Quantcast

From the category archives:

Poker News

The Week That Was – Goodbye February

by Bill Rini on March 1, 2010

in Poker, Poker News

Like what you see? How about getting Bill's Poker Blog delivered to your inbox?

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Else, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!


This week was an insanely busy week for me. On my ThailandFriends website we pushed a relaunch out the door which not only meant the normal rush to make the launch date, firefighting all the glitches that we didn’t discover in testing, and complaints from members – some of whom have been on the site for 5 or 6 years – about what they like and don’t like, but we had scheduled a relaunch party for Saturday. And not just a little thing but a massive party on the rooftop pool with DJ, food, booze, and even some *ahem* hired coyote dancers.

So not only am I running around worry about the website but I’ve got to go buy 10 cases of this and a case of whiskey and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Anyway, here are some pics from the party:

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

 

Thailand Friends Relaunch Party

As you might be able to gather, our new slogan is “Are You On?” The t-shirts actually seem to be pretty popular. I had about 50 made to hand out at the party and such but I’ve worn mine several times before the event and I constantly have people asking “On what?” and then I show them the back with says ThailandFriends.com.

The event ended just as the last pool party we had at this venue, with most people getting wet whether they liked it or not. This was one particularly devious pool tossing.

Sorry for the quality. I’m no Spielberg. Plus we just had the ambient light to work with.

I had drinks Sunday night with a former Full Tilter in town for a short holiday. Just his luck he got in around 1am on Sat night which means he missed my party and Sunday was a Buddhist holiday which meant that no bars were allowed to open (restaurants could serve booze but unless you had a restaurant license you had to close) so he got a very limited view of what Bangkok nightlife is all about.

I was able to get around to actually posting something on this site though.

Low Ball Poker by Dave
A Taste of Thailand
Razz Poker and the Worlds Greatest Ever Gambler
The Sky is Falling for Affiliates

If you missed it, give the “The Sky is Falling for Affiliates” a read. It’s been retweeted a few times and I’ve received quite a bit of private emails from affiliate managers and affiliates making comments about what I’ve written. I would say that generally, many people, as much as they hate to, agree with the overall message. Nobody is happy about it but they realize that the poker affiliate model is changing.

Poker Job Search

I know this may seem like a bit of a joke after the affiliates post on this site but there is a Poker Affiliate Manager position being advertised out there. If you speak Dutch, someone is looking for a Dutch Affiliate Manager. Last but not least, someone is looking for an Online Community Manager to work out of Gibraltar.

And if you don’t have a rakeback account on Full Tilt Poker yet, you better get cracking. Check out Rakeback Report for information on getting 27% rakeback on Full Tilt before they cut the affiliate payouts.

{ 0 comments }

Bluff Magazine recently announced their Power 20 of poker and I’ve seen several people comment here and there about who should or should not have been on the list. Before I give my views, here’s the list:

1. PokerStars
2. Full Tilt Poker
3. Mitch Garber
4. Howard Lederer
5. Ty Stewart
6. Doyle Brunson
7. Joe Cada
8. Barney Frank
9. Tony G
10. Daniel Negreanu
11. Phil Ivey
12. John Pappas
13. Mike Sexton
14. Mori Eskandani
15. Brian Balsbaugh
16. Lance Bradley
17. Joe Sebok
18. Barry Shulman
19. Matt Savage
20. Per Hagen

I think if Bluff is going to recognize entities like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker then I’m not really sure on some of the other logic. Is Mitch Garber #3 because he’s Mitch Garber or is he #3 because he is essentially in charge of the WSOP at the moment? If it’s the later then shouldn’t the WSOP be #3 instead of the man?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I used to work for Mitch and he’s a very bright and intelligent guy and very capable of leading the WSOP but my question goes more to whether he would be on the list if he would have taken another job. If he was running another poker room would he be #3? Personally, I don’t think he would be. I don’t find that to be a reflection on Mitch but more on how these rating things tend to skew results towards organizations than individuals even though they honor the individual who is at the top of the organization.

Which makes it equally confusing as to why they left off Ray Bitar (CEO Full Tilt Poker) or Isai Scheinberg (founder PokerStars). If you’re going to name Full Tilt and PokerStars as the top two in your Power 20 then how do the driving forces behind them not even get a mention?

And what about Bluff’s Editor in Chief, Lance Bradley, being on the list? Is Lance Bradley that influential or is Bluff? I’m not taking a stab at Lance as I don’t even know the guy. I’m simply asking why name a person in one instance and an entire company in another?

I’m also not really a fan of picking the current WSOP ME winner as a shoe-in for the list. Joe Cada is probably a really cool guy but this time next year will he make the list after a new WSOP champion has been crowned? If not, what is he doing on the list? Why not just list it as “Current WSOP ME Champion”? Shouldn’t the list reflect lifetime contribution to the industry rather than who’s the flavor of the week? I mean that in no disrespect to Cada but let’s face it, the press is fickle and the spot on the Power 20 goes to the current WSOP ME champion and not to the actual individual human being.

