Poker

BANGOR - A new era in gambling arrived in Maine on Friday with the spinning of a roulette wheel, the shuffling of cards, and shouts of "blackjack. " About 60 people were waiting outside Hollywood Casino in Bangor when it opened its doors at 8 a.m., and the poker and blackjack tables were filled by midmorning at the casino. It had been limited to slot machines since its opening in 2005 until Penobscot County voters in November approved the addition of table games. "It's about time," said Dennis Stevens, 64, of Sabattus, as he watched the betting at a blackjack table.

One thing I've noticed a lot recently is that more players are making high-card call-downs — they get to the river and make a bluff-catching call with a hand like ace, king or queen high. There are definitely times when this play is profitable and optimal, but some players aren't using this strategy correctly, and it's costing them money. For example, let's say I raise in late position with Ks Qs. An active, amateur player who likes to see the flop with a wide range of hands calls from the big blind.

Few moments of a tournament are more apprehensive than those approaching the final table. While the pay is certainly better than if you go out during early levels, and the decisions aren't for as much equity as those made at the final table itself, the most devastating hands of poker are those that go awry and cause you to bust leading up to the final table. But Vanessa Rousso had no intention of letting that happen leading up to the final table at the World Poker Tour's Bellagio Five Diamond Classic in December, and instead she made one of the biggest soul-reads of her career against cunning professional and eventual...

It's no secret that by usual societal standards, many professional poker players are considered rather eccentric. In my time in the industry, I've met few young players more curiously eccentric than Joe Serock, who recently accomplished the rare feat of making back-to-back televised WPT tables. (And coincidentally, he finished third in both those events — for $320,400 at the Bay 101 in San Jose, Calif., then for $306,240 at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla. I call Serock "curiously eccentric" because his particular variety of eccentricity is one I've yet to figure out. Instead of displaying...

A common criticism levied against the young generation of Internet-trained poker players is that they are often oblivious to the physical and human element of the game. This isn't surprising, considering that most of the players who developed their skills online had little reason to invest time or thought into how to read physical tells or behavioral patterns, and it wasn't until they put their pants on and attempted to transfer their poker skills to major live tournaments that they realized they were lacking something.

LAS VEGAS -- No woman has won the prestigious no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event at the World Series of Poker. In fact, in the tournament's 35-year history, only one woman has made it to the final table. But this year, several women have established themselves as top contenders ready to conquer the world of green felt and show this no longer is just a man's game. "I think that this is the first year that it is actually possible," said Shirley Rosario, who runs the poker-babes.com website.

LAS VEGAS -- Australian Joseph Hachem prevailed in his first World Series of Poker yesterday, winning $7.5 million and snatching the game's greatest crown in the longest final table in the tournament's history. Only six hands into the two-man showdown at the end, Hachem eliminated Steven Dannenmann of Severn, Md., when he flopped a seven-high straight. When it was clear Hachem had won, his fans in the room erupted into "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" Hachem immediately embraced Dannenmann, wrapped himself in an Australian flag, and shouted: "Thank you, America.

One of the questions I'm frequently asked is, "How do I know when to quit?" For this column, I decided to give my answer, as well as the perspectives of a couple other professional poker players. Growing up in Las Vegas, I had my first gambling experience at a very young age, and the first lesson I learned was about "stop loss" vs. "stop win. " The concept is simple and yet often tough to stick with. The general principle is to set a maximum amount that you can afford to lose for that session, but not to put a cap on the amount that you can win. During your positive gaming sessions, you...

AMARILLO, Texas - Thomas Austin "Amarillo Slim" Preston Jr., a poker champion whose brash style, fast talking, and love of the spotlight helped broaden the professional game's appeal and made him one of its most recognizable characters, has died. He was 83. Mr. Preston's son, Bunky Preston, said he died Sunday of colon cancer while in hospice care in Amarillo, where he lived. "He was playing poker until the very, very end," his son said. Thomas Preston got his nickname playing pool, according to his son, and with his cowboy hat and Southern drawl, he would not have...

Thomas Austin "Amarillo Slim" Preston Jr., a poker champion whose brash style, fast talking and love of the spotlight helped broaden the professional game's appeal and made him one of its most recognizable characters, has died. He was 83. Preston's son, Bunky Preston, said he died Sunday of colon cancer while in hospice care in Amarillo, where he lived. "He was playing poker until the very, very end," Bunky Preston told The Associated Press on Monday. While Thomas Preston craved the spotlight that his poker fame provided, his public image was sullied eight years ago...

I ARRIVED IN SOMERVILLE 15 years ago without a job, without friends, and without a romantic interest. One night, an old friend who was passing through town called to ask whether I played poker. Actually, her first question was whether I had any cash on me. I said yes, twice. Our host was Chris, a strapping fellow who trimmed trees for a living. His home, which everyone called The Shack, was the size of a large walk-in closet. Its most prominent features were a wood stove and a poker table.