Browse » Home » News

The Sport of Poker…

May 2, 2008

It has long been debated whether or not poker is a sport, and most players today would agree with you that it most definitely is a sport. If you consider other sports, people do play them for recreation and exercise, but this does not make them any less of a sport. The same should be said of poker. While many players just play for fun, there are hundreds of professional players coming out of the woodwork every day.

There are tournaments just like other sports, it takes years of training and practice just like a sport, and it requires skill and mental agility just like many sports. Although it is not physical in nature, poker requires a tremendous amount of mental focus and stamina. If you consider also, that many of the tournaments and championships last for days at a time, you will soon start to respect this card game as a sport in its own right.

Since the early 15th century in Germany and later on in Persia, various games with similar rules and formats as poker began to emerge and eventually poker became famous all over the US and Britain. With many players becoming exceptionally talented at the once humble card game, the World Series of Poker was introduced in 1970, and it was from this point onwards that poker became a serious sport in certain circles. There are also many versions of poker that are played like the community car poker which include the most popular variant, Texas Hold’em, stud poker, and draw poker.

To this day many people still don’t think of poker as a sport at all, but with the introduction of the internet, thousands of people from all over the world can play online, learn more and eventually become one of the top players in the world. In fact most of the professional championship players started playing poker online. Additionally with the media paying more attention and broadcasting many more tournaments and events, and various celebrities taking part in charity fundraiser poker tournaments, this little card game, is sure to become one of the biggest, most competitive, famous sports of all time.

Written by Tom · Filed Under General Poker | 2 Comments 

WSOP Final Table to Be Delayed Until November

May 1, 2008

There have been rampant rumors flying around the poker world that the final table for the World Series of Poker Championship (WSOP) due to be played in the July in Las Vegas, will now only be played on the 9th of November 2008. This has now been confirmed.  

The top poker champs will play down to 9 in the main WSOP event in the middle of July and they will then have to wait for a dramatic 4 months to play for the title of World Series of Poker Champion. The final table is due to be aired on ESPN on November 11th when the winner of the WSOP tournament will also be crowned.  

For the rest of the contestants, this means that you too will have to wait until November before you can find out exactly where you place and how much money you will be taking home.  

The big change is thanks to producers at ESPN who hope to improve ratings by heightening the drama and anxiety of the final 9, and by providing everyone with a chance to learn more about the poker players for the big night. ESPN says that they want to create a buzz that will hopefully bring more interest to the sport, especially to viewers who have never watched before. Senior producer Jamie Horowitz also stated, “The champion will be crowned on the day of air and we’re very excited about the change.” 

At the WSOP official press conference held this morning, it was mentioned that all the final table players would be flown back in for the November event along with any family and friends that they wish to invite. The event is supposed to be huge with Hollywood celebrities attending as well as some of the biggest names in poker. Adam Schwartz said that every one of the final 9 has the opportunity to become famous as this is the highest the stakes have been in the history of the WSOP and it will be the biggest poker telecast in history.  

Jamie Horowitz explained once again that the main idea behind the change was to market the WSOP event and ensure that over the 4 month interval, people get to know the players, learn about the game and encourage more sponsors which will only serve to better the game for every player.  

ESPN is also encouraging all the other media groups to cover the event and highlight the players, hold interviews and the like. The aim is to make the WSOP just as big as the Super Bowl.

Written by Tom · Filed Under Poker News | 3 Comments 

Recent World Poker Tour Championship Winners Announced

April 29, 2008

Various World Poker Tour (WPT) events have been taking place over the last few months building up to the grand final championship WPT event on the 26th April 2008.  Holder of 8 WSOP bracelets Erik Seidel, has added yet another title to his belt in that of the Foxwoods Poker Classics, which is one of the WPT events. He took home a total payout of $992,890. Second place went to Robert Richardson. 

