2010 February | Carbon Poker Blog

Posted by Ray Finkle on 23rd February 2010

james-of-earl-jones-field-of-dreams It seems as though Iowa is the latest state to be joining the bandwagon, and it’s not one made by John Deere.

A hearing is slated for next week in front of the House State Government Committee to legalize sports betting and poker, a move officials estimate could bring in over $80 million to bolster state revenue and open up the doors for major poker tourneys at their casinos.

The sports gambling aspect seems straight forward: no betting on Iowan colleges. The poker concept comes across as that creepy uncle with the video camera at your family get-togethers.

In order to start a bankroll, players would only be allowed to physically deposit cash funds at one of the 17 statewide casinos, which affords you access to an online account. From there, Iowans would be able to log in and play with the estimated 80,000 online poker enthusiasts across the corn fields and hog farms. Cashing out would see players returning to their local casinos in order to withdraw their slice of the pie, a local pastime usually reserved for grandma’s windowsill. State representatives feel that this policy will remove the “risks” found with internet deposits while making you drive down murderous streets to a bank that could be robbed to take out money that could blow away in a strong gust of wind to a casino filled with cigarette smoke that is willing to take 30% of your money from their prize pool for the state.

People won’t come, Ray. People will most definitely not come.

Tagged as Iowa, Regulation
Posted in General Posts, Poker News | No Comments

CarbonPoker Awarded WSOP Seat to mesut5400 on Sunday Night

Posted by CarbonPoker on 22nd February 2010

wsop chips This Sunday at Carbon Poker, French poker player mesut54000 took down the WSOP Grand Final – $12,500 Seat Guaranteed Tournament. As the name of the tourney suggests, mesut5400 walked away from the virtual felt with a $12,500 package that includes a $10,000 buy in for the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

The $420 + $40 buy in tournament brought in 33 players, including some of Carbon’s best players. There were numerous seat winners in attendance, including a stacked final table.

In the final 11 players we had heavy hitters like:

LTUFlawless – 2nd (Aus Mills, WSOP)

bullitpete – 5th (WSOP – EPT – Aus Mills)

vader46 – 6th (Aus Mills – MTT LB winner)

foxyuk – 10th (Aus Mills – EPT – WSOP)

1GOLDENBEAR1 – 11th (Aus Mills)

DrextheTex – 12th – (Aus Mills – WSOP)

All of them had already won a live seat through Carbon Poker tournaments, and many of them have done it more than once.

LTUFlawless won $952 in second place.

Congrats to mesut5400. We’ll be sending more players to represent CarbonPoker at the WSOP, so don’t miss out on your chance to hit the tables and come out with a $12,500 prize.

Tagged as Site News, Winner, WSOP
Posted in Live Tournaments, Poker News | No Comments

5 Thoughts that Ruin Your Bankroll

Posted by CarbonPoker on 22nd February 2010

pocket nines Poker is no doubt a thinking game so you’re bound to have thousands of thoughts during each session. Unfortunately, some of these thoughts can lead you straight down the wrong path – especially when you’re repeatedly having them! Here are some common thoughts people have at the poker table that can be detrimental to their bankroll.

1. They’re bluffing.

Bluffing is one of the most over-hyped plays in poker. In fact, some players think others are bluffing on every street. But the truth is that most people play their hand like it is the majority of the time, and only bluff when good opportunities arise. That being said, calling people with second rate hands just to see if they’re bluffing is a costly move.

2. I’ll keep playing until I break even again.

Losing sessions are never fun, but you only make them worse when you stick around in an attempt to get back to even. If you’re suffering through a bad session and you aren’t thinking clearly, call it a loss for the day and come back at another time.

3. I’m already this far into the hand, what’s a few more dollars.

If a call is wrong, then a call is wrong. It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the pot if you’re 99% sure that your hand is beat. This is especially true is you’re making a statistically incorrect play in Limit poker.

4. I must play aggressive.

There’s a difference between playing aggressive and playing stupid. Even still, some players make huge raises and unnecessary bets just to convince themselves they’re playing aggressive. It’s actually a much better idea to start off tight and get more aggressive as you learn the game.

5. I’m going to move up a limit and see if this works better.

As ridiculous as it sounds, losing players sometimes get the mindset that they can move up in limits and be more successful. But if you can’t beat the limit you’re currently at, why move up to tougher competition?

Tagged as Betting, Tips
Posted in Poker Strategy | No Comments

Revolution Is My Name

Posted by Ray Finkle on 19th February 2010

moneyisyummy It seems as though a storm of approval is brewing here stateside.

With the economy in a recession, state governments are seeking alternative means of revenue. For a hobby that was thrown out the back door by its shirt, it seems as though the front door has been opened to welcome back poker into the loving arms of officials wide-eyed to the financial benefits.

Maryland is looking to expand their gaming regulations to include poker at their slot casinos, a competitive move in order to regain money residents are spending on surrounding state economies that support table games. Massachusetts officials are meeting to determine if poker can legally be deemed a game of skill, removing the stigma of the luck factor that the state implicates is just cause for categorizing it as a lottery. In related news, alcohol has been legalized, Hawaii has become the 50th state, women can now vote, and we’ve landed on the moon.

