Blogs

Phil 'OMGClayAiken' Galfond Set to Start a New Poker Site

After successfully launching BlueFirePoker, Phil ’OMGClayAiken’ Galfond is now looking to start another site, named Poker Static. This new site will be the main rival to compete against the popular PokerRoad.

Galfond and Bill Murphy started BlueFirePoker in 2009, which is a portal that offers tutoring services. Thanks to the wonderful crew members the site became a huge success in a short period of time.

This one success story wasn’t enough for OMGClayAiken, now he seeks to endeavour into the poker media by launching the new site Poker Static this Monday.

Poker Static website

The Float Play

What does the term ’floating’ exactly mean? Floating, or ’float play’ is usually the weapon of choice for the more experienced poker player. The players who are aware when to raise preflop with AA (always Smile) and know what situation calls for the use of the c-bet are classified in this group and will make the most of float play.

Floating in Poker

Introducing the Moneybookers MasterCard

With the Moneybookers MasterCard, you can can access your Moneybookers account funds anywhere at any time, either it be from an ATM or a direct purchase. Anyone who is over 18 and resides within the EU and has a verified Moneybookers account can request this unique MasterCard. The card can be used at more than 1 million ATMs around the world and more than 28.5 million shops and restaurants. The daily limit is €250 for money withdrawals and €1000 for purchases.

Moneybookers Mastercard

Full Tilt Poker Embarks on Track with Formula 1

Full Tilt Poker has officially become the sponsor for the new F1 team Virgin Racing with their new logo being displayed on Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi’s cars.

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced on the 19th June 2009 that Nick Wirth and his team have been given the green light to join Formula 1 in 2010. Full Tilt Poker has had strong relationships with the British team from the start, but it has only been in recent times that they secured an official sponsorship deal.

Virgin Racing - Formula 1

High Stakes Poker Season 6 Final Episode - Veldhuis Takes a Huge Pot with a Fifth Pair

In the finale of High Stakes Poker Season 6, there were a lot of interesting hands with an abundance of action in the Golden Nugget. We saw durrrr and ElkY clash head-to-head and Lex Veldhuis win a $185,900 pot with a pair of twos.

In this last episode of HSP, Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, David Benyamine, Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Doyle Brunson and Lex Veldhuis were the ones that brought us the action this time around.

Viktor Blom's grinding place (photos)

Check out Victor Blom’s flat in Sweden. A TwoPlusTwo member published here the following pics he got of Viktor Blom came from Facebook. He claims that Victor Blom, who is said to be Isildur1 lives in this apartment with some other guys.

There is not too much furniture in it at the moment, but it is really big and bright. I think they have just moved in. Anyway, I dont think it would be a hassle to get some furniture quickly considering he is in Sweden, where IKEA was founded. A good thing about having not too much furniture at the moment is that at least it is easy to clean up after a party. Smile

Isildur1's place

Lady Gaga Grabs Title of Most Popular Woman on the Web

COED Magazine recently made a compilation of the top 50 women on the web, measured by the number of results returned by Google. Many will be surprised, but not astonished, that Lady Gaga grabbed the number one spot, beating likes of Beyoncé, Madonna, Oprah, Britney Spears and even Hillary Clinton.

Lady GaGa - Poker<br />
Face

Success came to Lady Gaga with the popular single Poker Face, which dominated the music charts around the globe for weeks at end. Other main factors that could have led to her claiming this title is that she is a highly talented singer, and also has a lot of controversy surrounding her, either it be from the outrageous outfits she presents herself in, to the question of her sex gender.

PokerTableRatings.com: Serious Security Issues at the Cereus Poker Network (Breaking News)

PokerTableRatings has just recently made the public aware of a security gap in the Cereus Poker Network software. They have also advised players not to use the software until a solution to the problem is found. PokerTableRatings has found a critical error in the Cereus software which compromises your security. This error occurs in popular and heavily trafficked Cereus poker rooms such as Absolute Poker and UB. This security gap makes it possible for the average hacker  to access our user accounts and view the opponents’ hole cards in real time. With over tens of thousands of users per day, the Cereus truly needs to adress this problem as soon as possible.

Cereus Security Issues
...or not

The main core of the problem stands from Cereus neglecting the use of the foolproof SSL encryption technique and instead deciding to stick with their individually developed software. Cereus has developed their own security software by using XOR instead of SSL, which provides a much weaker shield of protection. In truth, this is not even encryption, only encoding, which can be easily decoded with the help of a Windows or Linux computer and a simple calculator. The easiest point of attack to break into the Cereus Poker Network's rooms is to identify the victim’s internet connection. If you are using a public wirless connection, a hacked wireless system or even connect via direct cable,  you will be easy prey for hackers.

PTR has also provided a demonstration video in which they use cheap hardware and their own wireless network to break into the Cereus Poker Network database to show you how easily it can be done. They were able to log into other players’ poker accounts and see their hole cards in real time.

