Welcome Back PokerRoom.com

Posted on by

PokerRoom.com is one of the first websites that offered players the chance to deposit money into the online poker room and play poker games online. After a two year break from the world of online poker, players are once again able to register with the website and deposit money to play Texas Hold’em and other popular poker games online.

PokerRoom is once again open for online poker.

PokerRoom welcomes back players with a deposit bonus of one hundred percent for deposits that are made of $100, $500 and $1,000. The welcome bonus is available to players making their first deposit to PokerRoom.com and can help to stretch the dollar while taking part in the games of online poker.

Players can log on to become part of the poker games and tournaments that are scheduled, but with the membership to PokerRoom.com also comes access to the exclusive online community where players can network and become part of the community to learn tips and tricks, get updates on the latest poker news and find players with common interests to play cash poker against.

Players new to PokerRoom.com can check out the multiple tournaments that are offered through the website. Region specific daily tournaments are available to players in all parts of the world, as well as Lowrider tournaments featuring $1,000 added and a weekly Texas Hold’em ChampionChip Tournament offering up $250K in prizes as well as exciting no-limit game play. These tournaments and many more are sure to be announced as the website gets re-established in the game of online poker.

Players can sign up to participate in sit-and-go games as well as taking part in the exciting tournaments that are sure to give some excitement to the day. Stay tuned and sign up at PokerRoom.com to get in on the action.

PokerRoom.com “Under Consideration” For Reopening

Posted on by

PokerFuse.com released an article last week rumoring the return of PokerRoom.com to offering real money poker online.  Their article was based on a tweet from bwin SEO Manager Josef Rantamäki.  Rantamäki tweeted “Wow! www.pokerroom.com will be relaunched and once again offer real money poker games.”

PokerRoom "Under Consideration" for Reopening

A few hours later, he recanted that same claim and said that he “jumped the gun” after seeing some changes on the website.  Someone tweeting as PokerRoomBlog on twitter would not confirm or deny that the site would be coming back.

According to James Guill of PokerNewsBoy.com, the above is partially true.  He reported that bwin sources confirm that they are considering reopening the online site.  When asked about the changes to the website, the sources said that the site was due for an overhaul and even if the site was not used to reopen PokerRoom, it would support other sites on the Ongame Network.  Sources also confirmed that Rantamäki had jumped the gun as he had claimed.

For those that don’t remember PokerRoom, it was one of the first online poker sites to offer cash poker games.  By the time the poker boom hit in the mid 2000′s, PokerRoom had established itself as a premier site.  Unfortunately, the site had to pull out of the US market in 2006 due to the UIGEA and revenue steadily decreased.  The site was finally closed in 2009 and has redirected players to bwin and partypoker since.

PokerRoom was a trendsetter for years in the online poker industry.  It was the first site to receive eCogra’s seal of approval and the first online poker site to offer a Mac compatible poker client.  For years, it was one of only a handful of sites online to offer Five Card Draw poker.

With the recent developments with Full Tilt, PokerStars, and Absolute Poker, the reopening of PokerRoom would be a welcome site to players that have been displaced since April 15th.  Unfortunately, it will not be available for US players, but with the potentially changing legal climate in the US, PokerRoom would be in prime position for growth if they were to legalize poker.

Ivan Demidov

Posted on by
Reply

If you know poker and you are familiar with the poker scene, then the chances are good that you are familiar with the name Ivan Demidov. He is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia. Demidov played a lot of online poker. In fact, online poker is where Ivan built up a large amount of his poker payroll. Another interesting fact is that he still focuses most of his attention on playing on the online poker rooms. However, he does venture out into the live poker scene from time to time. Actually, he has been appearing in live poker venues more recently.

He really made his name known on the poker circuit during the year 2008; this is where he found himself seated at the final table at the 2008 WSOP. He went heads up against Peter Eastgate and took second place for $5,809,595. When asked what he planned to do with the winnings, Demidov mentioned that he would be sharing it with a Russian financial supporter who had helped him get into some other big tournaments. In the end, the supporter would walk away with more than Demidov.

