One thing that symbolizes the booming industry of poker is the emergence of poker related products that every poker enthusiast wants to have.

First there was the poker pop shirt, then the poker shades which is made to conceal your emotions in the Poker table, and now comes the coolest USB Flash Drive perfectly shaped like your poker chips that could serve as a reminder as well as a proclamation of your love for the game.

It is undeniable that the market size of the poker industry had expanded from a mere casino poker, to an Online Poker. Most cannot seem to get enough of their love for this ancient game that they are willing to purchase products that will let the whole world know they are into Poker.

It is for this reason that another product has once again been reportedly patterned after a poker chip.

Dane-Elec, one of the largest manufactures of memory modules and boards for computers, telecommunications and digital appliances, had just recently launched their newest product called the poker mate which will soon to be the envy of everyone who is addicted to poker.

Do not be deceived because though the poker mate looks like an ordinary poker chip, it is actually a flash drive that easily pulls out from the side of the chip. This sleek and compact interface design allows you to safely and conveniently store your document files, images, and music videos. poker mate is available in 1gb or 2gb memory capacities at prices not higher than $28. It also comes with a five year warranty that will make you a sure winner when you buy this.

It turns out though that Dane-Elec is not the first one to think of this product.

Memorex, now a division of Imation Corp. and is considered to be one of the most widely recognized and respected names in the consumer electronics industry, had earlier launched a very similar product.

Memorex call it the poker Chip USB Flash Drive offering only up to 1GB of storage capacity. Unlike the poker mate, the poker Chip USB Flash Drive comes preloaded with Big Fish Texas Hold’em software on the drive allowing poker enthusiasts to play Texas Hold’em right on their personal computer.

Both products support Windows 2000/XP and Vista, Mac OS 8.6 or above-Mac OS 8.6 - 9.x USB 1.1 support only- Linux 2.4.x These flash drives will certainly be put to a good use. Not only will it help you in organizing and storing important files, it will also serve as a constant reminder of your dream to be a Patrik Antonius and rule the poker world and the need for you to make money for whatever reasons you have.

Reports said that at about 1:00
a.m. on June 3rd Nenad Medic
was named the Pot Limit
Hold’em Champion in the first
event of the 2008 World Series of
Poker at the Rio Hotel and
Casino.

It is said that it was no easy task
for Nenad because he had to fight
his way through a final table that
consisted of well known pros such as Phil Laak, Patrick Antonius, Kathy Liebert, Andy Bloch and Mike Sexton.

Going into the final table Nenad was reportedly 2nd in chips with about 1.2 million and it did not take long for Nenad to bust another player out of the tournament, because on only the 5th hand of the day Phil Laak moved all in and Nenad called and flipped over pocket aces and after the board was laid out Nenad’s aces held up and Phil Laak was knocked out in 9th place. A couple other victims to fall to Nenad were Chris Bell who Nenad knocked out in 6th place and Kathy Liebert who was knocked out in 3rd place by Nenad.

It was now down to heads up action between Nenad Medic who sat at 4.94 million in chips and Andy Bloch who sat at only 2.1 million in chips. It was a long and stressful heads up game which took over an hour of play and on the last hand of the match Nenad turned a heart flush and Any Bloch had a pair of nines. For his win Nenad won is very first World Series of Poker Bracelet and he took home over $794,000.

According to reports, Nenad is a former college basketball player turned Poker professional.

While at the University of Waterloo, Medic has already been playing Poker with his team mates. And after his graduation, instead of playing basketball professionally, Medic started playing Online Poker professionally.

Success is without a doubt in a favor of Medic. He reportedly made his first success in WPT final table at Pokerstars.com and in Carribbean Poker adventure in 2005.

January of 2006 came where he won the final table at the Aussie Millions. He bagged the 3rd place and earned $282,432. He also earned $1,717,194 when he won the final table at the World Poker finals last year.

Reports also said that Nenad is a sponsored pro with Full Tilt, a popular Poker Room.

