I’m smiling because it’s a damn good book I just finished reading!

Longtime readers of this poker blog know that I’m proud to be a Jewish poker player. Judaism teaches that when misfortune befalls you, the first thing you should do is “examine your deeds”. In other words, rather than fingerpoint and look to blame circumstance or others for times when bad things happen, the proper course of action is to look inwards and see if in fact you yourself are at fault. These thoughts resonated through my head over and over again as I read the pages of Jared Tendler’s The Mental Game of Poker.

Too often, as poker players, we attribute our failures at the felt to bad luck, random happenstance and being on the wrong side of variance. Surely, most losses we endure are as a result of bad beats, suckouts, and lucky fish having their way with the deck at our expense. Rare are the players who understand that the solution to their poker problems lie not in poker itself but rather within themselves. As The Mental Game of Poker teaches, the emotions of tilt, fear, confidence, and motivation can all be controlled, and even mastered through the injection of logic and intense self examination and improvement techniques. To be sure, co-author Barry Carter expertly weaved these teachings into poker-specific situations and examples throughout.

Make no mistake about it; this is no traditional poker book. You’re not going to learn amazing poker strategies, hidden poker tells, or what makes the greatest poker minds tick. You will learn about the other game being played by millions at and away from the felt: the mental game of poker. This is a self-help book designed to assist you in becoming the best poker player you have the potential to be.

Note-Taking Isn’t Just For the Classroom

Aside for identifying wholeheartedly with the book’s idea of self-introspection, as mentioned, the other main theme that struck a chord with me again and again as I read the book was Tendler’s insistence that poker players take notes on themselves and their actions and reactions at and away from the poker table.

Throughout my schooling, I always prided myself on the notes that I took in the classroom. This habit extended well into my adult years and university classes, as I’ve found that writing down my observations for future review has proven to be the ultimate study tool.

I extended this concept to the poker table when developing my Poker Notes Live app, which enables players to quickly and efficiently take notes on their mobile devices while playing live poker. An important feature that we integrated into the app was the ability to email your notes to yourself after a poker session for subsequent review.

Take Poker Notes

Needless to say, I was overjoyed to read how Tendler emphasizes over and over again the importance of taking notes on one’s mental game. The many testimonials given throughout the book by poker players who’ve done this and how successful this strategy has been for them just helped to confirm my own long-held beliefs in the power of note-taking. Humbly, then, I also personally believe that anyone who reads The Mental Game of Poker will see the value in downloading my Poker Notes Live app for the sake of taking notes on themselves while playing live poker.

(Ed. Note: I’m aware that I’ve just shamelessly promoted my own app, but I’m very sincere in my belief that it can help poker players improve their game – and now their mental game as well.)

Want to buy The Mental Game of Poker? Interested in receiving private coaching sessions from Jared Tendler himself? Order now at http://jaredtendlerpoker.com/shop/ and GET 10% OFF when you use the code: CP.

How to Get the Most Value Out of This Book

It took me about a month to get through The Mental Game of Poker. At 242 pages long, it’s not because I’m a slow reader; it’s actually because I did all my readings on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. As an orthodox Jew, I refrain from using all electronic devices on my Sabbath and other holy days. The peace and tranquility this offers away from the buzzing, ringing, and pinging of regular daily life is indescribable. It’s with that type of calm that I sat down to read and enjoy The Mental Game of Poker.

Without any other “modern trappings” to distract me, it was that much easier to concentrate on this book’s higher-level concepts. It’s because of that, in my opinion, that I was able to gain so much from the book. If you pick up a copy, I highly recommend that you try your best to consume its content and learn its lessons in a similar sort of relaxed, undisturbed ambience. While the lessons are, of course, to be incorporated at and away from the table, they’re most certainly best imparted and absorbed in serene solitude.

Conclusion

As a poker player, with a vested interest in seeking out weak opponents from whom to make money off of, I’d prefer to square off at the felt against someone with a poor mental game; i.e., someone who has never heard of Jared Tendler, Barry Carter, or this book.

As a poker writer and blogger, however, I cannot help but give this book my highest rating and recommendation. Well done sirs! I look forward to reading and reviewing The Mental Game of Poker2, and further improving my own mental poker game.

