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.

Poker - Skill or Chance ?

I have always wondered if in poker – skill or chance matter. In December 2008, the eastern division of the Danish High Court ruled that poker is a game of chance. There have been similar rulings elsewhere wherein poker has been defined by law to be a game of pure luck, where the player has very little chance to influence the gaming. Even the scientific fraternity has also challenged the long-held notion that poker is a game of luck, where instruction and strategy are immaterial - by showing that the card game is based on pure skill.

In 2008, Michael DeDonno, a doctoral student from Case Western Reserve University, had 41 college students play eight games, totaling 200 hands, of Texas Hold'em, a computerized simulation of 10-player Hold'em poker. Overall most of the students had little experience playing poker. Half of the students in the first group were given charts that ranked the two-card combinations from best to the worst and also learned that professional poker players typically play about 15 percent of the hands dealt them. The other group was given background on the history of poker with no strategies. The findings were that students given some strategies and basic online poker rules to make decisions did better than those without the strategies.

To statistically verify the results from the first study, DeDonno conducted a second study, but had students play 720 hands. Again the group was divided into those provided with strategies and those with just a history of playing poker. While all students improved their playing with practice over the large number of hands, the group given strategies continued to do better than those without the added information. With this he was able to prove that skill wins out in playing poker.

Personally speaking I question the very idea of poker being a game of luck alone. It may take a couple of hours to learn a game such as Texas Hold'em in theory. Hand rankings and game play is pretty much standard save a few variations on rules and regulations. However it takes a lifetime of playing to really master it. Poker – Skill or chance looks to be a continuing debate for me. The existence of professional players proves that chance is not the determining factor, skill and dedication is. In the game of cricket any and I really mean any idiot who can swing a bat has a chance of hitting the ball but only a few can use the bat as a professional can. Also one would not find countless poker strategy books or web pages devoted purely to poker strategies.

A poker game is not won merely by the strength of your hand. A poker player needs to consider a lot of indicators - tells, pot odds, probabilities . before deciding on a move. A brilliant player could even make a statistically incorrect play in-order to fool the opponents into thinking that he has a stronger hand.

So, Poker -Skill or Chance ? ….the debate goes on.

Action Poker Review

Action Poker is another card room that i was able to review recently . Here are a few excerpts of my action poker review. Action Poker has the basic selection of games available on most online poker sites. In addition this site offers popular Asian Games.

Bonuses and Promotions 10/10
There are a ton of bonuses and promotions so I will briefly list them all in this action poker review. Firstly is the sign-up bonus. If you deposit through Ukash there is a 200% (that's right 200%) bonus up to a massive $1000. This is probably the highest you will find in the area of deposit bonuses on any poker site. Also on offer Get a 200% bonus on your first deposit with Instadebit up to a maximum of $500. The bonus when signing up and depositing with other methods is 100% up to $2,500. This first depositors bonus is again remarkable. Once making your first deposit you get entry into the newbie tournament. This is a $500 newbie freeroll.

Action Poker has a number of promotions currently running. At the time of writing the action poker review, the card room has the following promotions. These will however change so keep this in mind. We will try to keep them updated as they change for this site.

• Win your way to Vancouver winter games through Sit N Go Satellites.
• Gold Diggers Freeroll tournament - With this tournament you use your gold bars that are collected on site to enter, the tournament runs daily, it is a NL Holdem tournament.
• Action Poker has a League of Champions where you can join and play for your chance to win a Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) prize package to one fantastic destination.
• A 10k guaranteed tournament runs weekly - you can satellite your way through for as little as $1+10c or buy direct for $30+$3.
• The 200% bonus up to $1000 by depositing via Ukash is sure to not last as good things never do, so it has been added here also.
• Another great promotion is learn from legends to be a legend. Action offers poker secrets from legendary poker players.
• Action poker offers a 100% reload bonus. It is 100% reload bonuses on MoneyBookers and NETELLER additional deposits.

Other Features 8 / 10
Action Poker has an update news section available to its players at all times. Unlike most sites Action Poker have on offer; games popular in Asia such as Guts Poker, Chinese Poker, Big 2 Poker and Pan (Panguingue), which are not normally found on Western rooms. These were some of the distinct features that amazed me while doing the action poker review.

Deposit Methods 8/10
Action Poker deals in US dollars only, any monies deposited will be automatically converted for you. This poker room has quite a few deposit methods and these cater for the needs of most online gamers. Deposit methods are as follows:

1. Mastercard
2. Visa
3. Click2Pay
4. Instadebit
5. Moneybookers
6. eWalletXpress
7. Ukash
8. EcoCard
9. EntroPay
10. PAYSAFECARD
11. UseMyBank
12. NETELLER
13. Wire Transfer

Customer Service 8/10
Action Poker offers customer service by email and also live chat, 24/7. They do not offer support via telephone. Every query is responded to in a timely manor, big OR small.
Withdrawal Methods 6/ 10
Withdrawing from Action Poker is easy. All moneys withdrawn are converted from US dollars to your local currency. There are a few methods to choose from. In order to make my action poker review simpler, I have listed these methods and approximate time frames to receive your hard earned cash.