Medic plays Online Poker under the alias Serb2127, a Poker Review said.

Just who is this hot Poker babe?
For those who are not in the
know, this babe is a successful
actress and also one of the
hottest and greatest Poker
players you will ever meet.

Born on September 7, 1973 in
Houston, Texas, Shannon
Elizabeth Fadal was a cheerleader
and an aspiring professional tennis
player who used to work hard for her sport until she landed a role in a music video that was shot locally. She used that as a motivation and began a modeling career which in turn led to acting jobs on television shows like “Hang Time” and “Arli$$”. Because she did best in portraying these roles, she was chosen to be Nadia in the movie “American Pie”. In addition, she made 35 more films and television appearances in the past years. With all these achievements she had, people consider her a well-seasoned veteran in the showbiz industry.

Similar to other Poker players, Shannon ventured into the world of Poker at an early age by playing games such as 7 card stud with her family as a past time. When Poker was booming and there was a rise in the popularity of televised Poker Tournaments, Shannon got to know the game of Texas Hold’em.

Akin to other Poker celebrities, Shannon had to adopt Poker mentors to help tweak her game and teach her the subtle nuances of the game which led her to play with a proficient and seasoned style that was able to stand up to the best of competitors.

Now that she is already proficient, Shannon found herself playing Poker more often.

She got in the 2005 Main Event at the World Series of Poker with Daniel Negreanu as her guardian.

Since she is said to have a lot of victories in 2006- for instance, she was a sixth placer at the Las Vegas Poker Invitational, Shannon proclaimed a new career as a devoted Texas Hold’em player.

Shannon also finished 3rd in the NBC National Heads-Up Championship in 2007 and won $125,000.

One Poker site said she also stars alongside Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson and Poker hall-of-famer, Doyle Brunson in an improvisational Poker comedy called “The Grand”. I actually met with one of the producers of the movie back in 2005 so he could pick my brain about being a female in a predominately male industry. He was looking to “round out the female character”. His original email described the movie as “a factious improv comedy in the vain of Christopher Guest’s film Best in Show is the best way to describe it.” I get many emails talking about projects and it’s nice to see one that has come to fruition. It’s even nicer to see some big names including Shannon involved in the project.

It is also said that Online Poker room, Full Tilt once had a sponsorship agreement with Shannon.

Just recently, Poker Reviews said that Shannon joined Doyles’ Poker Room.

Team Full Tilt had announced
that Patrik Antonius is its newest
member during a press
conference of the World
Series of Poker last Sunday,
June 1st.

Representing Full Tilt Poker,
the second largest site Online
Poker site and online Poker
Room in the world, Patrik
Antonius will now join the elite
club of Team Full Tilt
which includes fellow Poker
luminaries; Chris Ferguson,
Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer,
Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren,
Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Phil
Gordon, John Juanda, Mike
Matusow, Gus Hansen, and Allen
Cunningham who have collectively won 32 WSOP bracelets said Full Tilt in a recent statement.

According to the statement, at 27 years of age, Antonius is the youngest Poker pro to be invited to join Team Full Tilt The EPT winner and Poker icon already boasts career tournament earnings of nearly $2.7 million and is widely considered to be one of the best all-around players, whether it be large tournaments, live cash games, or online.

Team Full Tilt has been uncontrollable on the tournament circuit this year and the addition of Antonius will only add to this threat.

The Team’s 2008 momentum began in January with Howard Lederer winning the $100K No Limit Texas Hold’em event at the Aussie Millions for a first place prize of AU$ 1.25 million, followed by Erik Seidel’s second place finish at the main event where in took home AU$ 1 million.

Not to be outdone, in February, Phil Ivey added a World Poker Tour title to his already impressive resume by winning the $10,000 No Limit Texas Hold’em Championship Event at the Los Angeles Poker Classic, taking home $1.59 million.

