Poker Celebrities – Tony Cascarino

Anthony Guy "Tony" Cascarino better known as Tony Cascarino was born on the 1st September 1962 in St Paul's Cray England. Tony Cascarino is a former association football player. His father was Italian and his mother English. Regardless of his background Tony Carscarino played 88 times for Ireland. His name was made whilst playing as a striker for a number of British and French football clubs. Tony Cascarino furthered his name by playing for the Republic of Ireland National Football Team.

Tony Cascarino has now retired from football. Tony has also presented on TalkSport radio and written for The Times and the Irish magazine Hot Press.

It is unknown how long Tony Cascarino has been playing poker for but his cashing started back in 2004 and to date he has cashed 12 times with two first place finishes. Tony Cascarino's poker tournament record is as follows:

• Nov 27, 2008 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour - Grand Final No Limit Hold'em 6th $54,795
• Nov 21, 2008 Caribbean Poker Classic 2008 Main Event - No Limit Hold'em 12th $4,400
• Sept 11, 2008 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Leg 7 (GUKPT) Main Event - No Limit Hold'em 1st $99,078
• Sep 29, 2007 European Poker Championships / EPT Event Season 4 Event #7 - EPT No Limit Hold'em Championship 14th $41,993
• Nov 27, 2006 Caribbean Poker Classic No Limit Hold'em 1st $28,400
• Nov 26, 2006 Caribbean Poker Classic No Limit Hold'em 2nd $4,800
• July 29, 2006 Bellagio Cup II Tournament No Limit Hold'em 20th $1,460
• Nov 29, 2005 Caribbean Poker Classic No Limit Hold'em 9th $2,820
• Oct 30, 2005 The Irish Winter Tournament - EPT/Pokerstars Season 2 No Limit Hold'em 17th $786
• Feb 19, 2005 The French Open - EPT/Pokerstars Season 1 No Limit Hold'em 7th $3,866
• Oct 17, 2004 Ladbrokes Poker Cruise No Limit Hold'em 11th $8,000
• Apr 10, 2004 Irish Open No Limit Hold'em 9th $4,469 

The sheer talent of Tony Cascarino meant that he transformed from a successful football player to a great poker player and therefore he features on our list of poker celebrities.

Poker in Macau

Poker has got its space and is considered and one of the most popular games popular casino games around the world since last decade. Much of the new found fame of the game can be attributed to the World Poker Tour and the other televised poker broadcasts. Regardless, poker is the game and you and everyone else are the players.

East Asia has gained its recognition of breeding some of the most challenging poker games available. This continental region includes such countries as Cambodia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Laos. Many countries in Far East Asia will offer you a seat at a poker table.Being in Macau as a poker player, you would definitely be hunting for a casino that would offer you poker games that you like playing such as Texas Hold 'em Poker, Seven Card Stud Poker and Draw Poker.

Macau is the upcoming hub for casinos in the East Asia and poker enthusiasts. There are many amazing casinos and fifteen of them are considered to be accurate. These casinos run many casino tables however, most of them do not list poker tables specifically. There are many casinos in Macau city itself such as Macau Sar, Taipa and Taipa Island. Casinos in Macau provide conventional poker rooms and also certain orthodox games that you perhaps must have not seen around anywhere in the world.

There are also possibilities for you finding a friendly home poker game to attend in Macau. Strange things have happened, seriously. Before you sit down in a home poker game in Macau it would be wise for you to investigate thoroughly the legality of gambling outside of casinos in Macau. You don't want to be caught breaking the law unaware do you? Well, one way you can try to locate a home poker game is by checking out the Home Games Forum where you can post a request if you don't find the poker game you are looking for.

Home Games Forum may provide you all the necessary information that would help you to track down the legal and authorized poker and casinos in Macau as huge amount of native and other poker enthusiasts write down their experience being in Macau.

After you have played poker or otherwise gambled in any of the casinos in Macau or Far East Asia, feel free to tell everyone about it in the Asian Casinos Forum. You can find many other related forums listed in the World Gambling Forums Directory.

