Online casinos and poker

It should come as no surprise that the European Union is not pleased with Germany’s newly enacted ban on online gambling. The news service Reuters has reported that the EU has decided to take legal action against Germany, and will seek European Commission approval as early as next week. This latest round of legal action by the EU against Germany’s discriminatory online-gambling law would result in a final warning prior to advancing to the European Court of Justice.

The EU decision is consistent with its policy to enforce cross-border competition in services and is clearly not the first such action connected to online gambling. EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy has initiated proceedings against nearly a dozen EU countries over discriminatory policies and laws in their gaming or lottery sectors. As European countries fight for state monopoly control of the sector, online gambling has become a battleground issue in the much broader philosophical debate regarding the EU’s goals and authority. The ultimate resolution of online-gambling services in the EU may, in many ways, determine whether the EU evolves into an organizational arrangement of trading convenience or the authoritative determinant of trade policy.

The EU’s tangle with German online gambling policy is not new. Back in March 2007, EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen wrote to a number of German states that had imposed regional bans, giving them a month to revise their laws; the states were undeterred. The Austrian company Bwin was somewhat more successful in legally challenging the regional bans. In May, Bwin regained its Bavarian operating rights outright. In December, German courts ruled that Bwin’s license to operate, granted prior to German reunification, was valid in Eastern Germany.

Should the European Commission adopt the decision to pursue legal action against Germany, as expected, it will be applauded by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), which represents eight major European online firms and which earlier this month filed a complaint with the European Commission over the new German law.

Seven-card stud is a complicated game, significantly more so than hold’em. Successful stud and hold’em players both must attend to the betting actions of their opponents to figure out their likely holdings. Stud and hold’em players both must have a good understanding of how their starting hands are likely to develop into profitable or unprofitable final hands. Both must be able to calculate ‘outs’ and understand pot odds and implied odds. But in stud alone, the good player must also keep track of his opponent’s exposed cards. Knowledge of these exposed cards, both the ones in play and the ones that have been folded, allows the good stud player extra insight into the chances that his hand will improve.

Knowing, for example, that three hearts have been folded during the play of a stud hand may convince the good stud player that drawing for that flush doesn’t make sense.

These exposed cards are extra pieces of information available to stud players. But, counterintuitively, this extra information may hinder stud players from properly evaluating their hands.

In hold’em, players’ hands develop simultaneously and identically as the board progresses from the flop to the turn and the river. All players share the same board. All watch it as it is turned. Accordingly, all but the least experienced and worst hold’em players are aware that a third card of one suit on the river, for example, may mean a flush for an opponent. Players with two pair are correspondingly careful about betting when that happens. Players on the turn drawing for a straight, when there are three suited cards on the board, are similarly cautious –- aware that they may be drawing dead.

But in stud, players are sometimes so absorbed in their own hands, and how they are developing, that they may not be paying attention to how their hand is stacking up against the hands that their opponents are likely to hold.

This is especially true of the beginning and intermediate player who has learned which starting hands to play and which to discard. He waits for one of few powerful starting hands, gets one, and then if the hand improves as hoped, he continues to play until the river, bound to ride the horse he jumped on at the beginning of the ride. What he’s failed to recognize is that absolute improvement is not nearly as important as relative improvement.

Here’s an example from a recent home game I was in. The lineup was pretty soft –- primarily recreational players who liked to call. One player was more serious, though not necessarily more skilled. He understood the importance of folding poor starting hands, but didn’t appreciate the importance of looking around and evaluating his hand relative to the rest of the hands that were out.

He started with a three-flush on third street. He called, as did four other players. On fourth street he hit a fourth suited card. Two of his opponents paired their door cards. The higher of the two pairs made a double bet. The other player raised. The player with the four-flush called.

This was a terrible call. True, he had a four-flush and, with his flush cards all live, had about a 50% chance of making his flush. But he was against at least one and maybe two sets of trips right off the bat on fourth street. They also have about a 50% chance of making a full house. He should have folded his flush draw.

Here’s another example. A player with a split pair of jacks raised the bring-in. Two players with overcards called. The first held a king, the second a queen. On fourth street the player with the split jacks caught a blank. The player with the king caught an ace. The next player caught a six:

(J 4) J 2
(x x) K A
(x x) Q 6

The second and third player checked and the first player, with his pair of jacks, bet. The next two players called.