That WSOP 2008 was actually Demidov’s first WSOP. As far as poker goes, Ivan was pretty new to the scene and inexperienced when compared to most of the other players. However, this didn’t seem to hold him back at all. In fact, you would have thought that he had a lot more time playing and much more time and history involved with the game then he really did.
The year 2008 was a very good year for Demidov, this is also the year that he made it to the final table at the World Series of Poker Europe. Demidov finished in a very respectable third place. This achievement would make him the first poker player in history to make it to the final table in both Main Events during the same year. It’s more than obvious that 2009 was a year that Demidov was on fire when it came to his poker game; it was almost as if he could do no wrong.

Demidovs personality has been described as laid back and soft spoken. However, when it comes to poker he is a force not to be reasoned with. He has what it takes to take on the best of the best and he has the potential to do much more in the poker world. He is already supporting himself by playing just a couple of days during the week. Although the WSOP Main Event win sure helped him along financially, the fact still stands that he is able to play just a few days a week and make ends meet. He is living the poker player’s dream. Demidov is someone to keep your eyes open for. Not only do you have to watch for him at those live events, but you’ll also want to be on the lookout for him on the online poker sites on Internet as well.

Joe Cada – 2009 WSOP Champion

Posted on by
Reply

Joe Cada has a name which is very familiar with most poker players, as well as poker fans. He has built quite a name for himself in the poker world and it is with great skill that he has earned his place in poker history. A Michigan Native, Joe Cada has taken the world of poker by the tail and has become known as one of the best of the best. One truly amazing fact is that Cada has only been playing the game of poker for a short six years. This makes his success in the game all that more impressive.

At the young age of just 16, Cada began playing poker on Party Poker. He shared an account on there with his brother, whose name is Jerome. By the time Cada began college, he was a regular player of online poker. This eventually led him to a land based casino which was located in Windsor, Canada. He could not legally play poker in American casinos at such a young age, however Canada afforded him this ability. It took just two semesters for Cada to realize that poker was more important to him than college. He dropped out of college and began playing poker full time.

Through playing poker in Canada, Cada was able to earn himself enough cash to enter poker contests which were located in such places as the Bahamas and Costa Rica. When it comes to dedication and focus, Joe Cada has shown that he is both extremely focused and dedicated to the game of poker and it has paid off very well for him. Not only was Joe Cada the winner of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, but he is also the youngest player to ever win the WSOP Main Event!

In the Main Event, Joe Cada started off with the fifth largest of the chip stacks. In the 122nd final table hand Joe Cada’s stack became reduced to just 2,275,000. However, this still wasn’t enough to hold Cada down and he climbed back up to walk away with the event in his pocket. After a series of fortunate double up’s, Cada made it heads-up with Maryland logger Darvin Moon. Heading into heads-up play, Cada held the lead and entered a long heads-up battle with Moon. A combination of strong play and hyper-aggression from Moon eventually landed Cada the richest prize in poker. Joe Cada made history with that victory, becoming the youngest Main Event champion in history. At the time of his WSOP win, he was less than a year younger than the previous youngest winner, Peter Eastgate.

If you are wondering what it is that he does in his spare time, you will probably not be too surprised to know that he spends it playing online poker. It is estimated that he plays approximately 2,000 poker hands daily on Pokerstars, a very popular online poker site. Cada plays there under his username, jcada99. In fact, prior to his victory at the WSOP, Cada earned a $1,000,000 contract with the PokerStars site which paid for all his hotels, travels, and even some of his buy-ins. Cada also spends a good amount of his time traveling around the country as poker’s newest ambassador following his WSOP Main Event win.

When it comes to poker players, some players just have it and some don’t. One thing is clear; Joe Cada has more than proven that he is one of them that truly has what it takes to excel at poker on all levels. It’s a pretty fair assumption to say that we can expect to see a lot more of this talented poker player and there is every reason to believe that he has a very lucrative poker career ahead of him.

What’s the Difference in These Hands?

Posted on by
Reply

I have two different situations that I have seen come up and I want to know why they were ruled upon differently.

First, I had two friends in a NL Holdem game and both held A-K. One of my friends was in the big blind and the other in middle position. A king hit the flop and both had their chips in by the river. When the hands were both turned over, one player held the ace of spade and king of clubs and the other held the king of diamonds and ALSO held the ace of spades. The floor man was called over and he ruled that the bets and the blinds would be retuned to their rightful owners.