As always I would like to remind you to be safe and have fun gambling in casinos in card houses no matter where in the world you are. And good luck finding the perfect casino in Macau for a perfect gambling experience and gaming satisfaction.

Poker Celebrities: Steve Davis

Steve Davis was born on the 22 August, 1957 in Plumstead, London. Steve Davis is an English professional snooker player who has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player. Steve's most well known for six World Championship wins during the 1980s. This winning roll in the the 1980s made Steve Davis the snooker world number one for seven years. He also reached eight world finals; while at the same time becoming the sport's first millionaire. Davis's dominance in the 1980s, produced a popular saying "that he was on television more often than the Prime Minister of the time".

Steve Davis has not won a major title since 1997. He continues to play snooker at a high level, which is very unusual in a player over 50 years of age. Steve Davis retained his place in the elite world top-16 players almost every year, being ranked no. 15 for the 2007/08 snooker season. However, poor results saw him drop out of the Top 16 for the 2008/09 season, in which he was ranked no. 29, and his official ranking for 2009/10 is no. 23. Davis is now an established television analyst, and occasional commentator, for BBC's snooker coverage.

To a lesser extent, Davis is also known as a nine-ball pool player, having achieved some notable success in the Mosconi Cup, and World Pool Championship competitions. In his early days, he also played billiards. Steve Davis is also known for his interest in the game of poker.

Steve Davis is a great poker player, with successful appearances at televised tournaments; one of these included an appearance at the final table of the 2003 Poker Million together with fellow snooker player Jimmy White. At the 2006 World Series of Poker, Davis finished 579th in the no limit Texas hold'em main event, winning $20,617. Steve Davis has had quite a few more cashes in his poker career including one in the World Series of poker in 2008. Steve finished in 389th place earning himself an almost triple up of his buy in and $28,950.00. He has also cashed at the Irish Poker Championships and the Poker Million Masters where he came respectfully 3rd and 5th.

Steve Davis who is one of the renowned poker celebrities is also known as  "The Nugget".

Poker in UK

Poker clubs all over the UK allow you to play your favorite game offline and London has been touted as the best city in Europe to go for poker. There are a number of things which separate online poker from offline poker. Those who play offline will notice substantial differences if they are playing online for the first time. In this article I will go over the differences between the two. A common misconception by traditional poker players is that they can use the same offline strategies in an online environment. Poker in UK has different categories, people refer offline poker as “real poker”, though online poker offers conventional and virtual pleasure of playing poker, there are few enthusiastic who love playing the game on a real pot.

Since Poker is a card game and involves luck and skill it has been categorized under the gaming Act 1968 (the "Act"). This Act governs gaming in the UK and any violation of the Act could result in every person involved in the organization of the offending game being found guilty of an offence. As such, each individual could be found liable on summary conviction and face imprisonment and/or a fine.

Poker in UK has become one of the most popular games and progressing towards becoming the most popular game played both offline and online. It is a game that is experiencing a renaissance of the best kind. Poker in United Kingdom was considered to be a game played among the middle aged men. They played their weekly poker games on the kitchen table which now apparently is growing to become the greatest game in the country.

Most of the poker enthusiasts indulge and practice playing Texas Holdem poker for which there are several reasons. One of the reasons, and perhaps the most important one, is that Texas holde’em is a simple and easy to understand it requires basic skills and normal card game skills. It is one of those games that it may take you only a few short minutes to learn the basics, but it really does take a lifetime to master all the strategies and ways to play, and win, the most fabulous game of poker. It takes a lot to play the game, and it is especially useful of you have some game experience before you actually play.

In the United Kingdom, poker is gaining its important however, it does not have as many players as United States. The no. of casinos also available in the United Kingdom is not as much as compared to America. Online poker is getting a lot of importance and most of the online poker websites have seen a considerable increase of visitors and interaction and transaction. Poker in the UK has an amazing future both with respect to online and offline.

Clearing an online poker bonus

Visit any online poker sites and you will be introduced to a world of online poker bonuses with each site trying to outdo the other. Perhaps a quick look at our poker room reviews may help you to decide better on which site to choose to gain access to the best online first deposit bonus.

