Celski recently told AudreyMagazine.com that he is a “serious poker player“.  There is not a lot of detail about any of the events he has played in, or if he is strictly a home game or online player, but to call yourself a “serious” player must mean he plays qutie a bit.  Celski will be attending University of California at Berkley after the olympics where I am sure he will find some juicy cash games.

After the summer olympic games there was a lot of talk about Michael Phelps’ poker connection and he was even spotted playing some touraments at Caesars.

Some other atheletes that are known to be poker enthusiats at the 2010 Olympics are:

Hannah Teter (Snowboarding)
Nate Holland (Snowboarding)
Ben Agosto (Ice Dancing)
Evan Lysacek (Figure Skating)

Here is a picture of Celski doing what he does best:

Pre-flop

Playing your JJ pre-flop isn’t that difficult because what you have to do is generally clear. The problems typically occurs post flop. The first thing that will influence how you play your middle pair is your table position. When you’re in early positions, you want to raise at least 3 times the big blinds. This accomplishes a few things. The first thing you’ll say happening when an early position player raises is that many opponents will fold their hand, and this is exactly what you want. It’s easier to win against fewer opponents.

When you’re in middle position, how to play your hand can be trickier but it usually involves a raise. If no one raised before you and most folded, then betting 3 times the big blind or more is a good play. If someone raised and everyone else folded, you can call. If someone raised, and other players called the raise, you have a difficult decision to make. If you call, then it’s likely that a big pot will grow and since there’s a bunch of players acting after you. It is not uncommon to see someone going all in under those conditions. If that happens, then what do you do? Risk it all, or give up the hand? It’s not a great position to be in with middle pair. A risky but often effective play is to be the one to raise the bar. Reraise instead of calling and make it expensive IF you can afford too. Don’t loose your shirt over it. Even experienced players will fold good starting hands after seeing a raise followed by a reraise because it usually indicates someone has a high pair.

When you have options but are unsure what to do, always consider the table image and chip stacks of the opponents that will go after you. Are you facing tight players that will likely fold or call a raise/re-raise or are you facing a reckless aggressive player with a large chip stack? Sometimes, when you have no clue what to do, or when the price of playing poker is just too high for the risks, you can always play it safe and fold your hand. There will be more.

In late position, it’s easier to play because everyone else acted before you. The safe play is to close the bet when you’re in a position to do so. That means you are the last player to act and you call, making sure no one else can raise after you. You’ll get to see the flop and then play another betting round. Another option is to raise, but because you are in late position opponents might think you’re making a move and aggressive players could be tempted to put you all in. The safe play is to call. You will rarely fold in this position because the by the time your turn comes up, the pot is usually interesting. You should consider folding in cases when you see a raise and a reraise before you for reasons I indicated earlier.

Post-flop

After the flop, you either hit or missed. Depending on that result, your goal is to thin the competition, or to set a trap, or to minimize your losses. The first thing you want to consider is the flop. Are your JJ top pair? In other word, are the flop cards 10 or less? If so, you might consider trapping (and assume all the risks that go with this play). But only trap when you’re facing one or two opponents. Any thing more is too much of a risk and you need to bet a significant amount, perhaps half the pot, to encourage players to fold.

If you missed the flop and high cards than your middle pair come up, then you have to analyze the last betting round to get a sense of what your opponents may hold. For instance, let’s say there’s an A and a K on the flop, and you are facing three opponents. How did they play last time? Did all three initially called a minimum bet, then you raised, then they reluctantly called your raise? That could indicate that they don’t have a high card. Maybe they have a small pair, or suited connectors for instance. But if player one raised, then the other two immediately call and you called as well, that is a sign that someone probably has a high card. Consider the number of opponents and how they played the last betting round. When you figure they likely hit the flop, don’t spend more money on it. Check it, or fold it if you have to call a bet. When you have no clue where you stand, a feeler bet can provide information but you might also be throwing money away. It’s really a decision of “can you afford to gamble”, meaning do you have the chips to spare.

Let’s say you did hit the flop and made three of a kind, that’s a great position to be in, but consider the flop. Is there a straight or flush potential? If so, you’d better try to take down the pot right away with a large bet. If not, you can act weak and trap. Let someone else make a bet, and depending on how many players are left, call or reraise. Don’t be afraid to go all in at this point, but be careful about letting opponents catch cheap cards. Again, the table image of your opponent should guide your actions. Let aggressive players bet into you.