A couple of days later, my friend was in a big hand with another opponent. He held pocket sixes and the flop fell As-6d-3c. My friend checked and his opponent went all-in. My friend called and showed his set. His opponent flipped over his hand and said, “Well, this won’t count anyway” and showed As-2c. The floor was called over and the floor asked when the players went all-in. The dealer told the floor that they went all-in after the flop. The floor looked at the player that had the duplicate aces of spades and said, “You are out of luck unless you make a straight.” The board paired on the turn and the player with the duplicate ace went ballistic. The floor man told the player that he know what he was trying to pull and he wasn’t going to stand for it. The player tried to take a swing at the floor man, and was subsequently subdued and removed from the casino by security.

It seems to me that both the situations were the same. What is the difference?

Jacob

Jacob,

The situations are not the same. In the first situation, both players had the ace of spades as their hole card and as a result, they did not know that duplicate cards were out. The deck was fouled and the bets were returned.

In the second situation, the player with the duplicate ace of spade knew that the deck was fouled and tried to take advantage of the situation. He was trying to angle shoot, and in this case, it can also be considered cheating. In many casinos, if a player continues in a hand after they know that the deck or hand is fouled, then they have no recourse. In some cases, their hand is dead. The floor man was entirely correct in punishing this player. Had the player been ahead with the aces, he would have tried to take the pot. When he found out he was behind, he tried to angle shoot his way out of paying up.

Also, I would have a chat with management and let them know about the fact that multiple decks have showed up fouled in the course of a couple of days. Something sounds fishy there.

Was This a Bet?

Posted on by
Reply

I was playing in a tournament the other day when the following scenario occurred. I was in late position and looked down to pocket eights. I have a stack that was beginning to get short and I had decided that if the action got to me, I was going to shove. I was waiting for a couple of players to act and after a while, I said that I was going to go all-in and that the players should probably just get out of the way. The player just before me then moved all-in. This play is a very tight player and would shove with no worse than A-K. Since I had said that I was going to move all-in, I figured him on a bigger hand.

I decided to go ahead and fold. After I folded, the table blew up at me. They told me that since I had declared my action, I must bet. I told them politely that it was not my turn to act and that verbal bets are not binding unless action is on me. They insisted that they were binding. Which is correct here?

Jacob

Jacob,

Your friends were partially correct. If you had declared that you were going all-in and nobody ahead of you had put in a raise, then your verbal declaration of your bet is indeed binding. Since a player did indeed raise, then the action had changed and therefore your action was no longer binding.

Your actions here constitute both acting out of turn. If you were to do this at the World Series of Poker, you would receive a penalty for your actions. You must wait until you act before making any betting declarations. Otherwise, you are changing the natural course of the game. How do you know that your player that went all-in wasn’t going to just call. He may have indeed had you beat, and then again, he may not. You may have cost yourself bets here.

What Happens to the Odd Chip?

Posted on by
Reply

I was playing in a NL Holdem tournament at my friend’s house the other day and there was a big pot between myself and two other players. One of the players were all-in after the flop and the third opponent and myself checked it down. At showdown, both myself and the third player held A-K and there was an ace on the flop. The all-in player held pocket jacks and was eliminated. Or so we thought. The pot was being divided up between myself and the third player and there was a single $100 chip left. We were no longer using $25 chips and we didn’t know what to do.

One player at the table said that the chip should go into the pot for the next hand. Someone else disagreed and said that the player with the higher suited ace should get the card. Yet another player said that we should play another hand to determine the winner of the chip. Then we had another debate. Since the all-in player had started the hand with more than $100, he felt that he should be dealt in. We felt that only the winners should be in. Finally, we played another hand three way and the all-in player won the hand. He then went on a run and finished in 3rd place. I don’t think that he should have been in the other hand. Did we do this right and if not, what should we have done?

Joey

Joey,

Wow, you guys went through a lot to settle a really simple matter. In Texas Holdem, when there is a chopped pot, the odd chip goes to the player that is closest to the button going from left to right. The player that was all-in and busted had no right whatsoever to this chip. He was eliminated from the game. Whichever of the two of you were the closest to the button should have received the $100 chip. Purchase a copy of Robert’s Rules of Poker.

