Online Poker Directory

Archive for April, 2012

Simon Ravnsbæk was studying at an advanced business school and then he discovered poker. So what do you do when you find you’re getting better and better at poker?

This could work

Simon Ravnsbæk started with poker in 2005. Together with his friends he was drinking beer around the table, while cards flew through the air. Simon soon discovered that the game suited him remarkably well and capabilities stretched to more than home games, so it was not long before he was active online.

Since then it has been a great deal of live tournaments here we caught up with him at the WPT Venice and he’s had a lot of cashes, where the biggest one came last year during the WPT Vienna, where Simon could put $ 241,000 into his pocket for a third place in the Austrian capital.

But Simon is actually a cash game player, and when we managed to catch up with him he dived directly into it.

SR- I may not have the traditional entrance to the game with tournaments and freerolls. I went directly into the full ring cash games. It was 9- and 10-handed on PartyPoker at that time when the Americans still were there. It was insane juicy cash games, so I went fairly rapidly from 0.5/1 to 2/4, and wasn’t there also 3/6 at that time? And finally, I was up on 5/10.

Hard to find time for both school and poker

SR – The Problem was that I found out that the more time I spent at poker, the better it turned out for me. It meant less time for studying and the natural consequences of that, but today I am happy that I managed it anyway, and got my bachelor’s degree in 2008. It’s always nice to have something to fall back on.

Life as a professional poker player

SR- Yes, I have lived professionally as a pokerplayer since 2008. There are still many who look strange to me when I tell them what I do. And when you meet one, it’s very nice to be able to tell them that you actually have an education.

Choice of games over time

 

SR – Nowadays I switched to shorthanded (6 persons) and Heads Up cash game. I’ve had some sparring with my friend Jakob Tøstesen and as a result of that, the choice came down the two game types. It has also made me a better tournament player, so eventually I started to play tournaments every Sunday.

 

When you run deep in a tournament, the prices rise explosively eventually and it is here that the many hours at the small tables and heads up benefit you. That I am running good at the moment I ow to my experience from the cash game. In that sort of way, my entry to the game has been completely different than, for example. Frederik Brinks, who has only played tournaments.

Danish champion

- There is no doubt that the Danish championship probably feels like the biggest win I’ve had. Just that you know all the heads you played against and to be at the top of the podium at the end, it was a really great feeling. And then it’s probably the only chance I’ll ever get to call myself Danish champion at anything…

And although Simon has been around the world and played WSOP, EPT, Partouche Poker Tour, Master Classics and The Nations Cup, it’s still the two WPT final tables that have made ​​the greatest impression.

SR – It was not until the final table at WPT Venice and Vienna it dawned on me how big it really is. A gigantic show. I grew up with Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten on Danish television, and suddenly you are a part of it yourself. It was fantastic.

Life outside of poker

SR- Of course there is more to life than poker. But right now I am not thinking about what I could do instead. I think when that time comes, I’ll find out what I want. It’s also a question of what can be allowed or what abilities you have. I could imagine to start something myself, but will not refuse the possibility of more studying. It could be a good challenge.

I try at the same time to keep a good contact with friends outside the poker environment. When you are in the center of it, so things can be a little “gambling addiction like”, and it’s very good to have contact with the “normal” world.

Advice for beginners

SR – It’s hard to start today. I was lucky that I started at a time when the game was completely different. It has become incredibly easy to become skilled today, making it extremely difficult to make a living out of it. Anyone can very quickly get coaching, watch videos on the web or otherwise acquire knowledge. I didn’t have those opportunities, so the only advise I can give as I have used myself are hours … lots of hours in front of the screen. The more time you spent, the more experience you get.

BRM (Bank Roll Management)

SR – Of course you have to have it. However, I have not had an actual formula for it, since I basically have always been very conservative. It may sound a little sacred, but I’ve never gambled for money I couldn’t afford to lose and I have never gone broke – and it will not happen. Maybe it’s a matter of practice at keeping things down to earth?

