World Poker Tour: Season 8, Company Sale?

Date: Tue, Feb 17, 2009

WPT Enterprises announced that Fox Sports Net will broadcast season 8 of the World Poker Tour. FSN Executive Vice President George Greenberg said season 7 has been "one of the most popular programs on FSN." They plan 26 one-hour espisodes, the same as season 7.

WPT Enterprises also released their fourth quarter and 2008 results and held an earnings call. Generally, things aren't going well: they continue to burn through their cash. Some highlights:

• They're looking into strategic alternatives and providing confidential information to certain parties, code words for discussing a sale of the company. Further hints come from the company's recent 8-K, which reveals CEO Steve Limscomb's compensation in the event of a sale: 5% of any excess over the fair market value of the company's financial assets plus six months' severance.
  
• They don't plan to continue to produce Club WPT shows, as the $1.2 million they spent for 13 episodes wasn't cost-effective marketing. They'll shift to online marketing efforts, such as affiliates.
  
• WPT China hasn't produced much revenue and they're looking for a partner, as "The cash needs to support the growth in this business are greater than the Company is willing to expend."

Separately, it looks like there will be a WPT Venice during season 8. Their only overseas tournament of season 7, Barcelona, was not televised.

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World Poker Tour: Season 8, Company Sale?

Date: Tue, Feb 17, 2009

WPT Enterprises announced that Fox Sports Net will broadcast season 8 of the World Poker Tour. FSN Executive Vice President George Greenberg said season 7 has been "one of the most popular programs on FSN." They plan 26 one-hour espisodes, the same as season 7.

WPT Enterprises also released their fourth quarter and 2008 results and held an earnings call. Generally, things aren't going well: they continue to burn through their cash. Some highlights:

• They're looking into strategic alternatives and providing confidential information to certain parties, code words for discussing a sale of the company. Further hints come from the company's recent 8-K, which reveals CEO Steve Limscomb's compensation in the event of a sale: 5% of any excess over the fair market value of the company's financial assets plus six months' severance.
  
• They don't plan to continue to produce Club WPT shows, as the $1.2 million they spent for 13 episodes wasn't cost-effective marketing. They'll shift to online marketing efforts, such as affiliates.
  
• WPT China hasn't produced much revenue and they're looking for a partner, as "The cash needs to support the growth in this business are greater than the Company is willing to expend."

Separately, it looks like there will be a WPT Venice during season 8. Their only overseas tournament of season 7, Barcelona, was not televised.

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Cash Game On Poker After Dark

Date: Thu, Feb 12, 2009

Poker After Dark season 5 kicks off next week with an eagerly anticipated cash game: "Nets vs. Vets," featuring Taylor "Green Plastic" Caby, Cole "CTS" South, Gabe Kaplan, David "Raptor" Benefield, Doyle Brunson, and Eli Elezra.

This weekend's World Poker Tour show is the North American Poker Championship, from Niagara Falls, Canada. The players are Gavin Smith, Kathy Liebert, Marc Karam, Jim Trenholm, Ryan Fisler, and Glen Witmer.

Episodes 5 and 6 of the WSOP Europe air this weekend.

Want to see inside the mind of a poker genius? durrrr got good reviews for his commentary on PartyPoker.com Premier League Poker III, Episode 3 (link is to the Poker Bay).

Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes.

Did you know that video training sites like Stoxpoker are one of the very best ways to improve your poker game? Try it out today.

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Cash Game On Poker After Dark

Date: Thu, Feb 12, 2009

Poker After Dark season 5 kicks off next week with an eagerly anticipated cash game: "Nets vs. Vets," featuring Taylor "Green Plastic" Caby, Cole "CTS" South, Gabe Kaplan, David "Raptor" Benefield, Doyle Brunson, and Eli Elezra.

This weekend's World Poker Tour show is the North American Poker Championship, from Niagara Falls, Canada. The players are Gavin Smith, Kathy Liebert, Marc Karam, Jim Trenholm, Ryan Fisler, and Glen Witmer.