And in March, fellow Team Full Tilt member Chris “Jesus” Ferguson established himself as the world’s premier heads-up Poker player by winning the $20,000 buy-in National Heads Up Poker Championship at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, claiming the title and $500,000 in prize money.

According to a Poker Review Patrick Antonius is a model, and a tennis coach, but most importantly is one of the best high stakes cash game Poker players out there in live games and online as well.

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.

Many less experienced Poker
players are likely to take for granted
their ways to handle the
pot. Though live or Online
Poker players naturally do not
bet a thousand chips into a
hundred chip pot, they still fail to
practice the fundamentals of
managing the pot size and making suitable bets that will eventually lead them to success.

Reading and choosing the best tips and strategies in Poker Reviews may help you maximize your profits and minimize your losses but the trick is still about how you manage the pot size.

One will notice frequently that Poker players make large sized bets for what they want to earn, and because of this mistake, they tend to lose control of their hand. For instance, consider you are in a free game where rules are loose, and you are in possession of K-10 which is not suited in the button. A player limped before you, you called, tiny blind also called, and the huge blind checked to see the free flop.

The flop came as 10d-7c-3h. You are in possession of the leading pair and tend to be holding the best of the best hand, even if it there is a chance that a single player with A-10 would’ve called the pot preflop. The action is then to check you, what are you going to do now?

Apparently, you are going to bet. But the question is, how much? One may be tempted to place a large bet here but, considering the situation, a large bet can easily backfire. One can easily beat a top pair, if someone is holding an ace and hits it on the turn. In addition, considering that the game has been lenient, one should expect callers.

Placing a smaller bet is indeed advisable in this situation since it will make one to escape the hand cheaply if the turn card helps one of your opponents.

“Placing a bet signals that you have a hand, making it possible to take the pot on the turn if nobody improves their hand, and your bet will not commit too many chips to the pot, making it painful to let go of the hand that you have if one of your opponents shows aggression on the turn.If you make a bet near the size of the pot, you’re going to want to continue with the hand even if an ace comes on the turn and the chances become very good that you are beat, simply because the pot is large and contains a lot of your chips,” said PokeronaMac

Betting too many chips is a good example of how you are forcing yourself into making painful decisions that you could have avoided by making a smaller bet. Again, tailoring the size of your bets to your situation is what should be done.

No matter what or how many Poker strategies you employ but if you do not match your bet to the pot size, you will lose. You have to be aware of the strength of your hand compared to the likely holdings of your opponents. The game of Poker is about making wise decisions and doing the correct plays at the right time.

If there has got to be who you will call the
hottest Poker babe, it has got to be
Jennifer Tilly.

Jennifer Tilly is not a new household name.
She is in fact a Hollywood actress who
preferred playing Poker than waiting for her
next scene when shooting for a movie.

When celebrities started to show up in
Poker Tournament, event promoters
were overjoyed; and, the Poker fans
fascinated. We all wondered, though - could
these Hollywood script-jockeys hold their
own against a field of seasoned pros and
rabidly hungry - and
aggressively competitive newcomers. Could they play the game of Poker? The answer, it seems, is a resounding yes!

Born as Jennifer Chan, Tilly has been in the Hollywood spotlight for over twenty years. She ventured into the Poker world and again made her mark playing in the World Poker Tour television show, Hollywood Home Game.

Tilly was reportedly on the Celebrity Poker Showdown, GSN’s Poker Royale, and the third season of Poker Superstars. Fans can also track her on High Stakes Poker where she is almost always seen with professional Poker player, Phil Laak.

It is said that Tilly and Laak started dating while her gaming career is booming. Poker. Also, some Poker sites also state that Laak taught Tilly everything she knows.

She told one of the reporters that Phil Taught her everything she knows about playing great in Poker , “through osmosis”. She also said,

She is also said that the bracelet is way better than Oscar.

Phil reportedly celebrated her victory as he won a second place finish in the $2500 Pot Limit Hold’em event. In this said event Johnny Chan was reportedly the player who booted out Phil earning him the tenth bracelet he now has.

