Poker:

Poker Player Newspaper – Lots of poker news and strategy.

Pokerati – Excellent Poker Blog.

Bill Rini – A poker industry insider with great insights.

Vegas:

2 Way Hard 3: A great and fun Vegas Blog from the fine folks at Rate Vegas.

The Die Is Cast (David G. Schwatz): Blog of the UNLV Director of the Center for Gaming Research.

What happened to LasVegasVegas?

The short answer is it ran out of steam and everyone has decided to go seperate ways.  While this site might stay online for a few months (get those creative commons Vegas and Poker photos while you can!) its no longer being updated.

A decade is a heck of a long time for a site to hang around, so a special thatnks to the readers, supporters and quiet lurkers; we couldnt have done it without you.

There have never been more ways to play poker and this week’s Positively Nerd Street takes a look at three new ways to get your fix.

Feel free to give us suggestions for future nerdy pieces in the comments.

In today’s Positively Nerd Street we’re going to review three separate poker video games that represent a shift from the traditional online poker model popularized by the likes of PokerStars and PartyPoker.

We’ve got one of the first reviews of the official app by EA games (one of the first reviews of the newly launched game), Zynga Poker-competitor and finally the casual-style on Xbox 360.

By: KamaGames

For: PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Facebook

Released: 2012

It’s very similar to industry leader Zynga Poker but a little more streamlined.

You’ll find all the barebone features of online poker games with your basic check, bet, raise, fold buttons as well as a few extras like a visual lobby and a multi-table mode.

The interface is much less cluttered than the Zynga Poker one, which some players will no doubt prefer.

Surprisingly is the second most popular Facebook poker game next to Zynga Poker with 100,000 active monthly users. Zynga does have a vast lead, however, with 260,000 active monthly users.

There are also some differences between the Desktop and Facebook-based clients with the Facebook one seemingly getting more updates, including model Carmen Electra as the dealer.

In our experience this client is actually superior than Zynga Poker in several ways and worth checking out as a free-to-play online poker game.

+EV

-EV

For: Xbox 360, Windows Phone 7

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Released: 2011

The game takes the right approach to free poker games and puts the emphasis on fun with stylish art, an XP-based leveling system and a great tutorial to get you started.

Unlike numerous poker games on the market, has a personality and while it’s nothing like an actual brick-and-morter casino, it’s a welcome vacation from the boring bare-bones poker clients on the Internet.

One of the highlights of is the Texas Heat events. These scheduled 30-minute affairs essentially act like rake races in traditional online poker and you can win massive bonuses for generating the most XP. About four Texas Heat events are scheduled every day.

The XP system is very well-crafted and works a little bit like Frequent Player Point programs on actual online poker sites. You gain XP for every hand you play, including the ones you lose (albeit not as much), so it helps pump the action too.

Setting up is a breeze as the game imports your avatar from Xbox live so you’ll instantly have a customized poker player who represents you.

The other flaw is that costs $10. Most online poker games are free or in the $1-$2 range so it’s quite a step up.

We’d argue the production value in is enough to justify a purchase.

+EV

-EV

For: iOS, Android

Released: May, 2012

Publisher: Electronic Arts

EA picked up the rights to the World Series of Poker brand last year and their first game to carry the WSOP brand is pretty damn sweet.

Very similar to Zynga Poker the game is based on a freemium model. It costs nothing but getting extras, such as VIP status or more chips, will set you back at least $.99.

The game has an extensive store where you can buy avatars and clothes to customize your playing experience.

Overall it’s not a bad playing experience. The game client is quite simple for the most part and you won’t find any advanced features, although Pot-Limit Omaha is a nice addition.

It’s worth noting that takes place completely online and there isn’t a single-player tutorial.

There are some minor quibbles. For instance the fold button is on the wrong side, compared to traditional online poker and the raise button can be finicky at best.

In addition it appears they are still building a player base for the game as it’s common to click the Play Now button and be put on a table with zero players.

