As evidenced in my previous article series Poker Struck by Tragedy, poker is still haunted by crime – shootings, robberies and vengeance cases are a reality in underground poker rooms, and home games. As much as police and the law enforcement authorities want to erase poker along with other gambling-related activities from our culture by focusing on the criminal acts behind them, the World Poker Association has made an important effort to clean poker’s reputation and players’ conduct with the creation of an Ethics Code, mandatory for every member of the association.

Even though poker still enjoys the dark, tough, mob-like imagery linked to smoky rooms, threatening-looking players and bold nicknames, the World Poker Association (WPA) has made an effort to reform mainstream poker, using its dark image as mere marketing strategy.

Since the need for better behavior among poker players has become a survival move for the poker community, an Ethics Code has been created for every member of the World Poker Association, which will help not only separate criminal players from serious ones, but also protect the reputation of poker in the future.

The code has 5 sections, each with more than three clauses which detail the principles true to a serious poker player.

Section I: General Provisions. This section contains 9 clauses, which in general terms commit players to: play poker with strict professionalism, respect each player’s poker hand and their autonomous decision on how to play it, respect the rules of each game players are involved with, treat everybody at the poker venue with courtesy, refrain from expressing any offensive language or gestures, and show consideration toward any people with disabilities at the venues.

Section II: Relationships among Players. The section emphasizes on the respect players must show one another, the avoidance of any bullying at the tables or any visible judgments towards player’s ethnicity, cultural differences, and hand privacy.

Section III: Relationships between Players and Dealers. This section details the rules of conduct concerning dealers, in which players must agree to be completely professional and respectful towards the requests and demands of dealers and when asking dealers about any decision they may make; players should also refrain from any offensive language or gesturing towards dealers. In addition, this section commands dealers to treat players equally and respectfully and to apply rules consistently throughout the game, as well as to avoid any type of controversy among players and to report any inappropriate conduct at the table to a supervisor.

Section IV: Player-Management Relationship. This section talks about the importance to maintain a respectful attitude towards the casino or tournament management, keeping a civil demeanor in case of a disagreement or incident. Players are also expected to refrain from any offensive slurs or comments against any of the management personnel and to report formally any incidents to the tournament director.

Section V: External Relationships. This section urges players to make an effort for restoring the good name and reputation of the poker community, using professionalism and respect as main assets for obtaining the respect of the outside world.

To read the complete WPA Ethics Code, please visit

pokertournamentwatch.com/live-poker-tournaments/playing-poker-ethically.htm

As much as the WPA wants all their players to behave like honorable citizens while playing poker, one can only wonder how that is going to eliminate the bad habits of online and underground poker. Are WPA members going to honor the ethics code while playing online or vent frustrations that cannot be expressed in public games? Are WPA members going to respect the code when they play at home or at underground venues? And is this code going to make a real difference in how the world views poker if only WPA members stick to the rules but the remaining amateur players continue to give poker a bad name?

From a realistic point of view, there are countless articles and books stressing on the importance of behaving ethically at the table, not only for maintaining good energy flow throughout a game but also to do better in your game and aim to win more money. The phrase “you can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar” could not be truer in this case. However, there are also many articles accounting how players still refuse to apply the basic rules of poker etiquette and continue to annoy fellow players and viewers at the table; an obvious example: Phil Helmuth. Phil has said many times people love to see his brat side when playing, and his sponsors have made sure he always pleases the audience with a classic tantrum. Since being a big baby is Hellmuth’s signature behaviour… how is his image going to adjust to the new mandatory WPA rules? We can’t help but put the code to the test and see how much it benefits everybody in poker.

Doyle Brunson is one of the lead players in the professional poker circuit; this man has achieved new heights in the world of poker. Dole Brunson is also known as the “Texas Dolly” to his fellow players and competitors.

He is one of the brightest stars shining in the sky of the poker industries and he has been voted amongst the most sought after poker player by the famous “BLUFF” magazine. To become one of the top notch professional poker players one needs to have a high level of skill and a huge stamina above al the person needs to have a passion for the game; Doyle Brunson has all of these attributes.

His skill is unparalleled and his trophies speak for themselves, he is among the four players who have won the World Series Poker for four consecutive years. He has also won ten bracelets form the World Series of Poker and is a force to reckon with in the poker table. He had an early start in this game of poker and he had to struggle through a lot of hardships but finally he came through all of this.