Tilly is sure not to give up on playing Poker while she still has money.

A true perfectionist, who always wants to achieve the perfect performance and always wants to do the best in everything she does, Tilly proved the world that she is not only an award winning actress but also a great Poker player.

This actress is the first woman to hold both of these prestigious titles in women’s Poker. The victory earned her a seat in the $25,000 buy-in WPT Championship at Bellagio, and a specially-created pink Poker set with the WPT logo and Breast Cancer ribbon. The WPT and the Bicycle Casino donated $10,000 to Breast Cancer Research in honor of Tilly and the other competitors at the Final Table.

As an actress Tilly vamped it up in Liar, Liar, screamed it up as the Bride of Chucky, and landed more than a few cameo roles in Marvel comic books and as a voice over character on the Family Guy cartoon series. She’s an Academy Award nominee for 1994’s Bullets Over Broadway.

You can more of this Poker babe in live or online Poker Rooms.

She definitely rocked the Online Poker, and live Poker industry. Certified to be the hottest of the hottest, that is Jennifer Tilly.

Son of Rep. Jim Moran,
Congressman of Virginia, is
reportedly addicted to Online
Poker.

Congressman’s son, 39-year-old
Jim Jr., is said to be a
Washington, D.C. area regional
manager for Dominos Pizza and
an Online Poker aficionado.

According to some Poker Reviews site and Poker News site, Moran’s pal, Bruce Ryan, had posted posted a YouTube video of him screaming, “I had the nuts the whole time!”

The nuts he was referring to were reportedly a pair of queens; the term is used in Poker to refer to an unbeatable hand.

Reports said that Ryan posted the clip as a publicity stunt to attract attention — and hopefully funding — for his planned documentary on Poker.

Ryan, a real estate agent and aspiring filmmaker, reportedly worked on a documentary on adult kickball that did not receive wide exposure.

The three-and-a-half minute YouTube video, unsubtly titled, “Congressman’s Son Goes Crazy Playing,”Poker could fare better.

The video features Moran Jr. variously screaming, pointing at his computer screen, whooping and hollering, “I worked you!” while advancing in an Poker tournament.

Despite obtaining a top ranking, Moran eventually lost the competition, Ryan told ABC News.

“I worked that guy!” the lawmaker’s offspring shouts after winning a key hand. Then he turns to his computer screen. “I worked you! I worked you! I worked you! You thought I was being a wuss, but I had the nuts the whole time! That’s what time it is! You got a watch?” — he points energetically to his wrist — “Cuz that’s what time it is!”

Congressional office of Moran’s father declined to comment for this story.

“He’s probably, IQ-wise, a genius,” Ryan said of his friend Jim, “at least on paper.”

“I’m really good at math, and I know when people are lying to me,” said Moran, explaining his skills as a Poker player.

Moran told ABC News that when he first saw Ryan’s video he thought, “‘That makes me look like an idiot,’” but Ryan assured him when people watched it online, they would think it was “cool.”

The video has reportedly attracted the attention of Roll Call, a D.C. newspaper which covers Congress.

Despite his Ryan’s hope for publicity, however, Moran said he refused to talk to the paper’s reporter, because he said another Roll Call scribe had misquoted him several years ago in comments he made about former Rep. Stan Parris, R-Va., whom his father defeated to win his seat in Congress.

“[Parris] made fun of me on a school trip when I was in third grade, and got the whole class to laugh at me, and I’ve hated him with a passion ever since,” Moran Jr. explained. When Roll Call ran his quote about the man, Moran said, they added an adjective which made his words sound harsher. “I got in trouble.”

UltimateBet, who is said to be
providing the best and biggest
variety of Poker game types
and Poker Tournaments in
the world of Poker released a
statement that confirms that
former employees had access
to hole card data for a period
of about 21-months; reports
also said that UltimateBet are
going to be paying players back for their net losses to the cheating accounts.

