Critter.gambler asked:


Seinfeld actor and pokerstars.net ambassador Jason Alexander will be the host of the 3rd Annual 1736 Family Crisis Center’s Poker Tournament on May 9th, 2009, at the Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles, California. The festivities starts at 2:00 pm.

This charity poker tournament’s sponsors include Toyota Financial Services, All In Magazine, and Webexposure.com. A press release announcing the event discloses that it presents a unique opportunity “for a fun-filled day of poker, laughter, food and celebration and the success over domestic violence. Each hand played will be a strong step towards ending domestic violence and helping youth who have been abused and abandoned.” All proceeds from this tournament will go towards benefiting 1736 Family Crisis Center, Los Angeles’ largest domestic violence agency for the last 36 years.

The 1736 Family Crisis Center operates 5 shelters in Los Angeles County, including 4 domestic violence shelters and 1 emergency youth shelter. The Family Crisis Center also operates 3 outpatient clinics, f5 24-hour emergency response stations and educational/outreach services at the shelters. The Family Crisis Center support 100% on donations to provide its “free” services to victims of violence.
You can buy your tickets through the 1736 Family Crisis Center’s website using Paypal or by calling 310-543-9900, Extension 210. The donations and buy-ins can be mailed directly to the facility. Further opportunities available consist of an All-In Sponsor for $25,000, a Royal Flush sponsor for $10,000, a Straight Flush sponsor for $5,000, and a Table sponsor for $3,000.

The program advertising varies from $100 for a quarter page ad to $500 for a full page spread. And for those who would rather take a quick look of the Hollywood and poker worlds meeting heads-on rather than actually play, spectator passes are available for $75. The first place comes with a $10,000 cash prize, the runner up will receive an “eco-friendly” poker table, while the 3rd place will take home a World Series Of Poker (WSOP) Boot Camp package presented by “Celebrity Apprentice” candidate and the duchess of poker Annie Duke and the 4th place will be given a cruise for 2.

Since Jason Alexander is a serious poker player as he is about raising awareness for putting an end to domestic violence. He stated to his interview last year at the Ante Up For Africa Poker Tournament,”All the tournaments I’ve ever won have been for charity,” Alexander said. “When there’s no actual money for me, I’m very good.”

Many Poker Champions will come such as: the 2004 World Series Of Poker Champion, Greg “the fossilman” Raymer, 2006 World Series Of Poker Champion, Jamie Gold, World Series Of Poker veteran Chip Jhett. Also Hollywood celebrities will participate to this prestigious charity event.

Jason Alexander made into the poker field when he try his luck on the Celebrity Poker Showdown. Unfortunately he was not fated to go home with a Texas Hold’Em Championship. Alexander is a regular player on the online poker site and participate in the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. He was knocked out the second day.

Alexander returned and appeared for the second time on ‘Celebrity Poker Showdown’, making it once again to the final table and win the Championship. He won $500,000 for the Unite Way of the greater New Orleans area during that game, which was the final game of the 8th season.



Party Poker Code

Natalie Sky asked:


Qualifying for a Poker tournament in an online freeroll is not unusual – but Patrick Smolenaers qualified for the WSOP main event without even looking at a card.

Patrick beat a number of hopefuls in an online pool tournament at PoolStars.com – a new online pool site – with the prize for winning a seat at the main event in Las Vegas.
“There were some online qualifying tournaments at PoolStars in which eight players came through,” said Patrick. “We all played in a final tournament and in the end I won the tournament to win the seat at the WSOP Main Event.”

Smolenaers had to beat top Dutch pool player Nick van den Berg en-route to victory, and said even though his pool was better than his poker, he would give it his best shot. “I’ve played for a few years so I think I can give some lads a real hard time,” promised Patrick. “I’m going to try to make it through day one and then I’ll shift up a gear.”

Patrick also got the opportunity to play pool against Steve Davis, the six-timer World Snooker Champion and Mosconi Cup Pool player, before taking to the Poker table. Davis is an ambassador for PoolStars, the online pool community which is the brainchild of Poker legend Tony G.