Once you have signed on you will surely be wondering how to clear that online poker bonus. How do you optimize the task of getting that extra money out of the bonus account and into your real money bankroll? Well here are a few basic steps that you could follow:

Learn the Conditions to clear the online bonus
In the early days of poker room bonuses, players could only clear the funds through cash game play while tournament players were out of luck. Currently, many sites do allow you to clear your bonus by playing poker in tournaments. These calculate bonus clearing the same way they calculate player points. Thus before you start trying to earn credit toward your bonus through playing tournaments, find out if the site allows this practice.

Raising the Stakes may not help always
Some players see bonus clearing as an opportunity to move up in limits. They figure even if they go on a losing streak that the bonus will make up for it. However, you can clear the bonus just as quickly by playing your current limit.

Check your bankroll
Check your bankroll and plan properly for every game that you take part in. You do not want to deplete your bankroll before you clear the bonus. If this happens, you will have to deposit more money so that you can release the bonus in the time allotted.

So once Bonus is in your account what do you do? Simple answer, be sensible with it. It is your own hard earned money and should be defended with the same care and skill which you apply to your regular bankroll.

 

Overcoming bad beats in Texas Hold'em

In order to win at Texas Hold'em or for that matter at any poker game, you need to have the right strategy. The kind that helps you win pots of money. Your poker strategy could be based on any aspect of the game ranging from specific in-game theory to the psychological aspects of play.

A major setback to any poker players' game is a bad beat. The kind that drops you from the high of being all in on the flop with top set against two over cards, to the low of being outdrawn to a runner-runner flush. This is where your strategy comes in, where you have a game plan before playing your next hand.

Losing a lot of money in the game can be pretty frustrating. An aggressive player will determinedly chase after it for the rest of the session while attempting to pull off huge bluffs and losing more money in the bargain. Some beats are so bad, they drive you insane and you waste the rest of your chips on that ten-high flush draw.

Do not lose heart; there are ways in which you can avoid such an obvious leak of chips:
Take a break: Cool off. Poker is a mind game, and your mind needs some rest, sometimes. If you return to the game in a rational frame of mind, the probabilities of you playing at the top of your game and winning your money back are higher.

Think in terms of expectation: Think of the money you had expected to win on the hand that you lost with. As for instance, if you hold an AA against an AK pre-flop, there are 90% chances that you could win the hand. You could use an odds calculator to figure this out. You can now say that you won 90% of what was in the pot, the 10% chance of losing being an occasional situation that caught up with you this time. Okay, maybe you lost this particular hand but later on you will be winning more.

A poker lover will come across bad beats at some point of time in his play. It is what makes the player sharpen his skills at the game and not just depend on luck alone. What is important is that we overcome the bad beats by playing the right strategy.

Poker Movies

With this article, I will talk about some of the most famous poker movies that we have watched, admired, thrilled and laughed about.

One of the oldest poker movies of all time was Bob Le Flambeur which was released in the year 1956 in this movie, Bob is a gambler residing in Paris, he is nearly broke due to a string of bad luck. He gets to know that Deauville Casino has unreal amounts of cash and is vulnerable in the early morning hours. He devises a complex plan to get his hands on the cash. He brings a safecracker and a young protégé on board. From here the things only get more complicated as Bob gets involved with a young lady. The police get news of this plan and Bob now has to tackle additional obstacles. It’s a thriller movie and a great piece of art work.

In the year 1965 The Cincinati Kid was released which created huge rounds and won a lot of international awards. Cincinnati Kid is a poker movie about a young, confident and ambitious poker player who wants to be the best in the country. Eric "The Kid" Stoner's finds himself challenging Lancey "The Man" Howard who is considered to be the best poker player in the country.

The movie is an adaptation of Richard Jessup's novel and is recommended for those who relish or at least play stud poker. This movie highlights machinations of the side-street gambling world. This poker movie is a compact package of drama, suspense and thrill. Stud poker is clearly at the forefront.