On subsequent betting rounds, the same concepts apply. If there’s still a 3 or 4 players involved in the hand by the third betting round because they all called a bet, then you know they either hit something or had the right pot odds to chase a card. Take the time to consider what potential hands these players may have, or may be looking to get, and put them under pressure with a large bet when you conclude you have them beat.

The twelve hour event, held at Manchester’s G Casino, culminated in an exciting heads-up duel between Bryan and Daniel “dantb10″ Brown; a member of Team Sky Poker at the World Series of Poker earlier this year. The advantage swung between both players, with Bryan, who had started the final table with the smallest chip count, being roared on by friends and family. The decisive hand saw Bryan dealt pocket nines, which hit a set on the flop to seal victory over Brown.

“No-one was more surprised than me to pick up that trophy,” said Bryan. “This was my first live win, my first live final table and for it to be in my hometown made it all the more special. From being down to 7000 chips to piping ‘Vegas’ Dan heads up was a completely surreal experience!”

In a repeat of the 2008/09 Sky Poker Tour, the first leg of the 2009/10 tour was played in a fun, friendly and enjoyable atmosphere. “The Sky Poker community is as much about friendship and enjoyment as it is about simply playing the game and that is something pretty special and should be cherished by us all whatever your level of ability,” Bryan continued.

Saturday’s final table also included Mike “Maggiesdad” Quinlan, who represented Sky Poker in the 2008 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Top ranked professional snooker player Ryan Day and, playing in his first ever live event, Craig “OnlyOneCT” Tranter, also made the final table. The top three finishers also received automatic qualification into the grand final of the Sky Poker Tour, which will be held at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham on the 11th and 12th September 2010.

Other celebrities to play in Saturday’s tournament included snooker’s Dennis Taylor and Stephen Maguire as well as former England and Arsenal footballer, Kenny Sansom.

The final payout list for the first leg of the Sky Poker Tour is:

1st David “David36″ Bryan             £4,000
2nd Daniel “dantb10″ Brown           £2,600
3rd Kevin”AdAmi10″ Gandon          £1,800
4th Mike”maggiesdad” Quinlan        £1,350
5th Craig “OnlyOneCT” Tranter       £1,050
6th Ryan Day                              £900
7th Gordon “Dollie” Parton             £750
8th David “Jaegerbomb” Pilling       £600
9th Stephen Nelson                      £450

The next leg of the Sky Poker Tour will be held in Newcastle on Saturday 9th January 2010. For more details of this tournament, other dates in the tour and how to qualify for a seat please visit www.skypoker.com.

To receive your free bankroll simply go to sky poker and create a new account.  During the account creation process when you see the box to enter a promotional code, enter the code: POKER150.

Furthermore, if you do decide to make a deposit to your account, you will also receive the usual £500 New Player Welcome Bonus.  All you need to do is deposit a minimum of £10 and you will receive up to £500 in bonus money.

So what are you waiting for!  Go get your free money now by clicking the banner below:

Action 24/7

The number one reason why online poker is better live poker is because there’s always a game to be found. Sure, some times of day are busier than others- such as evenings and weekends. But it doesn’t matter what time of day, there’s people playing poker online 24/7. Possibly the most annoying aspect of live poker is waiting around for a game to start. Of course this is assuming they even have enough people wanting to play poker. While with online poker, you might not be able to always jump straight into the game of your choice, there’s never much waiting around.

Comfort of Home

Not only are there an abundance of poker games waiting for you, you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home. There are no travel costs, no worries about how you’re going to get home, or getting stuck in traffic. There’s no need to bother getting dressed up either. Heck, you can even play poker naked if you like. Doing this at a live poker game would get you locked up. Let’s not forget, you also save money on food and drink, as the fridge is never far away when you’re playing online poker.

Online Poker is Cheaper

Online poker doesn’t just save you money on travel, food and drink. The poker itself is also much cheaper, which is particularly beneficial if you’re just starting out learning how to play poker, and don’t want to spend too much. If you go to a casino or card room you might find many cash games below $1/$2. The rake at live poker venues is also much higher than at online poker sites. Plus if you win a hand playing poker online there’s no obligation to tip the dealer – you can’t anyway!

