Warning: The following may be hazardous to what you now consider your free time.
James Woods tells TVGuide.com he didn't start playing poker "totally seriously" until "a year and a half ago - Aug. 1, exactly." His enthusiasm for chance and chips has led to his involvement (with his partner, TV poker commentator Vince Van Patten) in HollywoodPoker.com, which offers games for both real and play money.
The real-money games often feature celebrity participants. Tobey Maguire, Mimi Rogers and Mena Suvari are among the frequent - and, says Woods, better - celeb players. For those not ready to stare down over real dough, Woods and Van Patten are launching a second site, HollywoodPoker.net, specifically geared to the novice. "No one has ever taken advantage of the idea that a lot of people just never want to play for money," Woods declares. "They just want to learn, have a good time and be a part of the poker explosion without taking any kind of risk. We thought if we made a really viable, fun site, almost like a fan club, if you will, eventually our advertising and merchandising would pay for the site. It would be a valuable thing for everyone involved, a win-win situation."
In a first for the actor, Woods wrote, directed and stars with Van Patten in TV commercials for the websites, which hit the air this weekend. "The comedy angle I took in creating the spots," says Woods, "was that Vince and I - both of whom are very good players - think we're both so good, so fabulous, which is the running tag word of the spots.
"And, of course, everybody beats us - including, finally, a cat, who toys with, if you'll pardon the joke, the mouse next to the keyboard. We can't beat anybody. And that's the fun part of the whole idea: If you really learn to play poker well, you can pretty much beat anybody."
The good news is that the commercials are entertaining and funny. The bad news is that HollywoodPoker.com can be addictive, as attested to by many of the friendly opponents this reporter has met since getting sucked in the day after interviewing Woods (hence the warning above). However, I am up over $33,000 - in play money.
"Every year," says Woods, "we see guys who qualified in a $40 online tournament winning the World Series of Poker against the greatest players in the world. They play really well, they have some extraordinary luck and the combination is pretty enticing."
So poker really is anybody's game. Let the dreams begin.
Advertise on The Poker Web via Poker Media Group and reach your customers through our network of 50 poker related poker sites.
They keep on coming, new and interesting books about poker the game, the people who play it and for those who can't get enough new information. The two newest arrivals at Gambler's Book Shop are:
Aces and Kings by Michael Kaplan and Brad Reagan (281 pages, hardbound, $24.95) and
Poker as Life (101 Lessons From The World's Greatest Game) by Lee Schreiber (239 pages, hardbound, $14.95).
Kaplan a regular contributor to Cigar Aficionado and Sports Illustrated magazines and Reagan, who contributes to The Wall Street Journal and Maxim magazines, gained the confidence of some of the world's top poker players and got to them to talk about the challenges of the game and their offbeat, high-energy lifestyle with what they call an "all-cash existence." From old pros to the new generation TV poker allstars, the two authors trace beginnings to highs and lows, and with a colorful, breezy style, offer a glimpse into a world of pressure, decisions and big paydays.
There's a section on online poker; a look at new arrivals and future champions like Daniel Negreanu; Phil Ivey and Erick Lindgren.
There's good how-to stuff, along with a look at how the game has gained popularity; how each individual approaches the game and tools they bring to the table; a look at the different type of table "image" each reflects when they play; along with the "dues" each paid to reach heights of "world-class player."
The authors truly have a feel for the game -- they played, observed, listened, absorbed the feeling and attitude these top players have for the game. They understand the language and offer up each profile with colorful incidents, key hands, turning points in the lives of many.
This is a fine addition to a gaming library; a nice item to have while on summer poker vacationing for recreational reading or one to help prepare yourself for the pressure-cooker world of high stakes poker.
Poker as Life by Schreiber is both a reference guide to the game, packed with wit and wisdom and a quick read. It's packed with advice, trivia, quotes about the game from the famous and not-so-famous, but there's a lot that makes sense and these "quick bites" of advice will probably help you become a more disciplined player and have a better understanding of the game.
There's a section on good and bad luck signs; the best and worst poker movies -- according to the author (here I don't agree that The Cincinnati Kid ranks 10th), but that's what makes life interesting--diversity of opinion.
A good theme for the book might be that poker the game, often reflects the realities of life -- the dangers, the moves our competitors in business or some other area, may test us with. It's about bluffing, out-lasting, being wary, making smart moves, doing our homework and avoiding the hidden dangers we may encounter.
Advertise on The Poker Web via Poker Media Group and reach your customers through our network of 50 poker related poker sites.
AbsolutePoker.com Has Its First Mark Seif 'Heads-Up Shoot Out' Winner
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, /PRNewswire/ -- Friday night at AbsolutePoker.com, Violentfish -- as his screen name appears -- beat Mark Seif heads up. The online poker destination awarded a $10,000 seat to Violentfish, a player that came, saw and took the resident pro to the mat! Violentfish is the newest member of Team Absolute to compete at this year's World Series Of Poker (http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com).
Every Saturday at 2 p.m. EDT leading up to the WSOP main event in Las Vegas Tourneys, which starts July 7, AbsolutePoker.com's resident pro Mark Seif takes on the AbsolutePoker.com Weekly Poker Tournament Leader Board winner. The Online FreeRolls prize pool starts at $1,000, and Absolute Poker adds $1,000, a custom Absolute Poker jacket, and an opportunity to win a WSOP Seat every week. Any player that beats Mark in the "Mark Seif Heads-Up Shoot Out" will win that week's prize pool and will automatically qualify to play him again the following Friday at 9 pm EDT for a chance to win a $10,000 World Series of Poker Seat. This Friday, Kevin Bott from Rexburg Idaho has a chance to do the same thing - - play Mark heads up and win a seat to the largest sporting event in the world.