Rounders was released in 1998. This Matt Damon & Edward Norton starrer is about two friends who want to payoff a huge debt by playing poker which sets the stage for one of the best poker movies ever. Mike McDermott (Mat Damon) loses a bankroll of $30,000 in a hand of Texas Hold'em against the owner of an illegally run poker room that he often visits.Mike gives up cardsharping and returns to his law school to pursue a career in law. But he cannot stay away from the poker table when his buddy Les "Worm" Murphy (Edward Norten) is released from prison.

This movie is a cult classic. Poker players from all over the world can connect with this movie and relate to the characters of this movie. This poker movie is thought of as being the reason for the popularity of Texas Hold'em today. This movie created a huge hype and was a blockbuster in its category. The most recent blockbuster poker movie is 1 one which released in 2008 starring Ben Campbell is a math major at MIT. He has been accepted into Harvard Medical School. But there is one problem, he cannot afford $300,000 cost.

Micky Rosa, a professor spots his genius at math and invites Ben to join the blackjack team consisting of fellow students. The students are split into two groups and are taught all the tricks of the trade including card counting. Ben has to manage both sides of his life which is very strenuous for him. The rest of the movie revolves around how the team plays at the Vegas casinos and Ben's ultimate goal to get that 300,000.

Poker movies will always remain a contemporary subject to cinema and more of fine art works would be added in coming years

Poker Celebrities: Edward Giddens

Edward Simon Hunter Giddins better known as Edward Giddens was born 20 July 1971 in Eastbourne, Sussex. Edward is a former English cricketer who played in four tests from 1999 to 2000. Giddins played for four counties during his career Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, and.

Edward Giddins' career was full of controversy. In 1996 he was sacked by Sussex because of drug offences and was banned from cricket for 18 months. Almost seven years later he was fined £5000, plus £1000 costs, and was banned from cricket for a further five years after being found guilty of placing a £7000 bet on his own side (at the time) Surrey, to lose their County Championship game.
He has recently turned to poker to earn his living and has appeared on the poker chat show Heads Up with Richard Herring to discuss this career. Edward Giddens has cashed in 16 big tournaments and fantabulous poker pots  to date with total winnings of $81,676.00. He has only had one first place finish.

Edward Giddens Poker Tournament Career Wins include the following:

• SpringFest No Limit Hold'em - 9th $2,456 Apr 11, 2007
• Sussex Masters No Limit Hold'em - 1st $18,747 Apr 5, 2007
• Sussex Masters No Limit Hold'em - 5th $1,968 Apr 4, 2007
• Dom Classics 2007 No Limit Hold'em - 6th $3,404 Jan 25, 2007
• Summer Shaker Event #1 - Pot Limit Hold'em - 2nd $3,149 Aug 14, 2006
• The Summer FestivalNo Limit Hold'em -3rd $6,580 May 23, 2006
• Celeb Poker Dublin Classic No Limit Hold'em - 4th $4,587 May 13, 2006
• Sussex Masters Pot Limit Hold'em - 2nd $3,665 Apr 10, 2006
• Midlands Medley Pot Limit Hold'em - 2nd $7,686 Feb 26, 2006
• Midlands Medley No Limit Hold'em - 3rd $11,811 Feb 22, 2006
• Christmas Cracker Tournament No Limit Hold'em - 2nd $5,812 Dec 13, 2005
• European Poker Championships No Limit Hold'em - 12th $656 Aug 7, 2005
• January Sales Pot Limit Hold'em - 10th $375 Jan 28, 2005
• Christmas Cracker Tournament No Limit Hold'em - 5th $6,749 Dec 4, 2004
• Southampton Poker Festival Pot Limit Hold'em - 10th $469 Nov 1, 2004
• Harbour Lights Poker Tournament Pot Limit Hold'em - 5th $3,562 Oct 29, 2004

It is unknown as to whether Edward plays or wins a lot of ring/cash games but it is assumed he does pretty well in them considering his placings in the above poker tournaments.