At that time poker was not legal so he had to wait for a break through. His first break came when his book called the Super system came out of print; this book is still considered to be one of the books that outline the core principles of poker.

This man has mastered all the variants of the game of poker and is the uncrowned king of the game.

David Williams on the other hand is one of those few poker players who have attained international fame at a very early age. Most of the times it is seen that fame glory and most importantly money comes after a lot of hardships in this game of poker but miraculously enough it has come with a lot of ease to this enigmatic player.

David Williams has started his career as a poker player in the year 1997 but in spite of his small amount of experience compared to the other stalwarts in the field, he has achieved more than most of the veteran players in this field. He is the puzzle boy of the poker circuit; he has amazing skills and enthralls the opponents by his aggressive dressing pattern.

This man has been raised by his single mother and has a sister who is eight years younger to him. He became self sufficient from a very early age as he had to do most of his things on his own since his mother was a flight attendant. As s student he excelled in mathematics and logic and he uses his gift of mathematics effectively in his game.

He won his first World Series Poker bracelet in the year 2006 and he is currently one of the biggest money earning poker players. In the year 2004 alone he has won prize money worth $3 million.

Both of these players are stalwarts in their fields and are very well known and revered among their fellow player.

10 years ago, Poker in Asia was a virtually unknown commodity and you couldn’t pick out a poker player from a crowd. Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t play the game, or at the very least, doesn’t know how it works.

While it was popular across America — specifically in California — and some parts of Europe, poker remained in the dark among Asian countries. For a long time, land-based companies have expressed interest in pursuing the Asian market but have been largely unsuccessful in part because most of these countries – with the exception of Macau – banned any form of gambling. As a result, poker remained a Western game, completely detached from the East.

10 years later and it’s a different story altogether.

It’s no secret that poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented surge with the introduction of online poker. Not only that but broadcasts of the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour introduced the game to millions of casual viewers.

But most importantly, poker’s introduction to Asia happened because the countries slowly began to open its collective arms to land-based and on-line gambling.

The allure of Asia as a poker crazy region comes as no surprise considering almost half of the world’s population can be found there. China and India alone comprise almost 2.5 billion people when combined and that’s not even counting Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines — densely populated countries in their own right. With all these people starting to get familiarized with the game and the attraction that comes with it, it was only a matter of time before poker games and poker tournaments exploded in the region.

And now, to say that Texas Hold ‘Em, unquestionably the most popular type of poker, is being played everywhere is a vast understatement. Poker rooms are sprouting like full-blown seeds all over Asia. Macau, a baccarat-dominated country, is slowly beginning to experience the thrill that is poker. In recent years, it has hosted numerous poker tournaments including the Asian Poker Tour Macau 2008. Incidentally, the APT now has its very own poker room at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino.

Even in the Philippines, poker is growing faster than you can say, “All-In!” The country has hosted its fair share of tournaments not the least of which is the Asian Poker Tour. As a matter of fact, the success of last year’s APT tournament – which drew well over 316 poker players from all over the world – has resulted in the APT holding another tournament to kick off its 2009 season. The Asian Poker Tour Philippines 2009 will be held from January 27 to February 1, 2009 at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel and it is widely expected that some of the best poker players from around the world will participate in the event.

Asian poker players have also become instrumental in the propagation of poker in Asia. Some of the best poker players in the world, including Johnny Chan, Men “The Master” Nguyen, JC Tran, Nam Le, Steve Sung, Quinn Do, David Rheem and Kwang Soo Lee all trace their roots in Asia and their impact in the world poker scene hasn’t gone unnoticed.

With the meteoric rise of poker in Asia, it only seems inevitable that more and more of the future top players of poker will come from the region. It’s a testament to a game that only ten years ago was not even an afterthought. From the darkness of obscurity, poker has risen to become one of the most popular games in Asia.

With the way things are going, it’s a safe bet that poker is far from reaching its peak popularity and that’s good news, not only for Asia, but for the entire world.

Description: Find out the truth about Poker Chip Sets and see if they are right for you at this time. Please read our unbiased review of Poker Chip Sets.

If you are looking for a fine poker chip set then you should consider the 750 Edgespot Nexgen to match your poker needs. There are many benefits to the set including the one of the finest quality cases you will find that includes the chips.