A Side Bet with a Challenge (or not)

After a few heavy nights in San Diego, poker pros Antonio Esfandiari and Brian ‘tsarrast’ Rast decided in the spear of the moment to make a bet: they will not drink a single drop of alcohol until the end of the WSOP 2010. They later amended the conditions after their hangovers had passed to include six break days throughout the time, where they can binge as much as they want.

The WSOP golden bracelet owner Esfandiari and the online pro Rast are both well-known in the poker society for their party boy reputation and are both said to enjoy the company of nice girls, booze and poker. As the WSOP moves in closer, preparation for the three months dry spell began.

"On one of the days we chartered a yacht in San Diego and took a bunch of girls out to sea. We had a DJ, endless booze, it was AMAZING. I got so wrecked that I made a 3 month no drinking bet with Brian Rast starting this Monday - you know how when you get all messed up and you think to yourself what am I doing with my life?! Well...I got there and decided if I took a 3 month break from partying I could accomplish a lot more. 3 months - 30k (we both have same bet so chances are there will be no winner) and we do get 6 passes throughout - which I think is pretty reasonable. Wish me luck!" - this is what Antonio Esfandiari said about the issue in a recent blog post.

Play a Hand with Me - AQ in a 3bet Pot

$0.50/$1  No Limit Holdem

UTG  (Hero) $100
CO  $100
BTN  $325
SB  $126
BB  $100

Pre-Flop: ($1.50, 5 players) Hero is UTG with
Ad Qc
Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, BTN raises to $10.50, 2 folds, Hero calls $7.50

Flop: ($22.50, 2 players)
4h Td Qs
Hero checks, BTN bets $16, Hero calls $16

Turn: ($54.50, 2 players)
9h
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($54.50, 2 players)
Kh
Hero checks, BTN bets $297.15, Hero?

This is a hand was played by one of my proteges. I will be commenting on the play of the hand.

The Right Equipment for a Winning Streak at Poker

North American Arms and Smith & Wesson both offering mini poker sets accompanied with revolvers are not just another ordinary item to add to your poker collection, but also can save you when things get tight on the poker table.

North American Arms who is the producer of the 22LR NAA mini revolver (check the video below) and Smith & Wesson who is well known for its model 36 revolver both show case their mini poker sets in well crafted wooden cases which also contain the mini revolvers

Dubai, a Sin-Free City

Unlike Las Vegas, the city of sin and lust, where anything can happen, Dubai has clamped down on tourists to abide by their strict Muslim rules. Just in recent times, these laws have come under the spotlight with hundreds of tourists striking trouble (and even jail sentences in several cases) because of their so-called improper behaviour.

Dubai - Atlantis Casino
The Atlantis Casino Resort in Dubai, one of the best attraction for tourists

Recently published by the British Foreign Office was an article relating to the ’Dos and Don’ts’ when traveling to Dubai, to not only make the public aware, but also bring the ever uprising problems to a halt.

Bodog Poker is on a Head Hunt for Poker Pros through Facebook

Bodog Poker has been in damage control after having lost several poker pros over the years, with only three remaining by 2010: Evelyn Ng, Justin Bonomo and David Williams. Bonomo announced his retirement from Bodog Poker this January. Williams followed suit after winning the $25,500 buy-in WPT Championship. It was only Ng who remained loyal to Bodog.

In the past few weeks, Bodog Poker has been scouting new recruits with an unusual technique: making the most of the social networks by opening up nominations for the new slot to fans on Facebook and Twitter. This is how they came across Amanda Musumeci, a young and talented online tournament pro.

Amanda Musumeci 9

XBLINK – Is the Isildur of UB Now Playing on Full Tilt?

While the Swedish high stakes player Isildur1 had won and then lost huge amounts of money on Full Tilt Poker, a new player, XBLINK started a career on UB by building a bankroll of $800,000 out of as little as $11 in just one month. Is he a new wonder outclassing everyone or is he simply lucky? XBLINK had previously made more than 20 deposits of $500 in different poker rooms, but went bankrupt in all cases.

XBLINK registered to UB’s $11 tournament with his last dollars in November 2009, and his winnings started a fairytale-like series of success. He took the $750 he had won at this tournament to PLO and NLHE cash game tables and the next day he already had $4,000. In the next few days this sum grew to $20k - $60k, and he was already playing $25/$50, $50/$100, $100/$200 and $200/$400. XBLINK’s bankroll was $833,193 on the 11th December.

According to PokerTableRatings XBLINK’s current UB balance is $990,010 with 157,764 hands played. His winrate is 3.67BB/100.

He also joined the conversation on the 2+2 forums. Check out what he commented on the issue under the name 89blist.

The New Cake Poker Client Already Available in the Form of a Private Beta Version

The brand new Cake Poker client will soon be available for everyone, players of the Cake network will probably be able to try it out in June. A short introductional video, however, is already available for my readers in this blog post.

Cake Poker - Beta Client

"We are excited to launch the private beta for our new Cake Poker client and to get some further feedback on our efforts. We are delighted at the how the client is currently operating and looking forward to being able to offer an improved online poker experience to all our players." – says Lee Jones, Head Director of the Cake Network.

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