Do Not Party To Hard This New Years Eve

Ladies and Gentlemen: The New Year is upon us, just wanted to remind you all not to do anything “stupid” here is a video to remind you what will happen to you if you do something stupid.

Omaha Hi/Lo Strategies by Perry Friedman

The big difference between big-bet (Pot-Limit or No-Limit) Omaha Hi/Lo and Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is that the former plays much more like Omaha High. Low hands become much less valuable because of how often they get quartered.

If you get quartered in Limit games, you may not lose too much of your overall chip stack because the action is capped on every street. In Pot-Limit games, however, getting quartered can be much more expensive because you may have had to call big bets on both the turn and river before the hand ended. Losing half your stack in this situation could be your best-case scenario – and getting completely felted if your hand is counterfeited on the river is a real possibility.

Because the high end of the pot is often more valuable in big-bet games, I recommend looking for hands that play well both ways or for hands like J-J-T-9 that just play high. Hands that are going to scoop or get ¾ of the pot are true monsters. While scooping is the best-case scenario in Omaha Hi/Lo, it’s much more important to lock up the high portion of the hand in Pot-Limit games because of how expensive playing for the low can be.

While something like a naked A-2 can be a very strong PLO hand before the flop, I see a lot of people get in trouble with this hand on later streets when they feel committed to put their chips in the middle in hope of hitting their low. Without any potential for hitting the high, these players are putting themselves in situations where they can easily go broke.

In PLO, the best A-2 hands are either suited or have good connectors like 3-4 or 5-6 that will give you straight draws. If you flop something like 4-5-9 with a hand like A-2-3-6, any Ace, 2, 3 or 6 gives you a straight, as well as the nut low. However, even if you have the A-2-3-6 on a flop of Q-9-5, you have to fold if someone else makes a big bet as it’s likely they’ve already made their high hand. Putting your chips in the pot in hope of chopping is not a worthwhile play.

Pot-Limit and No-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo are all about the nuts. If you’re not holding them, you should be looking to draw to them. If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t commit your chips to a hand – especially when your best result may only be winning half the pot. If you’re in a hand and are just playing for the low, my advice is to muck your cards and wait for a more profitable situation.

Isildur1 Wants His Money Back Full Tilt

Not long ago, Brian Townsend got his red pro status at Full Tilt removed after that the poker site found out that he had been using a non-allowed poker program to collect hand history against Isildur1. Townsend had also shared the information he had collected using this program with Brian Hastings and Cole South. However, neither of them got any kind of penalty from Full Tilt poker. This made Isildur1 really upset, and now he wants his money back, or at least some of it according to what he said in a recent interview.

"I do feel like I deserve to get something back. I feel that Hastings had a big edge over me due to the hand history database. They were able to dissect the exact way I was playing because they analyzed the hands so precisely, and it was impossible for me to adjust, as I had no idea they were doing it.
Even though this information is not out there, since they admitted to sharing hand histories, how can I be sure that all three of them did not have input on the hands while we were playing?"

Isildur1 about the future and if he will continue playing at Full Tilt poker after the scandal.

"Well, honestly I am going to stay quiet for a while now. I am planning on putting in the request to Full Tilt to look into this further, and until I hear back, I don't plan on playing much poker on the site."

Tony G Comments On The Isildur1 Scandal

Brian Townsend has been in the center of the storm since last week when he got his red pro status removed (for a month) by Full Tilt after that they found out he had been using a non-allowed program to save hand history against Isildur1, and also discussed and shared this information with Brian Hastings and Cole South.

After this, Brian Townsend wrote in his blog that he was the sole one to break Full Tilt's terms & conditions and that Hastings and South had nothing to do with it. Brian Townsend probably thought that he would get some peace and quite after writing this. Unfortunately, for him, this "scandal" has now been taken to another level as many other pros now have started giving their opinions and thoughts on the Brian Townsend scandal. One of these pros are Tony G.

