Does the live and Online
Poker community have its luck
candidate? According to some
Poker Review sites that candidate may just be Barack Obama.

Obama just won the democratic nomination. Should we vote for him or should we opt for McCain? A Poker Review site points us in the direction of a Telegraph article that details Mr. Obama’s Online Poker background.

Toby Harnden writes:

“When he was a young state politician in Illinois, Barack Obama played his cards right. “He had the stone face,” said Senator Terry Links, who hosted weekly Online Poker games at his home. ‘He didn’t stay in hands if he didn’t think he had a chance of winning.’

Links told Harnden:

“Barack wasn’t one of those foolish gamblers who just thought all of a sudden that card in the middle was going to show up mysteriously. He’s as competitive in politics as he is in Online Poker. It’s not like he’s going to go into something without a course of action mapped out.”

So would Barack Obama rally behind the Online Poker playing community who today feel like castaways thanks to a few choice politicians? Probably not. But we cannot help but wonder if Mr. Obama would have requested the removal of an attached measurement to curb Online Poker attached to that port security bill.

Anyway, i have read in Doyle Brunson’s blog that that he’s backing Sen. Barack Obama:

“I have come to the conclusion that poker players have to support Obama. We cannot possibly let McCain be our President because he supports most of George W. Bush’s views. Hillary has lots of experience but I do not think she is ready to lead our nation. Imagine her trying to talk to the leaders of the Islamic world? I wish we could have her husband back, but we cannot. Jennifer Harman and I have emailed Obama and asked what his position is on internet gaming. Hopefully we will get a response from his camp.”

You can also count CardPlayer columnist and poker author Bob Ciaffone as an Obama backer.

Hmmm. Whether or not i will vote for him, the real question that really intrigues me is, How does Obama play his cards? Earlier in the campaign several journalists looked into that.

Aside from Harnden’s report, Christopher Wills also filed a report for the AP in September about Obama’s poker playing as a state legislator in Springfield, Illinois:

Obama was a regular at the low-stakes games – sometimes stud poker, sometimes draw – designed to break up the tedium of long legislative sessions. poker, beer and cigars were staples; Democrats and Republicans, lawmakers and even the lobbyists who Obama sometimes rails against dealt the cards and placed their bets.

The traits Obama displayed around the card table those many nights are ones he brings to his presidential bid and are certain to be evident — and analyzed — if he wins the White House.

By his poker buddies’ accounts, Obama is careful and focused. He is not easily distracted and doesn’t give away his intentions unless it’s to his advantage. He’s not prone to taking risky chances, preferring to play it safe. But he’s also serious and competitive: When he plays, he plays to win.

“It’s a fun way for people to relax and share stories and give each other a hard time over friendly competition,” Obama said by e-mail. “In Springfield, it was a way to get to know other senators — including Republicans.” …

Though Obama is one a strong presidential candidate, i am still thinking if he will look back and help the poker industry if in case he wins.

In mid 2005, some revealing (but not x-rated)
photo’s of Jennifer Leigh “Jennicide” were leaked
and caused her internet popularity to go up
10-fold; now after placing 42nd out of 724 players
in a 2006 World Poker Tour tournament, Jennicide
has been unstoppable that she even bagged
her very own Playboy Spread.

After realizing that her leaked web-cam
photo’s were actually a blessing in disguise,
Jennicide went into self promotion overload
and caught the attention of Hefner’s company.
Jennicide gave SheKnows exclusive insight to her
Playboy sizzling shots.

SheKnows (SK): How did you get into poker?

Jennifer Leigh (JL): I’m a nerd. I’m one of the nerdiest girls I’ve ever met. Early on at a very young age, I was always playing on the computer. So I had this computer literacy behind me and I eventually ventured into areas like hacking, gaming, Everquest, World of Warcraft, and hardcore Raiding Guild. I’m a hardcore raider, always trying to get into the Black Temple, and the Wrath of Lich Kings. Nobody ever believes I’m a poker player and a gamer on World of Warcraft.

