PartyPoker Announces Drive the Dream Freeroll Promotion
If you've ever dreamed about being 007 James Bond, then PartyPoker has a way for you to get a step closer. The popular online poker room announced this week their Drive the Dream Promotion, which offers the winning player a new Aston Martin DB9 Coupe. Anyone can qualify to play for the big prize. read more

Poker Endurance Record Attempt by Phil Laak
Set your calendar for June 2 as Phil Laak is going to attempt to break the record for playing consecutive hours of poker, which now stands at 78. He'll be at the Bellagio in Las Vegas trying to break Paul Zimbler's record for playing poker that was set in 2009. read more

Titan Poker Announces ECOOP VI
Titan Poker will once again host the 14-day European Championship of Online Poker (ECOOP) VI, commencing on May 24, 2010. The prize pool stands at over five million dollars.read more

2010 World Series of Poker: The Return of Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh
When Day 1C of the World Series of Poker Main Event began, it was tough not to notice a very familiar blonde sitting at one of the tables. Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh, who has been largely missing from the poker scene for the past two years is…

People play poker for the challenge. They play it for the camaraderie. They play for the experience. They play to have fun. Poker is a rich and complicated experience. It’s a game that takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. It’s a game that demands respect.

Anyone can run a home game with nothing but a deck of cards and a kitchen table and that’s fine if you’re only goal is to make money. But there’s something empty about playing poker with dollar bills on a kitchen table. It’s like drinking wine straight from the bottle. There’s just something wrong about it.

Cheap poker chips aren’t much better than dollar bills. The experience is a little better, but the chips sound hollow and they’re clumsy to handle. You may not be drinking wine straight from the bottle anymore, buy you are drinking it from a water glass-not much better.

Now imagine a poker game that’s set up on a beautiful new Texas Hold’em table with a new set of clay poker chips. The felt is soft and it makes sweeping the chips easy. The clay chips provide and added dimension to the game- the soft, musical clinking sound that occurs when you toss the chips in the pot. Now you’re drinking wine from fine crystal stemware.

A good set of poker chips is still a necessity for those players who insist that they play poker only for money. Psychological studies show that people play looser when they use poker chips.

The reason for the looser play is because poker chips are symbolic representations of real money. It’s easier to throw a $100 chip into the pot than it is to throw a $100 bill into the pot. Poker chips provide a mental degree of separation from “real money.” That’s good news for you because a loose home game is a profitable home game.

Looser games aren’t the only benefit that poker chips provide. They provide a rich poker playing experience. They provide an authentic casino feel. Have you ever tried to rifle through a stack of dollar bills at a table? Not much fun. Not nearly as fun as shuffling chips or pulling off a chip twirl.

There’s also something to be said about a nice set of poker chips as a status symbol. Cheap plastic chips say, “I play poker every once in a while.” But a nice set of clay poker chips say, “I love this game; I’m a poker connoisseur- and I know what I’m doing.” Those of you who’ve played with clay poker chips before know the difference they make in game play. Those of you who haven’t, probably think I’m exaggerating.

If you haven’t played with clay chips before, go out and get a set. It is truly a different poker playing experience and one not to be missed.

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The Nightly Turbo: Phil Laak’s Record Broken, a Sad Day for French Online Poker Players, and More
It seems that the Phil Laak didn’t get to hold onto his record for too long. French online poker players have been blocked from PokerStars, and we might have to take a deeper look into this mindset thing.

Poker After Dark – Big Man Straight (source: launchpoker.com)
When Poker After Dark started their new season, they started to bring in some new blood as well. In the Cash Game episode, where players paid $100k to play, Phil Hellmuth, Tom Dwan, Allen Cunningham, Guy Laliberte, Mike Baxter, and David Peat were invited … (source: launchpoker.com) – RSS and RSS Feed on Feedzilla.com

Not Just A Game, Nor One Game

Poker isn’t just a game. Perhaps you have encountered poker players that are so passionate about poker that it becomes unfair labeling it as “just a game”. Anyway poker is distinguished from many other games for reasons implied in the first paragraph. The aim of the game is not solely getting the best hand. If that would be the case then poker would be a game of chance. As it is now skill will win you money.

Neither is poker one game. Rather, poker is a group of related games with a number of elements in common such as hand rankings, betting, bluffing and a few other things too. Poker has been described as a game of money played with cards. Although this saying might be a bit bold, it does capture the fact that: poker is wagering, with the cards constituting the odds.