"The world of poker is a very complex structure built around players, the online poker sites and casinos that provide the games, the limits and games played, rake, backers, and a lot more, and in the end, trying to provide the best game possible that helps everyone.  The entire situation with Townsend, Hastings, and Cole involving their combined knowledge and play against Ilsuldur1 leaves a bad smell in the air for everyone, especially for Full Tilt since Townsend is one of their Red Pros. As a player, I would like to see Townsend be more committed to giving his attention to doing what being a Red Pro demands at Full Tilt."

Tony G continues....

"The bad part of it all is that there appears to be no answer to help Isildur1.  A Red Pro getting a penalty doesn't change the matter of his poker losses and the fact that he was at a disadvantage with all of it.  I believe he can come back because he is a young kid and lots of talent.  It has to be a huge learning tool for him. Let's all hope that with each step we take in the poker world, we leave a clean footprint and the game improves for all of us."

Isildur1 Was Cheated By Full Tilt Red Pro

Last week rumors that Brian Townsend, Brian Hastings & Cole South had been cheating against Isildur1 started circulate on the web. It all started after that someone got to know that Brian Townsend, Brian Hastings & Cole South had been going through thousands of hands Isildur1 had played and also discussed different strategies on how to beat the Swede. They could do this thanks to that Townsend had been using a program that is not allowed at Full Tilt poker. Full Tilt took action straight away after getting to know this and they punished Townsend by giving him warning and removing his red pro status for a 1 month. However, Brian Hastings and Cole South didn't get punished as Full Tilt couldn't see that they had broken any of their rules.

This is not the first time Brian Townsend has been breaking the rules at Full Tilt poker. Back in August 2008, Townsend got his red pro status removed for 6 months after that Full Tilt found out that he had been using multiple accounts playing cash games. After this, he apologized in his blog. It will be interesting to see what he writes this time. It will also be interesting to hear what Isildur1 has to say about all this.

Ken And I Did Not Do It…

A scene straight out of the Old West went down this morning outside Palace Station Casino in Las Vegas. Pointing a semi-auto shotgun at a Garda armored car service guard a robber demanded he drop the four bags just picked up at Palace Station. Realizing his disadvantage the armed guard quickly responded, the crook scooped up the bags and fled to a waiting auto which roared out of the parking and disappeared on the conveniently located I-15 expressway.

It was initially reported that the thieves got away with $1 million in cash; but, the figure was later revised to a more modest $36,000 in cash and a bunch of canceled checks. The gun-toting suspect was described as a white male and his get away car was thought to be a gold colored compact Chrysler model.

Police are investigating a car fire in the parking garage that may have been set by additional suspects to draw the attention of Palace Station's security officers. Video tapes of the crime are being gathered and expected to reveal more details of the crime.

Life Is Not Good For Vegas Hotels

This is a scary time to be running a Las Vegas hotel-casino.

The 90-plus percent occupancy rate of just a couple years ago is a distant memory, as hotel-casinos are now closing hundreds of rooms or even towers.

Already announced is the indefinite closure of the Binion's hotel.

Now comes Sahara, stating that they will close two towers over the holidays, with no reopen date set. It's conceivable the towers could remain closed until business picks up.

Recently Vdara (at CityCenter) opened at a claimed 80 percent occupancy. At over 1400 rooms, that appeared to be good business and a sign of hope for tourism. But Vdara actually only made 400 of those rooms available. Not that difficult to have an 80 percent occupancy on 400, when over 1400, occupancy would be less than 30 percent

Sky Poker New TV Program

Online poker room Sky Poker has announced a new poker TV program, the Total Player. This show will include pro player mentors and online qualifiers. Sky Poker, which is also a poker TV channel, will allow the public to chose the ultimate winner by vote. The winner will get a number of prizes a £100 buy-in Sky Poker Tour event, a £1,000 buy-in to a pro event and, a $10,000 buy-in to the World Series of Poker Main Event.. The three poker pro mentors on the show will be David Tuckman, Matt Broughton and Ed Giddens.

Merge Ahead?

Online poker company PartyGaming may be merging with online gaming group bwin. Both groups are based out of Europe and operate online poker rooms as well as other online gaming sites. PartyGaming Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan is attempting to broker a deal to merge the two companies. While PartyGaming focuses primarily on poker and casino, bwin is known most for sports betting, so a merger between the two would result in a very powerful online poker and online gaming institution. The merger could boost the PartyGaming reputation as well, which has seen some blemishes as its poker site, Party Poker, has dropped in profitability in recent years.

