPlayer.com/tournaments/poy_scoring.

Good luck to all of the players who compete on the tournament trail in 2008. As always, the winner of the POY title will receive a $10,000 entry into the WSOP main event.

Ready, Get Set …
At press time, there were several major events taking place in which several thousand POY points will be awarded. They include the European Poker Tour PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, the Aussie Millions, a WSOP Tournament Circuit event in Tunica, and the World Poker Tour World Poker Open. These events, as well as the preliminary events, will certainly shape how the 2008 POY race plays out. It takes a few weeks for the POY race to really get started, and by the time this issue hits the stands, it will have.

Look Out!
Ryan Daut started 2007 by winning the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and its $1.5 million top prize. He ended the year by finishing sixth in the World Poker Tour Five-Diamond World Poker Classic championship event in December, two bookends that any poker player would love to score. Daut won $192,000 for his Five-Diamond finish, and he also finished ninth in the WPT Mandalay Bay event for nearly $35,000. He finished 53rd in the 2007 POY standings with 2,172 points. He's a young, fearless player who's coming off a breakout year. It will be fun to see what 2008 has in store for him.

Extracting Maximum Value
By Chris Rhodes

I play poker professionally with a focus on high-stakes limit hold'em cash games. I also provide instructional coaching videos for Card Player Pro, powered by PokerSavvy Plus. In limit hold'em, success is reliant upon correctly executing small and seemingly uninteresting decisions over many hands. My columns will provide examples and analysis that will help you navigate some of these scenarios. As a Card Player reader, you'll have access to clips of these hands and many others. In addition to the columns, you can watch videos on CardPlayer.com for a richer learning experience.

A crucial skill in limit hold'em is the ability to make the maximum possible amount on monster hands. There is a delicate balance between playing the hand aggressively on the flop for smaller bets or waiting until the turn and river to put the extra action in with big bets. The factors in this decision generally include the number of players in the pot, the tendencies of the players in the pot, your position, the position of the preflop aggressor, and the texture of the flop. Here's my decision-making process after flopping a set:



In this hand, the first two players folded and I raised. The button three-bet, the small blind folded, the big blind called, and I called one more bet. The three of us went to the flop with a pot of $190. Getting three-bet preflop was not ideal, since I was now trapped in the middle in a reraised pot. I now needed to flop a set or some type of straight draw to continue. Luckily, the flop came down Q 4 3, giving me bottom set. At this point, my goal was to get the maximum amount of my opponents' chips into the pot. The big blind checked, and it was my turn to act.

Since the player on the button was the three-bettor preflop, this was a clear opportunity for a check-raise. Some players may be tempted to bet out, but betting would allow the button to raise and possibly knock out the big blind. The ideal situation would be to have the button bet and the big blind call, allowing me to trap them both for an extra bet on the flop.

I checked, and the button bet, as expected. Unfortunately, the big blind folded, which changed my strategy significantly. With the pot now heads up, I decided to abandon my plan of a flop check-raise and wait for the bigger bet on the turn. This strategy can be a bit risky, since there is a chance that the button could check behind on the turn, but given my read that he was a loose-aggressive player, I believed he would bet again a strong majority of the time. The flop also contained a flush draw, which also may help induce a bet on the turn from my opponent, because he may put me on a draw. I called his flop bet and the two of us went to the turn with a pot of $230.

The turn was the J, which was an excellent card for me, since it put up another possible high card for my opponent to hit, and it did not complete the flush, which could scare my opponent. I thought that it was unlikely that my opponent was on a flush draw. Given his action preflop and on the flop, I thought his range would consist mostly of pocket pairs, A-K, A-Q, A-J, K-Q, or K-J. I believed he would bet almost all of this range on the turn, so I checked. The button bet again, and I raised. He called instantly, and we went to the river with a pot of $390.

The river card was the K, which completed the flush and also put the possibility of a straight on the board if my opponent held A-10 or 10-9. I bet again, since I thought my opponent still most likely had a pair, or hit the king for two pair. He called with the A Q and I took down the $470 pot. By waiting until the turn to check-raise with my monster hand, I was able to extract the maximum possible from my opponent, as well as do everything possible to keep the third player in the hand.