Play More Poker Hands

The most noticeable difference between online poker and live poker is the hands per hour ratio. When you play poker online there’s no waiting around for the dealer to shuffle the cards, potential miss-deals, working out the pot, and the players are generally much quicker to act – to name just a few things. You get to see so many more hands per hour playing online poker, which means more opportunities, more decisions, and less boredom.

Multi-Tabling

Many online poker players like to play on multiple tables at the same time. Just playing one table at a time means you get to see more hands per hour than in live poker, but if you’re playing on multiple tables then obviously this becomes an even bigger factor. Playing multiple tables also reduces the variance, and you can play at much lower limits – thereby spreading the risk. If you are playing poker in a live venue, let’s say a $1/$2 NL game, you’d probably want to sit down with about $200 – which is at risk on any given hand. You could spread this same $200 across multiple tables, at lower stakes, when you play online.

Tracking Your Game

It’s always nice to know if you’re winning, losing, or breaking even at poker. Sure, you can keep notes on how much you’re spending when you play live poker. I used to keep a spreadsheet to track my income and expenses from live poker games. But sometimes it’s easy to forget how much was spent, particularly with re-buy events. Of course, this is just basic tracking. When you play poker online you can get instant hand histories, and access to a huge wealth of data. It goes far beyond just saying if you’re a profitable player or not. You can find leaks in your game and plug the holes. By analysing your play you can improve your skills as a poker player.

Bonuses and Promotions

Online poker is a fiercely competitive industry, and with so many poker sites looking to attract customers, there are a multitude of bonuses and promotions on offer. Casinos like to offer promotions to their patrons, but when it comes to poker they care much less. Poker rooms don’t make much money for casinos, so they don’t really bother trying too hard. However online poker sites are only too eager to offer bonuses and promotions, be it 100% signup bonuses for new poker players, or re-load bonuses for existing players. They really want you to play poker at their site, which is something you can and should take advantage of.

Conclusion

I think the advantages of online poker that have been outlined so far, are fairly comprehensive. Of course playing poker in a live environment has its advantages too – such as the social interaction, and being able to see players’ reactions. The purpose of this article is not to knock live poker, but to give valid reasons for why online poker is superior in so many ways. It’s fair to say this has been achieved. Good luck at the tables!

 

You must also keep in mind, that if you do hit your 4 flush with 9-2, A) you still have to pay to see 2 more cards (and if you’re paying for the turn, you should pay for the river as well, you’ve come this far!) and B) you’re getting your money in with players who may have a much HIGHER flush draw than you do.  It’s very similar to chasing the bottom end of the straight.  You may end up with a flush, but you may also put all your money in with a really weak hand.  It’s no good walking away from a poker table broke, kicking yourself for going all in with a 9 high flush.

He called a preflop re-raise with jack-three? “But it was sooooooted!”  STAY AWAY!!

Okay, maybe that’s a bit much, but I’m not really sure why it’s a huge deal?  When women make up a whopping 3% of the field, outlining how women do at a tourney like this is fairly silly in my mind.  It’s like breaking it down by race, orcountry or any other arbitrary measure.  And I’ve never seen “last Italian eliminated from WSOP today! And just to round out my news articles, the biggest cash an Italian has ever made at the WSOP Is 140,333 in 2003″.   It’s an archaic thing to write about. 

There are some amazing female poker players out there, and here is a list of female WSOP bracelet winners over the years….

Donna Ward was a World Series of Poker champion in the 1991 $500 Ladies – Limit 7 Card Stud
Jennifer Tilly won a World Series of Poker bracelet (and $158,625) in the Ladies’ No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em event,
Linda Ryke-Drucker was a World Series of Poker champion in the 1987 $500 Ladies – Limit 7 Card Stud.
Maria Stern won the 1997 World Series of Poker $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event
Phyllis Kessler was a World Series of Poker champion in the 2003 $1,000 Ladies – Hold’em and Limit 7 Card Stud.
Rose Pifer was a World Series of Poker champion in the 1985 $500 Ladies – Limit 7 Card Stud.
Christina Pie was a World Series of Poker champion in the 1999 $1,000 Ladies – Limit 7 Card Stud.

Annette Obrestad (born September 18, 1988) is a Norwegian poker player. Obrestad is the youngest person to ever win a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and in 2007 was considered to be one of the best online multi-table tournament players in the world. ^[1]..

