Just The Chips

The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide Tournament Edition

2009-07-03T11:26:44Z

This book continues to dominate the poker bestsellers list at Amazon, and we can see why. With over 15+ professionals contributing, it's got all the tips and tricks you'll need to make your tournament life at poker better. The professionals of Full Tilt Poker include the best and most famous poker players in the world. Their accomplishments are unparalleled, with countless World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour championships to their names and well in excess of $100 million in winnings in private games. Now, this group of poker legends has banded together to create THE FULL TILT POKER STRATEGY GUIDE, which will stand as an instant classic of the genre and is sure to become the industry standard.

At The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide Tournament Edition

Mike Sexton Reviews the 2009 World Series of Poker - Killer Poker Read

2009-06-26T12:54:29Z

This is a really interesting article from Mike Sexton - love the guy and his perspective on the WSOP is always welcome.

This year’s kickoff event was a $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th annual WSOP. Personally, I think it’s a dumb idea to ever have a bigger buy-in for a No Limit Hold’em tournament than the Main Event, so I wasn’t for it. I didn’t play in it because I missed the first week of the WSOP this year. I took a vacation with my wife Karen and son Ty (nine months old) to Yellowstone National Park – and it was great! It was a vacation for our second anniversary and Ty is the first child for either of us. It’s official - my priorities have changed from poker to parenting!

At Mike Sexton Reviews the 2009 World Series of Poker

Law Student Wins Bracelet at 2009 WSOP

2009-06-19T12:13:03Z

I guess I should have studied law, and been born about 10 years later than I was. If so, I would have time to travel to the WSOP and win $650k. Jealous. :-)

And this week, between writing memos about civil liberties, he borrowed a few thousand dollars from a poker-playing friend, entered a World Series of Poker event, made it to the final pairing of the heads-up no-limit Texas hold 'em event, endured a final match that lasted more than eight hours, and won a WSOP bracelet, walking away with more than $650,000.

At Poker a Nice Fallback for Law Student - washingtonpost.com

50 Aces 11.5g Casino Poker Chips

2009-06-05T12:23:52Z

With a nice clean design, these Aces 11.5g poker chips are produced from hi-grade composite resin material with an insert that gives them the weight of a casino quality chip. All chips have values on both sides. Improve your home games with these professional 11.5g casino size poker chips.

White $1
Red $5
Green $25
Blue $50
Black $100
Purple $500
Yellow $1000
Pink $5000
Orange $10000
Sold in bundles of 50
50 11.5 grams casino poker chips total
11.5g casino grade
Chips are made of composite material
Aces design

At 50 Aces 11.5g Casino Poker Chips - CN-50SA

Texas Hold 'em with $40,000 buy-in set for 40th WSOP

2009-05-29T13:10:02Z

That's right - it's triple the number of chips and it's starting. I can't wait to watch this on ESPN again this year.

Players in all 57 events at this year's World Series of Poker will start out with significantly larger stacks of chips. Whether they have any left at the finish is up to their skills and luck.

Event No. 2 set for Thursday through Sunday at the Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas is a new Texas Hold 'em tournament with a buy-in price of $40,000 to commemorate the 40th annual World Series. For the $40,000, each player will get 120,000 chips.

That 3-1 ratio of chips to buy-in price will apply in every event. The ratio had been 2-1 since 2007. Before that it was 1-1.

"We did triple the starting chips this year, allowing players more opportunities to have their strategies, learn their players at the table, last longer in the tournament and really give them an opportunity to play," says tournament director Jack Effel.

At Triple the chips: Texas Hold 'em with $40,000 buy-in set for 40th WSOP

Jackpot Casino Poker Chips

2009-05-22T11:49:00Z

These "Jackpot Casino" clay composite chips are a full 11.5 grams, giving them the authentic weight and feel of actual casino poker chips. On both sides, all chips have a full-color photo montage of "Fabulous Las Vegas" and its sights, including its famous diamond-shaped sign. Selections of 1, 5, 25, 50, 100 and 500 are among these denominations. The graphics are embedded and part of the chip.