Poker Celebrities: Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson also known as Texas Dolly was born on August 10, 1933. Doyle is one of the famous poker celebrities a renowned American professional poker player who has played professionally for more than 50 years. One of the legendary Texas Road gamblers, Doyle Brunson is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively. He is also a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several highly influential books on poker including:

• Doyle Brunson's Super System: A Course in Power Poker, 1979
• Doyle Brunson's Super System II, 2004
• Poker Wisdom of a Champion, 2003 (formerly titled According to Doyle when published in 1984)
• Online Poker: Your Guide to Playing Online Poker Safely & Winning Money, 2005
• My 50 Most Memorable Hands, 2007
• According to Doyle, 2007

Doyle Brunson was the first poker player to earn 1 million dollars in poker tournaments and has won ten World Series of Poker bracelets throughout his career. He is tied with Johnny Chan for second all-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner,  one behind the poker brat; Phil Hellmuth's eleven total bracelets. Doyle Brunson is also one of only four players to have won the Main Event at the World Series of Poker multiple times, which he did in 1976 and 1977 back to back. He is also one of only two poker players (Bill Boyd the other) to have won bracelets at the WSOP in four consecutive years. Doyle Brunson was also the first of five players to win both the WSOP Main Event and a World Poker Tour title. In January 2006, Bluff Magazine voted Brunson the number 1 most influential force in the world of poker.

Doyle Brunson is also now famous for his online poker site Doyles Room. Doyle plays most weeks in the famous Doyles Room bounty tournament where knocking out him gains you extra cash. Knock out the other bounties and receive more.

As for Doyles winning total in the world of poker it is monstrous. Back when Doyle won the World Series of Poker back to back, payouts for winning the event were not as big as today. If the payouts for first place in the World Series were as big in 1976 and 1977 Doyle Brunson would definitely also hold the record for cashing in the main event.

Among other poker celebrities, Doyle Brunsons Tournament cashing s are beyond comprehension to some people. This year alone he has cashed 6 times. 50 pages would be needed to write a complete history of Doyles poker tournament cashing s. As quoted by the Hendon Mob "If ever a bio was unnecessary, Brunson would be the man". If we include the cash made from cash games; Doyle Brunson could well be the biggest ever poker winner, the god of poker as such.

Poker Celebrities : Anne Duke

 

Anne LaBarr Lederer-Duke better known as Annie Duke was born on September 13, 1965. Annie Duke is a professional poker player and also a book author. Annie 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. At the time, this victory was the most money paid in a single event to a female poker player. That record was broken by Annette Obrestad during the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event.

Annie holds the women's record for most "in the money" finishes at the WSOP. Duke has won more than three million dollars in tournament play. Nowadays she refuses to play in women's only tournaments . As of 2009 Annie Dukes total live tournament winnings exceeded $3,600,000. Her 37 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,136,846 of those winnings.

Annie Duke became the first poker player to appear on The Colbert Report. During the show, she talked about her book How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at The World Series of Poker; and what it's like to be a woman in a male-dominated event. Annie Duke Takes on the World featuring Annie playing against amateur poker players was shown on Game Show Network (GSN) in 2006.

Other television appearances include Annie Dukes appearance as a member of the Mob (NBC) where she correctly answered every question and was the only celebrity who wasn't eliminated. She returned and was successful on another fe occasions before returning on February 9 2007 under "Last Man Standing" rules where the game continued until only one person remained. She survived to reach the final five of 100 contestants.

Annie Duke has appeared on NBC's Poker After Dark three times but has not won, Deal Or No Deal to support a contestant who, after taking a $341,000 deal from the bank with only two cases left, found her case number 13 had the $1,000,000.

Along with Phil Hellmuth Jr., Duke is a coach on Fox Sports Network's Best Damn Poker Show.

Lastly she appeared on the Donald Trump reality television show, Celebrity Apprentice. Throughout the season, each celebrity raised money for a charity of his or her choice. Duke raised more money for her charity (Refugees International) than any other contestant. Of the field of 16 competitors, Duke survived to compete in the finale against her primary rival throughout the show, Joan Rivers.

As for her poker game and cash play, it is assumed that Annie Duke is one hell of a money maker and probably the best female poker player the world has seen to date.