The post Cardplayer Lifestyle Book Review: The Mental Game of Poker appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

Phil Hellmuth’s Twitter account

It’s indisputable that Phil Hellmuth is and will forever be one of the legends of poker. A bona fide Poker Hall of Famer who sits at or near the top of pretty much every all-time career achievement list that matters in poker (e.g., money won, WSOP bracelet wins, WSOP cashes, etc.), it’s no wonder that Hellmuth is one of the few stars who has been able to transcend the game itself and cross over into mainstream notoriety. Like many celebrities, he’s got his legions of Twitter followers – almost 160,000 as of this writing. I found it interesting though that the Poker Brat follows precisely 13 other people on the 140-character social networking hub. It’s specifically intriguing because 13 is also the current number of WSOP bracelets he holds.

That said, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at those select 13 Twitter accounts followed by the greatest tournament poker player alive. Perhaps a brief examination of whom and what Hellmuth is interested in on Twitter may give us a little insight into the inner workings of his mind. Without any further ado:

There are 3 Distinct Groups

The 13 accounts Hellmuth follows can be broken up into 3 distinct groups: the Pro Poker Players Group, the Professional Athletes Group, and the Bay Area Power Players Group.

The exclusive club of people followed on Twitter by Phil Hellmuth

The poker players Hellmuth follows

Pro Poker Players Group

Fans of the Cardplayer Lifestyle poker blog are probably familiar with all of the names in the pro poker players group. Combined, they’ve won 21 WSOP bracelets and have recorded tens of millions of dollars in cashes playing tournament poker. It’s fairly reasonable to assume that they’ve also combined to win countless tens of millions more in lifetime live and online cash game play. It’s public knowledge that Hellmuth has cultivated friendships with all of the pro poker players on his Twitter “follow” list for a long time.

Poker purists might make the case that perhaps Shaun Deeb is the outlier among that group, but there’s no arguing that Deeb’s definitely got some solid poker credentials, especially on the online poker front. Definitely one of the more outspoken pros in poker, it speaks specifically to Deeb’s credit as a player and person that Phil Hellmuth feels he’s worthy of following on Twitter.

Professional Athletes Group

Hellmuth and Woods, with the Godfather of Poker, Doyle Brunson

That Phil Hellmuth follows the Twitter account of Tiger Woods should be no surprise. While the jury’s still out as to whether Woods is the greatest golfer of all-time, his 14 majors and 78 PGA tournament wins speak for themselves. Unquestionably still at (or near) the top of his game and still in his mid-30s, those Major and tournament wins numbers certainly aren’t final tallies… much like Hellmuth’s numbers… Notably, it’s not as though it’s just Hellmuth who is a fan of Woods; it’s a two-way street as they’ve worked together at charity poker events. As a matter of fact, this Friday, Woods will be hosting a charity poker tournament in Las Vegas to benefit the college access programs of his Foundation, which will be emceed by Hellmuth.

The most gold bracelets and the most gold medals, together

The same holds true of Hellmuth following Michael Phelps’ Twitter account. Phelps, of course, is the world’s most decorated Olympian of all-time with 22 Olympic gold medals to his credit. He’s also always been a big fan of poker and has played in his fair share of high-profile tournaments and events, including the WSOP. Do a Google search on “Hellmuth Phelps” and you’ll see that Phil has been very complimentary of Phelps’ skills at the felt.

As for Dustin Johnson and David Lee, both are highly accomplished pros in their own right, Johnson in golf and Lee in basketball, respectively. Though Wisconsin-bred, Hellmuth has long called Northern California’s Palo Alto his full-time home, and his fans know that he is a huge supporter of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors; Lee is most probably his favorite player. Moreover, Hellmuth has been an outspoken fan of Johnson’s ever since 2010 and he sure puts his money where his mouth is to boot, even at 23-1 odds, so that Twitter follow is also kind of a no-brainer.

Bay Area Power Players Group

Big shots in Northern California

Okay, I was a bit hard-pressed to come up with a name for this group of 3, but what they all have in common are their high profiles and their ties to the Bay Area and Palo Alto, which, as mentioned above, Hellmuth calls home.