At Poker Chips

Poker Hologram Mirrored Lens Wrap Sunglasses

2009-05-15T13:58:35Z

You can stare your opponents down with these Poker hologram mirrored lens sunglasses. The glasses feature non-spring temples., maximum UV 400 protection, and they block 100% of any UVA & UVB rays you might encounter when not in the casino.

At Poker Hologram Mirrored Lens Wrap Sunglasses

Barney Frank Opens Door to Legal, Regulated Online Poker

2009-05-09T13:05:48Z

Being a Boston native myself, it's nice to see Mr. Frank supporting the online poker cause.

This week Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank introduced a set of bills designed to freeze the UIGEA and allow US residents freedom to play poker on the Internet. Frank's bill establishes the Department of the Treasury as the licensing and regulating authority, and provides for the consumer protections the gambling ban does not offer, including age and identification verification, responsible gaming systems, and measures against money laundering and cheating.

At Barney Frank Opens Door to Legal, Regulated Online Poker

21 Year Old Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins 2009 WPT Championship

2009-04-27T12:19:33Z

Another 21 year old wonder has taken yet another WPT title. Hmmm...how do I get some of that cash?

It took awhile, but 21-year-old online phenom Yevgeniy "Jovial Gent" Timoshenko won the 2009 Five-Star World Poker Classic WPT Championship late Saturday night. The feat took eight days and thousands of hands, but in the end, the young gun got it done, besting a stacked final table that included Scotty Nguyen, Shannon Shorr, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Christian Harder and eventual runner-up, Ran Azor.

At Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins 2009 WPT Championship - Poker News - CardPlayer.com

Poker Madness by Kevin Kozar - Win at Texas Hold 'Em

2009-04-10T13:07:07Z

In our tireless pursuit to figure out how to go pro, or at least later in life make some good dough playing limit hold 'em - this book has it all.

If you are a losing limit Texas hold ‘em player and are tired of losing or if you make money playing limit Texas hold ‘em, but you want to make more money or if you want to play limit Texas hold ‘em for a living, this is the book for you! I was already a winning limit Texas hold ‘em player when I decided to turn professional, but I was not prepared mentally nor was I good enough to make the kind of money I needed to play poker for a living. I learned in a hurry though. Most of what I needed to know to be really successful I learned at the “school of hard knocks”. The lessons at this school are expensive ones. Fortunately, you are not going to have pay for these “hard knock” lessons like I had to, instead for the price of one small pot that you would have won if you had read this book first, you will learn what you need to know in order to become a successful professional limit Texas hold ‘em player.

At Poker Madness by Kevin Kozar

Huckleberry Seed - Poker Pro and Prop Bet King

2009-04-03T13:26:50Z

I really had no idea that Huck Seed was a prop bet king. Yep - apparently prop bets abound while golfing etc. This is a great read over at Poker News - and I also had no idea he was 6'7" tall.

Not only has Huckleberry Seed won the WSOP Main Event, four gold bracelets, and over $4.5 million in poker tournaments, he is regarded as one of the greatest proposition gamblers of all time. Seed has taken on challenges to do a standing back flip (successful), float in the ocean for a 24-hour period (unsuccessful), and break 100 on a Las Vegas golf course four times in one day using only three clubs (successful — and he did it in 100-degree heat). Standing a lanky 6'7" tall, Seed is a quiet, introspective presence at the table, preferring to let his skills do the talking rather than running off at the mouth. Though he'll never be the showiest player in the room or actively seek the spotlight like

At The PokerNews Profile: Huckleberry Seed

Franken-Spade Poker Texas Hold 'Em T-Shirt

2009-03-26T11:41:54Z

We just found this really amazing site on poker shirts. We really like the this Franken-Spade LONG SLEEVE poker T-shirt. It features a spade image with horizontal, vertical, and angled lines and bars running through it.

At Franken-Spade Poker T-Shirts Long Sleeve

PokerStars Creating Large Latin American Poker Team

2009-03-20T12:57:46Z

PokerStars has been busy in the Latin American market the last few days recruiting lots of latin american players. They've also recently crowned a poker champion after a failed event last year.