Tony Korfman Chokes Another Poker Player

A poker player reportedly choked another poker player recently at a Las Vegas casino. The incident occurred at the Bellagio when Tony Korfman put his hands on a player that annoyed him. A $1,000 re-buy second chance tournament at the Bellagio was in session when Korfman busted out and grabbed another player by the neck and started to choke him. After being separated by security guards Korfman, who later admitted and defended his actions in an online poker post, was kicked out of the casino and banned indefinitely. The victim did not press charges.

California Online Poker Hearing Scheduled

A hearing to discuss the possibility of Intrastate Online Poker in California has been scheduled for February. California State Sen. Roderick Wright informed the LA Times this week about the upcoming hearing. A number of entities are calling for regulation, and the state would stand to benefit from the tax revenue generated by the Intrastate Online Poker. According to the reports an estimated one million Californians are playing online poker. While exact figures of tax revenue have not been forthcoming, the LA Times compared possible poker revenue to Indian-run slot machines at $250 million a year.

The Three Ps To Playing a Maniac

You’ve settled into your chair at your favorite poker room or online and are ready to play some world-class, A-game poker. After a short time, however, a player comes to the table who starts to get, for lack of a better term, “crazy.” Pumping up pots with straddle bets, raises from out of position, and other action-garnering devices, the maniac asserts his table presence. To make matters worse, he is winning from players you were taking the chips from with your A-game.

I have seen many players go on tilt from playing against such maniacs and it is easy to see how they fall into that hole. The mindset of some players becomes “I’m going to get that sucker” rather than playing excellent poker and using the game to get the chips. There are three P’s that a player has to learn to be able to prevent from becoming one who spews chips to the maniac.

Position

The first way to have some power over the maniac at the table is to have position. If, for most of the hands, you can have the advantage of having him act before you, you can at the minimum gauge his actions and, when he either shows or goes to showdown, get an idea of the cards he is playing. If he is a true maniac, he is winning with some less than desirable hands, while occasionally showing down a monster.

Having this positional advantage will make it possible, if you have acquired a solid table image, to 3bet and, on some occasions, force him to leave the hand. Be mindful, though, that the maniac player is one who doesn’t fold something unless it is complete junk; you have to be prepared to play your hand, no matter how bad, if you get called on your 3bet bluff.

If you are out of position, you options are limited. You can wait until you have one of the few plays in position to decide to attack but, once again, you are probably going to head to the river. Thus, you are going to have to execute the second of the three P’s.

Power

There are two ways to use power to defeat the table maniac. The first, through a dominance of chips, is pretty easy to execute. Sometimes, the table maniac is there for the quick hit and run, to get a good score, or to make enough to get into a tournament. By having a larger chip stack than the maniac, you can thwart his indiscriminate play by coming over the top of him. After a few timely re-raises - remember, you can’t go overboard or you will just encourage him - the maniac will realize that when you’re in a hand, it is probably best that he doesn’t engage you.

The second method, and the one that most players will try to use to combat the maniac, is through the power of the cards. If a maniac is coming with questionable offerings, coming back at them with strong hole cards - and, yes, making some hands - will either slow him down or eliminate him from the table quickly. Strong hole cards, in this case, are big pocket pairs, A-K, or A-Q.

If you hit your set on the flop or make top pair, then let the maniac drive the car to the turn. If nothing comes there to change your dominant situation, spring upon the maniac with a re-raise and see if he is willing to give you even more of his chips. If he continues on, the opportunity to cripple and/or crush the maniac is yours.

Of course, to get the power cards, you have to execute the final part of the three P’s plan.

Patience

Perhaps this is the most important of the three P’s because you don’t want to become like the maniac himself. If you begin to enter more hands, play loosely, and show weak offerings, then you have set yourself up to be targeted as the maniac. A full exercise of poker skills is necessary to remain patient at the table and let a situation set itself up.

You must have the patience to wait for a strong starting hand to take on the maniac and you must be patient and wait for the time when you are in position. As you see, without the patience factor, the three P’s becomes ineffective.