I was a pre-law major at the University of Delaware and wanted to be the star of the courtroom. But then I found my new obsession. Robert Boyd, poker champion Dutch Boyd’s brother, was a good friend. He said I should try out this online tournament. It was only a $5 pay in. This was the worst move for an adrenaline junky. I was soon the new female player on the scene dominating online tournaments. I was soon entering larger and larger tournaments.

SK: Strategy-based online games like Magic the Gathering have turned out some of the new breed of poker player. Do you think your online gaming background influenced your poker career?

JL: Oh yea. Tons of great players have come from Magic the Gathering. David Williams, Ali Eslami, The Keller Brothers, MadCaddy, Jon Murphy, and Scott Dove, to name a few, are all great players. In online gaming, you have to learn how to personalize the experience and realize that the chip desensitizes you from thinking about being real money. Overall though, games like Magic have contributed greatly. It’s sick.

SK: You are not only a successful tourney player, but you’re also a successful cash game player. Which do you prefer to play and why?

JL: Demographically, you have your random players who get very lucky and they win their big tournaments with very large buy ins, like the World Series of poker The field consists of 7,000 to 10,000 players and it’s like buying a $10,000 lottery ticket, it’s a crap shoot generally.

Tournaments are the gratification, the glory. You win a tournament and you feel like you conquered. You just beat a field of however many players and you played your “A” game, your best game. A lot of different elements of the game come into play like luck, variation and changing your pace. Like a video game, it’s your final boss and you’re preparing to down the boss.

Cash games are more consistent. As a professional cash game player, you set yourself on a very meticulous budget, more management of yourself and your money. I prefer cash games — they made me my living. Heads Up play is personal gratification because I’m so aggressive, like a warrior you could say. Having an opponent heads up with you and beating them is something that feels really good when you’re done.

SK: What do you consider your greatest moment?

JL: I did Playboy last year. This is going to be real big. It’ll be a six-page pictorial coming out beginning of April. Coming from a small town in Delaware, it’s HUGE. It’s very hard to grasp coming from one end of the spectrum to the other — from a $5 tournament to this!

SK: Did you enjoy posing for Playboy?

JL: I liked working with the cast and crew the best. I never thought I’d do it. It took a lot of confidence and talking to my parents. They weren’t too sure of it. They looked at it as an issue of moral. But a woman is beautiful on the inside and out. To tell you the truth, the more you can become one with your body the better. I have hips and breasts and don’t try to use it — but I can and that’s OK. Posing in Playboy allowed a platform for me to show women that it’s possible to be a staple in poker and we’re not going anywhere.

SK: How did your parents react to your posing in Playboy?

JL: Believe it or not, my dad was prouder than my mom, although, my mom came on the shoot with me. The shoot was very professional but it was a very long process. But it was an eye-opener for me. You walk into the Playboy studio, you see Marilyn Monroe, and you think to yourself, “I’m here and they’re photographing me … this is amazing!” I think the human body is beautiful. Posing made me feel more confident about myself as well.

SK: Who would you say is your role model?

JL: Jennifer Harman is one of my biggest role models just because she has been through so many health issues and life struggles and is still noticed as not only one of the best female players, but one of the BEST players in the world. That’s hard to do in the poker industry. “It’s a man’s world,” they say. I think of Harman when I’m at my low and running bad. I’m reminded that I’ll come out of it with a positive experience and survive.

SK: Do you consider yourself a role model for women?

JL: I won’t say I’ve been to Hell and back, but a lot of younger women have been through what I’ve been through. In general, you have to watch your back. In a perfect world, it’d be a very simple peaceful world, but they are very cruel people who can take advantage of you. So having your own self-awareness is important. Being someone with a positive outlook is a good role model for women and that’s what I try to do.

SK: Do you have any advice for players wanting to try their hand at poker ?

JL: It really depends on you and what attracts you to the game. For me, it’s competitiveness. When you’re completely known as a world-class poker player, there’s always room to find improvements. I tell women who are interested in poker to take anything you have done and been passionate about and take that energy and consume it into what you love and work with it. Do the best you can by using knowledge — which is power. Never be intimidated because of a specific gender.

SK: Does it ever get old having people adding “woman” to the term poker
player?