The poker chips that come with this poker chip set are 12 grams. They are Vegas style chips and 39 mm diameter. These chips are the same size and weight of casino chips and hard to tell the difference of the chips you find in a casino.

These poker chips in the Nexgen poker chip set come from the 8200 series that are manufactured through a patented process giving them a soft feel of the same clay surface you find in the casinos.

This is what makes these chips the most authentic poker chips available for purchase on the market today for home play. This same manufacturing process allows multi-colored edge spots just like the chips in casinos. These chips have the same sound and color of the casino chips too. The labels on these poker chips are one inch in diameter also.

The poker chip case for the Nexgen poker chip set is made with dark wood and it has the look and feel of total class. This is one of the finest poker chip cases you can find for your home gaming needs and the perfect way to organize your poker chips. The wood is stained with a dark wood stain. The wood is solid and sturdy with ½ inch think pieces of wood. The finish on the wood is polished with a high quality lacquer which makes it shine.

There is a tray inside this poker chip set that gives you two levels of poker chips. The bottom layer of this set holds poker chips, a dealer button, and your playing cards. The wood on the inside of the box is just as fine as the outside of the box. You will also enjoy the black felt that lines the sides and the bottom of this box that provide protection against scratching your chips.

The latches and the hardware on this case are solid brass adding to the class of the box. There is also a brass lock that allows you to lock your poker chip set with a key so your set is secured. This will keep the kids out of your poker chips and ensure you never lose any of the pieces.

There is nothing more frustrating then when the guys come over for poker night and you are searching around your house for missing chips and cards because the kids got into them. The top rack of this poker chip set holds over 400 poker chips.

The Nexgen poker chip set is the finest set you can purchase for your poker needs. The case is classy and can be locked to ensure you don’t lose any of your game materials. If you are looking for a classy way to organize your poker chips and cards then you should consider this set as the solution.

When it comes to internet poker rooms with superb distinction and highest ratings among other top online poker houses, only one name will come out automatically- it is the Doyle’s room. This has become very popular among poker aficionados because of its unique features such as practical functionality, and very user-friendly buttons that will facilitate every game with so much ease. The software that this site uses allow even 5 tables playing, which is the maximum, all at the same time without fearing that the site platform will lag off. The players can access and see all the statistics in an instant and they can also adjust the size of the table on which they are playing.

Doyle’s room is one of the most prominent internet poker rooms that offer large variety of poker games such as 7-card stud, Texas hold em, Omaha Hi and Hi Lo, 5-card stud which can be played in different deviations such as fixed limit, no limit, and pot-limit. Also, this particular site offers different promotions and bounty tournaments where in the poker players will have the chance to beat the owner of the site – Doyle Brunson, his son, Todd Brunson and other professional poker players. The site offer astonishing promotions packages such as a deposit bonus that ranges from $110 to $550, a Vegas Poker Fantasy and be ready to engross yourself in weeks of astounding uninterrupted poker games.

In the bounty tournaments, when a player beats Doyle Brunson or any of his cronies, the player will win as much as $25,000. Another good thing about Doyle’s room is that you will get $50 for a single person that you refer to them. The site is buzzing with more than 20,000 players that are playing during the peak hours, so you can be sure that you will never run out of players that you can play against especially if you are really so fired-up. No matter which country you are located, you can customize its language button to suit your language preference and make the playing experience more fun and easy.

Party Poker is also one of the internet poker rooms that are amazingly famous even though they were banned from the US scene. This is said to be the top ruler of the entire poker rooms. With more than 70,000 players during peak hours, and with thousands of table readily available for any players who wish to play, you can be sure that you will never have to wait to be seated in the table. This internet poker room offers millions of payout on their Party poker million games which is one of the most famous games of the online poker room. Poker party has a very competitive loyalty program, a player recommendation system and many more.

Party poker has become one of the most famous internet poker rooms due to its cool and easy-to-navigate features that allow the player to choose any kind of deck colours. Deal making is the newest addition to its high-tech features that enable the players to go into an obligatory deal at the finishing table of the online poker tournament and then divide the prize money between them.