Hellmuth, like most red-blooded American males, is a sports fan who loves his home teams, which for NBA basketball would be the Warriors and for NFL football would be the 49ers. So his Twitter following of 49ers CEO Jed York and Warriors Owner Palihapitiya is understandable. Moreover, in the past, York invited Hellmuth to give a pep talk to the team. For someone of his stature and prominence to be rooting for those teams, it’s “only right” that his connection would go as high as the teams’ head honchos. According to his tagline, Palihapitiya is also a poker player, so that’s something else the two have in common.

Interestingly, it was at a sports game that Hellmuth made his connection with Chad Hurley, the co-founder of Youtube. About 4 years ago Hurley invited Hellmuth to have his own channel on the world’s #1 video sharing platform, so my guess is that Hellmuth “returned the favor” by following Hurley on Twitter.

Wait, That’s Only 12 Twitter Accounts…!

Astute observers will notice that there are only 12 names listed in the table above and that have been discussed thus far. The 13th Twitter account belongs to Alpha Rush, which is an investment management firm for high net worth individuals.

Protecting the wealth of the world’s biggest stacks…

Indeed, Hellmuth’s made many millions over his poker career. If he’s learned anything at the felt in all that time, it’s the importance of protecting and preserving a big stack, which is what Alpha Rush seems to be all about.

Is #14 Waiting in the Wings This Summer?

The common thread among all the Twitter accounts Phil Hellmuth follows is pretty clear: all those people are proven winners in all walks of life. So, it’s no accident that it’s with those kinds of people who poker’s all-time best associates himself.

Like many poker fans, we’re rooting for Hellmuth to win another bracelet at this summer’s upcoming WSOP. Should that happen, perhaps he’d be kind enough to mark the occasion of his 14th win by honoring Cardplayer Lifestyle with follow #14? Couldn’t hurt to ask, eh?

The post On Phil Hellmuth’s 13 Bracelets and the 13 People He Follows on Twitter appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

Is legal U.S. online poker on the horizon nationwide?

Nowadays, if you’ve got the urge to gamble in the U.S., you’ve got to travel to Las Vegas or one of the other casino hubs in the country to play slots, poker, blackjack, or other games of chance. Online poker has just become legal in a few jurisdictions, like Nevada, but one still must be located within state borders to play online legally for real money. In all likelihood, however, this will no longer be the case at some point as the U.S., at least on a state level is moving towards a much more open market.

Is Change in Federal Laws Eminent?

The reason online gambling has been becoming legalized only on a state by state level is because Federal U.S. laws currently prohibit the practice. Indeed, though other states, like New Jersey, Delaware, and others are moving to make online gambling more widespread, it’s possible that the best that can be hoped for is a patchwork interstate network – unless of course the federal government reverses its stance on online gambling. Even if it does so, it’ll still be illegal to gamble online in states that specifically outlaw it, such as Utah.

Legalizing Online Poker to Collect Much Needed Tax Dollars

Part of the reason so many individual states are gung ho about legalizing online gambling, specifically poker, is the potential for windfall tax revenues. On a state level, a few million dollars in extra revenues makes a big difference.

Indeed, many states believe that online poker tax revenues will shore up much of the shortfall caused by the recession. Though California hasn’t yet made too much progress as far as legalizing online poker, it’s absolutely a cash-strapped state where tax revenues from legal online poker would help make a dent in the deficit.

On a federal level though, even many millions of dollars in tax revenues from legal online poker throughout the country wouldn’t make too much of a dent in the gigantic hole that is American debt. When you’re facing a $16 trillion shortfall, a couple billion simply don’t make too much of a difference. Perhaps that’s why the U.S. government hasn’t rushed to legalize online gambling on a national level.

Legal Online Gambling Will Bring Online Bingo into the Limelight

As should be obvious, online poker is only a small part of what could be tremendous online gambling activity, should it be legalized. For instance, all over the world online bingo is a very popular activity that people play to win cash prizes. U.S. players could soon be included in this group should the right laws get passed. Specifically, a collection of the best online bingo sites have become especially popular in the UK, where bingo has always been a national pastime. It makes sense, then, that when companies will be able to legally incentivize online bingo in the United States, it will soon become a popular game there as well.

