News & Promotions Blog

book-review-how-to-win-the-world-series-of-poker-or-not-by-pat-walsh

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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Why Wiseguy style is not for everyone

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 million at the poker table.
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How to host your own private tournament

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.

candidates-tell-everything

Barack Obama is “winning support for his presidential bid from America’s poker players” according to last weekend’s Sunday Telegraph. This pillar of the newspaper establishment reports that “Las Vegas pros” are “putting their chips on Mr Obama, who is himself a skilled player of Texas Hold ‘Em and seven-card stud.”
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Grand entrances, but only one winner

Given what’s at stake (see below), the influence of showbiz was, rather predictably, never far away as this year’s WSOP* main event finally got under way last week.

Perhaps the grandest (or should that be conceited? Ed) entrance was made by Phil Hellmuth who arrived after three hours of play dressed as an army general with 11 stars on his helmet, equal to the record number of gold bracelets he has won at the WSOP*. He was flanked by 11 girls who marched in with him to ESPN’s “feature table”, naturally catching the cameras’ attention. Pretentious? Moi?

Devilishly large payout in Vegas

Poker tournaments, especially the WSOP*, are one of the few games where an associated event can start on 3rd July, yet by 14th July, we will have only reached day seven.

Of course, the reason for this apparent miscount is due to the field size: there are four day ones and two day twos, a calendar-confusing arrangement designed to accommodate all contestants. And how those contestant numbers have grown this year – up by more than 7.6% to 6,844, compared with last year’s 6,358.

Lindgren at last

They have most other things at the WSOP*, so why not a “Player of the Year”?

Well, of course they have this too. This year’s winner was 27-year-old Erick Lindgren who beat Justin Bonomo to win the ,000 no-limit hold ‘em event on 2nd June and who finished third in the ,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.

book-review-poker-strategies-for-a-winning-edge-in-business-by-david-apostolico

There’s enough evidence to suggest that more than one author believes there is a direct link between winning at the poker table and achieving success in business.

For example, Greg Dinkin and Jeff Gitomer’s The Poker MBA is compulsory reading at several UK Business Schools, while Aaron Brown’s acclaimed The Poker Face of Wall Street is known to occupy the library shelves of at least two FTSE 100 chief executives. Meanwhile, John McDonald’s 1950 classic, Strategy in Poker, Business & War, is a must-read for those who appreciate an unequivocal connection constantly referred to in David Apostolico’s latest book, Poker Strategies for a Winning Edge in Business.