If nothing else it’s a massive improvement over the dreadful World Series of Poker Holdem by GLU, which was riddled with bugs from the very beginning.

The game will get much more interesting if it starts offering actual freerolls into WSOP events.

Bottom line, it’s one of the better free poker games for the iPhone and Android phones.

+EV

-EV

PokerStars fast-fold poker variant Zoom Poker has dropped the beta moniker and has been released on Android mobile clients.

The official release follows a four month testing period, and exactly two months of real money testing. Over 300 million hands were dealt during the beta period.

To celebrate its full release stature, Zoom is now also available on PokerStars Mobile for Android for all players on the dot.COM, dot.EU and play money dot.NET sites.

Android users will be prompted to update their software. Zoom can be found in the lobby alongside normal cash games and tournaments.

Zoom Poker, at least in No Limit, has proved to be very popular among players. An estimated one in four cash game hands played on the Internet is played on Zoom Poker, and with the rising popularity of mobile clients, this percentage can only be expected to rise.

There was no word on Mobile updates for iPhone or iPad users, or for players in the segregated markets of France and Italy, but iOS updates often lag behind Android given the verification procedure for all Apps in Apples App Store.

Learn more about fast-fold poker in our feature article Fast-Fold Poker: What the Industry has to Offer

by Nick Jones May 15, 2012

• tags
• PokerStars

As the EuroMillions is played in nine European countries some of these participating nations have additional games for people to play. These extra games are available to play in Portugal, Ireland and the UK.

The additional game for all UK EuroMillions players is the UK Millionaire Raffle and all players are bound to be getting excited as there is a special raffle taking place later this month. On the 18th May the UK Millionaire Raffle will hold a Super Draw where instead of giving out just one £1 million raffle prize there will be on offer a total of 18 £1 million raffle prizes. This means that 18 ticket holders all have the chance to become millionaires overnight.

Playing the UK Millionaire Raffle is only available to those who purchase their EuroMillions tickets in the UK, so don’t hang around make sure you take part in this special Super Draw and you could match the UK Millionaire Raffle results to win one of the 18 prizes available.

The fruit machine is a special genre of three reel slot games that occupies a niche market. Players who like fruit machines wager on them all the time and those who do not like them give fruit machines a wide berth. But players must take a call only after trying this online casino game at least once. Fruit Fight by Cryptologic is one of the most exciting fruit machines and is being reviewed in this article.

A fruit machine is first and foremost a three reel slot. Fruit Fight has three rows of symbols across the reels but a single payline running horizontally across the centre. Cryptologic offers the fruit machine in three different fixed coin sizes of $0.25, $0.50 and $1.00 and therefore the payouts are reported in absolute amounts. Fruit Fight has a boxing theme. The symbols are the bell, stars (presumably those seen by the boxer getting knocked out), boxing gloves and sevens.

If there is a payout in the normal game it can be collected or gambled in the Hi Lo game. If the player guesses correctly in the Hi Lo game then he will climb the cash ladder by one step. He then has the option of collecting the win, playing the Hi Lo gamble game again or exchanging the win for the Super KO Feature Board. If the player guesses incorrectly in any Hi Lo game then he loses the payouts and will be returned to the normal game. If the player reaches the jackpot level of the cash ladder then he will be automatically awarded the jackpot. The features offered in the successive steps of the cash ladder in Fruit Fight are Lucky Dip, Cash Attack, Hi Lo Crazy, Birdy Bucks, Turbo Cash, Saved by the Bell and Power Punch.

There are two features that are integral to fruit machines. One is the nudge. In Fruit Fight up to four Nudges may be awarded at any time. These have to be utilized immediately. If a win occurs from any Nudge the remaining nudges will be lost and the game will proceed as after any win. The other feature is Hold, which is treated in a similar manner. Players are not compelled to deploy these features. They can ignore them and spin again. In that event these features will lapse.

