Reviews of free online poker sites, poker trivia, clip art and more!

The Online Poker Guy

June 18th, 2009 at 10:57 am

BetFred Poker Online Poker Site Review

Be sure to read below to find out more about BetFred Poker’s big money tournaments offered everyday!

BetFred.com offers a $250,000 Freezeout tournament every Sunday with a buy-in of $300 + $20 and a $50,000 guaranteed tournament every Saturday with a buy-in of $100 + $9. Every Friday brings a $150,000 guaranteed tournament with the same buy-in ($100+$9) but this one has unlimited rebuys.

If you can’t wait for the weekend you can play in their daily (Monday - Thursday) $50,000 guaranteed tournament for only a buy-in of $50 + $5. And the best news is, you can satellite your way into any of these great tournaments.

If you’re short of cash, why not try the $1,000 Freeroll Bounty Tournament? This is a weekly bounty tournament that’s now even bigger because Betfred Poker has doubled the guaranteed prize of this event from $500 to $1,000! This unique event offers players the opportunity to play as the bounty player. In order to do so, you simply need to eliminate the designated bounty player of the previous week. See their site for full details.

BetFred Poker is very user friendly and offers a great deal of information on how to play. Information about hand rankings, what hands to play, rake information, etiquette and a poker glossary can all be found on their site.

You can also find a strategy guide where articles on luck vs. skill and how to go from playing for play chips to real money are available. Of course, they also have information regarding basic strategy, position, knowing your opponents, bluffing, chip stack sizes, blind stealing and more!

BetFred Poker offers Hold ‘em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven Card Stud that come in the form cash games, sit “n” go’s, multi-table tournaments, satellites, heads-up play and freerolls. And, they’ll match your very first deposit up to a maximum of $600 (or currency equivalent) payable in bonus dollars. (Again please see their site for details)

Their $75 Invite-a-Friend bonus earns you a $50 bonus for friends you invite while they earn a $25 bonus at the same time!

Three professional players all call BetFred Poker home: Rasmus H Nielsen, Paul Zimbler and Lynne Beaumont.

Betfred Poker is dedicated to giving their players the best customer service available, that’s why their support teams operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

So if you’re looking for a new place to play online poker, why not check out BetFred Poker?

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April 29th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

Update on the Dwan/Antonius Online Poker Challenge Match

Here is an update on the “durrrr Challenge” where Tom “durrrr” Dwan is playing heads-up in Pot-Limit Omaha against Patrik Antonius.

If you’re not familiar with the challenge, check out the “durrrr” online Poker Challenge that I posted previously that explains many of the rules and details of the challenge.

As of today, there have now been 12,956 hands played of the 50,000 hands to be played as part of the challenge and even though Tom has won more hands than Patrik (6,835 to 6,078) he is down $162,558.00.  Of course, this is not much when you consider that the total bet so far is over $78,644,000.

The total time played up to this point over the 22 sessions is 1 day, 17hours and 14 minutes.

They are playing on four tables at once and you can follow the online poker action here.

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April 16th, 2009 at 10:39 am

Tom Dwan’s Unprecedented Online Poker Challenge

Tom “durrrr” Dwan is a high-stakes player and online poker sensation who has challenged the poker world with his 50,000 hand “durrrr” Challenge. Tom has offered to put up $1.5 million to any opponent’s $500K, playing heads-up at four tables simultaneously for 50,000 hands.

Whichever player is ahead at the conclusion of the 50,000th hand played, even if it’s by by just one dollar, wins the challenge. So, if Dwan wins, he keeps any money he won during the contest and the challenger’s $500,000. If his opponent wins, they keep their winnings and the $1.5 million that Tom has put up.