On fifth street the player with the jacks caught another deuce; the second player caught a blank and the third player caught a jack. None were suited.

(J 4) J 2 2
(x x) K A 4
(x x) Q 6 J

The first player, now with two pair, bet. The second player raised. The third player re-raised. The first player called, as did the second player.

The first player made a terrible call. Unless each of his opponents is a maniac, logic and observation require a fold here.

True, the first player improved. Improving is good in a vacuum. But the betting action and exposed cards of his opponents demonstrates that he is very, very far behind. The second player must have either kings or aces up or trips. The third player almost surely has trip queens or trip sixes. In any case, jacks up, with one dead jack, is a huge underdog and very unlikely to improve to a winning hand. He should fold to the double bet rather than continue to draw for one of three cards that will give him a full house (and quite possibly a losing full house even if he makes it).

The problem for stud players is that they, like all poker players, begin their poker lessons by learning hand values. This is how poker is taught. We’re all taught that a full house is a strong hand and a pair is a weak hand. In hold’em, since all hands are derived from a common board, players immediately recognize that all hands are relative. A flush is a good hand –- but only if the board can’t make a full house. Trips are a good hand, but only if the board can’t make a straight or a flush.

But in stud, players are inundated with data –- up to eight exposed cards on third street and then more on each successive street, plus their own hands. It’s easy for them to put blinders on and just think about their own hand and its chances of improvement – neglecting their opponents’ hands and their opponents’ chances of improvement as well.

The good stud player pays attention to all of the data and weighs his hand’s chances of improvement relative to the likely improvement of his opponents’ hands. Sometimes, though his hand may improve –- but when weighed against the likely superior improvement of his opponent’s hand, the best move is still to fold.
21 Magic Casino

Huge numbers again marked the biggest Sunday online events, with the biggest tourneys at Full Tilt, PokerStars and PartyPoker all easily exceeding their pre-event guarantees. The biggest payday from the night’s action went not to the winner at Stars, ‘StudMaverick,’ but to the winner at Full Tilt’s once-a-month $1 Million Guarantee, where ‘GulahPapyrus’ came from behind to win over $206,000.

PokerStars Sunday Million

The massive recent turnouts for the Sunday Million at PokerStars continued again last evening. This most recent edition drew 7,520 entrants and generated a $1.504 million prize pool, with 1,080 players cashing and first scheduled at

$212,064. ’spank01′ grabbed the lead as this tourney’s final table came together; spank01 had amassed nearly $18 million in chips, with ‘Tiwo’ and ‘BluStarZ16′ the closest pursuers.

First blood at the final table came in its first minute of play, when Tiwo and ‘mariaras’ got the chips in; Tiwo had the best of it with to mariaras’s , and the board changed nothing. Tiwo, though, found pocket nines less lucky against ‘StudMaverick’s pocket queens a short while later, and then exited in eighth after running into ‘Pier85’s , finding no help when the board brought .

Pier85 picked up the next knockout as well, sending a short-stacked ‘MagicCoin’ to the rail in seventh. The chips went in before the flop and Pier85’s made a boat with the board’s help, easily topping MagicCoin’s . Next to fall was ‘goonertone7′, who was also all in before the flop and also against Pier85. goonertone7’s hand looked strong against Pier85’s , until the board ran out to give Pier85 the flush.

Pier85 remained the most active player at the table but ran into worse luck after that, and bowed out in fifth after losing most of his chips to ‘macthemac87′. Pier85’s final hand saw him all in with , which lost a race against StudMaverick’s when the board arrived .

At this point the final four players examined possible chop numbers but decided to play on. BluStarZ16 nixed the deal, likely looking to knock out a short-stacked spank01 first. BluStarZ16 made good on his efforts by calling, with a modest , spank01’s all-in push with . BluStarZ16’s hopes came true when the board delivered a friendly , for two pair and the knockout.

At this point the last three haggled for a bit but eventually agreed to a chop by Stars’ chip-count formula, leaving $30,000 for the winner. StudMaverick had the lead at the time and came out with the largest share in the deal, and then finished off BluStarZ16 soon after. In that hand, the chips went in pre-flop with BluStarZ16 showing to StudMaverick’s , and the board gave StudMaverick a winning straight.