1. Withdrawal by Moneybookers (24-48 hours excluding Saturday and Sunday)
2. Withdrawal by eWalletXpress (24-48 hours excluding Saturday and Sunday)
3. Withdrawal by EcoCard (24-48 hours excluding Saturday and Sunday)
4. Withdrawal by NETELLER (24-48 hours excluding Saturday and Sunday)
5. Withdrawal by Wire Transfer (up to 7 business days)

Tournaments and Sit N Go's 6/10
There are satellites through to the weekly 10K guaranteed tournament and also through to the other current site promotions. Free rolls run daily but there are not too many of them.

While doing the action poker review , i found out that tournaments start at as little as 10c+1c through to $240+$24. The primary tournament focus is Texas Hold'em with not many other game variants available. Sit N Go's also start from 10c+1c but are through to $200+$10. Sit N Go's are available in heads up (2 players).

There are not a massive amount of tournaments available on Action Poker, certainly enough to keep most gamers active though. Sit N Go's run constantly so whilst waiting for the bigger tournaments these are always a secondary option.

Ring Games 6/10
Action Pokers ring game area is the most popular on the site. 2, 6 and 10 seater tables are available in the Texas Holdem variant. NL Texas Holdem is offered for 2 to 10 players per table. The stakes are 5c/10c through to $50/$100. Fixed Limit Texas Holdem is offered for 2 to 10 players per table. The stakes are 5c/10c through to $50/$100.

Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi/Lo is offered in 10 seater tables only with blinds of 5c/10c through to $10/$20. Please note that there is minimal traffic in this area of the site. As per my action poker review Omaha does not seem to be very popular on the site.

7 Card Stud hi and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo are available in limits from 50c/$1 through to $10/$20. 8 seater tables are available only. Please note that there is minimal traffic in this area of Action Poker.

Software 7/10
The graphics on Action Poker are very simple. The site is very neat and clean and runs extremely well. The software is stable and easy to use. The main lobby separates tournaments from ring games and each poker variant into its own little section and easy to use. As a result of which my action poker review rates the software at a score of 7.

Game Selection 10/10
Action Poker has a basic poker variant game selection available. In addition they have on offers; games popular in Asia such as Guts Poker, Chinese Poker, Big 2 Poker and Pan (Panguingue), which are not normally found on Western rooms. The entire selection includes:

• Fixed Limit Texas Holdem - from 2 to 10 players - stakes are 5c/10c through to $50/$100. Available in tournaments and Sit N go's.
• NL Texas Holdem - from 2 to 10 players - stakes are 5c/10c through to $50/$100. Available in tournaments and Sit N go's.
• Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi/Lo - offered in 10 seater tables only with blinds of 5c/10c through to $10/$20. There is only a small amount of traffic in this area of Action Poker.
• 7 Card Stud hi and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo - Limits from 50c/$1 through to $10/$20. 8 seater tables available only. Please note that there is minimal traffic in 7 card stud section.
• Guts - available from the minimum stake of 10c through to $10 bets. Available in 10 seater tables.
• Big 2 - 25c bets through to $5 - 4 seat tables available.
• PAN - 25c through to $25. - 7 seat tables available.
• 13 Card - 25c bets through to $10 - 4 seat tables available.

Traffic 7/10
The highlight of the action poker review is the traffic that Action Poker generates. It has around 2000 people minimum playing during non peak and a few hundred tables to join. At peak time the traffic increases. There is always some action for you on this site, regardless of your preference; tournaments or ring games. A traffic meter is displayed in the main lobby.

Overall the action poker review gives me the belief to rate Action Poker as a fast growing card room. A site that is generating ever increasing traffic and has the software to keep the customers content.

European Poker Tour

The European Poker Tour (more commonly referred to as the EPT) began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em poker popularity. The EPT is a series of televised poker tournaments and is very similar to the World Poker Tour (WPT). It is branded and partially owned by Poker Stars.

In seasons 1-3 of the European Poker Tour, the most significant difference between itself and the World Poker Tour was the buy-in and its effect on the prize pool. The EPT featured buy-ins about half the size of the WPT and therefore the prize pool was somewhat smaller. This changed in season 4 when the buy-in for most of the EPT events was increased to €8,000. The increase was made due to its high popularity and lack of space in participating casinos. At the time (2007) after exchange rates, the buy-in was close to equal to US$10,000 which is the buy-in for most WPT events.

The final table of the European Poker Tour is made up of 8 players. This is again different to the 6 player final tables popularized by the World Poker Tour.The EPT is taped by Sunset + Vine for television broadcast across Europe.