In the past six months, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia have all come to see poker approved in their casinos. While the rewards from the intentions for Massachusetts and Maryland are still potentially years from reaping, the fact that legislation is being discussed and debated is a sight for sore eyes for the unjustified black sheep of the United States. The implications from decisions such as these prove that it’s impossible to deny poker’s staying power in our lives and mainstream. It’s inevitable that we will one day see poker regulated in all 50 states across the great divide. When the gains go towards bettering the state and its educational system, the real crime is saying no.

Tagged as Legislation, Maryland, Massachusetts
Posted in General Posts, Poker News | 2 Comments

Baltimore Wants Some Poker, Marlo Approves

Posted by Comb Over-Under on 19th February 2010

The Wire Poker The city of Baltimore, Maryland is getting Senate and Mayoral support for poker tables in their slots casinos.

Democrats (Mayor) Stephanie C. Rawlings-Black and (Senate President) Thomas V. Mike Miller have issued their support for additional games to be added to the recently permitted slots casinos. These casinos are not yet open, but the powers that be are already looking to pump up this potential revenue stream.

Profits from the casinos will be used to fund public education – that’s a win for poker players and students in Baltimore (win, win).

States like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware offer legal poker, and state officials are worried that Maryland is losing out on local cash that is crossing state lines.

During trying economic times, states have fast-tracked the construction and legality of casinos, leaving gamblers (and kids) thankful.

As of now it’s up to the public to decide, but this is still America, right? Let people choose what they want to do. It’s not like Baltimore doesn’t have poker games going on right now. Regulate the games and start padding education funds.

Did I do this post to show a screen cap from The Wire? Yes. Yes, I did.

Tagged as News, Poker Pop Culture, TV
Posted in Poker News | No Comments

Poker Player wins Winter Olympics Medal – JR Celski

Posted by CarbonPoker on 19th February 2010

57430988 Michael Phelps isn’t the only Olympic medalist who loves to play poker now since J.R. Celski won a medal in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Celski was the first American to claim a medal in the Winter Games when he placed third in the 1,500 meter short track speed skating race. Celski’s third place finish was good for a bronze medal.

And while Celski’s bronze medal finish will no doubt be overshadowed by plenty of other athletes during the Winter Olympic Games, there is more to him than just speed skating. In fact, Celski has also been described as a very serious poker player who spends hours each week grinding. Celski hopes to balance his love of poker with his education when he attends the University of California later this year.

Sure Celski may never have poker pros and websites fawning over him like Olympic legend Michael Phelps, but the fact that Celski loves to play poker and has an Olympic medal is still interesting.

What’s even more interesting is that Celski’s career almost ended half a year ago when he suffered a terrible injury at the US trials five months ago. During the trials, J.R. Celski slipped and his blade went into his thigh cutting muscle and tissue along the way. After the damage was done, he could actually see his femur bone. If the blade had gone any deeper, doctors say that Celski could have died from rupturing his femoral artery.

Luckily, the blade didn’t go any deeper and Celski was able to get back on the ice once 60 stitches were used to sew up his leg. Following a remarkable recovery, he won a bronze medal just 5 months after the terrible injury. Now Celski is the most celebrated Winter Games athlete among the poker community.

Posted in Poker News | No Comments

Sold, To The Bidder With A Lot More Money Than Me

Posted by Ray Finkle on 18th February 2010

Park-Place-Dog The Park Place of internet poker properties has just been purchased.

Poker.org recently sold for an estimated $1 million, making it the largest .org sale to date, a title previously held by Engineering.org. The .org domains are steadily closing the gap between the other dominant generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) .com and .net, with registration rates having risen 14% in 2009. By the end of the year, .org domains were populated at just under 8 million, an increase of 8.4% since 2008.

While .org domains have primarily been known as being used for non-profits, the sudden trend in popularity has expanded their diversity onward and upward, with many businesses and sports clubs staking their flag in the digital .org soils. This sale marks what is sure to be just the beginning of a ludicrous sea of poker .org domains flooding the vast expanses of our digital landscape from people hoping to strike it rich while sitting on their asses. One thing’s for sure: we can all thank Al Gore for where the internet is today.

If you didn’t get a fun fact desk calender this Christmas, you’ve come to the right place. The following are some of the largest domain name purchases in the history of the World Wide Web:

Insure.com – $16 million
Sex.com – $14 million
Fund.com – $9,999,950
Porn.com – $9 million
Business.com – $7.5 million
Diamonds.com –$7.5 million
Beer.com – $7 million
Casino.com – $5.5 million
Toys.com – $5.1 million sold to Toys R Us
AsSeenOnTV.com – $5.1 million

Posted in General Posts | No Comments

More Televised Poker To Rot Your Brain

Posted by Ray Finkle on 17th February 2010

2008_NBC_National_Heads-Up_Poker_Championship_trophy It’s everyone’s favorite time of year. No, not Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s.

NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship is returning back to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas March 4-7 for what will be the sixth season of their poker who’s who all-star extravaganza happy, happy fun hour of lazy afternoon television. A total of 64 players will be competing in the single-elimination bracket tournament and their share of $1,500,000. The final two will then move on to compete in a two-out-of-three match, vying for the top prize of $500,000 and bragging rights amidst some of the best names in the game.

Pro Huckleberry Seed was last year’s winner, becoming the only player to cash in all five season’s of the show’s existence. Previous winners include Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Phil “I’m A Douche” Hellmuth, Ted “Two Rs” Forrest, and Paul “I Have Nothing Witty To Say About Him” Wasicka.

The event will be hosted by the legs and chest of Leeann Tweeden, followed alongside the unwitty banalities of announcers Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad, as they drive the play-by-play commentating straight into an underpass support beam. GoDaddy.com will be sponsoring the car crash, staining the event’s prestige with its legacy of horrible Super Bowl commercials and misrepresentation of the male demographic.

The taping will be cut down to six episodes to run on consecutive Sundays through the following dates and times:

Apr. 18: Noon to 1 p.m. ET
Apr. 25: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 2: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 9: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 16: Noon to 2 p.m. ET
May 23: Noon to 3 p.m. ET

Posted in General Posts | No Comments

Why Playing Tight makes the Game Easier

Posted by CarbonPoker on 17th February 2010

After spending 5 minutes learning poker strategy, you should already know that it’s really important to play fewer hands in poker. Playing fewer hands allows you to save a lot of money by not taking garbage past the flop, and it makes your decisions on later streets easier. Of course, there are many things to understand in regards to playing tight.

For one thing, your tight play needs to come before the flop….not after. The reason for this is because you will be making a pre-flop decision on every single hand. And if you’re frequently playing poor hands before the flop, you are going to be losing a ton of money. For instance, K-7 suited might seem like a good hand to play because there is an over card and a flush possibility.

However, this is in fact a terrible hand to play because a pair of kings with a 7 kicker isn’t going to win many hands while a pair of 7’s isn’t going to even be top pair after the flop. As far as the flush goes, you don’t want to be taking a hand to the flop just because it’s suited since this only adds a 2% chance of winning by the river.

Playing poor hands past the flop makes the game so much tougher because you’ll have no idea where you stand. Holding K-7 leaves you in the dark as to where you’ll stand after the flop whereas having A-K gives you a shot at the two top pairs in addition to straight potential. By raising with A-K, you can go into the flop with confidence. You’re not left guessing with something like A-K and your plays after the flop will be much easier. Just remember: good pre-flop hands make good post-flop hands.

Posted in Poker Strategy | No Comments

High Stakes Poker Two-Outs My Expectations

Posted by Ray Finkle on 16th February 2010

high-stakes-poker-logo Hellmuth gets felted, Ivey gets richer, more Europeans in one place than the World Cup—High Stakes Poker is back on the Game Show Network (GSN).

Sunday marked the return of the richest game in televised poker history, with a field Gabe Kaplan justifiably refers to as “the Breeder’s Cup Classic field…everybody a star.” He later announces that Phil Ivey and Tom “durrr” Dwan will be in every episode this season, serving as catalysts for what will conceivably be some of the largest pots ever made, outside of the one I picked up at the Asian flea market that one time.

Kaplan’s announcing is still witty, cynical, educated, and on point. I have always enjoyed his approach to humor and he does not disappoint in the Season 6 opener. That being said, there is a notable absence in the announcing booth, as Kaplan’s one man show seems lonely in the void of an actual co-host. This is probably the first time anyone has ever said this, but I miss A.J. Benza.

The Kara Scott component of the show, as talented, beautiful, and savvy as she may be, seems like it was just stapled on. While they dubbed her a “co-host”, her roll couldn’t be further from one, as she’s more or less just an underused auxiliary to the show’s identity. I think GSN’s decision to put some tail on the program (a la broadcasts with Leeann Tweeden or Shana Hiatt) and reinforce its standing as an equal opportunity employer stripped what worked so well about the previous format, and Benza along with it.

New circus sideshow segments like “Did You Know?”, where Daniel Negreanu gives us a history lesson of the Dead Man’s Hand, or “30 Seconds With Kara Scott”, where she asks people to describe Phil Hellmuth in 10 words or less, tarnish the show’s pacing and purpose. With the addition of the pointless aforementioned, High Stakes Poker is slowly becoming what is bad about all the other poker shows on television, as they dumb down the product with hopes of marketing it to a more mainstream audience.

Even the players were joking about the new mandatory interview Scott gets to do after a player loses all their chips. Pretending he’s in front of the camera, Gus Hansen says to Negreanu in mocking tone, “I love High Stakes Poker!” It’s really the poker equivalent of losing a sports championship, and then that senseless reporter says to the coach or star player of the losing team, “You just got within inches of reaching your life long dreams and aspirations and all your hard work almost paid off. How does it feel to lose?”

But at the end of the day, no matter how hard the show hits the fan, I’ll waste an hour of my life at a time watching people better than me at poker spending money I’ll never have from playing it.

Tagged as GSN, High Stakes Poker
Posted in General, General Posts, Pro Players | 1 Comment