StudMaverick entered heads-up action against macthemac67 with a 7:1 edge and was never seriously threatened. The end came when macthemac67 pushed pre-flop with and StudMaverick made the call with . The board rolled out , giving StudMaverick the flush and the win.

Final Results:

*1. StudMaverick — $171,445
*2. macthemac67 — $117,783
*3. BluStarz16 — $104,819
4. spank01 — $60,160
5. Pier85 — $45,120
6. goonertone7 — $33,088
7. MagicCoin — $23,312
8. Tiwo — $13,536
9. mariaras — $8,873.60

* — three-way deal for remaining prize money; $30,000 to eventual winner

Full Tilt $1 Million Guarantee

Full Tilt’s monthly ‘$1 Million Guarantee’ tourney with its higher $500+35 buy-in drew another nice turnout, with 2,252 players on hand. The prize purse reached $1,126,000; 351 spots paid and first place would collect $206,564.70. ‘aaalvin’ held the early lead at this final table, his nearly three million in chips almost twice that of his nearest competitors.

aaalvin also picked up the first final-table knockout, his easily besting ‘Tadadonk’s when the flop brought the for the set. Eight hands later, ‘tkap243′ bowed out when his was no good against ‘Catenaccio’s pocket kings, with the board offering . After an extended stretch of seven-way play, however, Catenaccio would be next to his depart when his lost a race against ‘Fidget65’s . The board on that hand came , to send Catenaccio to the rail in seventh.

Sixth was decided soon after, when ‘JBT449’s proved no match for aaalvin’s waiting , the board bringing . Five-way play again extended for a considerable stretch, before ‘SkewpTroop’ hit the rail. SkewpTroop was down to virtually zero after dropping a big pot to Fidget65, and threw in the last of his chips behind , only to see ‘GulahPapyrus’ show . The board came for the knockout.

Fidget65’s own run came to an end after a open-ended straight draw went unfilled. Fidget65 moved in on a flop, holding , and aaalvin made the call with . The turn and river came and and the field was down to three. aaalvin continued his run by sending ‘heyfreddy’ to the rail in third; in that hand, aaalvin’s held up easily over heyfreddy’s as the board delivered .

This left aaalvin and GulahPapyrus to battle for the deepest money. GulahPapyrus doubled through to take a commanding lead with A- against aaalvin’s Q-5; the all-diamond flop included a five to pair aaalvin but the river brought GulahPapyrus one more diamond for the flush. Both players remained aggressive, and the end came when aaalvin pushed with and GulahPapyrus called with . The final board came , and GulahPapyrus walked away over $206,000 richer.

Final Results:

1. aaalvin — $206,564.70
2. GulahPapyrus — $126,787.60
3. heyfreddy — $82,986.20
4. Fidget65 — $66,208.80
5. SkewpTroop — $50,107
6. JBT449 — $36,032
7. Catenaccio — $26,461
8. tkap423 — $20,718.40
9. Tadadonk — $15,764

PartyPoker $300,000 Guaranteed

A healthy 1,735 players were on hand for yesterday’s $300,000 Guaranteed at PartyPoker, generating a total prize pool of $347,600 and easily eclipsing the event’s guarantee. First place here was scheduled to be $67,665, barring any final-table deals. After doubling through just outside the final table against ‘Jennifer2113′, ‘NLJFF’ arrived at the last ten seats with nearly two million in chips and a sizable lead.

Exiting in tenth from the final table was ‘btigris’, who was all-in pre-flop with but ran into ‘The_2_0ezx’s pocket kings and found no help on a board. ‘AAAKK99′ finished in ninth after his last stand with was no good against ‘LordLuckbox’s , with the board running out . ‘lutkatutka’ then finished off a short-stacked ‘Jennifer2113′ and only seven players remained.

Next, ‘gizzer11′ pinned his hopes on , top-pair/top-kicker after an flop, but lutkatutka showed for the set; after the board finished , the field was down to six. lutkatutka made it three in a row when his easily held up over ‘KitDeLuca’s , the board running out .

‘FaceAndi’ was knocked down to barely a big blind’s worth of chips after losing an A-K vs. 10-10 race against LordLuckbox, but won three straight showdowns, doubling or tripling through each time, to move back into the hunt. The last of those came against NLJFF, who then bowed out when his couldn’t catch against LordLuckbox’s waiting pocket deuces.