Most online fruit machines have feature boards. The feature boards in Fruit Fight are Super Knock Out and Super Heavyweight in keeping with the boxing theme. The Super Knock Out is triggered when three KO logos appear anywhere on separate reels in the reel window. The Super Heavyweight is triggered when three KO logos appear on the payline. Players move around the feature board squares based on the random numbers generated by the girl. Each square on the feature board rewards or penalizes the players.

Many squares on the feature boards are simply multipliers that are applied to the cash ladder position. Others add amounts to the cash pot. When the player lands on the Safe square he is assured of winning the amount in the cash pot. Some squares activate the feature games. Players can move from the Super Knock Out feature board to the Super Heavyweight feature board by collecting three tokens.

Fruit Fight is live at all Cryptologic online casinos. CasinoAdvisor recommends InterCasino and VIP Casino.

An old casino. A forgotten safe. An unsolved murder. It’s the stuff of mystery novels. And that’s exactly what makes the Bill’s Casino mystery safe so intriguing. 

Located in Lake Tahoe, Bill’s Casino (formerly known as Barney’s Casino) is currently undergoing renovations. Construction workers found the three-foot-tall safe sealed in the wall, and though two locksmiths and a safe cracker gave it their best shot, no one has been able to open the mysterious black box.

While a forgotten safe is exciting enough, the Lake Tahoe case is particularly intriguing as the building’s previous owner, Richard L. Chartrand, was killed in a car bombing in the 1960s. His murder was never solved.

“A lot of people are wondering if there’s a connection between Mr. Chartrand who was killed in his car,” property owner Michael Laub told KOLO TV.So what’s in the mysterious safe? Glistening gold? Stacks of cash? Fabulous jewelry? There’s no way to know, of course, but that isn’t stopping tourists from taking a guess.

“Bricks of gold,” guessed Pat Baumgartner from Wisconsin. “That’s possible. And possibly some important papers.”

Syndi Dyer, a visitor from California, thinks the safe’s contents may have ties to the mob.”It’s the casinos, it’s Nevada,” she said.

Tourists and local media outlets aren’t the only people intrigued by the Lake Tahoe mystery. Laub said that the Oprah Winfrey network is interested in doing a special on the safe and wants to give another safe cracker the chance to discover what’s inside.

We’ve got a special bonus treat today in the form of a quick Q&A with former EPT Copenhagen champion Jens Kyllönen.

This interview comes by way of a secret PL.com reporter placed strategically in Denmark. He only had time for five questions, lest his cover be blown.

Here are those five questions with Jens “Jeans89″ Kyllönen.

PokerListings.com: We’re here with Jens Kyllonen at EPT Copenhagen. You’ve played EPT Copenhagen before and you’ve actually won.  How is it to be back?

Jens Kyllonen: It’s good. I haven’t really played any live tournaments in a long time. I haven’t had the motivation. I just decided there was a good group of Finnish people coming so I decided to try and come. It would be a nice, fun thing if I happen to win it again. So I figured it was worth a shot.

Jens “Jeans89″ Kyllönen  

You’ve been playing a lot online poker lately and it’s seemingly going pretty good. Is that correct?

Yeah, that’s correct yeah. I’ve been playing way too much online but I just had good results and I feel like I played very good so I just have kept going.

Is it hard to adapt to playing tournaments again when you normally play a lot of cash games.

Yeah it is a little bit, especially when I’ve played such high stakes and won a lot it’s hard to focus. That’s why I actually just came in. I decided to skip the first two levels so I wouldn’t do anything stupid there. But I think I can focus if I don’t play too many tournaments. Just you know one every few months and I think I can have focus on it.

So tournaments for you are more like a vacation just to relax a little bit?

Ah yeah, pretty much. I wouldn’t do this for the money you know because, it’s just, your hourly rate isn’t going to be too good anyway. You play long days and there’s all the rake and tips and everything. It would be better to stay at home and play online but you can only do that for that much.

EPT Copenhagen is known for really hard competition. Is that your feeling as well?

Yeah, well I haven’t played yet or I just came inside but I’m sure I guess a lot of Scandinavian players so usually they know how to play. Plus I haven’t really played too much Texas Hold’em in the last two years or so I think I’m not even probably close to the best player here. But I think I can still manage.

