Strip Poker on the Wii? Thanks, Japan!
Posted by Comb Over-Under on 25th September 2009

wii sexy pokerHey Gamers! If you’ve got 500 Wii Points laying around, you can pick up a little bit of (slightly creepy) poker action.

Wii’s “Sexy Poker” is a downloadable game that lets you play Texas Hold’em and Blackjack against a dealer in an attempt to de-clothe anime babes.

Yep. Use those motion censors remotes to hit, stand, bet … and then reap the benefits of a bikini-wearing animated character. The game features no nudity, which is a good thing for me, bad thing for weirdoes.

I’ve never been much for poker video games, or animated nudity, so I’ll take a pass on Sexy Poker.

The game is rated 17+ and is banned in Australia. They may piss on video poker machines, but those Aussies are gamer-prudes!

If anyone has played this, hit up the comments and let me know. My Wii is strictly for bowling, so I’m not going to find out about this game first hand.

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Made-For-TV Caesars Cup Makes for Great TV
Posted by BungalowOfCards on 24th September 2009

Caesars CupOn Friday morning pros attending the World Series of Poker Europe will wake up and rip the wrapping off a brand-new event in the poker world, the Caesars Cup.

The Caesars Cup is essentially a carbon copy of the PGA’s Ryder Cup, which has successfully attracted a substantial fanbase to golf’s fifty billionth event of the year. Young, popular pros have been conscripted to 8-player teams captained by Annette Obrestad (Europeans) and Daniel Negreanu (Americas).

The awkwardly-named teams will play through a variety of different permutations of doubles No-Limit Hold’em, with a bit of heads up thrown into the mix to guarantee lively action.  The format is—not unlike the Ryder Cup—somewhat hard to grasp at first, but the appeal is simple: it’s us vs them (you decide which team “us” is for you).

Here’s why I love the idea: poker, like golf, tennis, and other individual sports, is limited to the extent to which it can tell a compelling story by the success of the major names that are playing in that particular event.  In other words, a classic case of the No Tiger Woods, No Interest Syndrome.  Just ask any of the qualifiers for the final table at the Borgata Poker Open (you’ll need to look them up), also going on this week.

By assembling teams made up of well-known pros around inclusive international labels, the event cashes in on fans who have been trained on years of cheering for their favorite sports team, and who will love to see the players work together to win bragging rights, and play entertaining poker.  And if the first Ryder Cup was any indication, they’ll be playing hard.

In case you’re interested, the players involved include heavy hitters Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harmer, Doyle Brunson (Americas), Peter Eastgate, Patrick Antonius, and Dario Minieri (Europeans).

ESPN will be broadcasting all the action as part of their World Series of Poker Europe coverage.  Be sure to tune in to watch history unfold, and because you know you want to.

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Hellmuth to Coach Jeff Shulman Before the November Nine
Posted by Comb Over-Under on 23rd September 2009

ShulmanAlthough Phil Hellmuth isn’t a member of the final table of the WSOP Main Event in November, he’s going to have a protégé hitting the felts.

Jeff Shulman, currently 4th with 19,580,000 chips, has enlisted the poker brat as a coach for the upcoming final table action. No matter what you think of Hellmuth’s antics, he’s obviously an accomplished player. With 75 in-the-money finishes through the years at WSOP events, Hellmuth also has 11 bracelets. That’s good for #1 in the industry.

Shulman thinks they have similar playing styles, and thinks he could use some pointers in short-handed play without drastically changing anything.

Don’t expect him to be a loud mouth, though. Shulman is usually a quiet player with little to say on the tables. Shulman finished in 7th place in 2000 and looks to do better than that this year. This is the 4th time he’s played at WSOP final table.

Do you think this will payoff for Shulman? If you’ve made it to the final table, you’ve got to be doing something correctly.

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This Just In: Poker is Super Duper
Posted by BungalowOfCards on 23rd September 2009

Let’s just take a second to celebrate what makes poker great.  A reminder of why we love this game.

In the midst of all the news we hear and read about flashy international tournaments, sometimes-hot sometimes-not television coverage, and the drama of celebrity players deciding which hat to wear to a particular event, it can easy to forget the appeal of poker itself.

So let’s celebrate what we love about the core of it all: simple card games made infinitely complex by the nuances of the human beings playing them.  From the rush of that rocket-ship-taking-off-inside-you feeling of catching a huge river, to the doubt of never knowing what your opponent has, to the dry heave sensation that comes with getting caught on a bluff, the physical and emotional thrill of poker is what keeps us coming back.  Right?

Check out the video below for an example of poker at its best.  Two players at the top of their game playing beyond the cards–ignoring what the strategy books would say, leaving statistics behind, and bluffing like a former president–indeed, playing off each other.  This is what it’s all about, right?  Go get ‘em Phil Ivey.  Thanks for the reminder.

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At Long Last Poker to be Televised 24/7
Posted by BungalowOfCards on 21st September 2009

canadian-poker-tourLate last week it was announced that HeadsUp Entertainment will be launching a new web-based television station that will air entirely poker-related content 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Whew, finally.  If it weren’t for this exciting development in the poker industry the public would be left to scrounge through the seemingly infinite amount of poker content already on television.

Sarcasm aside, this new network does have a lot of potential, particularly in Canada, where the project will be launched (spokespeople suggest it will eventually launch internationally).  The network will air all-things poker: from movies, to coverage of tournaments in Canada, to biographies of Canadian players (hint: ice cold nerves).

Here’s hoping HeadsUp hits the jackpot with this new entry into the world of poker media.

