April 12th, 2010 by Sammy

It can be considered one for the books since we rarely see danger in a poker tournament. Recently, robbers armed with hand guns and machete raided a poker tournament in Berlin taking away a big chunk of the price money for the million euro tournament.

The spokesperson of the poker tournament relayed that the armed men stormed into the Grand Hyatt in Berlin where the poker games are being held. They threatened the staff and caused a bit of a panic. The robbers ordered the poker tourney staff to give them the money.

Good thing no one was seriously injured but seven people were hurt. Among those who needed medical attention was a security guard who tried to stop one of the bad guys.

According to a police report, the panic in the area cost the robbers one bag of their loot. The closed circuit television of the venue was able to capture scuffle. Poker tables were turned, players trying to hide under the tables, and people running all around.

Read the rest of this entry »

May 16th, 2009 by Sammy

Poker tells can often be one of the most dangerous handicaps a poker player is faced with. While one can prepare for a number of kinds of card hands and lay strategies in place, mastering the art of concealing one’s emotions is a tricky task. Maintaining an impassive and neutral expression in the face of extreme emotions such as anxiety, elation and nervousness can be difficult; yet hiding these tell-tale signs is of ultimate importance because their presence can clue the opponents onto your strategies. Hiding these indicative signs is of ultimate importance and in this article we give you some advice on developing fixed practices to counter these clues.

In order to be able to conceal emotions from revealing all and mastering the practice of concealing these revealing signs it is important to first understand what habits and practices actually act as indicators. They are manifested in the form of behaviors that can either be seen or heard and can be used by strong players to gauge the strength of their opponents’ hands. Most newcomers to the field betray their state of mind and thus their playing position by unconsciously responding to their card hands and reacting on a mainly instinctive level.

These clues are broadly classified into three categories, on the basis of their form. When players react in the form of emitting sounds such as sighs or gasps the indicators are classified as audible. If the player has a noticeable physical reaction such as slumping of the shoulders or the chest expanding, the clues are said to be ‘visible’. And if the manner in which the play bets during the rounds is used to gauge the strength of the hand, the clue is classified into the category of ‘betting indicators’. Betting indicators become most important in the context of online games of poker where visible clues and audible reactions from the players cannot be used to discern the quality of the game.

Read the rest of this entry »

May 16th, 2009 by Sammy

Patrik Antonius and the Great Dane Gus Hansen playing some high stakes heads-up Pot Limit Omaha against eachother on Full Tilt Poker. With these $200/$400 blinds, the pots quickly go into the 6-figures when they pot-bet regularly…

A great game to watch, for sure. I honestly rate Patrik Antonius higher than Gus in PLO – but hey, when the cards are in the air…. they both like to gamble!

April 6th, 2009 by Sammy

Was playing a small $2/$5 game and had been card dead for like thirty minutes. Obviously that’s not too long, but I’m an impatient guy. Anyway – I pick up KJos on the small blind and get 4 limpers (pot $27). I decide to try and take that money and make it $45 to go — and I get two callers.

I pretty much put both of them on a suited ace or a medium pair — but I’m no expert. Anyway, flop is pretty exciting for me: QT3. Obviously that’s the kind of flop that hits a lot of people — but with an OESD and an overcard, I’m pretty happy. Two clubs were on the board, I had the Kc, and the pot (now at about $150) was worth taking a shot at. I had about $600 behind, and bet out $110. Two shorter stacks ($350 and $280) both shove. I put one of them on a set of 3′s, but basicly I’m getting such a good price….

Read the rest of this entry »