Here are the rules for the players who accept the “durrrr” Challenge:

  • The game type must be No-Limit Hold ‘em or Pot-Limit Omaha
  • The stakes must be a minimum of $200/$400
  • Once the stakes have been decided upon, they must stay the same for the entire challenge
  • Players must reload if their stack falls below 75 big blinds at any time

Patrik Antonius accepts the “durrrr” Challenge
With Dwan giving three-to-one odds to the entire poker world for the “durrrr” Challenge, it’s not surprising that some of the world’s best poker players have already taken him up on his offer. High-stakes player Patrik Antonius was the first to accept Dwan’s challenge with other high stakes players such as Phil Ivey and David Benyamine already in line to accept the challenge too.

Dwan and Antonius will play this challenge out on the digital felt and you can watch on Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt has set up four special “durrrr” Challenge tables in the Omaha Hi game lobby. Action on these tables is expected to be explosive.

Check out the latest online poker results and live stats tracking updates of Dwan vs. Antonius, along with recaps of the biggest hands that have taken place. As of today, there have been 20 sessions played which has accounted for 12,114 of the 50,000 hands to be played with total bets of over $71,332,000.

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February 25th, 2009 at 11:55 am

bwin Poker Online Poker Site Review

Be sure to read below to find out more about bwin Poker’s unique “Flight” poker tournament concept.

If you’re looking for a new place to play poker, check out bwin Poker. They have a very active site with over 26,000 players online even early on a Monday morning.

You can play by downloading their software or “play instantly” simply by registering. You’ll especially like this site if you’re a new or novice player because they offer an in-depth poker school.

The bwin poker school provides all the information you need to play. They have an interactive tutorial where you click through each step of a poker hand as you sit at a practice table with instructions explaining each step, individual videos explaining the game, sections on poker terms and hand nicknames, hand rankings, poker strategy and more!

One very unique item is their EV (which is short for Expected Value) calculator a statistical measurement that essentially reflects the average value of something – for instance, a poker starting hand. The numbers show average winnings with regard to big bets per hand.

Flight Tournaments
Their “Flight” tournaments are another unique concept that enables players to play multi-day events on bwin Poker. Players can choose a straight flight tournament which is a tournament starts at a scheduled time, breaks after a set number of hours and continues at the same time the next day or they can play a forked flight tournament.

This tournament starts on several separate times and dates. A player can choose which flight suits them best and then, just like in a straight flight, play a set number of hours before the tournament breaks. All players who still remain in all the different starting flights then merge into a final flight played at a separate time. This enables huge fields to enter the same event without the event dragging on for days.

And if you’re looking for regular poker tournaments, they have plenty.  Beginning with their “Euro Daily 50+4” which starts at 20:00 GMT every weekday (Mon-Fri), with a guaranteed prize pool of   $10, 000. You can also qualify for the Euro Daily by winning any of the $7+$1 daily qualifier sit & go tournaments.

They also have a “Canadian Daily 50+4” with essentially the same structure as their Euro Daily, which starts at 01:00 GMT, Monday to Friday and has a guaranteed prize pool of $13, 000.

bwin Poker’s “Cannonball” tournament combines the best of two worlds as it provides the kick-start thrill of a turbo tournament, while still allowing for a more normally paced finish. The first six levels are played at 3 minutes per level, then one 6 minutes long level, before moving to the regular 12 minutes per level. Of course they also offer a host of freeroll tournaments.

The bottom line is, if you’re looking to play online poker at a popular online poker site that has it all, check out bwin Poker.

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February 11th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

Littlewoods Poker Online Poker Site Review

Be sure to read below to find out how to play for $100,000 each week at Littlewoods Poker with just Frequent Player Points!

Littlewoods Poker is another great place to play free online poker or for real money. They also offer a lot of help to the new or novice player with an online poker school with a complete dictionary, a poker hand ranking section as well as sections covering ring games and tournaments. You can play a number of different types of poker games on Littlewoods Poker, from Texas Hold ‘em poker, to Omaha High and Hi/Lo to Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo. Unfortunately, it’s not open to U.S. players yet, but that may change in the future.