Would you like all types of online gambling legalized in the U.S. or just online poker? Sound off in the comments section below or on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Facebook page

The post How Long Until Online Poker is Legal Throughout the U.S. appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

The dawn of a new age of legal U.S. online poker

It’s a good day for poker.

For the first time ever, people are now legally able to play online poker for money in the U.S. The first site to have debuted is Ultimate Poker, which boasts one of the top names in poker, Antonio Esfandiari, as its front man. With the American online poker market essentially shut down since Black Friday, April 15th 2011, finally, after more than 2 long years, online poker has legally opened for business in the Land of the Free.

You Must Be Located in Nevada to Play

As per state law, only people located within the physical borders of Nevada will actually be allowed to play online poker. The technology in place verifies your location via pinging your mobile phone. This doesn’t mean you have to be a Nevada resident. Thus, despite there being just 3 million residents, Ultimate Poker (and all other online poker room operators to have U.S. debuts in the near future) can also host all of the tens of millions of people who visit Nevada destinations each year, for instance those who  travel to Las Vegas after winning WSOP poker packages.

The mainstream poker media is quickly filling up with firsthand accounts of poker players in Nevada trying out the new software for the first time, such as the video blog post from Kristy Arnett of Pokernews. Needless to say, there’s a general feeling of excitement in the (virtual?) air!

Americans not currently located in Nevada also have the ability to sign up and register for a new account. In a major change from “the way things used to be in the past”, with sites like PokerStars, et al., new signups are required to provide their Social Security number as proof of age. Once you pass those hurdles, there are a number of ways to deposit funds, including in person at the cashier cages of Station Casino properties. Nonetheless, you’ll still have to wait until physically being located in Nevada to ante up and actually play at the online poker felt.

I wonder if it will become common to see players in live poker rooms “multi-tabling”, by also using their phones to play online poker simultaneously. Personally I feel it’s better to use your Smartphone or tablet to take poker notes at the live felt, but to each his/her own.

Why can’t I play too?!

Non-Americans Stuck Looking in From the Outside?

As an American expat currently residing abroad, I was curious to give the software a try. I ran into an interesting problem during the signup process though. While I was allowed to provide my overseas address, I could only enter a U.S.-based telephone number, which I don’t have. Despite full knowledge that I won’t be able to play until my next trip to Vegas, I’m still very surprised that my being overseas without an American mobile phone number would prevent me from being able to open an account. I’m even ready to provide my Social Security number!

This begs the question of whether it’s an unfortunate oversight on the part of Ultimate Poker or a temporary glitch they’ll soon be correcting. All online poker rooms opening in Nevada are banking on the fact of high player liquidity that would only be available when you count the tourists that pass through the state each year. I would think it would be critical to cater to “the rest of the world”, no? And I’m American and am having a signup problem – what happens to non-Americans who don’t have a Social Security number for age verification purposes? Moreover, if a Brit, for example, were to come and visit Nevada for the upcoming World Series of Poker, how would his (temporary) in-sate presence be technologically verified if he didn’t have a U.S. mobile phone number with which to sign up?

Surely these and other issues will be addressed and hopefully resolved in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Wins the race of first to the legal U.S. online poker market

Trailblazing the Way Towards a New Poker Boom?

Indeed, there have been a number of snafus on opening day for Ultimate Poker, which is to be expected, most notably an issue with Verizon phones. Surely other glitches will come to light as well, and I can only imagine how overloaded and overwhelmed the Ultimate Poker support people must be right now.

All that said, there’s no good reason to focus on the problems, which will surely be sorted out. Having won the race as first to market, Ultimate Poker gets the glory and publicity, but surely other companies will be quick to follow and debut. Personally I’m eagerly anticipating the Caesars-888 offering.