JL: I wish we’d get rid of that term. When talking about a female post deliverer, we don’t use the term “post woman.” We’re not aliens, we’re women. It’s very sensitive for some people. Tournaments are never classified by race or sexual preference, but it is classified by gender. All poker players are the same, although women are more intuitive then men.

SK: Who would you select to play at your “dream” table?
Ted Forrest
Phil Ivey
Jennifer Harman
Doyle Bruson
Phill Hellmuth
Vanessa Rouseau
Dan Harrington
Miami John Cernuto
Annie Duke
Daniel Negraneau
Mark Seif

SK: Any last word for your fans?

JL: I just want to thank everyone for their support. It’s going to be an amazing year!

If you still haven’t seen the pics of this poker player, just click on these links and it will take you directly to her. Take notice of how Playboy airbrushed her frontal area to look like she has the anatomy of a barbie doll.

Not all people know that the internet is a treasure trove of winnings. The Online Poker firm, PartyGaming, was floated on the London Stock Exchange for over £4 billion, valuing the 8-year-old company at more than British Airways.

SAFER BET

Will Online Poker prove to be a better investment that other dot.com opportunities? The answer is YES.

Party Poker is considered a market place where buyers or users come together to find what they are looking for- in this case, a chance to play Poker. According to Dai and Kaufman’s research on business models for electronic marketplaces, online markets would seek to replicate; aggregation, matching and facilitation.

According to them, aggregation is the provision of a wide range of goods and services that enables a buyer or user to be sure they will find exactly what they are looking for. As an example of aggregation, there’s the vast product ranges offered by online retailers. Matching is the ability to balance supply and demand and is illustrated online by auctions. Finally, facilitation refers to making the process of buying goods or using the service as easy as possible.

So how is Online Poker related to their research? Simple, Online Poker services address aggregation, matching, and facilitation.

Because there are 1.8 million estimated players of Online Poker each day, these services surely claim to aggregate players looking for a game. Party Poker alone has an average of 120,000 players per day. Due to this large number of users, the match of supply and demand becomes easier, as observed by one industry expert “you can always find the game you want, at the limit you want, at any time of day”. Lastly, observations proves that online game is convenient and less intimidating for beginners than playing in a casino, facilitating the appreciation of the game by many new players and allowing them to play whenever they want, day or night.

MULTI-CHANNEL APPROACH

Online Poker also emphasizes another possibility in the online world- the importance of a multi-channel approach. Though there are some businesses that thrived by only utilizing the e-commerce solution, most are finding that a combination of different communication and distribution channels are essential. Consider the case of Online Poker, the growth in the online game is both fueling, and riding on the back of, a boom in the game in the ‘real’ world. Much of this is led by the rise of the game on television. The Online Poker boom has also led to a resurgence of Poker Room at traditional casinos – and at a time when casinos in the UK are benefiting from the recent abolition of the 24 hours registration period and there is a huge expansion planned in the number of casinos in the UK.

BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE RISKS

Even though Online Poker is a huge asset in e-commerce, many are still doubtful because of the possible security issues they might encounter. But what if the market size for Online Poker far outweighs the security risks you may have to take? What are you going to do? I suggest you take chances, because you will never know how far your business will go if you do not take the risk.

If you are wondering what runs in the mind of an Online Poker champion, this post is for you.

ACTING IS A PREREQUISITE IN POKER

To be a champion Poker player, means to know how to hide your anxieties and emotions. The best Poker players are actors. They cannot afford to be transparent, or else they will blow away their chances in winning. Pretending is part of a Poker player’s life. Poker is a game where emotional stability is a must. You cannot afford to be upset just because another player is winning. You cannot afford to be upset just because you are losing. You must take losing as a challenge. These are the things you have to consider if you want to have a successful Poker career.

Poker is not dependent on a single day. It is something you have to work hard for, just like a job. So long as you like playing the same game in a single day, the harder it is to win. The fact is when players achieve a position of being able to win, they are usually gambling on something else, something they like to do. Poker is all about money, if you like playing so much then it would not be a job.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Predation is something you have to expect in Poker world. You must know how to kill or you will be killed. Of course, you have the option to choose your unfortunate prey, the most common prey though are the fresh meats in the world of Online Poker. Hello, as if someone will dare to pass up on a fresh meat.