“It’s the online equivalent of a poker room, with the ability to play each other over the internet,” Davis explains about PoolStars. “At the moment you don’t play for money but for prizes but eventually you will be able to play for cash.”

Unlike most pool games that you can find on the Playstation or Xbox, there are no cheat lines to help you so it’s tough – really difficult,” said Davis. “It’s a three-dimensional virtual pool game so you have to get used to the perspective of the table. I understand the mechanics of the game which definitely comes into the equation, so if a lot of good pool players played on PoolStars, they would rise to the top because they understand the physics of the game.”

While Patrick mastered the online pool table, he failed to make it beyond the first day at the poker equivalent, finding himself all-in with QQ against AK, with a King on the river busting him out. Davis fared better though, cashing to the tune of $28,950 after making it to Day 4 and finishing in 389th place.

PoolStars is an easy to use set of software – and a great site designed with your ease and fun in mind.



Laying Down a Big hand

Brian Garvin asked:


Are you people aware of the word ‘godfather’? Most of all are aware of this word. This story is related to the godfather of Poker Players. The one and only Chris Moneymaker was the winner of the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). He earned his seat into the World Series of Poker main event, and rose to the top to take the $2.5 million first prize. It turned this poker player into an overnight celebrity. He has already traveled around the world as a poker player. His latest achievement is European Poker Championships/EPT Event Season 4 where he got the 17th place and won prize money of $22,871.

His full name is Christopher Bryan Moneymaker. He was born on 21st November 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the student of Farragut High School in Farragut, Tennessee. Later he received a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee. When he won a seat into the main event of the 2003 WSOP at hat time he was an accountant in Tennessee. He won through a US$39 satellite tournament at the Poker Stars online poker card room. Previously he was totally unknown to the tournament, but on day one of the tournament professional sports handicapper Lou Diamond noticed him. He named Chris Moneymaker his ‘dark horse’ to win the total tournament.

This poker player’s first prize was $2.5 million and it was his first live poker tournament. There are several interesting moments in his carrier. One of the most memorable hands was heads-up against Sam Farha, when on the river he bluffed ‘all in’ with King High. To change the momentum of the match Farha folded a pair of nines. Eventually Chris won the WSOP and Farha gave him a full house. This poker player has since played on the World Poker Tour, and finished in the second position at the 2004 Shooting Stars event. He earned prize money of $200,000.

After Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP, he switched over from his job. It was only to serve as a celebrity spokesman for Series owner Harrah’s Entertainment as well as Poker Stars. He started traveling to play more in large buy-in tournaments. Chris Moneymaker is married and he has a daughter named Ashley. She was born three months before, he won WSOP. His autobiography is named, Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker. It was published in March 2005. His last name is an aptronym. This is real birth name. The word ‘Moneymaker’ is a modification of a German last name which is approximately ‘Nurmacher’.

He has finished in the first place for once and he has won one WSOP Bracelets. His total winning is $2,781,730. Some of his achievements are, 2004 shooting Star WPT Season 2 holding the 2nd position, 35th Annual World Series of Poker, he finished in the 10th position with a prize money of $21,000 in the year 2004. Godfather still stays in Spring Hill, TN, United States. It is going to be a tough question where this game maker will stop.



Astrology Tips

Daphne Greene asked:


Stu Ungar

Most players consider Stu Ungar to be the best poker player in history. His legend is considerable: he was born to a loan shark and was playing gin rummy professionally in New York by the age of 12. The first time he played No Limit Texas Hold’em was in 1980 in the WSOP Main Event – he would win the event besting Doyle Brunson heads-up. He won the tournament again the next year. During the 1980s the world’s most prestigious poker tournament was Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker, which Ungar won 3 times. He is estimated to have bought into 30 $5,000 or higher buy-in tournaments in his life – he won 10 of them, and he is reportedly the reason why Las Vegas casinos no longer offer the same odds on single deck blackjack. When casino owner Bob Stupak watched Stu play blackjack he challenged the brash young card counter by betting him $100,000 that Stu could not count down (name every card before it comes) the last 3 decks of a 6 deck blackjack shoe – Stu won the bet. His lifetime tournament winnings are around $30,000,000. He tipped cab drivers and dealers alike upwards of $10,000 for ten minutes of work. By 1993, Stu Ungar had consumed so much cocaine that his nose had collapsed.

