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14 Day Poker Special with Poker.com - $10,000 Freeroll

Want a couple thousand dollars to help with gifts this holiday season? PokerNews.com and Poker.com have teamed up for a 14 day offer that will blow you away. You have probably read my rants before about how we offer you the best values on the web - well, our holiday gift to you is our best offer ever.

From now until December 14th (Two weeks only!!), if you download the Poker.com software through PokerNews.com, and sign up as a real money player, you will qualify for a $10,000 PokerNews.com/Poker.com Freeroll on December 17th....getting cash in your pocket just in time for the holidays.

Again - I don't know if I can say this enough - you can ONLY qualify if you sign up for a new Poker.com account through PokerNews.com by December 14th. The winner of this tournament will walk away with a couple grand.

What are you waiting for? As I have stated before...This isn't like one of those freerolls that other sites give you where you are competing against 800 other players....often for only ONE big prize. Many players will get paid in this freeroll, and the top few spots will get serious money.

Again, we work with these rooms so that we can give you what we feel are the best values on the web. Check out this promotion, and sign up today.

Poker as a Team Sport?

Poker is often seen as an individual sport and is known for celebrating the different individual defining characteristics that typify the best in the game. But like with many of the changing dynamics in the poker world, the path of single-handed victory is now evolving into a team sport.

PokerRoom.com recently launched a team play format on its site. This type of game should draw immediate interests as the possibilities are limitless. Friends playing friends, fraternities battling it out for Greek supremacy, even corporations might be willing to pony up some cool cash to have their best corporate players battle heated business rivals on the felt.

Members of the site can join teams or start their own and should keep in mind the importance of having a good team manager (the guy or girl) whose responsibilities include setting up matches and monitors the team wallet as well as having good players at the table. Teams must have at least five people and can max out with 10 players.

There will be plenty of action with the team version of poker as teams can play in Leagues or in Eliminators. Leagues will of course last longer, but the Eliminators may become the most popular as one team can simply challenge another in a heads up match. The Eliminators will continue until there are two players left battling it out for the victory.

Some may wonder about whether a group of people can manage a team wallet and whether money is distributed evenly, so to ensure fair play, PokerRoom.com is using a percentage method to calculate how much a member can withdraw from the team wallet.

In other words, a player can't take out more than they put in.

One can only imagine the international rivalries that could arise with the team action, not to mention the possibility of L.A. versus N.Y. action. If the team concept catches on, this stroke of genius could help to propel PokerRoom.com to the front of the pack and could help them to cement their position in the industry.

Poker Player of the Year Race too Close to Call

It has all come down to this. Three tournaments, millions of dollars and the prestigious Player of the Year championship all up for grabs. One of the many questions is who will the Player of the Year be! There has been some shuffling among the men that are vying for the POY championship, being led by John Phan. The California pro has been at the top of the list for more than half of the year, but his lead has shrank to its smallest point as we enter into the final month of the season. After having led this long, it would be potentially devastating to a player's mentality to be caught at this point. Phan, however, has proven that he is a player that will definitely be one to watch in 2006, even if he is passed for the title.

The story of the second half of 2005 is veteran professional Men "The Master" Nguyen. Since July, "The Master" has garnered points in ten events and in November alone he won a preliminary event at the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Bally's in Las Vegas and made three other point scoring positions. With this late season surge, Nguyen has chopped down Phan's once-dominant lead to a mere 352 points. By continuing this drive in December and earning another tournament victory at some point, "The Master" could pass Phan and capture the POY championship with ease. It would truly be a "masterful" performance by one of the venerable names in the game of poker.

Although he was passed by "The Master" and now finds himself in third place, Michael Gracz is not ready to be counted out! The Raleigh, NC, resident is ready for battle in December and has already earned some points in the race at one of the early tournaments at the Bellagio's Five Diamond World Poker Classic. With those points, he pulls himself to 580 points back of Phan and only 228 behind Nguyen. Gracz cannot be counted out as he makes his charge at the top of the mountain.

Another player who made some points in the same Five Diamond preliminary tournament that Gracz did is the fourth place contestant Tony Ma. The California State Poker Champion finished in second in that event and pulled within a tournament championship from passing the leaders. Ma also has been rolling in the last half of the year with his victory in September at the Commerce Casino and has to be watched as a potential spoiler for those men in front of him!

With all of the action at the head of the class, many players who were in that rarified air now find themselves dropping down the list. Ted Forrest, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Gavin Smith have all been pushed down but are still in striking distance in fifth through seventh place. Max Pescatori has continued his excellent play in the second half of the season as well and, with three final table finishes in November, climbed up to the eight slot on the list. After his early season success and a tough run in the latter going of 2005, Erick Lindgren is sitting in ninth place and UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic champion Freddy Deeb takes the tenth slot.

With the three major tournaments in December, the WSOP Circuit stop in Atlantic City at the Showboat, the Trump Classic at the Trump Taj Mahal in the same city and the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas (potentially the greatest prize of the three), there is the potential that someone who is as far back as 2,000 points to make their charge to the top of the list. Such players as Chip Jett and Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari all are back in that group, but such players as World Series double bracelet winner Mark Seif, Amir Vahedi, Phil Ivey (coming off of a great stay in Monaco, where he took down $1.6 million but no POY points!) and WSOP POY Allen Cunningham are even closer to the top but not in the Top Ten. With the number of preliminary tournaments that lead up to the Championship Event (and the major points of those particular tournaments) of all three, it is entirely possible that this list may shuffle again before we know who the Player of the Year is come December 19th!