Episodes 5 and 6 of the WSOP Europe air this weekend.

Want to see inside the mind of a poker genius? durrrr got good reviews for his commentary on PartyPoker.com Premier League Poker III, Episode 3 (link is to the Poker Bay).

Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes.

Did you know that video training sites like Stoxpoker are one of the best ways to improve your poker game? Try it out today.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

Read Full Blog Post

Poker After Dark New Next Week

Date: Wed, Feb 4, 2009

Poker After Dark is new next week with a tournament they're calling Brilliant Minds, featuring Brandon Adams, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Bill Chen, Jimmy Warren, and David Sklansky.

Correction from last week: ESPN won't air any of the WSOP Europe PLO tournament, only the Main Event.

Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes.

Play Carbon Poker because they have the worst players of the six significant US-friendly poker sites and there's now a hand converter so you can use your hand history database with the site. - Advertorial by Poker On TV

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Poker After Dark New Next Week

Date: Wed, Feb 4, 2009

Poker After Dark is new next week with a tournament they're calling Brilliant Minds, featuring Brandon Adams, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Bill Chen, Jimmy Warren, and David Sklansky.

Correction from last week: ESPN won't air any of the WSOP Europe PLO tournament, only the Main Event.

Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes.

Play Carbon Poker because they have the worst players of the six significant US-friendly poker sites.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

Read Full Blog Post

WSOP Europe Premieres Sunday

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

The WSOP Europe Main Event starts airing Sunday. It runs from 10 PM - midnight Sundays on ESPN2. Alternatively, you can watch the first four episodes on ESPN opposite the Super Bowl (6 to 10 PM), then wait two weeks for the next episode (see the weekly schedule). See the comments of our WSOP Europe post for ESPN's preview of the first 4 episodes and reports of improvements to the broadcast this year (though some people who've already seen it in Europe report that it retains the hallmark of ESPN broadcasts: a focus on non-poker content).

Next week's WPT episode is the Borgata Poker Open, featuring Mark Seif, Vivek Rajkumar, Dan Heimiller, Andrew Knee, Jason Strochak, and Sang Kim.

If you missed Best Damn Poker Show this week, it should be back again next week.

This week's newsbites:

• There was some huge action at the Aussie Millions Cash Game taping.
  
• PokerStars added yet another regional tour, this one for Australia and New Zealand.
• The WPT actually shelled out to have Mike and Vince at a recent WPT taping, rather than doing all their work in post-production.
  
• the Poker Bay is back... again... with a new server.
  
• Yes, this site changed its look again. I quickly started to dislike the previous style. We're back to an improved, in my opinion, version of the original format. It may not be beautiful, but I think it's more functional than the previous style.

Place your Super Bowl bets at Bodog, the best place to bet sports and play poker from the same account. - Advertorial by Poker On TV

Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

Read Full Blog Post

WSOP Europe Premieres Sunday

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

The WSOP Europe Main Event starts airing Sunday. It runs from 10 PM - midnight Sundays on ESPN2. Alternatively, you can watch the first four episodes on ESPN opposite the Super Bowl (6 to 10 PM), then wait two weeks for the next episode (see the weekly schedule). See the comments of our WSOP Europe post for ESPN's preview of the first 4 episodes and reports of improvements to the broadcast this year (though some people who've already seen it in Europe report that it retains the hallmark of ESPN broadcasts: a focus on non-poker content).

Next week's WPT episode is the Borgata Poker Open, featuring Mark Seif, Vivek Rajkumar, Dan Heimiller, Andrew Knee, Jason Strochak, and Sang Kim.

If you missed Best Damn Poker Show this week, it should be back again next week.

This week's newsbites:

• There was some huge action at the Aussie Millions Cash Game taping.
  
• PokerStars added yet another regional tour, this one for Australia and New Zealand.
• The WPT actually shelled out to have Mike and Vince at a recent WPT taping, rather than doing all their work in post-production.
  