Thanks Jens and good luck.

No problem, thank you.

So why is this comment a bombshell? If you remember this isnt the first mention of A-Rods name being linked to these high-stakes poker games; something A-Rod explicitly denied when asked about it by Major League Baseball. A-Rod has already been summoned to the league offices a few years ago regarding his illegal poker playing activities in New York Citys underground clubs, and the slugger promised to cease and desist.

According to the site Celebuzz.com that broke the story:

Hollywood-based lawyer Ronald Richards – who represents a number of defendants being sued to recover Rudermans poker losses – told Celebuzz: I will confirm that Ruderman testified and confirmed for the first time under oath that Alex Rodriquez played in one of the games.

Richards was also quoted by the gossip magazine as saying, He (Ruderman) acknowledged that Maguire was the one who brought him into the game and that he played with A-Rod,

Rudermans testimony could have far-reaching implications for Rodriguez, as MLB has implied that A-Rod could be on the hook for a lengthy suspension if its proven that he was in fact playing in illegal poker games. Several people have already floated A-Rods name in association with the games, and A-Rod has been warned by MLB that he could face a stiff penalty if he engaged in illegal gambling again.

One such report came last year when poker pro Dan Bilzerian, who was also a regular in the games, told Star Magazine a story related to the game itself, and mentioned A-Rod as one of the people in attendance:

Molly ran one game at Codys mansion. [One player] got all coked up. Everyone had to chase Cody down for the money, and he later paid me a sum and gave me a watch but stiffed me for $100,000.

Star has chosen not to disclose the name of the person using cocaine but can reveal that others at the game included Rick Salomon, and Kenny Tran, a professional poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker, according to Bilzerian.

With tempers at the table flaring, A-Rod tried to distance himself from the game, another insider told Star. He just shook his head, not knowing what the hell happened,

After battling through one of the longer final tables in WPT history, local player Moon Kim emerged as the champion of the World Poker Tour’s Bay 101 Shooting Stars event.

The final six men convened at the Bay 101 Casino in San Jose Friday afternoon, with World Series of Poker bracelet holder Erik Cajelais holding a sizeable lead over Ubaid Habib and Kim. All three of these men were over the two million chip mark (Cajelais held 3.64 million, almost a third of the chips in play), making it difficult for the three men underneath them – Joe Elpayaa, Joe Serock and Andrew Badecker – to take on the big stacks with their one million-or-less arsenals.

From the start of the final table, the seriousness of capturing the latest WPT championship was evident in all of the players’ moves. The sextet played for almost five hours before the first player was eliminated from the proceedings. The 113 hands played in that timespan set a record for the longest opening of a WPT event without a player being eliminated.

It was actually a few hands before that which set up for the first elimination. After Serock doubled through Elpayaa, the Illinois pro was forced into “push or fold” mode, which he did for two consecutive hands with his short stack. On Hand #112, that bit Elpayaa as, after he moved all in from under the gun, Badecker looked him up in the big blind. Badecker had caught Elpayaa in a push, with his pocket Kings crushing Elpayaa’s Q-J off suit, and the board brought no salvation for Elpayaa. Crippled down to only 35K, Joe Elpayaa was eliminated on the next hand by Badecker in sixth place.

Kim and Cajelais were neck and neck for the chip lead at this time and continued to joust for the lead over the next hour, with Habib attempting to hang with them. Kim would separate himself from the pack when, after a raise from Badecker, he moved all in and was called by Badecker. It was a classic race situation – Badecker’s Big Slick against Kim’s pocket fours – and the flop brought an Ace to put Badecker in the lead. Unfortunately for Badecker, it also brought a five and a deuce, giving Kim outs to the straight. That straight hit on the turn with a trey, leaving Andrew Badecker drawing dead and out of the tournament in fifth place.