To watch Chris Rhodes comment on and play this hand, go to Card Player Pro, the complete online poker training site, at
www.CardPlayer.com/link/crhodes.

_NormanChad Faces a Tough High-Stakes
Cash-Game River Decision
By Craig Tapscott

Want to study real poker hands with the Internet's most successful players? In this series, Card Player offers hand analysis with online poker's leading talent.

Heads-Up Cash Game: $50-$100 no-limit hold'em at Ongame Network
Stacks: _NormanChad - $34,096.50; Villain - $24,003.50

Villain raises to $200. _NormanChad calls with the Q 9.

Craig Tapscott: Do you mix up your play and reraise here often?

Evan "_NormanChad" Roberts: Occasionally I will reraise in this spot, hoping to take it down immediately and to balance my reraises with premium hands. However, I would rather reraise here with a hand like 7-6 suited than with a hand like Q-9 offsuit.

FLOP: A Q 3 ($400 pot)

_NormanChad checks.

CT: Are you checking here to set up a play later?

ER: Well, sometimes I will lead into my opponent in this spot, and sometimes I'll check. I think it's important to mix up your play.

Villain bets $450. _NormanChad calls.

Turn: 9 ($1,300 pot)

ER: I expected a continuation-bet on the flop, but he doesn't fire a lot of second-barrel bluffs when he's missed completely. I've been playing very loose-aggressive so far in the match, and have been caught bluffing when taking this exact line at least twice. So, I think it's a great spot to try to balance my play and bet.

_NormanChad bets $1,100. Villain calls.

River: Q ($3,500 pot)

_NormanChad bets $3,350. Villain moves all in for $22,203.50

CT: Are you thinking he slow-played A-Q here or just reacting to some history between the two of you?

ER: I have never seen him make a bet like this before, so I'm really confused as to what his hand range looks like. First, I thought that it would be really difficult for him to be pushing a worse hand for value. Second, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for him to have a hand that beats me here, either. I think that he would certainly raise the turn with most sets to build the pot and protect against draws. The only hand I think he might show up with here that beats me is A-Q. Third, could he be bluffing?

CT: Well, what do you think he thinks you have to be able to shove here?

ER: I will show up with trip queens, aces up, busted draws, and complete air some of the time - all of which I will fold to a shove. I will also have underfulls, like Q-9, which will also be very tough to call with. Since I am unsure what his hand range looks like, I think it is best to analyze this decision from a game-theory perspective. My opponent knows that Q-9 is the strongest hand I can have in this spot, since I would reraise preflop with A-Q and A-A. If I am folding Q-9, I am folding with 100 percent of my hand range here, allowing him to profitably shove with any two cards. Even if I am slightly behind his hand range with Q-9, I must call with it to prevent a bigger mistake, which would be allowing my opponent to continually shove over the top of my river bets in situations where he knows I will have to fold nearly all of my hand range.

_NormanChad calls. Villain shows the A 5. _NormanChad wins the pot of $48,007.

ER: I clearly had not given my opponent enough credit for his ability to be tricky and aggressive. He was willing to turn a hand that had showdown value into a bluff, knowing that in the long run, it would yield superior results.

Evan Roberts is a poker pro who has won millions of dollars playing high-stakes online cash games. He is a heads-up no-limit hold'em specialist who plays across all sites at stakes of $25-$50 and higher. He recently graduated from Stanford University and is one of the lead instructors at the Card Player Pro training site.

The Day of 150,000 Players
By Shawn Patrick Green

If there was any testament to both the fact that poker is growing in popularity and that online poker is necessary for that growth, it was made on Dec. 30, 2007. On that day, 150,000 players were playing poker simultaneously on one online site. That was more than 20,000 tables being dealt cards at the same time.

To put that into perspective, there aren't 20,000 poker tables in brick-and-mortar casinos in the entire United States. It would take a venue like the Rüngnado May First Stadium in North Korea - which seats a maximum of 150,000 and is one of the largest (if not the largest) soccer stadiums in the world - to accommodate such a crowd. Or, of course, you could just log on to PokerStars, where players from around the world congregate to play poker. The Guinness Book of Records took note when the site had had 100,000 players logged on at once, so 150,000 players seems like a shoo-in for yet another Guinness nod.