Overall putting together these types of lists is difficult. Mostly because it’s subjective. On top of that Bluff claims “Each year BLUFF Magazine seeks the opinion and input of the poker industry in hopes of putting together a comprehensive list for our readers of the most influential and powerful people in the poker industry” which sounds good on paper but if you ask a group of people who all have a certain view on the industry your list is going to be biased towards that view.

For instance, the list seems to be somewhat over-represented with agents and media people. Considering the billions of dollars made throughout the industry do they really represent that much influence? Or is it that a magazine publisher would need to deal with agents in order to get exclusive interviews so these people seem much more influential than they might be to the industry as a whole.

I really don’t know and I’m not accusing anyone of anything other than being subjective which leaves room for others to question how the list was put together. You can’t really argue with lists like Fortune 500 or Forbes Richest lists because they’re objective. Forbes may love me but that still doesn’t mean I can get a spot on their rich list.

Anyway, enough with that malarky, on with the week(s) that was . . .

Bill’s Poker Blog

Play Money Players Are Free to Officially Hate Me
Valentine’s Day in Thailand
Phil Gordon, Chris Hanel, The Wampler, and Me Roshambo for Cash
Bill’s Poker Blog Exclusive Freeroll on Chili Poker

Rakeback Report

Using a Stop Loss Strategy
Punishing Passive Players
Playing Marginal Hands
Micro Stakes Poker Strategy
Down Swings With Rakeback
Clearing Poker Bonuses
PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com Moving to Merge Gaming
Recognizing Tilt
Poker Education
6 Max No Limit Hold’em Cash Games
Creating a Table Image
Playing Aggressive Poker
Race for your share of €60,000 at Paradise Poker
Cake Poker $60,000 Rake Race
Taking Shots

Poker Job Search

Senior Financial Controller – Poker
Media Analyst – Poker
Regional Customer Relationship Marketing Manager – Poker
Night Operations Manager – Poker
Marketing Manager, UK & Ireland – Poker
Poker Executive
Business Analyst – Poker Experience
Poker Affiliate Manager

Remember, if your company has a job opening and you want to list it on Poker Job Search, just give us a shout and we’ll get your job posted for you. And if you’re a in-house recruiter or agency and have a tough spot to fill please contact me about sponsoring Poker Job Search. Your jobs will get priority placement and a specific mention on this site as part of your sponsorship package.

{ 2 comments }

The Tiffany Michelle Transcript

by Bill Rini on January 27, 2010

in Poker, Poker News, Poker Pros

When I originally watched the video of Michelle Tiffany and Neil Cavuto I was having a lot of problems with the video. I don’t know if that was my internet or something at Fox but I thought I would transcribe the best I could the interview for anyone else who might be having video problems.

I wanted to punch myself in the face after having to listen to every single word that was spoken but I did it for you guys because I love you :-)

Neil Cavuto: Well be careful pushing a bad hand just because you push it more doesn’t make it any less bad. Take it from a real gambler so we thought tonight we would get you one and indeed we did. With us now is Tiffany Michelle. Tiffany is a professional black jack and poker player. Is that true Tiffany? So you know what you’re doing when it comes to gambling?

Tiffany Michelle: That’s what they tell me.

Neil Cavuto: Well, alright. Good for you. So Tiffany, I’m going to rely on your expertise as a gambler extraordinaire. Taking a look at what the president is doing. A good gambler is someone who bets a lot, understands or thinks that he or she has a good hand. Am I right?

Tiffany Michelle: Yeah, generally you have a good hand where you know if you have a bad hand how to maneuver with that hand and take advantage of your opponent’s weaknesses. So sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad and you have to work with the best angle to push that bad hand.

Neil Cavuto: Alright, the president is fairly or not ,Tiffany, is viewed to have a bad hand right now because prior cards he’s dealt have turned out to be, you know, threes and fours. They haven’t really worked out. Yet he continues playing the same hand. What is the strategy behind that? I mean, if I were looking at you, and let’s say you had a couple of bad hands and you continue to play, I’m thinking you must be holding some good cards, right?

Tiffany Michelle: Yeah. LAUGHS Well, not only did Barak Obama in his first year in office decided to tackle one of the toughest issues in US politics. You know, Hillary Clinton tried when she was the first lady. It would be like me approaching Phil Hellmuth on my first day of my poker game and saying “Hey Phil Hellmuth you have eleven bracelets. I want to challenge you heads-up.” So it’s a tough situation to be in. And what tends to happen when you consistently lose hands. I mean, talk about Scott Brown. That was a really bad beat for Barak Obama and the Democrats who really thought they had the chip lead there. They thought they had a lock on this tournament and with that bad beat that tables have turned, the momentum is changing. And what often happens for some players you continue to push the issues. You continue to play the bad hands. You continue to get into sticky situations. And what really needs to happen is you need to step away from the table. You need to clear your head. All the good poker players are going to do that. They’re going to step away after . . .