Play for $100k each week with just FPPs!
For a limited time, you can win your seat to the $100,000 Deep Stack Challenge simply by accruing Frequent Player Points. (FPPs) All you have to do is earn 100 FPPs from Friday to Wednesday in any given week and you’ll be eligible for the ‘FPP Freeroll Challenge’ the following Friday where ten $100,000 Deep Stack Challenge seats are up for grabs.

Promotions
Littlewoods offers a number of promotions on a regular basis. they have a First Depositors’ Freeroll, opportunities to win a $17,000 WSOP package, a $20,000 Guaranteed tournament from Monday to Saturday and much more!

Referral and sign up programs
Littlewoods Poker offers a 100% welcome bonus up to £200. They pay 25% of your welcome bonus instantly before you even sit down at your first table. The other 75% of your bonus is pending and easy to clear by accumulating bonus points.

When you sign on to Littlewoods poker, a voice greets you with, “Welcome to Littlewoods Poker, good luck!” You then move to the lobby and then to an interface that is fun to play on with really nice graphics, a choice of avatars (or none if you like) and an easy to maneuver lobby so you can find the game or tournament you want, quickly.

The blind countdown clock is at the table (which I like) instead of the tournament lobby. There’s also a “Your Best Hand” window helpful for players new to the game. You can even set the sound to have a dealer tell you when the flop, turn and river is being dealt. It all wraps up nicely when you sign out and hear, “Join us again at Littlewoods Poker.”

Littlewoods Poker Quick Review:

Full screen: Yes
Changeable avatars: Yes
Hand history in graphic form or text: Graphic and in movie form
Can change the color of the deck: Yes
Can change the layout: Yes
Four color deck alternative:  Yes
Freerolls: Yes
Easy to work betting controls Yes
At this moment:  2089 players
Toll free number for contact support: Yes as well as live chat and email

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January 8th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

Pacific Poker Online Poker Site Review

play online pokerBe sure to read below to find out about Pacific Poker’s $20,000 Guaranteed poker tournament that runs six days a week.

Pacific Poker is another great place to play free online poker or for real money. If you’re trying to improve your poker game, Pacific Poker offers a lot of help. They have a complete How to Play section covering whichever brand of poker is your favorite game. From Texas Holdem poker, to Omaha High and Hi/Lo to Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, they cover it all.

Pacific Poker also has sections offering instruction on how to play no limit and pot limit games as well as how to play in a tournament. And they have a complete Terminology section.

$20,000 Guaranteed Tournament
This tournament runs six days a week with a guaranteed prize pool of $20,000 and the buy-in is only $50 + $5, making it one the lowest buy-ins online for such a prize pool. If that’s not good enough, daily satellites to the $20,000 Guaranteed are available from only $2 + 20¢.

Pacific Poker also has a lot of other great promotions that they’re always running, such as 100,000 Deep Stack Challenge Sundays where you can buy in for $140 or satellite your way in from as little as $1.20+ 10¢. And this is just scratching the surface.

Referral and sign up programs
Real money players can take advantage of a 100% sign up bonus on their initial deposits up to $400. Pacific Poker also pays you $50 for each new real money player you refer and that player will receive a $25 bonus of his or her own.

The interface is fun to play on with great graphics, a choice of avatars (or none if you like) and an easy to maneuver lobby so you can find the game or tournament you want, quickly.

One thing I like is having the blind countdown clock (telling you what the blinds are now, when they will change and what they will change to) at the table. They’re usually in the lobby, but I like to be able to see it at a glance. There is also a nice “Your Best Hand” window helpful for players new to the game.

Pacific Poker Quick Review:

Full screen: Yes
Changeable avatars: Yes
Hand history in graphic form or text: Graphic and in movie form
Can change the color of the deck: Yes
Can change the layout: Yes
Four color deck alternative:  Yes
Freeroll for real money:  Yes
Pro Players: Shane Warne
Easy to work betting controls Yes
At this moment:  4589 players
Toll free number for contact support: Yes and live chat

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December 10th, 2008 at 3:19 pm

Poker Accessories Gift Guide

Looking for a gift for the serious or even not so serious poker player in your life? Here’s a little gift guide that has a few great poker gift ideas and poker accessories that you might find helpful.