One of the reasons for the massive crowd was the site's famous Sunday Hundred Grand, a $10 buy-in tournament that guaranteed a $100,000 prize pool. That tournament often reaches or comes close to reaching its entry cap of 20,000 players, and that cap was reached on Dec. 30. It could be that the remainder of the crowd was simply taking advantage of their holidays by relaxing with some Sunday poker.

Dario Minieri Wins Three Majors in One Day
Dario Minieri used to be well-known for two things: (1) playing enough online poker on PokerStars to be able to buy a shiny new Porsche with his Frequent Player Points, which arrived at his doorstep before he even had a license to drive it, and (2) sporting a Harry Potter-style scarf with Gryffindor's colors when he plays in live events. Minieri recently accomplished something that may turn out to be even more defining for him - and will certainly earn him a massive amount of street cred in the online poker world - when he won three major Sunday events on the site on the same day.

That day happened to be the same day that PokerStars had its record-breaking number of players, Dec. 30, 2007. Minieri started off his amazing day by taking down a $5,000 buy-in winner-take-all no-limit hold'em event. The 20 entrants in the event generated a prize pool of $100,000, more than half of which ($60,000) found its way into Minieri's PokerStars account after a three-way deal was made.

Thirty-five minutes after taking down that event, he closed out the High Stakes Showdown, a $10,000 heads-up tournament. He outlasted six other big-name poker pros before besting prominent Internet player Chris "Genius28" Lee heads up to earn $50,000. Almost seven hours later, he wound up with all of the chips in the $200 rebuy event on PokerStars, a tournament that is known for its stacked fields. He earned nearly $57,000 for that win.

In addition to winning three events against incredibly tough players, he also finished respectably deep in the $1,000 buy-in version of the Sunday Million that was running that day. He outlasted 1,706 other entrants to finish in 42nd place in the event. All said, he earned almost $172,000 that Sunday over the course of several events. Let's hope that gets more attention than his scarf in the years to come.

Chatbox Cunning - Strategy from Top Online Pros

Card Player 2007 Online Player of the Year Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron

On what his X-factor is:
"I think it's probably just being able to really stay composed and not really let any outside influences or stuff like that affect how I'm playing. Also, not really getting emotionally involved in the poker, and really just focusing on the poker play and not worrying about personal vendettas, or bad beats, or anything like that. Just kind of staying on an even keel and trying to play my best poker at all times is definitely part of it."

On how to focus when playing poker:
"I'm not like a lot of the people who play online tournaments professionally; I don't play eight to 12 tables at once. I'm usually playing four tables or fewer, six tables at the max. That's definitely one thing that helps. As far as staying focused at all of the tables, I'd say that practice makes perfect. Multitabling is a skill, just like anything else, and it's not going to be easy when you first try to play two or three or four tables, but as you do it more, you get more in the habit of it."

On the differences between cash games and tournaments:
"Cash games are much more post-flop and turn and river play, whereas tournaments, for the most part, are just preflop and the flop. When you get past the very early stages of a tournament, most of your decisions are going to be coming either before the flop or on the flop, whereas in a cash game, a lot of the big decisions are going to be coming on the turn and the river. So, just playing with deeper stacks and being able to read hands is one of the major skill sets that cash-game play requires that tournaments don't necessarily require as much. [The ability to rebuy in a cash game] definitely changes a lot of the play. You can make the best decision possible and not have to worry about busting out or not being able to play. It definitely changes a lot of the way people play in a cash game compared to a tournament."

Ty Reiman:
Hungry Like a Wolf
By Craig Tapscott

Ty Reiman, 19, attributes much of his success to a tried-and-true method - hard work. Armed with a passion for knowledge and an uber-aggressive style, he amassed more than $900,000 in winnings in 2007, mostly online. One milestone was winning a Full Tilt Poker Sunday main event for $101,000 last June. Another was taking down the first live tournament he entered, a Turning Stone Casino $1,000 no-limit event for $50,000. That's not a bad start for his first year as a professional.