This past weekend Mark Seif did not have the right stuff and as a result, a new fresh face was introduced to the WSOP main event to represent Team Absolute. "Like I've been saying all week, it's every poker player's dream to compete there (2005 WSOP)," said the ex-sales executive Violentfish. "It wasn't easy either; Mark was down 4:1 then came back to even before it was over. In fact, it was the longest heads-up match I've ever been in; it lasted over 45 minutes. The important thing is now I know I can compete with, play with and beat the best!"
AbsolutePoker.com, which provides poker tournaments 24/7 for thousands of concurrent players around the world, is quite active qualifying players for the WSOP main event in Las Vegas through daily online poker satellite tournaments, in which players enter for as little as $5. Players that win their WSOP seat not only receive buy-in to the WSOP main event, but money towards airfare and accommodations. To participate, players simply need to download the free poker software at http://www.AbsolutePoker.com .
"I love this format. The caliber of players is challenging, and I have no doubt that Team Absolute will hold their own at the WSOP," said Seif. Mark also said, "I'm a pro poker player, I don't like to lose, and I'm looking forward to this Friday's match against Kevin."
The 36th annual World Series of Poker begins June 2 at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. The Rio will host all but the final two days, which will be played July 14 and 15 at the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas, the original home of the tournament. With more than 6,000 expected entries, the WSOP's $10,000 buy-in main event is expected to generate a prize pool of US$60 million, making it the richest sporting event in the world.
There are an estimated 50 million active poker enthusiasts around the world and the numbers continue to increase; leading analysts predict that online gaming will soon become the largest industry on the Internet, outpacing both retail and travel in revenue. AbsolutePoker.com, which is five times larger than the largest land-based poker room in the world, is the fastest- growing online poker site out of an estimated 260 poker sites, regularly attracting more than 10,000 players.
About AbsolutePoker.com
AbsolutePoker.com is the world's fastest growing online poker destination, offering worldwide access to multi-player online games, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Driven by proprietary software, AbsolutePoker.com offers the most comprehensive, interactive online poker room, providing such features as the ability to upload your own image (photos, logos, etc.), player note taking and chat, locate a player, hand history and stat retrieval, and three-table play. Multi-player games offered include Texas Hold'em, Omaha High, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, One on One and Tournaments. AbsolutePoker.com ensures the security and integrity of its games through advanced proprietary technology.
Established in 2003, AbsolutePoker.com is licensed and regulated in Canada.
Sunday's World Poker Tour Championship final event saw Tuan Le take home the title of WPT champion, along with a heaping $2.9 million. And it "only" took seven hours of laborious, gut-wrenching poker maneuvers for him to claim it.
Although past WPT championships have seen online qualifiers make great strides in the competition, this year's final table featured veteran land-based casino players only. Runners up include second place winner Paul Maxfield, who took home a neat little $1.7 million, Hasan Habib in third, winning $896,375, forth place winner John Phan, with $518,920, Dutch import Rob Hollink coming in fifth, with winnings of $377,420 and Phil Ivey in sixth, nabbing $264,195. Money was awarded to the top 100 players, with the minimum prize equaling a not-too-shabby $30,000.
Marking its third year at Bellagio, the WPT championship attracted a record 450 players, up from last year's 343. Despite the increase in attendance, the WPT's hundreds of players pales in comparison to the thousands contending for the World Series of Poker title in recent years. The WPT's $25,000 buy-in might have something to do with it. The WSOP's buy-in, in comparison, is a "mere" $10,000.
Fans who were unable to make the live tournament can still catch the televised version, which will air June 29 on the Travel Channel.
Advertise on The Poker Web via Poker Media Group and reach your customers through our network of 50 poker related poker sites.
Harrah's Entertainment recently announced results for the first quarter of 2005. Results showed that this year has already seen tremendous growth, with revenues of $1.26 billion, an increase of 24.2% over Q1 of 2004.
A large part of Harrah's success can be attributed to its becoming a mainstay on the poker circuit. With the first World Series of Poker Circuit Tournament held at three Harrah's Casinos and another two stages of the tournament to be held at Harrah's Lake Tahoe and Harrah's New Orleans in the next few months, Harrah's has gained even more popularity in the gambling and poker world.
Harrah's is currently preparing for a merger with Caesars Entertainment, which they hope to complete by the end of the month. Gary Loveman, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Harrah's Entertainment, gave a statement about the merger, saying "We have delivered same-store sales growth in 24 of the last 25 quarters. This track record of remarkably consistent organic growth foreshadows the enormous potential of putting our capabilities and our strategy to work in the Caesars network.
"We are gratified to receive the approvals of Harrah's and Caesars stockholders, and committed to rewarding their votes of confidence by delivering on the potential of this merger. We are making steady progress toward completion of this transaction. We believe we will be able to secure all remaining regulatory approvals in the near future and close in the second quarter.”
When speaking about the 2004 Horseshoe casino acquisitions, Loveman, who was named "Best CEO" in the gaming and lodging industry by Institutional Investor magazine for the second straight year, said: "The three Horseshoe properties added approximately 8 cents to earnings per share during the first quarter, bringing total accretion to about 21 cents per share in the nine months since the transaction's close. We plan to apply the lessons learned during this successful process to the pending integration of Caesars."
But the company is still being careful to trim fat. While Harrah's is expanding operations with this historic merger, they are selling Harrah's East Chicago and Harrah's Tunica to an affiliate of Colony Capital, LLC.
Advertise on The Poker Web via Poker Media Group and reach your customers through our network of 50 poker related poker sites.
Poker as Life (101 Lessons From The World's Greatest Game) by Lee Schreiber (239 pages, hardbound, $14.95).
