If you’ve been visiting my columns recently, you already know the rules. I get to ask my own questions and then answer them. This avoids the anguish of real life interviews. That’s when I frequently have to abuse a question that doesn’t interest me or you by uttering some polite words as a vague starting point... [read more]

September 2, 2008 (Macau, China) 20-year-old Yevgeniy Timoshenko, a highly rated player from the United States of Ukrainian descent has won the 2008 APT Macau, Asia's largest guaranteed tournament, at the glamourous Galaxy StarWorld. 257 players from over 40 countries lined-up for a GUARANTEED prize pool of US$1.5 million and GUARANTEED first prize of US$500,000 - a landmark for the development of poker in Asia.

Timoshenko was first for $500,000, with Joon Hee Yeah from South Korea finishing second for $250,000... [read more]

We concluded last issue by mentioning that most players will look for all-in situations whenever they have chips totaling approximately 10 times the big blind. That’s when you’re officially short stacked, and that’s when most players look to go all in and double up, or die trying.

Most good tournament players do just that. When you’re the guy or gal with the big stack, you know what your opponent will do whenever you realize that he’s reached that short stacked, desperate zone... [read more]

Beau Rivage Hosts Gulf Coast Poker' Championship. Kickoff is scheduled' for August 26 and will run through' September 6. Buy-ins begin at $340 and' run up to $5,000 for the championship event. All event' winners will receive a custom made diamond bracelet,' and the winner of the championship event receives an' entry into the World Poker Tour (WPT) event at Beau' Rivage in January 2009... [read more]

The majority of the World Series may be over, but before the final table of the main event even gets underway, there is the small matter of the WSOP-E to contend with. Last year was the inaugural year for the WSOP in Europe and this year they’ve added a fourth bracelet event to the schedule, which takes place at the Empire Casino in London’s Leicester Square this September.

Just as there was in 2007, there will be a £2,500 HORSE, a £5,000 Omaha and a £10,000 no-limit hold ’em main event, but they have also added a £1,500 no-limit hold ’em tournament to the schedule. This will certainly appeal to many of the local players, who may have found last year’s offerings a bit out of their usual price range... [read more]

My good friend Scott called me this morning to relate his latest horror story from playing $1-$2 no-limit hold ’em. He was at an action table (his words), when he looked down at Kc-Kh. Scott had $225 in his stack, about average for the table. Scott elected to try for a limp re-raise, so he called... [read more]

In order to make money playing limit hold’em, one must play well. In order to maximize money playing limit hold’em, one must also strive to convince other players that you don’t play as well as you really do. At least, this is the thesis to the book, Play Poker Like a Pigeon and Take the Money Home, by an anonymous author.

The first six chapters cover the theme of the book, how to increase one’s poker profits by convincing other players at the table that you don’t know how to play well... [read more]