He learned poker's nuances from a college friend, known online as The-Toilet. "I learned so much from watching him," said Reiman. "I used to go over and rail him for eight hours a day. It really created a big hunger for me to get better and better."

Don't expect Reiman to curb his appetite in the foreseeable future. In 2008, he plans to compete in as many live events as possible, starting with the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, followed by the Aussie Millions. If 2007 is any indication, the coming year should prove to be very fulfilling for poker's new young gun.

Craig Tapscott: What were some of the key concepts you picked up from watching your friends?

Ty Reiman: Hand ranges. It was difficult for me to put people on hands very well. I would try, then bet, and they would call. I would think, "I'm totally beat here." Then I started to look at hand ranges of what they could be calling or floating me with. I learned to double-barrel if I was sure they were on a draw.

I also learned about Harrington's "M" theory. Now I base all of my decisions late in a tournament on it. Many top players go by the number of big blinds left, but some of the best players I know use "M." I learned what hands I needed to reshove with and when I would have fold equity.

CT: Is the continuation-bet a strong part of your arsenal? It doesn't seem to get as much respect as it used to.

TR: I used to get so frustrated when I would continuation-bet and someone would raise me when I had nothing. That would just put me on tilt (laughing.) I learned that you couldn't get people to fold every time you c-bet. I eventually learned to cope and get back some of my chips with solid play, instead of going on a downward spiral.

CT: Share some of your successful tournament strategies.

TR: During the early stages, I like to see who is open-limping a lot of pots, and I look for people playing too many hands. Within about 15 minutes, I can tell on whom I want to focus to get my chips.

When I have a big stack, I like to go after the other player(s) with the biggest stack at the table. Most people go after the short stacks, thinking they will fold easier. My strategy is to go after the big stack, because my stack is the only one that can do some damage. I think like they'll play tight against me.

CT: Do you make a habit of punishing the limpers?

TR: Well, when people limp, I like to isolate-raise. Also, I like to do a lot of three-betting in position later in tournaments. I go by the "M" theory again. This helps me choose what kind of stacks to three-bet against. I also pay attention to how aggressive a player is. If he opens once or twice every few orbits, I'll generally gun for him more than the players who'll just fold till they get a hand.

CT: What spots are you looking for to resteal?

TR: Let's say that I'm fairly deep-stacked and my opponent raises about three times the big blind. I usually just reraise. I like to put him to a decision for all of his chips. Most players nowadays know so many tricks from all of the training sites that I think they won't just call when out of position. They will either shove or fold. Most people don't want to put their tournament life at risk with something like A-10, even if it means they're ahead of my three-bet.

CT: At 19 years old, what does your family think of your success and winning almost a million dollars in 2007?

TR: My dad used to think it was just gambling. He didn't understand that there was so much skill involved. Now he's fully behind me.

CT: You obviously love your work.

TR: I feel like I'm a really blessed person. I get to pick my own hours, work when I want to, and travel the world.

The Trials and Tribulations of A-K
By Mike Sexton, the "Ambassador of Poker" and Commentator for the World Poker Tour

The North American Poker Championship takes place at the beautiful Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Canada. It is an amazing property with an even more amazing view overlooking Niagara Falls. The World Poker Tour has been there only two years, but with the ever-increasing popularity of poker in Canada, this event has fast become one of the best on the tour.

This hand occurred early on at the final table. Six players were left, the antes were 3,000, and the blinds were 15,000-30,000. Jim Worth, with more than 1.7 million in chips, was first to act. He picked up A-K (big slick) and made it 90,000 to go. Right behind him, Marc Karam (with just under 1 million), reraised to 290,000 with A-J. Everyone folded back to Worth, and he now had to make a tough decision as to what to do. You could make a case for all of his options: fold, call, or reraise the guy all in.

Worth took door number two and called. The flop came 9-6-2 rainbow. Worth checked and Karam made a continuation-bet of 300,000. It proved to be a great bet, as Worth folded the best hand and Karam took down the pot. As you can see from the WPT "wonder cam", had Worth played the hand, the turn card and river card wouldn't have helped Karam, and Worth would have won a huge pot and most likely eliminated Karam from the tournament. No-limit hold'em is all about making tough decisions - and timing is everything.