At the World Poker Tour finals, however, the title went to David Chiu, WSOP bracelet holder. He came into the final as an underdog and went on to deliver a sterling performance beating the winner of the 4 previous years, Danish pro player Gus Hansen, also known as “The Great Dane”. Hansen seemed to have everything in the bag, eliminating all the other players easily in just 75 minutes at the table.

With only 22 hands being played it looked like it was going to be the shortest WPT in history – until the heads up against Chan. With just Chiu and Hansen left at the table, it was a 5 to 1 chip lead against Chiu. Chiu never gave up though and started accumulating bigger pots slowly eating away at Hansen’s chip stack. He eventually walked away with over 3 million dollars for his efforts and the acclaimed title of World Poker Tour Champion.  

This year was the first time there was an official Ladies Tournament and the overall winner of the WPT championship title was Nancy Todd Tyner after going heads up against previous WPT winner and highly experienced player, Vanessa Selbst. Tyner said she was excited about the result, especially since she is a fairly new player, and that she was a bit concerned going head up with Selbst, as she is one of the best.        

Written by Tom · Filed Under Poker News | 1 Comment 

THE 2ND ANNUAL POKER CHAMPIONSHIP STARTS IN JAPAN

April 29, 2008

The All Japan Poker Championship kicked off yesterday (Sunday 28th April) as the second of its kind. Although organized gambling of any kind is illegal in the country, officials have found a way around it by asking for no entry fees to the tournament. The winner is set to receive a bracelet and a $10 000 all inclusive seat into the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for 2008 which is to be held in Las Vegas. The All Japan Poker Tour Championship will run until the 18th May in Tokyo.

The inaugural event was held in June last year and was a hit among all Japanese poker players. The poker that is played is a no limit Texas Hold’em game. The event was conceptualized and has been organized by the Global Mix gambling and consulting group who oversee hundred of casino related business, events, and media aspects. The main sponsor is Sega Sammy, an official satellite of the World Series of Poker. They are a company involved in gaming related software and hardware including those for various online gambling sites.   

Anyone wishing to still take part in the main event which will be held on the 18th May needs to qualify in one of the preliminary rounds held on the 11th May and 17th May in Tokyo. There is also a tournament for Seniors, and a separate tournament for Ladies that will be held on the same days as the other events.

Last years winner was Kunihiro Sakimoto who secured a place in the 2007 WSOP event after beating around 2000 poker players to the title. This year there are expected to be even more participants as the event has been heavily publicized in Japan and very much anticipated over the past few months. 

Written by Tom · Filed Under Poker News | 3 Comments 

Awesome Promotions at Chan Poker

April 28, 2008

With the World Series of Poker (WSOP) coming up shortly, there is plenty of hype at all the top online poker sites and this includes the home of Johnny Chan. Johnny Chan is the ultimate poker player and has won two of the WSOP championship titles as well as 10 bracelets. So, it is not surprising that ChanPoker.com is also getting in on the WSOP action, offering 2 great packages – one for the main event and one for a side event. These packages will both include buy-ins for the events, traveling and spending money, and hotel accommodation at The Venetian Resort, Hotel and Casino.

Another promotion that poker players love to take advantage of on this website is the weekly red orange freeroll. This will give you a $200 freeroll at a specific time every Saturday and all you need to join is at least one player point. It’s as easy as that to win. There is also the awesome daily $50 freeroll and this has no requirements, although at 200 players it is capped.

We also have a reminder about the April reload bonus. You can get a redeposit bonus of 110 % for one time up to $750. You will need to enter the code aprilreload to become eligible. You will also have to earn 8 times the amount of your deposit in player points to receive your bonus. There are lots of other great promotions and poker tips on ChanPoker.com so make sure you check them all out for more chances to win.

To make things even easier for players to earn money is the new increment system that is being applied to bonus payouts. Instead of waiting ages for your entire bonus to be paid to you, you will now get the bonus in various increments depending on the amount you have won. This will ensure that you get your money out sooner to continue taking part in the hot and happening online poker scene.

Written by Tom · Filed Under Online Poker Promotions, Poker News | 1 Comment 

« Previous Page — Next Page »