The PokerStars-sponsored Latin American Poker Tour’s cancelled Season 2 Mexico event has finally crowned a champion. If you missed the story the first time around, that tournament was shut down last December by local government authorities on the second day of a planned three-day event and the prize pool was distributed among the 89 players who still had chips.

At PokerStars Concludes LAPT Mexico, Signs Maridu

2009 World Series of Poker Registration Begins - 30,000 Chips for Each Player

2009-03-13T13:28:25Z

I can't tell you how excited I am for the 2009 World Series of Poker. It's down year for the economy, and I think that's going to bring out some real focus in the players in the main event. I also think this may be the year the side events get some real competition. Big news is the fact the main event is going to give each player 30,000 chips instead of less than half that - to make it interesting. Let's see what happens - SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL ME IN!

Those four words will be music to the ears of many poker players who have criticized the World Series of Poker in the past for not providing enough starting chips and for not allowing enough play in the later stages of its tournaments.

At CardPlayer.com

Pocket Aces Can Get You Into Poker Chip Trouble

2009-03-06T13:02:21Z

Why? Because you'll lose all your chips in a multi-way pot if you're not careful. :-)

Pocket aces might make up the best starting hand in Texas hold' em, but the old line remains a welcome caveat: You can win a small pot with aces, but you can lose a big one.

Ideally, you want to play your aces heads-up against a single opponent because you are at least a 4-1 favorite against another pocket pair. But if you get involved in a multi-way pot, you can find yourself in a lot of trouble if you aren't disciplined enough to lay them down.

"You just have to let it go sometimes," said Johnny Chan, the 1987 and '88 World Series of Poker main event champion.

Full Read At Steve Rosenbloom on poker

Modern Clay Poker Chips - Cool Poker Chips

2009-02-27T15:10:41Z

These modern clay poker chips are getting rave reviews. We like the Caesar's touch.

I've just recieved my a sample set from sidepot, i really like the look and feel of these chips. they are much easier to read than the inplay. however, when i showed them to a friend he thought they felt too light. i said he was crazy and too used to playing with the "real" chip weight (11.5). well he was right ...sort of, we happened to have a digi scale on hand and...drumroll please...only 8.2 thru 8.5 grams! the inplay were slighty heavier at 8.8 thru 9, and the archetype were bang on 10g. i still think they are really nice but i do question the weight...bty i also had a dollar chip from the "exalibur" casino, weighed close to 10g. it too is a clay chip. overall, very nice chip

At Modern Clay Poker Chips

Judge Says Poker is a Game of Skill

2009-02-20T12:14:58Z

Nice to see this trend continues, and why don't we have legal online poker in the US? Hmmm....

A South Carolina judge may have just dealt poker players a royal flush.

Mount Pleasant Municipal Judge Larry Duffy ruled Thursday that there is "overwhelming" evidence that Texas Hold 'em poker is a game of skill, not chance, the Associated Press reports.

Read at Judge says poker is game of skill, not chance - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

Gameland Sports Hold'em, Craps, and Blackjack Table Top

2009-02-06T16:21:28Z

What's not to love about a 3 way poker table top - well - you'll still need the table. This 8 player position poker table comes complete with trays for poker chips and a drink holder. The table's felt is marked with a white border, signifying the "live area" in which to bet and where your community cards would lie. This black table top has a really nice feel to it. The best thing about this table top is its convenience. It is very easy to travel with as it folds in 4. Its not very heavy for travel but it is solid enough for durable use. Folding the table reduces the size to 16.5" by 33" for easy storage in a closet or under a bed. The table is made from 3/4 inch wood and covered with a professional style black felt. It is a 66" x 33" table top which fits very nicely onto a card table or any kitchen table and instantly tranforms it into a poker table.