Results of investigation about the suspected unfair play were announced today by Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG (”Tokwiro”), proprietors of UltimateBet.com, who worked diligently with its regulatory body, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (”KGC”), and with independent third-party experts.

The said committees conducted a thorough investigation which included a comprehensive review of hand histories and game data, thorough software analyses and network security, and audits of its security practices and procedures.

According to the statement, the allegations were triggered by concerns about an account named “NioNio”.

Statement said that the investigation had concluded that some player accounts did in fact have an unfair advantage, and that these accounts targeted the highest limit games on the site.

Responsible account owners were said to have worked for the previous ownership of UltimateBet prior to the sale of the business to Tokwiro in October 2006.

Tokwiro has taken full accountability and will make certain that customers will be refunded for any losses that were incurred as a result of the unfair play.

Poker fraud reportedly happened when the unauthorized software code was enabled allowing the perpetrators to obtain hole card information during live play.

In addition, investigation also confirmed that the code was part of a legacy auditing system that was manipulated by the perpetrators.

Reports said that Gaming Associates, independent auditors hired by the KGC, have confirmed that the software code that provided the unfair advantage has been permanently removed.

Because of the said incident, Tokwiro’s top priorities are now to permanently remove the ability to engage in unfair play, to complete its investigation and come to a full understanding of what occurred, to refund the affected customers; and to implement measures that prevents future cheating incidents.

UltimateBet thanked its customers for being patient while the investigation was taking place.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience, loyalty and support, as well as for their understanding that we are doing everything we can to correct this situation; the staff and management of UltimateBet are fully committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our players, and we want to assure customers of our unwavering resolve to monitor site security with every resource at our disposal,” UltimateBet said.

APCW Interactive just recently made public the first social networking site, similar to MySpace, devoted strictly to online gaming, Poker players, casino operators and gaming site webmasters.

Upon checking out the site, you will notice that it has everything you would expect from a social networking site. Poker and online gaming enthusiasts are given their own page where they can customize the look and feel they want by adding a profile, some pictures, video, blog, feeds and the like.

Also, it goes without saying that just like MySpace and Facebook Poker and online gaming enthusiasts can interact with other members of the site and meet new friends.

Additionally, public forums are in place where enthusiasts can discuss the latest industry announcements and news. Poker players and gaming enthusiasts can also search the online database for not only posts but articles, news stories, podcasts and videos such as Weekly Perspectives produced by the site’s webmaster.

As of today, a total of 927 players joined the site and a total of 63 topics with not less than 15 replies for each topic were posted.

There are only a handful of organizations that examine online gaming sites for integrity, and only the APCW looks at affiliate programs as well. Reportedly, they are always checking and tracking a variety of criteria including software downloads & installations, deposits and withdrawal methods, interactive game play, customer service responsiveness, bonus awards, and overall site ergonomics. Additionally, they are also said to be tracking affiliate programs to make certain they keep accurate track of webmaster traffic, conversions, and revenue.

When it comes to their advocacy, APCW said that they are not just a community of people who play and work in the online gaming industry. Their members area is a social network that allows complete interaction between all members: Players can contact and message casino programs. Webmasters can leave comments and questions for affiliate managers. There is nothing restricting the free flow of communication and information. And if there are problems, they said that they are to help with mediation and advocacy when needed. In the past, they said that they had resolved complex issues that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in the pockets of players and webmasters.

Joining APCW is easy. As mentioned above, membership means access to their gaming clients where you can legally play online casino games, win real money, and cash out your winnings. As a member you will also be able to download our free toolbar for easy access to our data, timely online gaming articles, and instant “Bulletins” when breaking industry news happens.

Join for free and build your own personal, fully customizable page listing your favorite games and where you like to play. Upload your own pictures and videos. Start your own blog and create a group of players or webmasters within the APCW community.

Now is your chance to get in on the ground floor of what I’m sure will be a very successful site and community. Join today it’s totally free.