To win the pot in Texas Hold’em, the player must have the highest five-card combination at the end to collect the pot. At the start of every hand, each player is dealt two “hole” cards face down with the ability to use the cards in the middle known as community cards. The community cards are dealt face up enabling everyone at the table to see what their best possible five card hand is.

Three betting choices exist after the betting begins. Players can either fold, call or raise. If a player doesn’t like their hole cards, they fold. If the player decides to “call” then the size of the current bet required is matched. If the player opts to “raise”, then the size of the bet is increased.

Calling or raising is the only way to stay in the game. After everyone has the opportunity to bet or fold, the three community cards are dealt. This is called the “flop”. The first player to act may “check”, without wagering any more money and still be considered an active player in the game. The first player can also bet. Once a bet is initiated, all other players must fold, call, or raise to stay in the game, including those who have initially checked.

After betting has ceased, a fourth card, called the “turn” card is dealt and another round of betting ensues. The “river” is the final card dealt which gives players the opportunity for one last round of betting.

If there is a “showdown”, with two or more remaining players, all the hole cards are shown and the best hand wins. If a tie occurs the pot is split.

Generally, in playing poker, the players who have a good set of cards will bet while those who have don’t have are supposed to fold. But this is not the normal case for the players in poker. As its name shows, poker is a game full of deceit and a cunning player normally wins. There are times when you follow the rule, or there are others who attempt to make others feel that they have a good card when they actually do not.

But in playing this game where everyone tries to be cunning, it is important to know when to bet and when to fold. There are many poker betting strategies that can be used to deceive other players. It is only improved through practice and learning how to play and improve your game.

One of the best poker betting strategies is called blind-stealing. This happens when a dealer rises so that the blinds would fold. The steal-raise on the other hand is done when you are last to act, betting is made to limit the number of players.

But it is only done when the cards are good to avoid the others betting higher. The check-raise happens when you check your opponent, so that he may be tempted to bet, and you will then raise back. Moreover, the opener is done by bluffing the opponents by reverse steal-raise.

Lastly, squeezing is done in short-handed game when you have a good set of cards and you expect others to draw.

There are other poker betting strategies that can be used. You can find them in poker books or on online poker betting sites. It is only up to the player to analyze the cards and the other players who actually are doing the same.

In the end, it is only through practice and experience that you can increase your odds of winning poker, no amount of theory can help you in this regard.

Daniel Negreanu gives us a bit of strategy on holdem. Very good lesson for seasoned poker players

To play poker requires that you understand how to play this game. However you will need to know and understand what the official poker rules are too. By knowing these two main items you have a good chance of not getting into trouble during your poker game. When you look at the rules for poker you will notice that there are the unofficial rules and the official rules. The official rules are not that complicated to follow.

You will however need to make sure that you practice seeing how these rules come into play during a game by yourself. While this may seem to be boring you can grasp the official poker rules better if you see the various steps that are involved. Among the items that you will need to know is the terminology that is used for the hand rankings.

Additionally the different play calls and techniques that are legal will need to be learnt. You will find various books and documents that can be of help in this regard. You will need to choose a poker guide that will help you to advance in your poker game. The official poker rules will have various rules that are applicable for the majority of the poker rules.

Among the official poker rules are the ones regarding the rankings which are found for the different card hands. These cards hands all have different strengths and weaknesses to them. When you know what these strong hands to weak hand ranks are you will know the best cards to look for. Additionally as the terms for poker can differ from poker game variation to poker game you will need to understand how these terms apply during the game.

There are about seven different terms which are used in poker. These terms are ones that are known as hand tie, pot, play, ante, showdown, rake, and hand. You will also see that some of the poker games have different ways of betting and paying the wage money. The official poker rules for the betting are basically divided into four main rules. These rules are call, fold, raise and check. While these are the main betting official rules for poker there are a few others which you may want to look into.

These betting rules have the ability of affecting how the game is played. You will find that these official poker rules include terms like no limit, pot limit and limit. As you look at all of these official poker rules you will gain a better idea of how the various rules can affect the outcome of a game. As this is the way of poker it is best to see the best way to play the game while you work the rules over to being your ally.

The first episode of High Stakes Poker! Negreanu pushes the table to a pot of over one million – will he watch the others fold in his wake? Legendary players Doyle Brunson and Greenstein join Kid Poker in this series opener, personally i think this was the best season of High Stakes poker ever… all the excitment of a new type of TV poker game!