Stu had always had a problem with binge drinking and drugs, dating back to his early days in gin rummy. But most spectators either couldn’t see past the eternally boyish features he possessed or stood slack-jawed in awe of his preternatural ability with cards. Only a few of his closest friends ever tried to get “The Kid” into treatment. Mike Sexton who was as close with Stu as any one, tried on a number of occasions to get him into rehab. Stu always declined saying that rehab was only a way to get more drugs.

In 1990, Stu found himself once again as the chip leader going into day 3 of the WSOP Main Event. But a midnight cocaine overdose left him unconscious on his hotel floor and he would not show up to play the next day. However, Stu had possessed such a commanding chip lead that even though he never played and was eliminated through forced blinds and antes, he still finished in 9th place.

By 1997, Stu had lost everything. He was broke, he was separated from his daughter and then ex-wife and his collapsed nose had left him with a jack-o-lantern countenance. Ashamed, he would stay in hotels for months on end.

In the summer of 1997, friend and fellow poker pro, Billy Baxter found Ungar stalking the halls of Binion’s Horseshoe casino, campaigning for someone to stake him the $10,000 buy in for the Main Event. Bill would stake Stu with the $10,000 buy-in to the 1997 WSOP Main Event in exchange for half of whatever Stu won. He was the last person added to the tournament that year, buying in minutes before the tournament began.

It would be for his daughter Stefanie that Stu donned a pair of John Lennon sunglasses, wore them halfway down his face and entered the 1997 WSOP Main Event. He had not won a WSOP event in 14 years and it had been 16 since his last Main Event victory.

Halfway through the first day, Mike Sexton found Stu asleep at a table with the game passing him by. Sexton awoke his friend, and along with Baxter took him aside and gave him an impassioned tongue-lashing. While what was said in that famous castigation has never been revealed, but from that point on Stu would keep a picture of his daughter in his hand.

All of a sudden, it was as if no time had passed between the 1997 and 1981 Main Events. Stu came back to the table as his old self, confident and ferocious. He stormed the field and 3 days later, when the final deuce hit the river, Stu had done it – he had won the 1997 WSOP Main Event. He immediately took out his picture of Stefanie and showed it to the camera so the world could once again see his daughter.

Stu would skip the 1998 WSOP, explaining that he was too tired from the previous week’s binge. A few months later, Stu Ungar, the only man to win the WSOP Main Event outright three times, would be found dead in his hotel room, face down with $800 in his pocket. He was 45 years old.

Chris Young

Chris Young has never won a WSOP bracelet. He has never won a WPT title. He is not a millionaire and he has never made a $5,000 bet in his life. Chris Young has a day job.

Chris Young used to be an amateur online player based out of Indiana, USA. He is afflicted with a number of physical maladies not the least of which are spinal muscular dystrophy and dwarfism and is now confined to a wheelchair. Before you read the remainder of this article, please follow this youtube link to see what Chris has to say. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdUIGCkf66k

I **** internet poker. I know that it is often rigged even at the highest levels (Absolute Poker and 2007 WCOOP.) The game is way too fast and most importantly, it is robbed of that quintessential human element of sitting at a table with other people. It is at best non-alcoholic poker and at worst a scam. I am far from a fan of internet poker.

But online gaming must be legalized in the United States of America. There are few things in this world that are pure arenas of the human mind – poker is one of them. In a poker game, you are as free in your actions as your imagination will allow. If we do not first seek to extend the freedom inherent in our thought into the physical earth then we will have squandered that most sacred of all gifts – the human mind. Technology has birthed immaculate possibility through the internet, a place where people like Chris can find the same freedom that Hal found, that Dutch found and that for brief respites, Stu found. Poker was invented in America, it is our game. We cannot abide the disintegration of decent people’s chance at freedom.



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