FaceAndi’s run back into contention ended in fourth place, when he called a pre-flop all-in from The_2_0ezx. The race was on when The_2_0ezx showed to FaceAndi’s , and the board missed FaceAndi and narrowed the race to three. Those three were closely bunched in chip count and soon agreed to a deal, with The_2_0ezx the official winner.

Final Results:

**1. The_2_0ezx — $43,400
**2. lutkatutka — $43,100
**3. LordLuckbox — $42,063.50
4. FaceAndi — $18,391
5. NLJFF — $14,921
6. KitDeLuca — $11,451
7. gizzer11 — $8,848.50
8. Jennifer2113 — $6,072.50
9. AAAKK99 — $4,511
10. btigris — $2,949.50

** — three-way deal for remaining prize money

PENNSYLVANIA — As reported by the Pocono Record: “Even as pressure grows on Louis DeNaples from a grand jury investigating perjury allegations, the Mount Airy owner’s machine keeps rolling along. For the second consecutive week, Mount Airy’s slots parlor posted strong returns.

“Wagers of $48.6 million at the casino far exceeded its closest rival, Mohegan Sun, which brought in $39.4 million. Last week’s performance followed a strong Christmas week when Mount Airy’s wagers topped $51 million.

“…Since it opened in October 2007, Mount Airy has produced the state’s highest payout, which this week exceeded 93 percent. That strategy, according to casino spokesperson Kevin Feeley, is a part of their plan to build a loyal customer base.

“…Speculation of impending charges against DeNaples continues after the arrest of Roman Catholic priest and close DeNaples friend Joseph F. Sica on perjury charges last week…”

MASHANTUCKET, Connecticut — (PRESS RELEASE) — The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation today announced that John O’Brien, President of Foxwoods Resort Casino, has tendered his resignation, effective January 18, to pursue other interests.

Current Foxwoods Senior Vice President of Operations, Barry J. Cregan, 54, will serve as interim President of Foxwoods effective January 18. Mr. Cregan is currently responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Foxwoods as well as managing the growth and expansion projects underway at Foxwoods. He is also heavily involved with the pre-opening of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods scheduled for May 2008, working closely with Gillian Murphy, General Manager of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods.

With more than 25 years of experience in the hotel and gaming industries, Mr. Cregan brings a wealth of industry knowledge and business expertise to his new position, as well as strong management skills needed to guide the continued growth and success of the enterprise. Prior to Foxwoods, Mr. Cregan held senior management roles at Tishman Hotels, Marriott International, and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Mr. Cregan also served as President and COO of Trump Plaza Casino Hotel Atlantic City from 1994 to 1998. Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Cregan will work together to ensure an orderly transition.

Tribal Council Chairman Michael J. Thomas stated: “During his tenure, John made significant contributions to the success of Foxwoods, particularly during his nine years as CFO. We wish him well in his future endeavors. As we enter an exciting phase at Foxwoods, we are fortunate to have someone with Barry’s expertise and knowledge in the gaming and hospitality industry to fill the President position on an interim basis. Barry is a strong leader, focused on solid execution and delivering a positive customer experience.”

“Foxwoods is a strong organization with a great brand and great prospects for growth. I welcome this opportunity to work with the leadership team during this transition to continue to implement our strategy during an exciting period,” said Mr. Cregan.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation will begin a search among internal and external candidates for a President to lead Foxwoods during the next phase of expansion and growth.

“It is truly an exciting period for all of us associated with Foxwoods, which includes the opening of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods destination resort in May. We will continue to ensure that leadership is committed to creating a positive environment for all of its employees and focused on providing our customers with memorable experiences,” said Patricia Irvin, CEO of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. “During this transition, the leadership team will continue to passionately pursue our performance objectives and make every effort to execute on our key initiatives effectively. We will begin immediately to conduct a search to fill the President position at Foxwoods.”

“I’ve truly enjoyed serving as President of Foxwoods,” Mr. O’Brien said. “With a solid strategy and a strong management team in place, it’s the right time for me to move on to pursue other interests, including spending more time with my family. I wish Foxwoods and the Mashantucket Pequots continued success in the future.”