The Most Distinguishing Characteristic of Poker

Poker is different than all other casino games because you are playing against the other players, not the house. The casino does not make their money based on what you lose. Instead the casino/poker room takes a fee for supplying you with the game. All other casino games have rules that ensure the casino a mathematical advantage over the player. In poker, all is fair and square. You are competing against the other players and you are all governed by the same basic conditions.

Poker in the Bigger Picture

Playing against other people requires knowledge about people. With this latest addition it has been, so far, suggested that poker is a game of people as well as a game of odds, courage, and deceitfulness. This means that a diversity of people with many different personalities can enjoy and be successful at poker.

Poker is many things. This article conveys the contour of poker but still it only touches the surface. Best wishes exploring further, poker has many levels and it is rewarding finding out more about them.

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Be a Winner with WINNER’S 2 Billionth Hand
Winner Poker is giving away an extraordinary range of prizes in true poker spirit. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/Poker_Promotions/Two_Billionth_Hand.html

The PokerNews Profile: David Benyamine (source: Pokernews.com)
David Benyamine is one of those rare individuals who, perhaps by sheer will and drive, have found success in every professional endeavor he’s attempted. Born in Paris, Benyamine was a highly ranked tennis player in his youth. Though he was… (source: Pokernews.com) – RSS and RSS Feed on Feedzilla.com

Aussie Millions 2010 – Qualify at Ladbrokes Poker
Join some of the biggest names in poker by qualifying with Ladbrokes for as little as 4. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/Poker_Promotions/Aussie_Millions_2010_Qualify_at_Ladbrokes_Poker.html

Who to Invite – Who to invite to a poker game is one of the biggest decisions you have as a poker host. This decision is based on the type of game that you are looking to have. If you want to have a great poker game with allot of action and tense moments you shouldn’t invite the novice players that will kill the atmosphere. At the same time if you are looking to have a friendly but Educational game with family and friends you should consider not inviting the want a be professional who will add stress to the environment.

Poker Room Atmosphere – The atmosphere of your designated poker area can be a key contributor to the experience people take away with them. The Poker Table is the starting area. If you are playing on a Poker type table people will be more impressed than if you are playing on your kitchen table or a Fold up table. Lighting is another concern, the best lighting setup is if you can have it where the poker table / tables have direct lighting overhead and the rest of the room has more area lighting. Keep the poker room area for players only (If possible). Set up a losers lounge where people out of the game can hang out and discuss their faults. Try to keep kids out of the area. Food and Drink – Food and Drink are important choices for the poker game. If you choose to have a meal make it something that the people can eat either at the poker game or while socializing with the other players. Drinks are always an interesting issue to deal with. You as a host want to take care of your guest but you also have to be prepared for people that cant handle their alcohol. You don’t want any alcohol issues at your party. Poker Supplies – Poker Game & Rules – The Rules of the Poker Game you choose need to be based on the invite list you invite. A poker pro want a be doesn’t want to bend the rules for a newbie. At the same time a novice doesn’t want to be harassed by a poker expert. You Should set your rules based upon a standard or based on your invite list. Good Luck on having your Ultimate Poker Party!

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Poker Study Nears Release
A study analysing the behaviour of almost 3,500 poker players over 2 years is about to be released. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_23042009_208.html

“MrElPaso” is the new Bodog Poker Open IV Champion
“MrElPaso” Wins Bodog Poker Open IV Championship Event and takes home top prize of $36,447.50, lands feature in international poker publication. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_10112009_369.html

Online Poker Crosses Into The Real World
Online poker players to meet in the flesh. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_25082009_294.html

Deep Stack Poker Payout Quadruples Guarantee (source: launchpoker.com)
When the recent Deep Stack Tournament at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City announced a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000, it drew nearly a thousand players. The 956 players that each paid $2000 + $150 to play meant a final payout of nearly two … (source: launchpoker.com) – RSS feeds and Feed widget on Feedzilla.com

Poker Players Alliance to Raid the DNC (source: launchpoker.com)
When the Democratic National Convention for 2008 takes place around August 25th, the grassroots organization known as the Poker Players Alliance plans on being there. The PPA will hit the DNC on August 26th, and plans on bringing some big name firepower to… (source: launchpoker.com) – RSS news feeds and Widgets on Feedzilla.com

Keeping a straight flush or better yet, a royal flush in your hand is indeed a sign of a good hand. You can play all you can, stack poker chips over and over again, but did it ever strike you how this game of poker started? It has always been stated by philosophers all over the world how important it is to know your historical roots. One poet even cryptically said that he who cannot draw over three thousand years is living from hand to mouth, whatever that means.