So too, Nevada is rightfully getting all the attention right now, but a number of U.S. states will surely be following suit in the coming weeks and months to legalize online poker (New Jersey and Delaware have already done this). Operators will continue speeding towards licensing in those states and poker fans can only hope that, absent federal legislation, interstate compacts will be formed to create the largest possible U.S. online player pool. The next poker boom has begun.

After two long years of total darkness, the future looks bright indeed.

Like I said, it’s a good day for poker.

What’s your reaction to the dawn of legal U.S. online poker? Sound off in the comments section below or feel free to answer our latest poll on Facebook.

The post Legal Online U.S. Poker Finally Begins, in Nevada appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

Clifford the Big Red Dog had a poker game named after him?

Red Dog Poker 

Red Dog is one of the simplest variations of poker. Though there’s a good amount of luck involved, there’s also plenty of mathematical computations you need to make when placing your bets.

Gameplay is relatively straightforward. You place a bet and then two cards are dealt. In order for gameplay to continue, the two cards must not be consecutive in value (i.e., 7, 8, 10, J, etc.). If the cards are consecutive, you get your bet back and the game starts again. If the 2 cards are the same, you’ve got a shot at getting really lucky, as a third card is then dealt. You’ll get paid out at 11:1 odds if that third card has the same value as the other 2 (a 2-outer to all of you hard core poker players out there).

Assuming the 2 dealt cards are neither consecutive nor the same (which happens most of the time), the hand is declared a “spread” and you’re then invited to wager on the outcome of the third card and get paid out accordingly depending on how large the spread is between the 2 dealt cards. The farther apart the spread, the lower the payout (e.g., 1:1 on a spread of between 4–11 cards). The closer the spread, the higher the payout (up to 5:1 on a spread of 1 card). You can also press your luck by choosing to double your bet before the third card is dealt.

You only lose your bet if the third card doesn’t fall within the spread of the first 2 cards. Simple, right?

The more decks being used, the lower the house’s edge on you, so it pays to hunt out an online casino that offers 6- or 8-deck red dog poker such that you have the best probability of winning. Click this link to be redirected to a site that’ll help you find the right online casino at which you can find some good red dog poker games.

Here’s one place to play great alternative types of online poker

Three-Card Poker

Three-card poker is a game that enjoys tremendous popularity both in land-based casinos as well as online casinos. It features two types of bets: ante and pair plus.

Gameplay: The player plays exclusively against the dealer and each side is dealt 3 cards, with all 3 of the dealer’s cards kept face-down. After evaluating the strength of your three cards, you decide to play/raise (double your ante bet) or fold (thus surrendering your ante). The dealer then reveals his/her cards.

Ante bets: If the dealer fails to qualify (queen high or better) all ante bets are paid 1:1 while the play/raise is returned to you. If the dealer does qualify and beats your hand, you lose your ante and play bets. If the dealer qualifies and your hand is better, your ante and play bets get paid at 1:1.

Ante bonus: If your hand is a straight, a 3-of-a-kind, or straight flush, you’ll usually receive a bonus of anywhere from 3:1 to 5:1 automatically.

Pair plus bet: This bet relates only to your hand, regardless of whether or not it ends up beating the dealer’s hand. You must have at least a pair to be paid even money on this bet, If you’re lucky enough to be dealt a straight flush, the payout could be quite high, depending on the payout table offered by the casino you’re playing at.

A bank of video poker machines in a land-based casino

Video Poker

My personal favorite when I’m not playing “real” online poker is to play the slots-style poker games otherwise known as video poker. There are countless variations from straight up 10s or Better & Jacks or Better to Deuces Wild, to Joker Poker, to Bonus Poker to Double Double Bonus Poker, and beyond.

Video poker can also be played both online and in live casinos in both single- and multi-line varieties. Often, you’ll be able to find video poker machines that play up to 50-lines (i.e., 50 hands) simultaneously, thus offering pretty high payouts.

The best part of video poker is that there’s strategy involved and that with the correct play based on mathematical odds and payout tables, you won’t be at the complete mercy of the “poker gods” of luck. Often, video poker games will also offer the chance to win big if you play the max coins, in the form of a progressive jackpot. What’s not to like about that?

*Cardplayer Lifestyle would like to thank the Guest Writer, a member of the Casinokiwi team, for this post.