Vegas and the WSOP

SR – I have doubts. Last year I was there a whole month and this is a very long time when you are in Vegas. Right now I do not think that I am leaving, but I also know that when the time is approaching, it starts to tingle in your fingers. Should I go, then it would only be around the main event.

Qualify to Vegas with PartyPoker

PartyPoker of course has qualifiers running right now for the WSOP 2012 so make sure you give it a shot today!

Your tank is full of fuel. You’ve packed a cooler full of snacks. The in-dash navigation system is ready to roll. For you and the rest of the world, the next leg on the Road to 100 Billion starts today.

Sometime around 16:00 ET today, the milestone hands in the 80 Billionth hand celebration will kick off. The milestone hands begin at 79,700,000,000 and will hit every million hands until PokerStars deals its 80 billionth. When you get dealt into one of the big hands, you’ll earn big money. If you manage to hit the 80 billionth hand and win it, you’ll earn at least $ 20,000

 

As you might know by this point, your VIP Club status can earn you more money in the milestone hands celebration. The higher your status in the VIP Club, the bigger your payday. That’s because your prize is based on the number of VIP Points you have earned at the table in the hands leading up to the big hand.

Again, it all kicks off in about four hours, so buckle up and get ready to roll.

For all you need to know about this week’s celebration, check out the Road to 100 Billion information page.

Get ready, folks, because you don’t want to be left behind.

ChipSplit is very excited to announce our new Last Man Standing promotion across all three of our brands. With a huge offering of up to $ 35,000 in cash prizes, this isn’t a promotion that players want to miss out on.

Starting May 1, 2012, we’re going to track the VIP Points players earn as they grind their way through this promotion. Simply opt-in to the Last Man Standing promotion in your Player Admin to take part in this test of poker endurance and stamina.

 How it Works for Players

View the chart located here to track how many VIP Points you need to earn as we progress through May and June. As you can see, the VIP Point totals start small and then begin to ramp up. Keep grinding to stay in the promotion.

You’re allowed to take three days off during the promotion, but if you miss the 4th, you will be eliminated. There will be no more free days allowed after day 45.

 Prizing Breakdown

The last 25 players in the promotion will split $ 25,075 in cash, with another $ 10,000 in freerolls up for grabs for qualified players from the start of this promotion. Check the prize chart below to see what each place pays out.

Starting today the 23^rd of April and running all the way through to the 13^th of May PartyPoker has made it even more rewarding to become a VIP with our brand new VIP 500 Club!

The VIP 500 is open for Palladium VIP and Palladium VIP Elite members and will offer players the chance to win some fantastic prizes.

If you opt in now then for every 500 points earned during the fore mentioned dates you will receive a VIP 500 Club instant prize card. Each card will guarantee you a prize ranging from $ 5 cash all the way through to an iPad2!

The best part is that you don’t need settle on one prize far from it as for every 500points you rack up in this period you’ll receive a VIP 500 Club. The best part is if you collect 60 cards you’ll get a special bonus card worth $ 1,000 cash and 5,000 points.

Don’t delay opt in today and start collecting points!

Bubbles have popped without too much discomfort in the back end of the EPT season (Madrid, Campione and Berlin); this awkward gas Windeze’d away with little discomfort or delay, allowing the tournament to continue with a smile on its face.

Then there are those other events, with a bubble made of leather that simply will not burst. Four seasons ago, that was here, when the bubble in the Grand Final then (it was not yet then known as the PokerStars Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final) took two hours and 40 minutes.

Obviously you never know it will last that long, so every all in called raises hopes that it will be the last and that the tournament will be able to again stretch its legs. Instead it went on and on, reducing some players to sleeping wrecks, and rendering camera teams unable to move.

The tournament room this week

Then Surinder Sunar busted and everyone was suddenly able to get on with everything, except for Sunar, who looked miserable.

The bubble can have a profound effect on a game, much further than the effect it has on the player busting for nothing.