To save you from the trouble of understanding that line, it simply means that you have to know your historical roots in order to become a human being, or a true poker player for this matter. In a game of poker, you surely don’t want to look like a sore loser right? Yes, it is understandable that studying history can become so boring. It must be so tedious that you must have slept your history classes way back in school, unless you are a history aficionado. In any case, poker chips and threrefore poker chip sets also have a history of their own, which is quite interesting to say the least. So why not take a little break from the games and know a thing or two on how poker chip sets came to be.

Poker Chip Sets – A History of Poker

First, it is a good idea to start the lesson with poker itself. There would not be any poker chip sets if there was not any game to play with them, right? Anyway, the history of poker is arbitrary, just as a heated game of it with drunken friends who are trying to cheat each other. Truth is that the game does not seem to have an origin, so how can you learn about the history of poker chip sets? Do not be saddened, because that just shows how old poker is today. Anyway, the first reference to the game in history was through a book of rules written by Jonathan H. Green back in 1834, where the game was an addiction among Mississippi natives.

It was even called the cheating game, no wonder. At least you now know that the game did not start in Las Vegas and that the game has involved a bit of cheating ever since it came into being. To continue, the game was first played with only 20 cards, using only the top five highest cards, namely the aces, the kings, the queens, the jacks, and the tens. During the time that Green was writing about the cheating game, poker was the number one game along the Mississippi River.

Poker Chip Sets – The Evolution of Poker

The game has evolved a lot of times since, starting from 20 cards, then going to 32, and finally reaching 52, plus 2 additional jokers. Still, the origin of the word poker remains a subject of debate. Some say that it came from the French poque, others claim that it must be the German pochspiel, while another group thinks that it is the Hindi pukka. Whatever it is, there is still an element of poker in it, all of the words starting with the letter P, perhaps? It does not end there yet, because there are some explanations that trace it to the English slang poke, which is no less used to describe the activities of a pickpocket.

The pickpockets added an R to disguise themselves. A more occult and magical point of view is believing that the word came from hocus-pocus. Now there are so many ruckuses as to how poker came around to be called poker, but it is still interesting to know that there are actually people who would flush each other just for the sake of naming things, not to mention the handful of foreign terms that you now have for your own use. Now how about the poker chip sets?

Poker Chip Sets – What came before poker chips?

In the early beginnings of the game, different gamblers had different currencies. Coins and gold nuggets were first used a long, long time ago. Widespread gambling had begun around the 18th century, and at that point, the differences in coins became a problem. To come up with a solution, gambling places, but not necessarily casinos, gave the gamblers an alternative. They used bone, clay, ivory, paper, shellac, and wood as substitutes. Yet another problem was created because of this. The cheating gamblers turned to forgery, which forced gambling establishments to brand their own substitutes in some way to make them unique in some way.

Come to think of it, poker chip sets were, in a sense, created to keep those cheaters away. But it doesn’t change the fact that even when casinos become popular, chip forgery was still an activity not unknown to gamblers and establishments alike. Now that is the reason why each casino has its own specially designed chip that are extremely hard to copy. Indeed, it has become a challenging but exciting task to have their own brand of poker chips. It is also worth mentioning that by this time, the poker chip sets are now of various sizes and materials, depending on the value of a certain chip.

Poker Chip Sets – Technology

With the progression of technology, there are now many manufacturers of poker chip sets which serve many casinos. The chips also had a standard size and weight, which is 39 millimeters in diameter and 8.5 grams to 20.5 grams. Now the chips also come in various quality materials and beautiful designs. Some even have microchips implanted on them, just to put a stop to forgery. These chips are not only available in casinos, but they have also become available to the public. It was because of the seemingly endless frenzy with poker that poker chip sets can now be seen at dining tables in many homes.

Now you know how the poker chip came into light. It is not actually the game itself that brought it into this world, but it is the means of substituting the money waged in poker that made poker chips the way they are. It is an invention out of practicality and convenience, you might say.

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New Bill May Legalise Online Poker In The USA
Senator Menendez introduces the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act which if passed into law will legitimise and regulate online poker. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_02102008_47.html

Poker Skill Debate Goes Mainstream
The debate around whether poker is a game of skill or chance breaks into the mainstream press. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_08042009_198.html