Before you criticize Worth, put yourself in his seat. It's early at the final table and you're playing for nearly a million bucks. You raised from under the gun and the guy right behind you (in fifth chip position) comes over the top with four players yet to act behind him. What would you do? Would you lay down A-K? Would you call to see a flop before committing any more chips, or would you raise and put him all in (knowing he's pot-committed)?

Your opponent could easily have jacks or queens here (or aces or kings). Assuming that he's got an underpair, would you really like to race (with slightly the worst of it) for a million in your chips here? And if you called the raise preflop, would you have continued playing when the flop came 9-6-2 if your opponent bet 300,000? (Give a lot of credit to Karam for making the continuation-bet on the flop. He earned the pot by doing that.)

Poker is a very easy game to play when you can see the cards and know what would have happened. In making your decision as to what to do in this situation, it helps a great deal to know the style of play of your opponents. Against opponents who are bullies and/or are extremely aggressive, playing A-K is a no-brainer here. Against tight opponents, folding A-K is a no-brainer here. Worth had a tough decision to make here, and unfortunately for him, he made the wrong one.

I believe that Hall of Famer T.J. Cloutier plays A-K better than just about anyone, and he likes to say, "Ace-King is just a drawing hand." In Texas, A-K is called "Walking back to Houston."

On a personal note, I'm certain that I've lost more money with A-K than any other hand in no-limit hold'em - and whatever hand is in second place is not even close. The problem with A-K isn't just when you raise all in pre flop, get called by a pair, and lose the race. Usually, it's when you raise preflop with A-K, get called, and the flop comes K-7-5 or A-6-3 and your opponent has flopped a set. It's almost always "tapioca pudding" for you here.

The simple truth is this: Sometimes it's good to play A-K, and other times it's not. Good luck with your decisions.

Poker and Resolutions
By David Apostolico

I am writing this column right before New Year's Day, and I thought it would be an ideal time to address the whole concept of New Year's resolutions and how they relate to poker. The typical resolutions adopted by most players are along the lines of: better control my emotions; avoid going on tilt; play within my means; read more books on poker; or, discuss strategy with some trusted friends. Even more specifically, some players will adopt resolutions to fix some of the gaps in their game, such as bluffing more often or value-betting the river.

Most of these poker-related resolutions, just like other New Year's resolutions, often prove to be short-lived. The best of intentions typically don't last past January. The best analogy is sitting down to a new cash game that opens up. Every player buys in for the first time and tries to play mistake-free poker. This results in a very tight table that won't last long, as players loosen up and fall back into bad habits. Unfortunately, that's human nature.

The purpose of this column is not to address the typical resolutions, but to look at the broader aspects of human nature. I recently came upon the following passage from the book Strategy in Poker, Business & War by John McDonald: "[Poker] is a travesty on life, and as such it reveals some of the moral and psychological secrets of men. Shrewdness, cunning, deception, conscious strategies, suspicious appraisals of worth and character, and bold aggressions, all the repressed values of a competitive society are let loose and placed first in the order of proprieties. Hope, yes, and an honesty redefined to make room for certain types of deception. But brotherhood? Faith? Charity? These are the least of the qualities of a good poker player."

As anyone who has played the game knows, the characteristics to be a good poker player are largely at odds with those we need in just about every other aspect of our life. Thus, it becomes critical to separate out those qualities and differentiate things in your life. It doesn't make you a bad person to adopt a ruthless attitude in the poker room. It would make you a bad poker player if you didn't.

At this time of year, many of the resolutions we adopt are at odds with our poker-playing personalities. We want to be better
people - more caring and more giving. Those are admirable goals and well worth pursuing. The trick is in not letting your poker personality permeate other aspects of your life, and vice versa.

John McDonald writes further, "[t]hat poker has seemed on occasion less like a game than an extension of the corrupt practices of life itself is perhaps one reason why it is customary for poker players to settle accounts at the conclusion of play. If there is any difficulty, the error is not in the game but in playing too hard, an inadmissible garbling of the graces of life (someone is bound to lose his shirt once in a while). The game that ends in an action that extends to life itself may be a game, but it is not play."