Is Playing Poker Immoral?

Posted on by
Reply

I have had an ongoing debate with my local minister for quite a while about the morality of poker. He claims that poker is immoral because it promotes covetousness. I try and defend poker in that the players choose whether or not to play and that it is just a game. What are your thoughts on this?

Billy

Billy,

This is a common debate among many religious groups, especially Christians. There is nothing in the Bible that specifically speaks out against a game of chance. In fact, the act of casting of lots was used in many instances to settle disputes, and in one case to determine an apostle.

However, where the argument shifts is when you evaluate some of the negative results that playing poker can cause. For example, if you have a man that will play poker to the exclusion of taking care of his family, then that person is conducting morally reprehensible behavior. If a player gets into a fight over a poker game, then the game gets blamed for the actions. In some cases, people have killed over a poker game.

Poker by itself is not morally wrong. However, when people allow themselves to get involved with activities that are morally wrong as a result of the game, then the game naturally gets viewed as the cause. Some people can play poker all of their life and never do anything morally wrong. Others will enter lives of crime or wind up hooked on gambling and drugs. If you are the type of person where the poker lifestyle may influence you negatively, then perhaps you shouldn’t play.

Is poker immoral? No. Can it lead to immoral behavior? It depends on the person.

What Suit is Higher?

Posted on by
Reply

I was playing in a Texas Holdem game recently and at the river, both of us had the exact same hand. I had an ace and king of diamonds and my opponent had the ace and king of spades. There was a king on the board and neither of us had a flush. My opponent said that because he had the A-K of spade, he won. I thought that it should be a chopped pot. Another player thought that since I was closest to the dealer button, I should get the pot.

Who was correct and if he was right about the suits mattering, which suits are highest.

Jamie

Jamie,

First, your friends need to learn the rules of Holdem a bit better. When two players have the exact same hand at the river, the pot is chopped. Suits do not matter in determining Texas Holdem hands. Next, your opponent that said you should have gotten the pot due to position was off. The only time this is relevant is if there is a chopped pot with an odd chip. In that case, the odd chip goes to the player closest to the button.

I will go over ranks of suits, but they are only relevant in Stud based games. In seven card stud, there is a bring-in. This means that the player with the lowest card showing on third must put in a forced bet similar to a blind. Sometimes, multiple players have the same low card, such as two players having a deuce. In this case, the tie is broken by the suit.

Suits are ranked in alphabetical order from lowest to highest. Clubs, diamonds, heats, and then spades. However, suits will never determine the winner of a hand in most standard poker games. There are a few oddball games where the lowest spade or club gets half of the pot, but these are not casino games.

A Classic Pocket Aces Question With a Twist

Posted on by
Reply

Can you help me with a classic debate regarding a sit n go? You are in the big blind with pocket aces and then each and every player at the table proceeds to go all-in and the small blind calls all-in. Most every thinks that you should make the call even thought pocket aces are not as strong against multiple players. If you were in this spot, what would you do?

Grayson

Grayson,

This is a question that I hear proposed by players in regards to the beginning of a tournament, but not in the aspect of a sit n go. In this case, I would actually fold pocket aces, and I will explain why.

First, a common sit n go tournament pays three spots. That means that six players will not make any money whatsoever. While the primary object of any poker game is to win, you cannot win without making the money in any event. In this case, you are looking at a decent chance of making second place money by just folding your cards. While the aces are technically in the lead, the advantage is very small and the value you get by folding is great. For example, if you are playing a $100 sit n go that pays 50% to first, 30% to 2nd and 20% to third, you are looking at an expected value of $300 by making the fold. If the aces hold up, you win 500%, but if you lose, you win 0. By folding, you almost guarantee yourself $300 unless something happens such as a chopped pot. In that case, you may still be guaranteed 3rd place, which is still double your money.

The main disadvantage here is the fact that you would be at a great chip disadvantage. However, the blinds will be so low that you are not out of it. If ever faced with this, make the fold and take the money.

The exception to this would be if the sit n go was a satellite that paid only one spot. In that case, I would make the call. Winning is the only objective and while your edge is not great, you still have an edge going into the flop. Winner takes all is much different than a typical sit n go and requires a bit more risk.