A long bubble slows the game down dramatically and it’s not uncommon to hear players protesting that hand-for-hand play costs them the best part of a level. It’s a fair point. Suddenly, with the bubble bursts, your stack isn’t worth as much as it was before the bubble, changing the whole dynamic of your play. Conversely a quick bubble has the opposite effect.

Regardless, one basic element remains true, as PokerStars Live Poker Specialist Neil Johnson said as Bruno Launais successfully doubled up with kings through David Sands; “How come no one clapped when Bruno doubled up?”

It’s a brutal moment, the bubble player departing to the echo of a round of self-congratulatory applause. That same ambivalence towards a fellow pro also extends to those doubling up (“bubbling up”), extending their own private agony.

That’s the last bubble of the season now done. Things now return to normal.

You asked for it and you got it! ChipSplit and CarbonPoker are very happy to introduce CarbonCasino. With brand new branding and a slick landing page we think this is a perfect opportunity to push casino traffic and convert casino players. Offering popular casino games such as Blackjack, Roulette, Caribbean Poker, Joker Poker, Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better.

CarbonCasino is a new feature but works off of the same client as you are used to.  We have an amazing CarbonCasino landing page to use as an acquisition tool and will have a brand new banner set ready for early May.

Games breakdown

Blackjack – Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world. The goal of Blackjack is to get your hand value closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21.

Roulette – Roulette consists of a wheel with 37 stops and a ball that has an equal chance of landing on any of the 37 stops. The stops are numbered in non-sequential order 0 and then 1-36. The stops 1-36 are coloured either black or red and the “0″ stop is coloured green. You can bet on where the ball will land on the wheel by placing chips on the Roulette table. Winnings are paid on a multiplier of the bet.

Caribbean Poker – Caribbean Stud Poker is a 5-card poker game played with a single deck of 52 cards, where you play against the Dealer. You have the option of placing a jackpot bet before the beginning of each hand. The progressive jackpot total is show at the top of the screen.

Joker Poker – In Joker Poker you must make a hand of K/K or better to win. Jokers are wild and can be used to create winning hands; there are also special payouts for having 5 of a kind or Wild Royal with Joker.

Deuces Wild – In Deuces Wild you must make a hand equal to 3 of a kind or better to win. All deuces (2′s) are wild and have a value of 2. There are special payouts for having 5 of a kind, Wild Royal with 2′s or 4 Deuces.

Jacks or Better – In Jacks or Better you must make a hand of at least a pair of Jacks to win.

I felt like a true visionary – I saw the light, I found Jesus. My spectacles were rose tinted and I felt great about my game in the 100k Super High Roller at WPT Monte Carlo.

Shak Attack!

This wasn’t to be my grand prix moment, however, I have not been crowned poker royalty. Time for the bike – I was a victim of a Shak attack. I folded Kings pre-flop – I got Kings three times in a row yesterday! What a game poker is!

How it turned out according to PokerNews

Tony G Folds Kings Preflop, Then Busts

Tony G just went from roughly half a million in chips to out in the span of a few hands. Here’s what went down.

Tony G opened with a raise to 14,000 and Patrik Antonius made the call before Justin Bonomo reraised on the button to 46,000. Tony G fired back a four-bet to 114,000 and Antonius got out of the way. Bonomo moved in for approximately 400,000 and Tony G folded the- face up.

Shortly after that, Dan Shak raised to 17,000 from the cutoff seat and Tony G reraised to 51,000 from the small blind. Shak moved all in for 336,000 and Tony G called. Tony G held the – and had 326,000 in chips, which meant that Shak had him slightly covered. Shak held the best of it with the - , but the flip was on.

The flop came down - and both players nailed it. Tony G picked up top two pair, but Shak still held the lead with bottom set.

The turn was the - and an interesting card. It meant that Tony G could now stay alive with a king on the river that would cause a chopped pot. Shak stormed away from the table at this point, unable to watch the river.

The river paired the board, but it was the - and locked up the win for Shak. He returned to the table to see what happened and then collected his chips. Tony G was eliminated.

