News & Promotions Blog
by Simon Dexter Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
The great thing about Sam Farha is that he looks like a caricature poker player: the slicked back hair, the bling, the slightly mean appearance, the sharp suit, but man can this guy play Omaha. It’s one of his many redeeming features (he is, apparently, an especially nice guy) and he’s decided to reveal many (but not all) of the techniques that have made him such a feared opponent in print. Be thankful that he has for you won’t get much of this guy at the table.
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by Simon Dexter Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Following diva-like histrionics from several high-profile players at this year‘s WSOP*, calls for a standardised set of tournament rules continue to grow louder after the veracity of at least two was called into question.
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by Simon Dexter Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Littlewoods Poker pro Michael Greco joined a surprisingly small band of British and Irish players who returned home from Vegas clutching WSOP* cheques. Michael cashed early in the series but was unable to repeat this success, although he was not alone. There were two sizeable cashes for home players, but only one bracelet, proving just how difficult it is to win on American soil.
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by Simon Dexter Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
As the film version of Mamma Mia! continues to take even more money at the box office, thus proving that Abba’s music can sell anything, spare a thought for another musical which appears unlikely to be heading for the West End.
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by Simon Dexter Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
In one of her many post-tournament interviews, former poker reporter Tiffany ‘Hot Chips’ Michelle (such a fantastic name), who won $334k for finishing 17th in the WSOP* main event, said it would be “neat to be viewed in a different way”, by which we think she meant as a poker player too. Tiffany is not exactly from the Germaine Greer school of right-on feminism, but her progress has inspired many more women to believe that they too can compete at poker.
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by Simon Dexter Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Given events in Vegas this week, it seemed appropriate to review a book which put the WSOP* at its heart. Ever since Tony Holden wrote Big Deal, the tale of an established writer setting off to Vegas with the intention of becoming world champion, he has spawned a plethora of copycat titles to the point where it has become an established literary genre, almost akin to a Michael Palin travelogue.
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by Simon Dexter Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Not long after the MC announced that players could take a 117-day break in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the question as to what would happen should one of the “November Nine” not make it back to Vegas arose. According to WSOP* commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, the answer is straight forward: their chips will be in play. “It’s the rule for every WSOP* event,” he said. “If you are late or you don’t show, your chips will be blinded off. That’s the rule.”
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by Simon Dexter Thursday, July 17th, 2008
When Dean Hamrick was eliminated on Tuesday morning, the WSOP* main event was finally whittled down from almost 7,000 starters to just nine players. Hamrick collected $591,869 for going out in tenth place which, incredibly, is more than all but one of the final table contestants have won in their poker careers.
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by Simon Dexter Thursday, July 17th, 2008
John Bonetti the thick set, foul-mouthed poker professional whose death was announced recently, was the personification of an old-fashioned American poker player. His frequent use of phrases such as “fuggedaboutit” (and worse) made him sound more like wiseguy Joe Pesci in Goodfellas than someone capable of winning more than $4 million at the poker table.
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by Simon Dexter Thursday, July 17th, 2008
As poker’s popularity grows, so demand for variations on the game increases. For instance, there has been a notable surge in the number of players trying their hand at Omaha this year, but until now, if a group of workmates or friends wanted to hold their own tournament, their options were limited.
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