IT IS OKAY TO LOSE

The best players are those who have entered a losing streak at least once. When you are bound to lose, there is nothing that you can do that is right. Players are not judged on how they play when they are winning, but the other way around. You do not judge a person when he is winning since winning can easily deceive people. The right way to judge a person’s ability to play Poker is by seeing and knowing how he loses his money. If he is always getting sucked out, you know he is a winner even though he is losing. If he is always sucking out when he is winning, he will soon be on the rail.

Losing in playing professional poker are enormous to most people, including the professionals themselves. Obviously many of us have had losing streaks and decided to make sure it never happened again. Nothing beats studying Poker strategies and reading Poker Reviews in order for you to ensure that your losing chance will be minimal.

No one but yourself can ensure victory. Staying strong mentally and playing with a clear mind is a must in order to win consistently. Those who do not stay mentally focused will eventually lose. Though Poker today is seen as cash and fame. The days of real Poker, where it is about taking part and not really about cash, are over.

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

It is good to know that Doyles Poker Room is once again open to players from USA. Older players remember Doyles Poker Room as part of he Tribeca group, but now as a part of the Microgaming group of online poker rooms known as Prima Poker, you guys can be assured of a more fun and profitable gaming experience.\They have also added some new casino games with the merger into the Prima Poker network. Personally, playing here in Doyles Poker Room speaks of a calm atmosphere, you will not feel much of the tension, instead you will feel calm and confident that you will win.

SOFTWARE

If you were an older player who had been there since the opening of Doyles Poker Room in 2006, I am sure that you have taken notice of the transition from the older Tribeca platform to the new Micgrogaming Platform of Prima Poker. Although changes are not that apparent at first, it still took me some time to get used to the new setup. I like how they added casino games as well. Player notes, multi table gaming capability and mini table views are one of the many things the new software is offering. What i do not like about this new software is the long registration process which makes me feel like it took me a month just to sign up.- Kidding. They should modify the registration process though, most Poker players are not as patient as me.

BONUSES

And yes, the best part of course, the Poker Bonuses. Doyles Poker Room is actually giving out different kinds of Poker Bonuses. At present, the bonus is 10% up to $550. A free copy of Doyle Brunson’s Super System I and II is awaiting those who will deposit enough money to get the maximum bonus.

PROMOTIONS

Honestly, i think Doyles Poker Room is currently running very few interesting promotions. One is that they are offering players a chance to win a week long intensive Poker training program with the world’s best Poker players. According to some sources, Doyles Poker Room take player fidelity very seriously and its Player Rewards program is dependent upon the type of hospitality that Doyle has enjoyed and come to expect over the years. A system of ‘action points’ is what , Doyles Poker Room use to determine player fidelity rewards.

“The Action Points system automatically rewards you while you play! You accumulate Action Points by playing in real money games, including single- and multi-table tournaments.”

Also they offer opportunities for players to earn action points that can be converted to Poker chips and Poker packages.

PLAYERS

If you want competition but do not want to bump into the giants along the way, then Doyles Poker Room is for you. Though some players here are a little below the average, you can also see some very good players here. Texas Hold’em can give you the soft competition you are looking for. But what’s nice if you can find Doyle or his son Todd, or even Mike Caro playing at a table, even if the thing you can only see is the action.

VARIETY

Doyles Poker Room offer a good quality of Poker games. You can choose to play the normal games like Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, 5 card draw, and 7 card stud or you can play Badugi which is exclusive to Doyles Poker Room only.

OTHERS

Regarding customer service Doyles Poker Room offers chat, email support and telephone support. However, it is much faster to do the live chat or telephone support. A response from the email support can take several hours.One thing that needs to be improved in this Online Poker Room is the limited banking options being credit card, Neteller, FirePay and wire transfer, while your cashout methods are just Neteller and bank transfer.

So there. I hope was of help to those who are considering Doyles Poker Room.