Chip Counts
	Dan Shak		680,000	343,000
	Justin Bonomo		575,000	259,000
	Tony G		Busted

 

Let’s kick this summer off with a bang! Summer is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than if increasing your bankroll by entering MAYPLAY at the time of your next deposit. You’ll receive a re-load bonus of 50% up to $ 375 valid at CarbonPoker, PDC Poker and Aced.

Validity Start: Tuesday 1st May 2012 @ 12:01am

Validity End: Tuesday 15th May 2012 @ 11:59pm

 

1. MAYPLAY awards 50% up to $ 375.00.
2. Bonus valid for CarbonPoker, PDC Poker, and Aced Poker.
3. Enter the code “MAYPLAY″ in the cashier with any reload deposit.
4. This bonus is claimable from Tue May 1st 2012 until Tue 15th  May 2012 11:59 PM server time..
5. Bonus awarded in $ 5 increments and completed after earning 100 VIP points for each dollar of the bonus amount.
6. All players must meet these Terms & Conditions, and ChipSplit, CarbonPoker, PDC Poker, and Aced Poker reserve the right to modify these rules at any time, and for any reason, at their sole discretion.

After a few weeks on the road, it is great to get back home to Santa Barbara. I ended up sitting next to a famous American TV show host on the plane from Austria to LAX, although given my atrocious lack of knowledge about American pop culture due to the many years I spent living in England, I blithely assumed he was in a band or something. I could tell that he was famous though, as those people do seem to have something sparkly about them, as well as really impressive dental work. He was surprisingly friendly and very good company and in good humour, he let me prattle away at him for hours. He was pretty much the best seat-mate ever; supplying gum, trail mix and technical help whenever he saw me wrestling to try to make my seat or tv screen work. I also managed to drop my phone on his foot no less than 3 times. Yes. I was that person. I promised him a thank you in my not-yet-written memoirs and he seemed bemused.

Tunnel-vision

I can’t even blame Ambien for my somewhat annoying behaviour on this flight. I think it was simply a matter of having reached the absolute limits of my energy. I was dog tired. After a really intense few weeks of work, I was so tunnel-vision focussed on getting home that I was doing a pretty good imitation of Godzilla destroying a city in it’s single-minded pursuit of a goal.

And it is good to be home. I’ve got 3 weeks here and then I’m back on the road pretty much until August so I’m doing my best to enjoy it and spend as much time as I can with my friends. Somehow I also seem to be doing a lot of babysitting right now. I like watching my friend’s kids and all but I’m always shocked that they’d trust me. Lets be honest, I don’t even have a houseplant! Brave people…

I’m not one to preach. I’m a laissez faire kinda guy. You live the life you want. If you feel like pretending the Spring Championship of Online Poker doesn’t exist until it begins on May 6, I say more power to ya. Go in blind if you want to. However, if you’re a planner and would like to map your course for the next few weeks, there are a few buttons you can press to make that happen.

By now, you probably know SCOOP kicks off in a couple of weeks with 40 events with $ 30 million in guarantees and 120 different tournaments. It’s kind of a big deal.

With 120 different tourneys playing out over two weeks, putting together a winning plan is probably a little more difficult than your average tournament series. Fortunately, the smart people behind the scenes at PokerStars have made it pretty easy for you.

Here’s what you do:

Click on the 2012 SCOOP Tournaments page. There you will see the SCOOP schedule in all its glory. It looks just like this.

Now, look just a little bit closer.

In the top right corner of that schedule, you will see three little clickable buttons. If you click the first one, it will download an Outlook (ICS) version of the SCOOP schedule for you. The second button gives you a version that will fit perfectly into you Google calendar. Finally, if you press the third button, you get a handy dandy printable version for you refrigerator.

Now, if you’re anything like me, once you start planning, you won’t want to stop. To make it a little easier on you, here are some more helpful links:

• Research past SCOOP winners

 

• Brush up on past SCOOP statistics
• Plan your attack on the SCOOP leaderboard
• Get inspired in the SCOOP Hall of Fame
• Check in on all the SCOOP FAQs
• Happy planning!