At this point, Kim had captured nearly half the chips in play and he continually applied the pressure to his lesser-stacked opponents. Serock found a key double up to push former chip leader Cajelais down to the short stack, while Habib maintained a steady pace. As the players reached the seven hour mark of the tournament, the end would come for one of the combatants.

After Habib made a raise, Cajelais decided to make a stand and was called by both Habib and Kim (in the big blind). The board, K-K-7-5-Q, was checked down by Habib and Kim and, after Kim showed an A-8 for Kings with an A-Q-8 completion, Cajelais only showed an Ace and mucked his cards, conceding defeat. Habib had made two pair on the river with his Q-9, but the mysterious mucking by Erik Cajelais saw the former chip leader eliminated in fourth place.

Serock battled admirably throughout the final table after coming in as the second shortest stack, but he couldn’t battle against Habib and Kim’s rapidly growing chip mountains. As the clock approached the witching hour, Serock moved all in over the bet of Kim and was called, with Kim tabling a suited K-Q against Serock’s pocket nines. The eight high flop kept Serock in the lead, but the King on the turn switched the fates. Once a nine failed to appear on the river, Joe Serock was eliminated in third place.

After eight hours of play and 182 hands, Kim held a 2.6 million chip lead over Habib, but the duo weren’t through fighting yet. Although he was able to draw even on several occasions, Habib could never get over the mountain to assume the chip lead. After 35 hands of play over an hour, the end would come in dramatic fashion.

Kim made a minimum raise from the button and was met with a call by Habib. On a seemingly innocuous 9-4-2 (two diamond) flop, Habib checked to Kim, who bet out 300K. Habib decided it was time to make a stand, check-raising Kim to 900K. Kim didn’t back down from the big bet, declaring all in and putting Habib to a decision. After some deliberation, Habib made the call and the duo turned up their cards.

Habib was ahead on the flop with his Q-9, but Kim’s J-7 of diamonds had twelve outs twice to victory. An Ace on the turn wasn’t what he was looking for, but the thunderbolt of an eight of diamonds delivered the hand – and the Bay 101 Shooting Stars championship – to Kim in completing his flush.

1. Moon Kim, $960,900 2. Ubaid Habib, $570,200 3. Joe Serock, $320,400 4. Erik Cajelais, $256,300 5. Andrew Badecker, $192,300 6. Joseph Elpayaa, $128,200

Kim, a recreational player at the Bay 101, achieved something that all local grinders look to do – step up to the “big leagues” and make a name for themselves. With the victory at the Shooting Stars, Moon Kim now etches his name onto the WPT Champions Cup and will be in attendance at the Season X WPT Championship.

Blackjack Switch is a fascinating blackjack variant that is offered by software provider Playtech at its online casinos like Omni Casino and Casino Tropez. The player wagers with two hands instead of one. After the two cards are dealt to each of his hands and the dealer’s face up card is dealt the player has an interesting option. He can switch the second card dealt to each hand. After the player decides on whether or not to exercise this option, the game is played in the usual manner. The critical component of the strategy is when to switch and when not to switch. This article describes three strategies with increasing complexity. Obviously the more complex strategy yields better results.

In the simple Blackjack Switch strategy the player first needs to memorize the following list of hands that are in decreasing order of strength: 21, 20, 19, AA, 11, 10, 9, 18 or 8 and 8,8. If the dealer’s face up card is a 7 or 8, the player must switch if he can increase the value of the weaker hand to the highest possible hand in the list. If the dealer has any other card the player must switch only if he can increase the value of the higher hand to the highest possible hand in the list. If the player cannot achieve any of the above mentioned then he must switch only if he can make the strongest hand possible from the following list: 7 or 17, any hand that should be split, 12 and 13. In all other cases the player should not switch. The simple Blackjack Switch strategy offers a lower return by 0.17% as compared to the optimal strategy.