• the Poker Bay is back... again... with a new server.
  
• Yes, this site changed its look again. I quickly started to dislike the previous style. We're back to an improved, in my opinion, version of the original format. It may not be beautiful, but I think it's more functional than the previous style.

Place your Super Bowl bets at Bodog, the best place to bet sports and play poker from the same account. - Advertorial by Poker On TV

Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

Read Full Blog Post

WSOP Europe TV Schedule

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

The 2008 WSOP Europe TV schedule:

• February 1, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 1 and 2
• February 8, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 3 and 4
• February 15, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 5 and 6
• February 22: no shows
• March 1, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 7 and 8
  

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WSOP Europe TV Schedule

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

The 2008 WSOP Europe TV schedule:

• February 1, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 1 and 2
• February 8, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 3 and 4
• February 15, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 5 and 6
• February 22: no shows
• March 1, 10-12 PM, ESPN2, Main Event episodes 7 and 8
  

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PokerStars Pulls Sponsored Players From Poker After Dark

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

PokerStars recently prohibited their sponsored players from playing on Poker After Dark, due to it's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker. Overseas markets receive a more branded version of Poker After Dark than we do in the US. PokerStars's most prominent sponsored players are Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, and most of the recent WSOP Main Event winners.

This is certainly harmful to the poker players, poker on TV, and the poker economy in general. Imagine if it were taken to its logical conclusion: no famous player could play in the WSOP since it's sponsored by Everest Poker. Phil Hellmuth would fade into oblivion since his sponsor, UltimateBet, rarely runs its own shows. Fan favorite Daniel Negreanu would become unknown in his adopted home, the United States, since his sponsor PokerStars has most of its TV presence overseas. As poker TV stars faded, TV ratings would decline and fewer people would play online and live poker. As you can see, the online poker sites would be cutting their own throats if they were to implement these policies. Admittedly, I don't see them taking it as far as in the examples above; but if they take it part of the way there they will do part of the damage. Free trade results in the greatest prosperity for all, whether in poker celebrities or economics.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

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PokerStars Pulls Sponsored Players From Poker After Dark

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

PokerStars recently prohibited their sponsored players from playing on Poker After Dark, due to it's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker. Overseas markets receive a more branded version of Poker After Dark than we do in the US. PokerStars's most prominent sponsored players are Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, and most of the recent WSOP Main Event winners.

This is certainly harmful to the poker players, poker on TV, and the poker economy in general. Imagine if it were taken to its logical conclusion: no famous player could play in the WSOP since it's sponsored by Everest Poker. Phil Hellmuth would fade into oblivion since his sponsor, UltimateBet, rarely runs its own shows. Fan favorite Daniel Negreanu would become unknown in his adopted home, the United States, since his sponsor PokerStars has most of its TV presence overseas. As poker TV stars faded, TV ratings would decline and fewer people would play online and live poker. As you can see, the online poker sites would be cutting their own throats if they were to implement these policies. Admittedly, I don't see them taking it as far as in the examples above; but if they take it part of the way there they will do part of the damage. Free trade results in the greatest prosperity for all, whether in poker celebrities or economics.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

Read Full Blog Post

Bodog Poker Review And Users' Guide

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

Bodog Poker is the best online poker room for many people because it's so profitable. It's profitability derives from:

• They have the worst players of any reasonably-sized site. You may be able to double or triple your earn rate, or play one to two limits higher, by playing at Bodog rather than one of the larger, tighter sites.
  
• They have the best first deposit and reload bonuses. Their first deposit bonus is 110% up to $500 and they offer monthly 100% up to $500 reload bonuses.
  
• There are large overlays on many of their guaranteed tournaments (meaning they pay out more than the sum of the buyins).

Bodog's customer service is also among the best. They respond to emails within 15 minutes and also offer customer service by phone, which is unique among poker rooms. I think you get the best results by calling them on the phone, so do that for anything important like deposit or withdrawal advice.