Some Final Thoughts

Battling a maniac at the poker table can be exhausting work not only for your bankroll, but also for your mentality. It is critical that you don’t fall into the trap of trying to be the one who busts the maniac from the game because this will tremendously affect your play and could cause a significant financial loss. You must stay inside your strengths to be able to engage the maniac fully when the situation is in your favor.

And, finally, who said you have to break the maniac? By not falling into this mental trap of trying to be the table sheriff, you are able to take advantage of the other players at the table who are dropping the level of their game in response to the maniac’s plays. Through a proper usage of the three P’s, you should be able to get the chips from all of your opponents and not jut the maniac.

Six $1,000 WSOP Events

Without further adieu, here is the schedule of events for the 2010 WSOP. All times are local:

Fri, May 28th at 12:00pm
Event #1: Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em
$500 buy-in

Fri, May 28th at 5:00pm
Event #2: The Player's Championship
$50,000 buy-in

Sat, May 29th at 12:00pm
Event #3: No Limit Hold'em
$1,000 buy-in

Sun, May 30th at 5:00pm
Event #4: Omaha High-Low Split-8 or Better
$1,500 buy-in

Mon, May 31st at 12:00pm
Event #5: No Limit Hold'em
$1,500 buy-in

Tue, Jun 1st at 12:00pm
Event #6: No Limit Hold'em Shootout (2,000 players max)
$5,000 buy-in

Tue, Jun 1st at 5:00pm
Event #7: 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)
$2,500 buy-in

Wed, Jun 2nd at 12:00pm
Event #8: No Limit Hold’em
$1,500 buy-in

Thu, Jun 3rd at 12:00pm
Event #9: Pot Limit Hold'em
$1,500 buy-in

Thu, Jun 3rd at 5:00pm
Event #10: Seven Card Stud Championship
$10,000 buy-in

Fri, Jun 4th at 11:00am
Event #11: No Limit Hold'em
$1,500 buy-in

Fri, Jun 4th at 11:00am
Event #12: Limit Hold’em
$1,500 buy-in

Sat, Jun 5th at 11:00am
Event #13: No Limit Hold’em
$1,000 buy-in

Sat, Jun 5th at 5:00pm
Event #14: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No Limit)
$1,500 buy-in

Sun, Jun 6th at 5:00pm
Event #15: Seven Card Stud High-Low Split-8 or Better Championship
$10,000 buy-in

Mon, Jun 7th at 12:00pm
Event #16: No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed
$1,500 buy-in

Tue, Jun 8th at 12:00pm
Event #17: No Limit Hold'em
$5,000 buy-in

Wed, Jun 9th at 12:00pm
Event #18: Limit Hold'em
$2,000 buy-in

Wed, Jun 9th at 5:00pm
Event #19: 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship (No Limit)
$10,000 buy-in

Thu, Jun 10th at 12:00pm
Event #20: Pot Limit Omaha
$1,500 buy-in

Thu, Jun 10th at 5:00pm
Event #21: Seven Card Stud
$1,500 buy-in

Fri, Jun 11th at 12:00pm
Event #22: Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship
$1,000 buy-in

Fri, Jun 11th at 5:00pm
Event #23: Limit Hold'em Six-Handed
$2,500 buy-in

Sat, Jun 12th at 12:00pm
Event #24: No Limit Hold’em
$1,000 buy-in

Sat, Jun 12th at 5:00pm
Event #25: Omaha High-Low Split-8 or Better Championship
$10,000 buy-in

Mon, Jun 14th at 12:00pm
Event #26: No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed
$2,500 buy-in

Mon, Jun 14th at 5:00pm
Event #27: Seven Card Stud High-Low-8 or Better
$1,500 buy-in

Tue, Jun 15th at 12:00pm
Event #28: Pot Limit Omaha
$2,500 buy-in

Tue, Jun 15th at 5:00pm
Event #29: Limit Hold'em Championship
$10,000 buy-in

Wed, Jun 16th at 12:00pm
Event #30: No Limit Hold’em
$1,500 buy-in

Wed, Jun 16th at 5:00pm
Event #31: HORSE
$1,500 buy-in

Thu, Jun 17th at 12:00pm
Event #32: No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed
$5,000 buy-in