The advanced Blackjack Switch strategy uses a table that is structured like a normal blackjack strategy table with the dealer’s face up card in the rows and the player’s hand value in the rows. However, the cells do not contain the blackjack moves but contain numbers from 0 to 3. A value of 3 is for the card combination most likely to win and a value of 0 is for the card combination least likely to win. The player must ascertain the values of the two hands as dealt and add the values to get a total. He must then visualize the situation after a switch and ascertain the values of the two hands and add them to get a total. If the total after a visualized switch is greater than the total before a switch then and only then must the player make a switch. The advanced Blackjack Switch strategy offers a lower return by 0.08% as compared to the optimal strategy.

The values from 0 to 3 club the hands into broad groups. However in reality all card combinations bearing the same value are not equal. The optimal Blackjack Switch strategy is based on computer simulation of each card combination to determine its expectation value. The expectation value can range from +1 to -1 in an almost continuous fashion. An expectation value close to +1 indicates a high probability of that combination eventually winning. An expectation value close to -1 indicates a high probability of that combination eventually losing. As in the advanced Blackjack Switch strategy the player adds the expectation values of both hands before and after the visualized switch. If the total after a switch is greater than the total before a switch then and only then must the player make a switch. The optimal strategy offers a return of about 99.4%.

Typical card games like Texas Hold ‘em Poker and Blackjack require players to have a fundamental strategy behind the games. While Baccarat does indeed feature a wide set of rules, tips, tricks and suggestions, it is largely a game of luck. The game has an interesting and fascinating history, spanning back to the 15th century in Europe. It is not quite 100% clear which country gave rise to the games baccarat, but it is generally accepted that France and Italy are the homeland of this game. Baccarat in French is the equivalent of zero. However, many casino historians argue that Italy’s connection to the game is far deeper than that of France. As such, advocates of the Italian origins of the game are of the opinion that the French aristocracy adapted the game to their own specifications.

Before you decide how to play the game, it is imperative to know which specific game you’re trying to perfect. There are multiple variants to consider including, Punto Banco, (the American Baccarat version), the French version of the game, otherwise known as Baccarat Chemin De Fer, Mini Baccarat and of course Baccarat en Banque (played with 3 stakes in a shoe). For players who are eager to enjoy this game online, it is advisable to check up with the casino in question prior to wagering for real money. A wide range of live dealer casino games is available and live dealer Baccarat ranks highly. Live dealer gaming presents players with an opportunity to interact in real time with the gorgeous dealers, as well as enjoying the benefits of a live video feed. The action takes place in real-time, from secure gaming locations – all from the comforts of home.

Simply put, the goal of the game is to hit a hand total of 8 or 9. There are of course various baccarat drawing rules to consider, but these are generally well explained from the outset. Each 10 value hand in the game has a zero value and does not contribute to the strength of your head. So, a King +7 = 17-10 = 7. Players can bet on either the banker or the player – there is a difference in terms of betting odds and probabilities. The option to bet on a Draw is also available, although the possibility of this occurring is highly unlikely. The payout odds for a draw are significantly higher. Players can practice online Baccarat games for free at several leading casinos, in Flash mode, prior to wagering for real money.

John Campos, a Utah banker named in the Black Friday indictments, entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors on Tuesday. Campos was the last of five individuals accused of processing illegal online poker transactions related to the US Department of Justice’s crackdown on the online poker industry to strike a deal.

Sources have told Forbes that as part of the deal Campos “has agreed to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge.” Like Chad Elie, that struck a deal Monday and faces between six and 12 months in prison, Campos is inline to receive a much more lenient punishment than the previous payment processors.

While prosecutors have recommended much lighter sentences in most cases, others indicted on similar charges are still exposed to the possibility of much larger sentences. Ira Rubin faces a maximum sentence of 55 years while Ryan Lang and Bradley Franzen face up to 30 years.

The plea bargains struck with Campos and Elie comes on the heels of the announcement that Daniel Tzvetkoff was set to testify on behalf of the prosecution during the trial scheduled to begin on April 9. Being billed as “Poker’s Day in Court,” evidence that would be allowed to be presented during the trial and would likely have had a major influence on its outcome was still in question.

by Michael Gentile March 27, 2012

• tags
• Black Friday

• sources
• Forbes