At Gameland Sports Hold'em, Craps, and Blackjack Table Top

The Theory of Poker from David Sklansky

2009-01-29T14:24:21Z

What's not to love about this book? Nothing. The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky discusses theories and concepts applicable to nearly every variation of the game, including five-card draw (high), seven-card stud, hold ’em, lowball draw, and razz (seven-card lowball stud). This book introduces you to the Fundamental Theorem of Poker, its implications, and how it should affect your play. Other chapters discuss the value of deception, bluffing, raising, the slow-play, the value of position, psychology, heads-up play, game theory, implied odds, the free card, and semibluffing.

Okay - my brain hurts, but many of today’s top poker players will tell you that this is the book that really made a difference in their play. That is, these are the ideas that separate the experts from the typical players. Those who read and study this book will literally leave behind those who don’t, and most serious players wear the covers off their copies. This is the best book ever written on poker.

At The Theory of Poker from David Sklansky

Fat Cat Hold'em Dealer Poker Chip Set

2009-01-23T14:23:57Z

Ideal for tournaments, card clubs, or late-night poker games with the buddies, this Fat Cat Hold'em Dealer poker chip set includes everything you need to keep the games flowing. The Hold'em Dealer set comes with 500 11.5-gram striped dice chips--150 white chips, 150 blue chips, 100 red chips, 50 green chips, and 50 black chips--along with a lockable silver aluminum case that holds everything in a single convenient location. Also stored in the case are a pair of card decks and three buttons: big blind, little blind, and dealer. The set makes a handy accessory whether you're hosting a game at your place or heading to a friend's house for some poker action.

At Fat Cat Hold'em Dealer Poker Chip Set

Three-card poker Versus Pai Gow - Betting Advice

2009-01-15T16:51:37Z

Pretty interesting article at the Detroit Free Press:

My buddy Tom plays three-card poker, with the ante only bet, no pair plus. He says he wins more than loses. Well to me, if he puts down 10 bucks and has low three cards, he just folds without knowing what the dealer was holding. That's 10 bucks gone! Who gets to buy the beer next time at the casino? -- Myron A.

Click on through for the full answer at the Detroit Free Press

PokerStars Smashes World Record With 35,000 Players in a Single Online Poker Tournament

2009-01-09T13:15:29Z

The results are in. PokerStars -- the world's largest online poker site -- has shattered the Guinness World Record for the Largest Online Poker Tournament.

As part of PokerStars' 'World Record Week', 35,000 poker players -- enough to fill a professional football stadium -- took part in the special $11 buy-in tournament on Sunday, December 28, 2008, with PokerStars guaranteeing a $500,000 prize pool. PokerStars had set the previous record with a field of 20,000 players in the Sunday Hundred Grand on July 29, 2007.

The tournament, which sold out well in advance, played for over 9.5 hours with a record 8,750 players reaching the money. The winner Stan34powa from France, outlasted the world's biggest-ever field to win a $30,000 first prize.

Full Read at PokerStars Smashes World Record With 35,000 Players in a Single Tournament

RFID-Enabled Poker Table Knows Every Card in the Deck and on the Table

2009-01-02T13:15:57Z

Looking for the ultimate poker table setup to make the game both legit and also trackable without the "hole cam"? This setup uses tiny RFID cards attached to each card, and movements are monitored with four separate HD cameras, all running into a video encoder to create a live feed. The setup cost Milner about $7000 and three months to build, and Milner, a chairman of an IT company, loves the level of detail it brings to his games.

Via Gizmodo at Video Poker Table

World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets

2008-12-19T13:35:24Z

Having watched every episode this past Summer and Fall, it's nice to see a game based on the World Series of Poker. This version allows you to challenge to Beat The Brat - Phil Hellmuth! You can also build a bankroll and face off against some of the world's top pros including Johnny Chan, Chris Jesus Ferguson, Mike The Mouth Matusow, Greg Raymer, Annie Duke, Phil Unabomber Laak, Humberto Brenes, Marcel They Flying Dutchman Luske, David Devil Fish Ulliott, and Shannon Elizabeth in your quest to win the championship bracelet for the $10,000 Main Event.

At World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets

Online Poker News and Reviews - Poker News

2008-12-12T14:29:02Z

We haven't been to Poker News in awhile - and since our last visit has it grown! They've got player profiles, tourney news, and just about anything poker news related you could want.