Thu, Jun 17th at 5:00pm
Event #33: Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha
$2,500 buy-in

Fri, Jun 18th at 12:00pm
Event #34: Seniors No Limit Hold’em Championship
$1,000 buy-in

Fri, Jun 18th at 5:00pm
Event #35: Heads-Up No Limit Hold'em Championship (256 player max)
$10,000 buy-in

Sat, Jun 19th at 12:00pm
Event #36: No Limit Hold’em
$1,000 buy-in

Sat, Jun 19th at 5:00pm
Event #37: HORSE
$3,000 buy-in

Sun, Jun 20th at 5:00pm
Event #38: Pot Limit Hold'em Championship
$10,000 buy-in

Mon, Jun 21st at 12:00pm
Event #39: No Limit Hold'em Shootout (2,000 player max)
$1,500 buy-in

Mon, Jun 21st at 5:00pm
Event #40: Seven Card Razz
$2,500 buy-in

Tue, Jun 22nd at 12:00pm
Event #41: Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split-8 or Better
$1,500 buy-in

Wed, Jun 23rd at 12:00pm
Event #42: No Limit Hold’em
$1,500 buy-in

Wed, Jun 23rd at 5:00pm
Event #43: HORSE Championship
$10,000 buy-in

Thu, Jun 24th at 12:00pm
Event #44: Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No Limit)
$2,500 buy-in

Fri, Jun 25th at 12:00pm
Event #45: No Limit Hold’em
$1,500 buy-in

Fri, Jun 25th at 5:00pm
Event #46: Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split-8 or Better
$5,000 buy-in

Sat, Jun 26th at 12:00pm
Event #47: No Limit Hold’em
$1,000 buy-in

Sat, Jun 26th at 5:00pm
Event #48: Mixed Event
$2,500 buy-in

Mon, Jun 28th at 12:00pm
Event #49: No Limit Hold'em
$1,500 buy-in

Mon, Jun 28th at 5:00pm
Event #50: Pot Limit Omaha
$5,000 buy-in

Tue, Jun 29th at 12:00pm
Event #51: Triple Chance No Limit Hold’em
$3,000 buy-in

Wed, Jun 30th at 12:00pm
Event #52: No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed
$25,000 buy-in

Wed, Jun 30th at 5:00pm
Event #53: Limit Hold’em Shootout
$1,500 buy-in

Thu, Jul 1st at 12:00pm
Event #54: No Limit Hold’em
$1,000 buy-in

Thu, Jul 1st at 5:00pm
Event #55: Pot Limit Omaha Championship
$10,000 buy-in

Fri, Jul 2nd at 5:00pm
Event #56: No Limit Hold’em
$2,500 buy-in

Sat, Jul 3rd at 2:00pm
Ante Up For Africa Poker Tournament
$5,000 buy-in

2010 WSOP Main Event:
July 5th: Day 1A
July 6th: Day 1B
July 7th: Day 1C
July 8th: Day 1D
July 9th: Day 2A
July 10th: Day 2B
July 11th: Media Event
July 12th: Day 3
July 13th: Day 4
July 14th: Day 5
July 15th: Day 6
July 16th: Day 7
July 17th: Day 8
November 6th to 9th: Final Table

You Think You Have A Bad Beat Story

Think your bad beat story belongs in the book? This might not be as bad as the time you went all-in within ten minutes of hitting town and came in third after two one-outers caught a miraculous river and chopped up your entire play bank; but, it's the biggest money bad beat. The spiral down lasted a year and cost Terrance Watanabe $127 million. The 52 years old Watanabe spent most of 2007 at Harrah's Caesars Palace and Rio casinos drinking and gambling and losing enough money to buy a couple of hundred condos at CityCenter.

When his sister finally came to town and rescued Mr. Wanatabe from himself he had gone through almost 127 million dollars. Apparently, he still has millions but not nearly as many. He's paid close to $112 million to Harrah's, but, has now decided to renege on the remaining $14.7 million in markers. The law here in Las Vegas considers unpaid markers to be the same as a bad check and if you don't pay you might be spending a few years in Nevada in a comped small room far away from the bright lights of the strip. In Mr. Watanabe's case the stay could drag out to 28 years.