The post Three Other Kinds of Online Poker That Are Worth a Try appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

A WSOP Bracelet’s Value – To Each Their Own

Doyle Brunson didn’t even pick 2 of his bracelets up, Johnny Chan has them all locked in a vault, Hellmuth gave 10 of his away to friends and family and Peter Eastgate auctioned his Main Event bracelet off for charity. To each player WSOP bracelets mean something different. Leaving money aside, one must wonder: are the bracelets worth a lot less now to the players? Publicly, of course not! Privately, I would imagine there’s a fair amount of discussion and jokes flying around after each series. To the 99.99% of us that will never own one, we’ll never know the non-monetary value of a bracelet and let’s be honest we would take a bracelet from Vegas, Melbourne, Paris or anywhere. The bigger question is whether or not the game will suffer from WSOP overkill. In my opinion the answer is no.

Headline Acts Don’t Play Small Gigs

The WSOP is the Grammy’s of the poker world. The bracelet is the coveted #1 Billboard single. To put it bluntly, why play a gig in a friend’s garage when you can play the Montreal Jazz Festival? The WSOP like nothing and nobody else in the poker industry can and does provide that kind of stage for the world audience. It takes poker to a level that nothing else can, providing mainstream news coverage and giving poker fans a chance to see the stars in action at the very highest level of the game. Without the WSOP other smaller poker tournament series would not be afforded the same amount of column inches and they would not get the recognition they too deserve. The WSOP brings the stars of poker together and that spreads, it trickles down and the whole game benefits. On saying that, maybe 3 WSOP-branded series around the world is now enough and maybe the line needs to be drawn there. For those that may argue the big WSOP events do little for grassroots poker, think again. The WSOP has led to a million and one small events and there’s always the WSOP Circuit events that bring the game to a city near you.

Do you think WSOP bracelets are losing their value? Sound off in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

Marcus Harmon is the editor of Sunshine Poker Rooms a source of news and opinion on the game of poker.

The post Will The Poker World Suffer from WSOP Overkill? appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

Daniel Negreanu wins bracelet #5 at WSOP APAC Main Event

In an event seemingly scripted to treat poker fans, poker media, and frankly the entire poker world to something truly special, Daniel Negreanu, the world’s most popular and beloved poker player, just became the 2013 WSOP APAC Main Event winner.* Negreanu defeated a relatively small but very talented field of 405 poker players for the victory and his 5th career bracelet. He also won over $1 million in prize money.

Streaking Towards Victory from Start to Finish

Coming off a rock solid 4th place performance in WSOP APAC Event #3, which was won by Phil Ivey, Negreanu was hungry for a victory, and it showed throughout the Main Event. Just 40 players cashed, among them such poker luminaries as Jeff Lisandro, Joseph Cheong, and Erik Seidel. Upon the elimination of Antonia Esfandiari in 9th place, on the final table bubble, Negreanu entered the last day of play 2nd place in chips and poised to bolt to victory.

Not having won a bracelet since 2008, and coming painfully close in a runner-up finish to Barry Shulman in the WSOPE Main Event in 2009, Negreanu clearly had plenty of motivation to try and steamroll his way to victory. He was able to amass approximately 50% of the chips at the table before the eliminations started coming. Still the chipleader with 4 players remaining, Negreanu found himself drawing thin against George Tsatsis with AQ against J9 on a QJJ4 board. The river queen essentially secured the victory for Negreanu, who entered heads-up play with an almost 11:1 chip advantage against Daniel Marton. He clinched the victory when his pair of 2s held up against Marton’s A7 in the final hand.

I won!!!!!!!!!!!! YES! Very happy right now. Thanks to all my friends and family for giving me the confidence I needed! So happy!!!!

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) April 15, 2013

Negreanu Adds to His Legendary Status

The $1,038,825 in prize money represents the largest ever WSOP score for Negreanu and gives him over $17 million in career poker tournament winnings. Having watched much of the live stream during the 12 hours of final table coverage, this poker writer can attest to the fact that Negreanu was not only the best player at the table, but also the most entertaining by far. He seemed to just be loving the fact that he was sitting there and playing poker. Quite frankly, the other final tablists also seemed to sense something special was happening and, though trying to win, were enjoying being there for all it was worth; essentially realizing they were facing one of the game’s all time greats and that there wasn’t much they could do to stop him.