The great majority of poker players play to win, but play for recreational purposes. They are not professional players looking to make their entire living. No matter what level you play, it is critical to keep poker separate from other aspects of your life. Have separate funds for poker. Adopt a different personality for poker. Leave time for other pursuits in life. Don't let poker infringe upon your private life, for then it ceases to be a game of strategy.

Poker is a great game and one to be played in earnest. Indulge it, enjoy it, and continue your attempt at mastering its strategic nature. However, if you make one resolution this year, make it to keep poker separate from other aspects of your life. Both your poker game and your personal life will benefit.

David Apostolico is the author of numerous poker strategy books, including Tournament Poker, and The Art of War and Poker Strategies for a Winning Edge in Business. You can contact him at [email protected].

Take 'Em All Out
By Tim Peters

Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold'em and Sit-n-Go's by Lee Nelson, Tysen Streib, and Kim Lee; foreword by Joe Hachem, Huntington Press, $29.95)

In 2005's Kill Phil, Lee Nelson and Blair Rodman presented a high-risk, high-reward "long ball" strategy for no-limit hold'em tournament play, which can be summed up in four words: move in or fold. In Kill Everyone, Nelson and co-authors Streib and Lee offer a much more sophisticated and mathematically rigorous approach to tournament poker. It's an interesting and valuable - albeit occasionally confusing - addition to the growing library of tournament strategy books.

Kill Everyone is definitely up to the minute in how it reflects the evolution of tournament play and tournament thinking over the past few years. In Nelson's introduction, he writes about the "ultra-aggressive" style of "the new breed of Internet-spawned young Turks" who are "moving in more frequently and calling all-in bets with weaker hands than seasoned pros can imagine."

How do you respond? In essence, you have to join the party - though you need to bring a bit more judiciousness to the felt: "The hallmark of winning tournament play continues to be fearless controlled aggression." (The key word there is "controlled.")

The book begins with a section on early-stage play and a solid analysis of what might be called the "Gus Hansen approach," a loose-aggressive style that takes advantage of the enormous implied odds when stacks are deep. They also describe "fear equity" - how your willingness to put people to the test for all of their chips can pay handsome dividends throughout a tournament (it's a useful phrase and, I think, the first time it has been used).

The meat of the book begins with "Endgame Strategy." The authors assert, quite correctly, that the keys to endgame play are cost per round (CPR) and chip-status index (CSI: your stack divided by the CPR). Your CSI dictates your basic moves: the higher it is, the more you can "play normal poker," but as it declines, you must get more aggressive and take advantage of any fold equity that you might possess. (Astute readers will recognize that CSI is the same as Paul Magriel's "M" from Harrington on Hold'em: Volume II.) Understanding CSI is one the easiest ways to improve your tournament results.

From this point on, the book will seriously challenge you. Take the guidelines for "unexploitable resteals," for example. This is an undeniably valuable tournament-specific concept, but the explanation is opaque at best, especially the matrix on Page 72 - which is virtually impossible to read. This could be a fault in production, but even so, a few examples would have made this entire discussion much clearer. As the authors point out, you don't always need to understand the "why" of a play in order to execute it, but some of their latter sections could have been explained more effectively, such as the mathematically determined "equilibrium plays."

Despite these flaws, the concepts in Kill Everyone are first-rate, and aspiring tournament players will want to read this book. You'll learn how to apply these ideas in different tournament formats. You'll learn about heads-up tournament play, the "non-linearity of chip value," and a valuable new concept that the authors call the "bubble factor." (The book concludes with an oddity: a chapter on shorthanded no-limit games by Australian pro Mark Vos. Nelson refers to it as a "bonus," but it feels tacked on and irrelevant.)

In the end, this is a much more satisfying and sophisticated take on tournament poker than Kill Phil. In essence, the authors teach you how to combine long-ball and short-ball tactics - but they also make the point that small ball ultimately works better when "you're a good player in good position." You'll get to be a good player if you can understand and apply these ideas to your game.

What book in 2008 are you most looking forward to? E-mail me at [email protected].