Linda Johnson World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 1997 in the $1,500 seven-card razz event.
Susan J. Isaacs finished tenth in the $10,000 no limit hold’em main event in 1998. (and won back to back bracelets for the ladies 7 card stud events)
Jennifer C. Harman

won the $5,000 Limit Hold’em

in 2002

Annie Duke won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event and was the winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, where she earned the Winner-Take-All prize of $2,000,000



So there you have it…some great female poker players…i think that list speaks for itself!

The first tip is this:  Never chase the bottom of a straight!

If you’re sitting on 4/5 (suited or not) and happen to see a flop of 6/7/8, you may get REALLY excited.  Flopping a straight usually means you’re changing your game from trying to make a hand, to convincing that table you’re drawing so you can extract as much money from them as possible.  In this situation, you’ve flopped the ASS end of the straight, and you should play it extremely aggressively (or very carefully).  If someone plays back at you (ie/ you bet the pot and get re-raised all in) you’re likely looking at the guy who was holding 9/10 and flopped the NUT straight.  If you call, you will be upset with yourself (and maybe even that dude who just took all your money).

Think your play through and make sure you’re not playing to conservatively…but dont get all your money in when there is a good chance someone is waiting for you to do exactly that.

The World Series is underway, and already the players who are left are guaranteed at least $36,626, while the top prize of $8.55 million will be awarded at the final table in November.

“We’re playing for one of the biggest prizes in history and they’re getting … five hundred million blinds in there with second pair,” Hachem said. “To me, the reason I’m upset is because it’s disrespectful. We’re playing in the world series, we’re not just having fun at a local home game. These guys are pushing chips around like it’s nothing.”

Do these sentiments echo the feelings of most players or is this an outdated attitude in a game that is changing at a faster pace every day?  With online poker, players who are ultra aggressive are paid off, and if not they are able to load another table within seconds.  To these players its strictly about math and maximising their ability to make money.  It seems that older players are trying to hold on to the way it use to be, and are having difficulty adjusting their games to match the new age player.

To Hatchem’s credit he is one of only two former main event champions left in the tournament, along with last year’s winner Peter Eastgate, and so must at least be willing to adjust enough to stay competitive…

“Look, their style may be the way they play on the Internet and that’s what they’ve got to do because they can open up another tournament every 10 seconds,” Hachem said. “It’s fine, right, but you’re playing here, you got so much time, you got so much going for you and these guys just want to go to war every hand” he said.

Her Name is Tiffany Michelle.  She was the last woman standing during the 2008 WSOP, and came 17th overall.  She cashed over $330,000.  Not too shabby.  This is an exerp from an interview with her from Asylum Australlia. I just like it because she’s pretty hot for a poker player!

What’s cool about your job?
Playing poker is actually a stress reliever for me as well as a natural high. There is something calm and serene about sitting down at a poker table, tuning out the rest of the world and putting 100 percent of my focus on the game, the cards and the players.

It’s also an adrenaline rush to sneakily pull off a big bluff or to win a huge pot of chips and then scoop them all into my stack. Collecting a tangible reward for your work is very fulfilling.

What’s the weirdest thing that ever happened during a competition?
I encounter all kinds of people at the poker table. I primarily compete with guys, and there are a lot of strange personalities that come out of the woodwork. I’ve seen guys lose their mind over the most trivial things, get into fights, I’ve been cussed out, hit on and had to sit next to people who smell like they haven’t showered in a week!

Do your looks help you psyche out competitors?
I usually wear hats and hoodies and tend to play down my looks when I’m at the poker table. I never want someone to think that I’ve gotten where I have today or have the results that I do because of some special advantage as a hot chick. I want to be respected for being a great player, just as good as the guys. With that said, yes, I do notice that guys get a little nervous and unsure of themselves when I sit down at a table.

How do guys react when they find out what you do for a living?
Guys get so excited when I tell them what I do. They think it’s really sexy and badass, but I have to be prepared to be bombarded with a million questions. Inevitably they want to discuss every poker hand and experience they’ve ever had. They’re always curious about the money and ask how much is the most that I’ve made and if I’ve played with such-and-such famous poker player. Then, of course, they invite me to come play with them.

Me Personally? I like her wearing the hat better than no hat.  But i’m not sure if that has any effect on her poker game. 

If you’d like to learn more about Tiffany (like what tourney’s she’s playing in or events that she’s attending…) you can check out her website!