500 piece chip setsYou can play poker with any type of poker chip, but if you want to make your home game feel more professional, upgrade your poker accessories! There is nothing like the feel of 11.5-gram poker chips. Play with them once and you will never have a plastic chip anywhere in the house again.

This sets come with one of the most durable heavy-duty, yet lightweight aluminum cases available today. The inside is protected by egg-shaped foam, with space for 500 chips consisting of: 150 white, 150 red, 100 green, 50 blue, 50 black. This set also comes with 2 decks of cards, 5 dice and a dealer button.

poker casesAlready have a nice set of poker chips but no way to transport them? What you need is great case to carry them. Whether you choose a leather or aluminum poker case, you can’t go wrong. These poker cases come in all sizes to hold virtually any number of chips as well other poker accessories.  They’re a terrific way to store or transport your poker chips.

poker accessories These are the original Greg Raymer (Fossilman) 3D sunglasses that he made famous during his 2004 run to the WSOP main event title. A great poker accessory to wear at the table or anywhere else! Not guaranteed to make you a world champion, but they will probably intimidate more than one opponent!

round poker table top Tired of playing your weekly poker game at the kitchen table, but don’t want to go all out for a full size poker table? Why not consider a poker table top?

There are all types, but this particular folding table top is 53” round and 2” deep, with padded sides and 8 built in drink holders. It also has a felt playing surface to make picking up cards easy and comes with a storage case with convenient handles.

Any of these poker accessories would be a welcome addition to the poker player in your life.

Review the list of top Poker Rooms online.

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November 21st, 2008 at 2:33 pm

The Five P’s Of Poker

Whether we’re talking about online poker play or live play at a casino, if you want to improve your poker game, it’s important to keep the five P’s of poker in mind.

 

Patience
The game of poker requires patience. It’s important to wait for good hands to play. One of the mistakes that many new players make is playing too many hands. Playing is fun, so it can be difficult to just sit and wait, mucking hand after hand after hand while you wait for a good hand to show up. There will be times of course, when you will have a spot to make a move with a less than stellar hand, but generally, you’ll want to play good solid starting hands and play them aggressively.

Another place lack of patience shows up is when a player tries to get all their money back playing a hand or hands they shouldn’t, because they lost a big pot due to a bad read or maybe because of taking a bad beat. Going on tilt as it’s called can happen to anyone, because winning and losing can be an emotional experience and winning and losing money can be a very emotional experience. The best players learn to control their emotions. This is because they understand that winning poker is all about making good decisions and you can’t make good decisions if your emotions are in control.

Perseverance
Your attitude at the table plays a very big role in how you will do. Do you expect to win when you sit down to play? Do you still expect to win when you get short on chips? If you’re playing a tournament and start thinking to yourself, “Well, I’m getting short on chips, let me just go in with anything and get this over with,” you don’t possess the attitude to win.

A good player is looking to double up when they get short and they expect to hit that hand that will get them back in the game. There’s an old saying in poker, “All you need to win is a chip and a chair.” Remember, if you have chips, you still have a chance to win. Never give up. Opponents like it when other players are just looking for the door but you earn their respect when you always play tough and play to win.

Psychology
Poker is a people game played with cards, not a card game played with people. Always be focused when you play. It’s no secret that you should focus when you’re in a hand, but you should also maintain that level of focus even when you’re not in a hand.