CAVUTO BEGINS SPEAKING OVER TIFFANY

Neil Cavuto: The only thing I can read into it Tiffany, and you know this part better than I, that’s why I have you here. For your insight. While that maybe he sees something we don’t. Or maybe he senses something that we don’t. Or maybe he’s got other cards up his sleeve or in front of him that we don’t. What do you make of that?

Tiffany Michelle: Maybe that’s a lot of maybes and we all really hope that’s the case but the only situation. If you continue these issues when you are in such a bad situation. When you have lost so much power, you have suffered so many beats is to step away and rethink your plan. I think the problem at this point is there doesn’t appear to be any rethinking. There doesn’t appear to be any reevaluation of the initial strong strategy you had when you came into this tournament shall we say. All you’re doing is continuing to push the issues and essentially losing the respect of your peers around you and the players around you. They’re catching you weak and that’s not looking good on your part. That’s not gonna help you win a tournament. Here we are, let’s say deep in the World Series, close to the bubble, you can taste that final table money and it’s not looking like it’s gonna happen.

Neil Cavuto: Alright but in black jack terms, he’s doubling down, right? I mean, I know there you’re essentially betting against the house. But you’re so convinced that you’ve got a winner that the last card up your sleeve, and I know I’m mixing gambling metaphors here, is bad. And you’re going to run with it, right? So that makes me think or everyone else says kinda what you’re saying, hey, hey, you’ve had a series of bad hands, you’re not looking good, you’re looking kind of ridiculous. Leave the table, you know, go get something to eat or drink, or both, which I normally do, and then maybe come back. And he’s not. So what do you read into that?

Tiffany Michelle: I mean, what do you do? I think it’s really hard in that situation. And even as a good poker player it’s hard in that moment to have the diligence and to have the consistency to sit there and know when it’s time to stop or know when it’s time to let up. I mean, what I think is probably going to end up happening, is like, I said, for a poker term you say doubling down, I say bubbling a tournament, you’re going to get close. Health care reform, this has been going on for close to a year. We’re really deep into this.

Neil Cavuto: Yeah, you’re right.

Tiffany Michelle: But essentially if something is finally passed and if something finally goes through at this point it’s not looking like the American public is going to be happy. And it’s looking like it’s probably going to cost a lot of money. And that’s really not a win-win situation.

Neil Cavuto: You know that is very well expressed. And the difference, I guess, obviously, when you play you play with your own money. This guy is playing with our’s. That’s another difference. Michelle, very interesting. I learned quite a bit. Remind me not to gamble against you. Thank you Tiffany, very much.

{ 1 comment }

Tiffany Michelle on Fox . . . Ouch, That Was Painful

January 27, 2010 Online Poker

I started to write a very similar post to this when Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho were on the Amazing Race. During that same week they were running episodes of Celebrity Apprentice and had just watched several episodes of Annie Duke trying to relate even the most routine points into a poker analogy. [...]

Read the full article →

Weekly Wrap Up for Jan 25th 2010

January 26, 2010 Is Online Poker Legal?

This last week has been a little tough. I had a bit of a cold this week. Lots of coughing up disgusting stuff and feeling generally like crap. Things hit the peak on Friday night. My new project, Thailand Friends, had a team in the Asian/European Pool Championships. I went [...]

Read the full article →

Will the Economic Recovery Boost Online Poker?

January 19, 2010 Online Poker

During the downturn that followed the banking collapse in the US and Europe many CEOs of publically traded companies were quick to cite the global economic crisis as the reason for underperforming. Well, at least they cited it as a reason. They usually included an increasingly competitive market as a co-contributor.
But [...]

Read the full article →

Good Catches by Pokerati

January 14, 2010 Online Poker

Just wanted to give a quick linkout to Pokerati for catching a series of articles on playing poker. Well, that in and of itself wouldn’t be much of a story would it? There are stories all over the place about playing poker. I’ve even been known to write one or two. [...]

Read the full article →

Breaking News at Gambling911

January 8, 2010 Online Poker

I hate to bust chops but some things just can’t be overlooked. Recently Gambling911 ran a story titled Online Poker Sites Charge Players For Not Playing in which they claimed that PartyPoker was now charging an inactive fee on accounts where players had not played after six months.
I actually had to go [...]

Read the full article →

Biggest Pot in Online Poker History . . . to date

January 3, 2010 Poker

A really interesting video that analyzes the $1.3 million dollar hand between Isildur1 and Patrik Antonius on Full Tilt Poker. It shows the two hands prior to the record breaker and then, of course, the biggest pot in online poker history. All hands are discussed and odds are given so you can get [...]

Read the full article →