Online Poker Tool Raises Concerns

Poker bots are raising eyebrows among serious online poker players, as they become concerned they may be matching wits against a computer program that has an unfair advantage. With the surge of poker popularity still growing around the world, concerns are raised not only on the ethical nature of poker bots and similar tools, but about their effect on the character of the game. By reading all visible cards on the table and then running the information through a poker odds calculator, the software will indicate hand strength and cue a player when they should call, check, raise, re-raise, or fold. One such product is called “The Poker Advantage” and is being billed as a poker players best friend. CMM Enterprises, the seller of The Poker Advantage, has no qualms in advertising that the product gives players an “unfair advantage when playing poker.” They go on to describe it as a stealth tool, software that makes it easy to win at online poker, making it “a lot more fun and profitable.”

Dot Net Poker Sites Growing

In the United States, it is illegal to advertise gambling in a variety of forms on Television and other media outlets, yet many online poker companies are getting away with it be twisting the rules enough to avoid the hammer of the law coming down upon them. Online poker rooms, where players from all over the world play with real money, create sister-sites with the same name but ending in dot-net instead of dot-com, and that offer only play money games or other poker related content. The play and informational sites have come under fire by some US legislators, who point out that it is fairly easy to type in www.partypoker.com instead of partypoker.net, for example, leading a newcomer to the gambling site despite the fact it was the play site that was advertised. In addition, the popularity of televised poker garners free advertising for the casinos in which the tournaments are held. Currently it is still legal to advertise a non-gambling poker site, and companies like PokerStars and Bodog are taking full advantage of that. Related Links Party Poker

European Small Town Poker Tour Timetable Moved Up

The Small Town Poker Tour has been such a success for its owners that they have decided to move up the timetable for the European version. "The amazing interest in the upcoming USA Tour has lead us to push up the date for the European Small Town Poker Tour Championships," said Mark Fracalossi Executive Producer of the STPT. "The format will be the same as the US Tour, raise money for charity along the way and crown one champion. We are working on a few European sponsors and a television deal, as soon as we finalize the details we will have an announcement." "We have been visiting possible sites the last few months. There are so many unique sites in Europe we can't wait to put this on film," Fracalossi added. "We are looking for unique small towns and local charities to play for. We urge all people to email us with their ideas," Fracalossi added.

Celtic Player Becomes Poker Player

Tony Cascarino, the former pro Celtic athlete, has set his sites on making a fortune in a new career, working hard as a professional poker player. The former striker and record maker in the nineties for the Hoops, has plans on a casino at Ibrox, but not just any casino. For the big athlete it has to be a super casino. Paired with Scot poker pro Tony Chessa, Cascarino flew off to St. Kitts to work on the plans. Chessa is the only officially sponsored poker pro out of Scotland. Both players have received more than Ј6000 in order to show their skills against the best players in the world, competing for a $2million pot at the Caribbean Poker Classic. Cascarino began his poker career three years ago, when he won part of the World Series of Poker this year in Las Vegas when he netted a five figure purse.

Small Town Poker Tour Heads Down Under

On the heels of its recent announcement that the Small Town Poker Tour will be moving up its start date in Europe, AMT Media LLC, just announced that it will be heading down under as well. The CEO of AMT Media, Mark Fraacalossi, said that the format will remain the same, the idea that has sparked so much advanced interest in the US Small Town Poker Tour. Portions of the proceeds from the Tour will go to support local charities in the towns that the events are held, as the Tour seeks to find the best amateur players around. STPT is also being managed by The Division, bringing some of the top players together like tournament director Mike Savage. Fracalossi encourages everyday folk to contribute to the tour by nominating their hometowns and charities. By visiting the site online people can send emails to the Tour organizers and get their voices heard: www.smalltownpokertour.com Related Links European Small Town Poker Tour Timetable Moved Up

Card Player Magazine Advocates Online Poker Play

With the proliferation of online poker play it pays to stop and consider whether or not it is having a positive or negative affect on the world or poker in general. Putting aside for the moment the argument centered on the moral rightness of gambling, there are other aspects of the subject to be considered, such as value and education, not to mention entertainment. According to Justin Marchand, the managing editor of international poker magazine Card Player, there are plenty of benefits to online poker. Online poker gives people the opportunity to play for free, including tournament games. While many poker players will argue that free play gives no value in strategy when it comes to money play, new players can learn the rules of the game and tournament structure before venturing into real money games.

Florida Poker Rooms Investigated

This Tuesday the Director of the Florida State Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering announced that certain groups are under investigation for possible rules violation in regards to recent poker rules. The director, Mr. David Roberts, would not single out which groups were being investigated, but expressed concern over racetracks and jai alai frontons might not be adhering to poker room regulations. When the Department of Business and Professional Regulation repealed the initial ruling that regulated how tournament-style poker games, specifically the super popular Texas Hold'Em, could be run is when the investigation began. When an appeals court supported a judge’s decision that the law did not give regulators the needed powers to make rules for tournaments it prompted the repeal of all the rules. Steve Andris is one of the business persons affected by the Florida happenings. The owner of the Jefferson County Kennel Club speaks for many when he says that he doesn’t really understand what is going on, due to the complication of the rules.