Negreanu’s 5th bracelet win bumps him into a tie with other poker superstars like   John Juanda, Stu Ungar, Allan Cunningham, Jeff Lisandro, and Scotty Nguyen.

Black Friday Turns Into Golden Monday?

As many people in the poker world have pointed out, today, April 15th, is the two-year anniversary of Black Friday. Perhaps it’s particularly poignant to have poker’s biggest name player win poker’s newest high-profile event. Maybe Negreanu’s win in the inaugural WSOP APAC “signals” an unofficial turning point for the game of poker, which has suffered quite the downswing over the last couple years?

We can only hope this is true, that American former Full Tilt Poker players get paid ASAP, that online poker in America slowly but surely has a comeback, and that poker ambassadors like Negreanu continue to have performances par excellence that give a good name to the game we all know and love.

*All images and event results courtesy of PokerListings.com  and WSOP.com, and based on my watching the final table live streaming coverage.

The post The 2013 WSOP APAC Main Event Champion: Daniel Negreanu appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

Courtesy of 888poker.com’s live stream

One of poker’s all-time greats has done it again, in grand fashion. Phil Ivey just won his 9th World Series of Poker bracelet in Event #3 ($2,200 8-Game Mix) at the WSOP Asia Pacific. Ivey emerged victorious from a small, but elite, field of 81 players in the 3-day event and also added $51,840 to his all-time winnings. Along with Daniel Negreanu, Ivey co-headlined the event’s final table and was the chip leader heading into the final day of play. To seal the deal, Ivey overcame Brandon Wong in a lengthy heads-up battle (Negreanu finished in 4th place).

Number 3 All-Time … and Counting …

The win catapults Ivey into a tie for 3rd place on the all-time WSOP bracelet list (with the late Johnny Moss), ahead of Erik Seidel, who has 8 bracelet wins to his credit. Up ahead of him are Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, who’ve each won the WSOP Main Event twice and have won 10 bracelets apiece.

Though Brunson and Chan are clearly still playing plenty of poker, they’re thought to be past their tournament poker primes, with each of their last bracelet victories coming years ago. Seidel still has plenty of excellent poker in him, but his last bracelet win was back in 2007.

Which means Ivey’s main competition for “best tournament poker player ever” is Phil Hellmuth, who’s currently the all-time leader with 13. With both Phils clearly still at the top of their game and having plenty of prime poker playing years ahead of them, the bracelet race is going to continue being thrilling to watch for all poker fans worldwide.

A Master of All Poker Disciplines

There’s a reason why Ivey is widely considered to be the best all-around player in the game. He’s had millions of dollars of success worth of victories, both in cash games as well as in tournaments. More importantly, however, he’s demonstrated unparalleled excellence in literally all forms of the game of poker. This is nowhere more evident in the variety of bracelet events that he’s won, and of course the fact that his latest bracelet win is in an 8-game mix event.

By comparison, Hellmuth is surely a poker tournament “beast”, but 12 of his 13 WSOP bracelet wins have come in Texas Hold’em events. That said, the “Poker Brat” has also demonstrated his fair share of skill in non-hold’em events.

Notably, though this is Ivey’s first bracelet win outside of the United States, it’s not his first tournament poker success in Australia. Back in January 2012, he won the prestigious Super High Roller event at the Aussie Millions for a $2 million score. The win does, however, make him the first poker player in history to win bracelets on both U.S. and Australian soil.

*All dollar figures are in AUD. $1 AUD = $1.05 USD

The post Phil Ivey Wins Bracelet #9 at WSOP Asia Pacific Event #3 appeared first on Cardplayer Lifestyle.