The European Poker Tour was created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. John Duthie commentates for the show, alongside Colin Murray and James Hartigan. The show was first hosted by Caroline Flack, then joined by Natalie Pinkham. Season 4 of the show is hosted by Kara Scott.

There to date have been 6 seasons of the EPT. Although the location of the EPT changes frequently major locations such as London, Copenhagen and Monte Carlo remain the same each year; usually with Monte Carlo being the season finale location. The following locations are where the European Poker Tour have been held to date:

· Barcelona (Barcelona Open 2004)

· London (European Poker Classics)

· Dublin (The Irish Winter Tournament 2004)

· Copenhagen (Scandinavian Open 2005)

· Deauville (The French Open 2005)

· Vienna (11th Vienna Spring Poker Festival)

· Monte Carlo (European Poker Tour Grand Final)

· Baden (The Big Double 2006)

· Dortmund (EPT Dortmund)

· Warsaw (EPT Warsaw)

· Prague (EPT Prague)

· PokerStars Caribbean Adventure

· Sanremo (EPT Sanremo)

· Budapest (EPT Hungarian Open)

· Kyiv

· Vilamoura

· Salzburg

As the European Poker Tour has many events a Talley has been kept alike the Olympic Games showing each countries win score and Talley. This has no real meaning but may in years to come. Until now The United States is in the lead with a total score of 9 wins. Here is a chart showing countries who have taken down an EPT event:

1st United States 9

2nd England 7

3rd Germany 5; France 5

5th Netherlands 4; Sweden 4

7th Denmark 3; Canada 3

9th Finland 2; Norway 2; Portugal 2

12th Lebanon 1; Italy 1; Russia 1

The European Poker Tour Seasons 1 to 6 can be found on youtube and pokertube in bits and pieces with the final table of each event the easiest to find. This is brilliant viewing for all poker players across the globe.

Poker Room Reviews

There seems to be a all sorts of poker room reviews floating online. With new online poker room opening every day. Some rooms fade away as quick as they hit the online gaming arena where as others grow into the largest online poker rooms. Every individual has their own unique definition on what makes a great poker room. Reading authentic poker room review could change your definition on what makes a great poker room as you may not know everything available on each site.

Comparing poker rooms in the form of authentic poker reviews is a huge help for online poker players. By doing an in-depth review on every aspect of a room points things out that ordinarily we wouldn't know. Let's face it, we can't know everything about each and every poker room without poker room reviews as we simply don't play on them all.

There are many poker room reviews on the internet. Some reviews available are less then useful as they are compiled by the poker rooms themselves as a means of advertising and also convincing you to their site. Many poker room reviews on small sites are biased and designed to sign you up to the particular room that the site wants you to play on. Usually when this is the case you find just 1 poker room or even 2 or 3 from the same network. Looking for a non biased and unique poker room review such as the ones on www.funandpoker.com are few and far between. The reviews include sites from a number of networks and include the largest online poker reviews. We can be assured that reviews like these are authentic and non biased due to one particular thing: The reviews are scored into sections and calculated into an overall score for the room. The second thing that would indicate a non biased and authentic poker room review would be the fact that the reviews are on a large number of sites, all from different networks as mentioned above.

So just how are these online poker reviews done so they are precise, unique and most importantly authentic? Well, let me tell you it isn't as easy as it looks. A person completing a non biased and authentic poker room review must analyse every aspect of the room from the download page to the speed of the game.

There are certain sections of a poker room which must be looked at very carefully, understood and fine detailed in an authentic poker room review. Doing this on the largest online poker rooms can be a daunting task due to the content in them. It is no easy task to complete, this can be assured.

The reviews on funandpoker.com show just what effort must be done to complete the reviews fairly and properly for optimum results for customers. The poker software must be downloaded, played on and have every section reviewed. These sections include:

1. Bonuses and Promotions

2. Traffic Levels

3. Available Games, Tournaments, Ring Games and the stakes and sizes they are available in.

4. The software performance, graphics and features.

5. Deposit and payment methods

6. Additional or extra features the site may offer that others don't.

This task as mentioned above is a massive task and takes many many hours, it is again not easy and takes a great online poker player with good knowledge of online gaming technology, poker sites and networks to complete. Although this can be attempted by anyone with the credentials they are going to have to have a load of knowledge of many online poker rooms and not just the largest online poker rooms to complete it.

Authentic poker reviews are very necessary to ensure that new online rooms are stacked up against the older and larger sites. Just because they are brand new doesn't mean they don't have an equal amount of winning probability, fun and enjoyment.

Check out authentic poker room reviews (make sure they have the indicated non biased factors) and make sure that you are getting the very best from your room in comparison with the others that are scored. Who knows? You may see a great new feature or find the benefits of changing rooms essential to your game and, without reading the reviews you would never have known.