In his defense, Mr. Wanatabe filed a civil suit in Clark County District that seeks to place some of the responsibility for his record setting loss on Harrah's. He is claiming he was supplied with alcohol, drugs, and encouraged to gamble in a drunken state for hours on end. Unfortunately for Mr. Watanabe, this line of reasoning hasn't worked well with Nevada juries. After all, the casino didn't make you drink the booze. His trial on the criminal charges is set for Summer 2010.

Read a detailed account of Mr. Watanabe's bad beat story according to Alexandra Berzon for the Wall Street Journal.

Next time you're in Las Vegas thinking about to go on tilt because some soccermom commandeered a case deuce to beat your quads!...just remember Mr. Watanabe's Vegas story.

BetClic Signs Isabelle Mercier

Isabelle Mercier officially joined online gaming giant BetClic today, ending months of speculation about where she would sign after leaving PokerStars in September.

Mercier will act as a consultant for the site, which is a part of the Mangas Gaming group, and will be involved with developing a strategy for BetClic Poker.

“I am delighted to be working with BetClic and the Mangas group,” Mercier said.

“I am super impressed by the energy and ambition of this young company which is really going places. As with poker I’ve always made decisions based on both analysis and instinct, and this project has a great feel to it. I know it will be really exciting.”

Mercier brings years of experience from the poker industry, where she originally started as a poker room manager at the Aviation Club de France.

She was also a successful player and her big break came in 2004 when she won the WPT Ladies Night Out II event. Since then she has won over $1 million on the tournament circuit including a final table in the 2006 WSOP where she finished fifth for $175,404.

“We are proud to welcome Isabelle to our team as an ambassador and advisor,” said BetClic managing director Nicolas Béraud. “She will give us new vision and excitement in this fast growing sector.”

Although Mercier will be a consultant for the company she will also continue to play poker, joining the rest of the sporting ambassadors at BetClic including footballers Marcel Desailly, Deco, Arrigo Sacchi, Mateusz Borek and Stefan Effenberg.

BetClic was created in 2005 and has grown from a start-up to a major player in the online gaming world. The company operates across 15 countries with over 1.5 million customers.

Although the site is known primarily for sports betting it has started to push its poker offering. BetClic also recently acquired Bet-At-Home and Expekt, both of which offer online poker rooms.

Mercier was rumored to have joined BetClic back in September, but she denied the claims at the time.

Million Dollar Challenge Poker Show Is A Joke

The Million Dollar Challenge Poker Show has proven to be the most popular poker television show in the US. One reason for this might be the celebrities the show brings on to play. In the latest episode UFC champion Tito Ortiz opened up about a troubled childhood in the middle of a hand and won the hearts of the viewers. Describing his parents as young and with a drug problem, Ortiz turned to wrestling to stay out of trouble himself, which lead to his career in the UFC. The show pits poker players against these celebrities and pro poker players after they qualify via online poker tournaments.

THE POKER DONKEYS PODCAST IS BACK!

That's right its that time of year again when we do a new show! This weekend go ahead an re-subscribe to the poker donkeys podcast on Itunes and I promise you'll get an early Christmas Gift. The wonderful tones of Ken and Slade burning a never ending hole in your ears! The Poker Donkeys! We're back, we're bad and we're fat! Check us out on Talkshoe.com and Itunes!

POKER DONKEYS: ONLINE POKER BLOG!

Bursting the SNG Bubble

One of the keys to becoming a successful Sit & Go player is learning to master bubble play. The last thing anybody wants is to be the Bubble Boy, which means you need to get the most out of every hand you play during this critical stage. If you make solid moves from good positions and manage your chip stack wisely, you’ll find yourself in the money before you know it.

Let’s say that you’re short-stacked with just five or six big blinds. How you play your hand in this situation depends less on your cards and more on your position and the size of the other short stacks at the table. For example, you’re in the small blind and the hand is folded around to you. If the big blind doesn’t have you covered by very much, it’s time to jam. This play makes it really hard for him to call because he’s risking his tournament in a very tenuous spot. You put him in a position where he’s the one who has to call you, and that’s a big advantage.