Picture of Negreanu and Ivey from @realkidpoker Twitter feed

Talk about a headline that writes itself! Much like professional wrestling fans, poker fans love to imagine dream matchups of their favorite players duking it out at the felt. And when it comes to a poker fan’s dream matchup, the names Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey almost always have a way of fitting into the picture. Well, those dreams have essentially come true in an incredible fashion: Ivey and Negreanu have both made the final table of WSOP APAC Event #3, the $2,200* buy-in 8-game mix.

Both poker pros will be gunning for a coveted bracelet in just a few short hours, when Day 3 of the event gets underway in the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. On top of that, the two of them combined have more than half the chips remaining in play, with Ivey leading the way (144,300) and Negreanu close behind in second (129,000). They’re even seated next to each other!

Not only are Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu two of the most popular and well-known players in the game, they’ve also each got the poker accolades and WSOP hardware to back up their fame. For his part, Ivey’s gunning for his 9th bracelet (his first since 2010) while Negreanu is shooting for his 5th (his first since 2008).

Who Cares About the Money? Ship the Bracelet!

Indeed, it seems that first place prize money of over $50,000 is very much secondary to the prestige of a bracelet win for these two poker titans (especially as it’s likely that Ivey has probably made a good amount of 6-figure bracelet bets). To be sure, only 81 players entered the event, but the lineup represented poker’s most elite pros; the fact is that you don’t pony up a couple thousand bucks to play in an 8-game mix event unless you’re pretty darn good in all the poker disciplines being played: No limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, 7-Card Stud, 2–7 Triple Draw, 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo, Limit Hold’em, Razz, and Omaha Hi-Lo.

I for one can’t help but wonder what it’s like to be one of the other 4 players seated at the final table. Sure, you’ve managed to cash in a tough event, but to win you’ve got to overcome arguably the two best players in the game. It’s a wonder that none of them has stood up and waved the white flag. Anyhow, no disrespect to any of the other final table participants, but the fact is that what’s best for poker, and what poker fans want to see, is a heads-up match of epic proportions between Negreanu and Ivey.

That would sure make for one hell of a televised broadcast and WSOP organizers must be secretly hoping for that outcome. If you want to follow the event yourself, check out the live updates on Pokerlistings or the live stream on 888PokerTV.

Who are you rooting for to win the bracelet? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

*All dollar amounts are listed in Australian dollars. AUD$1 = USD$1.05 as of this publication.

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Coverage of 5 Bracelet Events Over 11 Days

As Cardplayer Lifestyle initially reported close to a year ago, the WSOP APAC is the first time that the coveted bracelets will be awarded in the Southern Hemisphere. No fewer than 5 bracelet events will be taking place over the 11-day series, which ends on April 15th. Other non-bracelet events on the calendar include a unique Caesars Cup event as well as a High Roller event, which are being played “just” for national pride and money, respectively.

We’ll be following the action taking place at the felt in Melbourne’s Crown Casino and hopefully reporting on the main stories to develop Down Under. For those die-hard poker fans who want to witness the action themselves, you’re welcome to check out the live updates on WSOP.com, courtesy of Pokerlistings. There’s also plenty of bonus coverage of the proceedings over on the WSOP Facebook page. And of course, there’s the live streaming, which you can watch on 888PokerTV. Here’s a highlight clip of what you can expect to see, featuring the series’ official host, who we’re sure you’ll recognize:

Who Will Be Crowned the First WSOP Poker Champions in Australia?

The 5 bracelets will be awarded in Omaha, Mixed Game, and 6-max (Hold’em) events, as well as the AUD$10K Main Event. Plus, there’s a unique “Accumulator” event which starts out the series. In this AUD$1,100 buy-in affair, players are welcome to enter as many of the 3 starting days as they’d like and try to accumulate as many chips as possible. They’ll bag and tag their chips from each of the starting days then continue on to Day 2 and onwards until the event’s completion.

Naturally, poker’s best and brightest have traversed the globe in search of more championship gold, including Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Phil Hellmuth, who’s looking to up his career bracelet total to 14 and beyond. They’ll meet a host of local Australian poker heroes at their “home felt” in stars like former WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem, 5-time bracelet winner Jeffrey Lisandro, and others.

Check back with us here at Cardplayer Lifestyle as the WSOP APAC continues, and visit our Facebook page for special bonus content.

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