At Poker News

The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition

2008-12-05T16:03:50Z

Looking to be the best online poker brat you can be? The professionals of Full Tilt Poker include the best and most famous poker players in the world. Their accomplishments are unparalleled, with countless World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour championships to their names and well in excess of $100 million in winnings in private games. Now, this group of poker legends has banded together to create THE FULL TILT POKER STRATEGY GUIDE, which will stand as an instant classic of the genre and is sure to become the industry standard.

At The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition - Andy Bloch, Richard Brodie, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Rafe Furst, Phil Gordon, David Grey, Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow

How Many Times Do I have to Shuffle a Deck of Cards?

2008-11-25T14:38:26Z

Only seven times my friends - only seven times. See below - but given the math - that's how many times more or less. :-)

Here’s the rule: To assure cards get sufficiently mixed up, shuffle a deck about seven times. Mathematician, magician and card shark Persi Diaconis of Stanford University, along with David Bayer of Columbia University, created shock waves in Las Vegas when he figured that out back in 1992. Most dealers had been shuffling much less.

But now Diaconis and his colleagues are issuing an update. When dealing many gambling games, like blackjack, about four shuffles are enough. The reason for the lower number is that many games require randomness for only a few specific aspects of the cards, not all. In blackjack, for example, suits don’t matter. Diaconis and his collaborators extended the earlier analysis to account for these variations.

Gamblers and casinos aren’t the only ones who will benefit. One the most useful tools for applied mathematicians — the Monte Carlo simulation — was inspired by the games of chance that are main attractions in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The new card-shuffling results apply directly to this method, promising to save mathematicians computer time.

Read at Science News / Shuffling The Cards: Math Does The Trick

Every Gus Hansen Poker Hand Revealed

2008-11-21T15:07:28Z

Okay - maybe not every poker hand, but this book outlines how to win big and play like Gus Hansen.

One of professional poker's most intriguing and fascinating players, Gus Hansen has often been called "The Madman" for his crazy, fearless, aggressive style. But you can't dispute the fact that this poker superstar knows how to win--and win big. The holder of the inaugural Poker Superstars Invitational title as well as the only player to win three World Poker Tour tournaments, Gus won his fifth major international title when he became the 2007 Aussie Millions Champion, outlasting 747 players and nabbing $1.2 million. Now, for the first time ever, Gus analyzes the hands that he played during the tournament and reveals his secrets for winning in Every Hand Revealed.

At Every Hand Revealed: Gus Hansen

World Series of Poker Final Table - Peter Eastgate Wins

2008-11-13T15:11:15Z

We've been watching the World Series of Poker over the past 3 months and finally sat down last night to watch the final two hours. We didn't have Peter Eastgate picked to win, but in the end he pulled it out. Great stuff and click on through for exclusive news and videos of the final event.

World Series of Poker management billed the heads-up portion of the Main Event final table as a heavyweight fight between two pugilists. But 22-year-old Danish poker pro Peter Eastgate had other ideas; he turned the duel into a somewhat one-sided affair and had his Russian counterpart Ivan Demidov on the ropes for the entire night.

The final hand was typical of the win for Eastgate. A seemingly harmless 4c fell on the turn that gave Demidov two pair, fours and twos, but completed Eastgate’s wheel draw. All the money went in on the river and Eastgate’s final knockout punch made him World Champion.

At World Series of Poker - Official Tournament Coverage and Results

Star Wars Lighted Poker Chip Set

2008-11-05T18:14:56Z

The Star Wars Poker Chip Set includes 200 translucent 10.2-gram poker chips that "glow" like lightsaber blades when in light-up chip case. We've seen this set in person at the Sharper Image before they closed, and have to say - it's pretty solid.

Chip colors:

50 Red Chips- Darth Vader
50 Green Chips - Yoda
50 Blue Chips - Luke Skywalker
50 Blue Chips - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Decks of casino quality poker cards in foil boxes
Death Star dealer button in .25" chromed metal
72 LED lights powered by 4 AA batteries (included)

At Star Wars Lighted Poker Chip Set