Now let’s change things up a little. Say you’re sitting on about eight big bets on the button and the chip leader is in the big blind. If the action is folded to you in this situation, you can be much more selective about the hands you play. You still have plenty of chips to work with before the blinds come back around, which means you can afford to try and pick your spots. Personally, I’d fold hands worse than Q-10 here, but I’d probably play KJ, KQ, any Ace, and all pocket pairs.

If you’re sitting on just four or five big blinds in this same situation, you’ll have to open up your game a little and play more hands. You’ve got to take some chances here and get your chips in, even if you may be no better than 50-50. Waiting isn’t an option because the blinds will eat you alive if you let them.

If you’re playing a medium-size stack, you have more room to play, but still have to be careful about when – and from where – you put your chips in the middle. Making a standard 3x or 4x raise with 15 or 16 blinds can still be risky because there’s a good chance a bigger stack will re-raise and try to force you all-in before the flop. You really can’t afford to make that call without a premium hand like Aces or Kings.

You definitely don’t want to call with something like AK or AQ because you’re just a coin-flip against any pair and are dominated by pocket Aces or Kings. Folding here is a smarter move, especially if there’s a short stack left to play behind you who is likely to call with a much wider range of hands and give you a better shot of making the money.

Of course, nothing is more comforting than having the big stack when you’re sitting on the bubble. As the chip leader, you can practice selective aggression and apply pressure to the smaller stacks. You especially want to focus on the players in second and third place, as they aren’t going to want to put their chips at unnecessary risk.

Because the shorter stacks are going to try to double up through you, you need to be careful about making loose calls just because you think you can afford them. For example, let’s say the small stack raises 5x the big blind from the button and the small blind folds. You’re in the big blind and it’s only four more bets for you to call, which means your odds are slightly less than 2-1. While calling here may in fact be the right decision, it’s not automatic as far as I’m concerned.

I recommend taking a few seconds to really think through the situation, even if you’re holding a pretty strong hand like A-8 or up, KQ, KJ, or any pocket pair. Think about your opponent and how he’s been playing. If he raises every time he’s in that spot, widen your calling range. But if he’s a particularly good Sit & Go player or playing tight, he may not play many hands and you shouldn’t call as frequently.

More often than not when I’m the big stack in this situation, I’m not just flat calling here. Instead, I’m moving all-in. This is particularly effective because it puts all of the other players at the table to a tough decision. Again, the players in second and third aren’t likely to get involved without huge hands, which lets me isolate the smaller stack.

In the end, winning a SNG is about using whatever edge you’ve got. When you’re down to the final four, take advantage of position and play your stack aggressively. Know when to back off and when to go for it. You’ll still be at the table – and in the money – when the bubble bursts.

Bodog is Adding Money to Tournaments

Bodog Poker’s $100,000 Guaranteed has developed a reputation for being one of the best tournament values in the industry.  That’s because the $100k Guaranteed offers the best overlays with at least $30,000 being added to the prize pool by Bodog every week.  And since Bodog is adding so much of their own money to the prize pool, it essentially means Bodog is giving players free cash.  This is why the Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed is consistently considered the best tourney value in online poker.

Old Ladies Booked for Poker Playing

A number of elderly women were arrested in Cyrpus for playing poker recently. The Cypriot movement says poker playing for cash is illegal and they enforced that law on women up to 95 years old. The group of women were playing for cash and were causing enough commotion that a neighbor complained. When police arrived they found the women ranged in age from 50 to 95 and arrested the lot for breaking the law. The women were arrested and booked. No word yet on what the punishment will be for this group of elderly poker players.

Binion's Still Sending Free Hotel Offers

Just how sudden and surprising was the announcement that Binion's would close their hotel tower and all 365 rooms Dec. 14?

So much so, that not even casino marketing knew.

I just received in the mail a postcard that says, "This winter brings magic to Binion's."

On the other side: "Magic is in the brisk winter air and we invite you to stay at Binion's for a season of enchantment."

We are then invited to stay 2 free nights at Binion's through Jan. 31, 2010.