By focus I mean, watch the players, not the cards. The cards don’t change after they’re dealt, but you may only get one chance at picking up a tell. Watch how someone reacts to his or her cards. Do they sit up a little straighter? Do they glance at their chips? This is valuable information. Of course, this is a little more difficult to see if you are playing online.  Online tells are more about betting and betting patterns. However, always pay attention to the way people bet, whether it’s online or in person. Do they always bet a small amount with bottom or middle pair and a bigger amount with top pair? When you’re playing in a live game, watch to see how other players place their chips in the pot. Do they use the same hand all the time or one hand when they have something and another when they’re bluffing? Do they splash the pot when they have nothing and place the chips in carefully when they have the nuts?

Always be thinking about the other players. What hands do you put them on? In other words, what do you think they have? You should always be trying to put people on hands when you’re in the hand and even when you’re not. If you find yourself bored sitting at the table, you’re either very, very good or you’re wasting opportunities.

Position
It’s important to always be aware of your position at the table in relation to the dealer button. This is another area where beginners make a lot of mistakes. Hands that are very playable in late position are often not playable at all in an early position.

The reason is, if you’re in early position with many players to act after you, you have less information than you would in late position where many of the players have already acted. So choosing which hands to play and how to play them is as much about the cards as it is the position you have in that particular hand.

Practice
If you want to improve, you must play. You can read all the poker books and watch all the videos and television broadcasts, but they can only take you so far. There is no substitute for experience.

If you’re brand new to the game, start out on the play chip tables. I think a one-table sit and go is a good place to start. The reason is, if someone goes crazy and loses all their chips, they’re out, and you don’t have to worry about them reloading and coming back to do it again, like you might see at the play chip “cash” tables.

Once you feel like you know what you’re doing, you can start playing for money. Many online sites will let you play for very low amounts. You can play a sit and go for pennies per tournament. Move up only when you’re winning regularly at your current level.

Another part of practicing is reviewing your books and videos after you have been playing a while. You’ll invariably understand things that maybe weren’t clear the first time you went through those materials after getting some playing experience.

Poker is all about making the right decisions, based on your cards, where you’re sitting and the table and who you’re playing against. Hopefully, the five P’s of poker can help you become a better player and that, will bring you years of enjoyment from one of the greatest games in the world.

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September 8th, 2008 at 11:13 am

World Poker Tour Trivia Questions (WPT)

In 2003, the World Poker Tour revolutionized televised poker and brought Texas Hold’em to the forefront of international excitement. Viewers of the World Poker Tour get expert commentary from hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten. The World Poker Tour has helped to reshape the face of poker and has raise the competitive bar to a new level.

As of September, 2008:

1. Which poker player has made the most WPT final tables?

2. Which player has the most WPT wins?

3. Who has won the most money at World poker Tour Events?

Please scroll down for the answers.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Phil Ivey holds the record of final table appearances with eight.

2. Gus Hansen leads all players with three WPT titles.

3. Daniel Negreanu has won the most money in World Poker Tour events with $5,527,510 won, to date.

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August 27th, 2008 at 11:46 am

World Series Of Poker History - Questions 10, 11 & 12

10. The year was 1990 and it marked the first year that a non-American won the World Series of Poker championship. What was his name?

11. Who is the only poker player to win a WSOP (World Series of Poker) bracelet, a WPT (World Poker Tour) title and an EPT (European Poker Title) event?

12. In what year did the WSOP award its first million dollar cash prize?

 Scroll down for the answers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Mansour Matloubi. (Hey, no one said they were all going to be easy)

11. Gavin Griffin is the only player to hold all three.

12. One million dollars was first awarded at the WSOP in 1991.

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  • Poker Listings - Live Tournament Section


    At PokerListings´ live tournaments section you will find poker news from all around the globe. Get updated on live tournaments, watch poker videos or read blogs and interviews with your favorite players.

    Do you like playing online poker and want to know how you can earn your seat to the next WSOP main event? Find out here.

    Want to impress your poker friends at your home game table? PokerListings gives you all the facts. Who is on top of the all-time WSOP bracelet winner list? Who won the 2008 Seven-card razz tournament? PL has the information that you need. PokerListings also brings you a calendar so that you can keep track of the upcoming tournament events covered on the site.
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