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Kelly’s Comeback at WSOP Europe Makes Newcomer Dunlop Flush
Posted by BungalowOfCards on 21st September 2009

JP KellyYou can’t blame Fabien Dunlop for getting a little overzealous.

Having come out of relative obscurity to play to the Main Event Final Table of the World Series of Poker Europe, Dunlop was looking great going into the heads-up showdown, holding nearly a 3-1 advantage over his savvy competition, J.P. Kelly.

Presumably sweating bullets composed entirely of smaller sweat bullets, Dunlop was caught with a weak kicker early in the heads up play, allowing Kelly to suddenly double up and establish parity between the two players.

Dunlop and Kelly exchanged blows for a while, with the final major exchange coming in a nightmare scenario for Dunlop, as his suited J-2 of diamonds were thoroughly dominated by Kelly’s K-8 of the same suit.  When diamonds came on the flop the dream was truly dead, and only moments later Kelly was trying on jewelry.

Kudos to Dunlop for an impressive run—passing players like Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who bowed out at 15th—and even more impressive £84,512 win, but especially to Kelly who has now won a WSOP bracelet on both sides of the Atlantic this year, after winning in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament in Las Vegas this year.

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Wii Poker makes Game More Realistic
Posted by CarbonPoker on 21st September 2009

Big Slick_1Ever since its launch in 2006, the Nintendo Wii has been a pioneer in motion-detecting video game technology.  With titles like Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Grand Slam Tennis, and Punch Out, the Wii has been able to make sports and other games feel more lifelike.  And just recently, the Wii has brought its usage of motion sensor technology into the poker world with the release of Wii Poker.

This new game, which was developed by WiiWare, allows gamers to play Texas Hold’em against players from around the globe through their television set.  Perhaps even more impressive than this though is the fact that people can use a variety of controls and features to enhance their poker gaming experience with Wii Poker.

To start with, people can customize a character (called a Mii) to look just like themselves.  This means one can change facial features, hair color, eyes, etc. and add accessories to give the Mii a desired look.  If a person doesn’t want to go through this hassle though, they can just use the default characters as well.

Another thing which is cool with the game is that a person can roll over their view of the table simply by using the Wii Remote to do so.  And depending upon which location you select to play your games in, you’ll get to see different backgrounds while panning the table.  Las Vegas, Monaco, and New York are just some of the locations you’ll get to see when playing Wii Poker.

There is also a tutorial in this game which will give you professional advice that will help you make plays.  Strategy on everything from playing draws to bluffing is offered through the tutorial feature which is a nice feature.

Sure Wii Poker doesn’t replace the thrill of playing for real cash in an online poker room, but it is definitely a big leap in poker video game technology.

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Durrrr Off the List for 2009 Hall of Fame
Posted by Comb Over-Under on 18th September 2009

durrrrEarlier today, we looked at the potential inductees into the 2009 class of the Poker Hall of Fame. Here’s a poker notable that is not on that list.

Tom Dwan didn’t make the cut for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductions.

Apparently durrr was in the 10-man preliminary list, but has been omitted from the voting selection pool. After some more consideration, I think this is a little odd. Singling out durrrr is strange, because he probably wouldn’t have gotten the 75% of votes needed anyways because he hasn’t stood the test of time portion of the Hall’s criteria.

Equally interesting is the fact that he’s on the list to begin with. It really speaks to poker’s accessibility. If you can be in the conversation of Hall of Fame after some intense time in the spotlight (coming out of almost nowhere), it’s far from inconceivable for anyone to step up to that kind of level.

Truth be told, I like watching Dwan check-raise with 3-5 off suit into a $135,000 pot as much as the next guy, but does that equate Hall of Fame this early in his career? Well, as those involved have spoken, no.

Will Dwan eventually get into the Hall of Fame? Probably, yes. How’s that for a bold statement?

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And Now, a Poker Babe – Happy Friday
Posted by Comb Over-Under on 18th September 2009

Tina_2Since it’s Friday, here is a look back at CarbonPoker’s player host, and Queen of Hearts, Tina. She’s been our rep at numerous live events, parties and tournaments. She’s also been in UK Maxim. If you’re interested, here’s the CarbonPoker Gallery of Tina Photos.

This is poker related, right?

If you’re already reading a blog, I suggest opening up you CarbonPoker account and playing a SitNGo or Ring Game. Why? Because it’s a Friday and you deserve it. Think about it, you could be MAKING MONEY AT WORK!

What I like to do is keep a spread sheet open in case someone walks by… well, actually I work on a poker site, so I think I’ll be safe… But that’s what I used to do.

Anyways, stay tuned for this weekend’s tournaments, announcements and much more at the CarbonBlog.

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ESPN’S Inside Deal Promotes Vital Poker Skill: Patience
Posted by BungalowOfCards on 17th September 2009

espnComedy can come from some unexpected places. From news sites, to radio, to straight up advertisements, there are a lot of people trying to keep us laughing so they can keep us listening.

ESPN’s Inside Deal obviously wanted a piece of the comedy pie, but has thus far been coming away hungry.  Before the show ramps into its usual combination of poker news, interviews, and profiles, the producers have deemed it wise to start each episode with a skit starring hosts Laura Lane and Bernard Lee along with the week’s guest.

The skits they attempt are roughly as funny as a piece of lined paper.  A piece of lined paper with unfunny things written on it.  That said, the bits have some entertaining elements, like the charming aren’t-you-glad-you-don’t-work-in-these-cubicles set, and the chipper way Lane and Lee throw themselves into punch lines like “saweet!” (BAZING!)

Great work, guys.  At least your openers remind us why we’ve been watching Inside Deal: to pick up whatever poker tips we can…like patience.

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