Seems like this winter, we'll more need a warm bundle of blankets than magic to stay at a hotel that no longer exists...

Binion's To Close Hotel Rooms

The hotel-casino that launched the World Series of Poker is closing its hotel part of the casino.

All 365 rooms of Binion's Gambling Hall will be shuttered as of Dec. 14.

Along with the hotel closure, 100 workers will be laid off, keno will be shut down, and the coffee shop will be closed.

The remaining part of the casino will remain open, including the poker room and steakhouse.

Binion's opened in 1951 and was purchased last year by TLC Enterprises, owners of Four Queens. No word whether the Four Queens' 690 rooms will be affected.

Golden Nugget, located across the street from Binion's, opened a 500-room tower last Monday at a cost of $150 million. It was the first new hotel rooms in downtown Las Vegas in 20 years.

We popped by Binion's last night and not only was the casino pretty much empty, there were 0 poker tables running. A sad sign of the times, particularly since we enjoyed staying at the hotel which felt more like little apartments than hotel rooms.

Clothing Brand KSINO Signs Female Poker Players

Clothing apparel company KSINO announced Monday that it has signed exclusive agreements with two of poker’s up-and-coming female players, Lacey Jones and Leo Margets. The brand, which is building a reputation as the top clothing line for those living and loving a fast-paced lifestyle, chose Jones and Margets as two players who speak to that standard of living.

“To say that I am thrilled to have Lacey and Leo as brand ambassadors is an understatement,” said Alex That, President of KSINO. “They are two very beautiful women who are also very talented poker players. They turn heads at the tables not only for how they look, but also for how they play. That’s what KSINO is about, playing great and looking hot while doing it.”

“I really love being part of the KSINO family,” Jones said about her new role with the company. “It’s about more than just great looking clothes; it’s a fun lifestyle. It’s my lifestyle.”

“I’m excited about being a part of KSINO,” said Margets. “I feel like I identify with the brand and can now sit down at a poker table and compete in style… I love it! KSINO is not only a clothing line. They are creating and redefining the game… It’s a whole new lifestyle!”

The KSINO clothing brand was created by Anthony Tuozzo to provide premium designer apparel to the multi-billion dollar gaming industry. The brand’s styles include graphic t-shirts, hoodies, button-downs, jackets, and accessories. KSINO clothing is now available at D.Fine at the Bellagio, The Men’s Store at the Mirage, and at KSINO.com.

On November 24th, KSINO entered into a merchandise distribution agreement with HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc., operators of the Canadian Poker Tour and Canadian Poker Player Magazine. KSINO apparel will be marketed throughout Canada in Canadian Poker Player Magazine, on all upcoming Canadian Poker Tour television broadcasts, and into the websites, social communities, and player databases from coast to coast.

Greed no longer just good, it's legal in 'Wall Street 2'

Oliver Stone is a prickly pear. He'd be easy to imagine at a family's holiday dinner table, standing up halfway through the feast, a nearly empty glass of wine in his hand, launching into a paranoia-ridden diatribe about government conspiracies, secret assassinations and maybe even unreported alien encounters.

It'd be comic, if we didn't know deep down inside that Uncle Oliver is possibly right.

Stone has just finished filming Wall Street 2 and took some time off to speak to students at American University in Washington, who can actually take a course called "Oliver Stone's America." (If that means getting to watch Charlie Sheen movies for credit, sign us up.)

"The individual Gekko would no longer exist in this new Wall Street," Stone said, referring to Oscar-winning role played by Michael Douglas in 1987. "The big players now are major banks and hedge funds ... the money's too big."

In the just-completed sequel, Stone said, "greed is now legal." (Whoa. It's too close to Christmas for that sort of perspective.)

According to the Associated Press, Stone also blasted the mainstream media (who doesn't?), the defense industry, the war in Afghanistan and President Barack Obama.

FIVE MORE LINES ABOUT GREED IN 'WALL STREET':

5. "There's no nobility in poverty."

4. "When you've had money and lost it, it can be much worse than never having had it at all."

3. "What's worth doing is worth doing for money."

2. "It's all about bucks, kid. The rest is conversation."

1. "The main thing about money, Bud, is that it makes you do things you don't want to do."