Bodog's software is considered to be below average, but there aren't any problems so serious that it would keep you from playing there. For serious players the four-table limit is a weakness, but there's nothing preventing you from playing another poker room at the same time. Bodog doesn't write hand histories to your hard drive, so if you want to use a hand history database (e.g. Holdem Manager) you'll need to buy a hand grabber program (it's more than worth it to any serious player). Bodog has enough traffic for most players playing up to about $200 NL Hold 'em.

Bodog is most famous as a sportsbook, and you can bet on sports or play their casino games from the same account. Being a sportsbook makes Bodog a target for the US government, since running one is illegal under the Wire Act. Bodog eliminated the last vestiges of US operations in 2008, however, so I don't believe the US government will be able to interfere with their business (e.g. checks now come from Canada and they ceased their bodogFight marketing operation).

Insider hints:

• Visa and VirtualPin are the recommended deposit methods. Checks are the standard payout method. Call Bodog if you have any deposit or payout questions.
• Poker Table Ratings is a free website that's useful for selecting the most profitable tables, finding the biggest winners and losers, looking up individual opponents, and being alerted when selected players are online.
• Bodog Hand Grabber doesn't include your opponent's mucked cards in its hand histories, but you can look them up by hand number in Bodog's software. While you're playing you just have to double-click the last hand link to see what your opponent just mucked (a single click doesn't work reliably).
• There is a free AutoHotkey script that can help with bet sizing and a few other things.

This article is part of the Poker Pro 101 series.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

Read Full Blog Post

Bodog Poker Review And Users' Guide

Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2009

Bodog Poker is the best online poker room for many people because it's so profitable. It's profitability derives from:

• They have the worst players of any reasonably-sized site. You may be able to double or triple your earn rate, or play one to two limits higher, by playing at Bodog rather than one of the larger, tighter sites.
  
• They have the best first deposit and reload bonuses. Their first deposit bonus is 110% up to $500 and they offer monthly 100% up to $500 reload bonuses.
  
• There are large overlays on many of their guaranteed tournaments (meaning they pay out more than the sum of the buyins).

Bodog's customer service is also among the best. They respond to emails within 15 minutes and also offer customer service by phone, which is unique among poker rooms. I think you get the best results by calling them on the phone, so do that for anything important like deposit or withdrawal advice.

Bodog's software is considered to be below average, but there aren't any problems so serious that it would keep you from playing there. For serious players the four-table limit is a weakness, but there's nothing preventing you from playing another poker room at the same time. Bodog doesn't write hand histories to your hard drive, so if you want to use a hand history database (e.g. Holdem Manager) you'll need to buy a hand grabber program (it's more than worth it to any serious player). Bodog has enough traffic for most players playing up to about $200 NL Hold 'em.

Bodog is most famous as a sportsbook, and you can bet on sports or play their casino games from the same account. Being a sportsbook makes Bodog a target for the US government, since running one is illegal under the Wire Act. Bodog eliminated the last vestiges of US operations in 2008, however, so I don't believe the US government will be able to interfere with their business (e.g. checks now come from Canada and they ceased their bodogFight marketing operation).

Insider hints:

• Visa and VirtualPin are the recommended deposit methods. Checks are the standard payout method. Call Bodog if you have any deposit or payout questions.
• Poker Table Ratings is a free website that's useful for selecting the most profitable tables, finding the biggest winners and losers, looking up individual opponents, and being alerted when selected players are online.
• Bodog Hand Grabber doesn't include cards your opponent mucked at showdown in its hand histories, but you can look them up by hand number in Bodog's software. While you're playing you just have to double-click the last hand link (a single click doesn't work reliably).
• There is a free AutoHotkey script that can help with bet sizing and a few other things.

This article is part of the Poker Pro 101 series.

Don't miss any poker on TV: sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed.

Read Full Blog Post