MICHIGAN — As reported by the Detroit Free Press: “As nearly every other industry in Michigan tightens its belt, casinos are booming.

“Detroit’s three casinos are making more than they did last year, and beautiful casino resorts are popping up all over the state.

“On the far west side, at Exit 1 off I-94 in New Buffalo, the Four Winds Casino & Resort opened in August, offering lodge-style construction, some pretty restaurants (check out the copper boulder in the Copper Rock Steakhouse) and a hotel and spa. It’s the first casino in the state and one of the few in the country to offer an all-electronic poker room, and it’s ideally placed for a stop on a trip down south or out west.

“The Little River Casino in Manistee (at the intersection of U.S.-31 and M-22) completed a massive renovation in the fall that includes a stone and water-themed exterior.

“…Farther north, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians has been hard at work renovating nearly every facility it owns. Turtle Creek, 4 miles east of Traverse City in Williamsburg on M-72, is undergoing a huge transformation.

“The nearby Grand Traverse Resort & Spa finished its renovations in December 2006, so it’s an alternative place to stay…”

LAS VEGAS, Nevadaa — As reported by the Thoroughbed Times: “One Las Vegas race book has started accepting phone account wagers on Thoroughbred races.

“The race book at Wynn Las Vegas accepted its first out-of-state wager in December. While the state’s gaming control board and gaming commission approved such wagers in 2005, Wynn is the first Nevada race book to add interstate wagering. Wynn currently has just one out-of-state customer.

“…Wynn accepts only phone wagers as current Nevada law does not allow Internet account wagering.

“…Wynn can accept wagers from players in Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wyoming…”

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — (PRESS RELEASE) — Forbes magazine has named MGM Mirage(NYSE: MGM) one of the “Best Managed Companies in America,” as part of its annual Forbes Platinum 400 list of top-performing large corporations. MGM Mirage was one of nine companies recognized in the “Hotels, Restaurants and Leisure” category. The company also made the list in 2005.

“The commitment to outstanding performance from each of our employees made this recognition possible,” said Terry Lanni, Chairman and CEO of MGM Mirage.

The Platinum 400 list includes both American and foreign corporations that have significant presence in the U.S. Contending companies came from a pool of nearly 1,100 corporations that have at least $1 billion in revenue in the most recent fiscal year, a stock price of at least $5 per share and positive equity.

To identify leaders from each industry category, Forbes ranked companies within their industry by many financial metrics, including growth in sales and earnings, leverage, stock market returns and earnings forecasts. From these ranks, each company received a composite score. Next, a financial analytics firm determined an overall score on each company for accounting and governance practices, financial condition and earnings quality. Finally, Forbes’ editors and writers examined the top-ranked companies in each industry and considered factors such as management ability, innovation and leadership.

It all started back on January 6, 2007 when Series 1 of the PokerProForAYear began. After a total of six series, 12 massive freerolls and over 50 League events, the PokerProForAYear League came to a dramatic conclusion on Monday January 7 at the Crown Casino, when the ten finalists took their seats at the PokerProForAYear Final. After nearly six hours of intense competition, Luke Abolins from the UK emerged victorious and claimed first prize.

The PokerProForAYear Final began just before 13:00 at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. Currently hosting the 2008 Aussie Millions, the Crown Poker Room was

filled with eager poker players and spectators, all curious to see the outcome of this massive competition. The room was filled with nervous energy as the final ten players sat down and the cards started flying.
Photos courtesy of Eagle Image - Dave Goudie.

The players at the final table were:
Seat 1 - Jo Abolins
Seat 2 - Massimo Di Marco
Seat 3 - Martin Page
Seat 4 - Robert Ritchie
Seat 5 - Luke Abolins
Seat 6 - Robert Price
Seat 7 - Ilja Smid
Seat 8 - Kairit Leibold
Seat 9 - Andrew Ritchie
Seat 10 - Carlo Carione

The first elimination came after just under an hour and a half of play, at the 200/400 level with 50 ante. With Ilja in the big blind, action folded to Massimo, who called. The two Roberts also called and Ilja checked his option. On a flop of Massimo checked and Robert Ritchie bet 500, followed by Robert Price, who raised to 2000. Massimo then moved all in and only Robert Price called. Massimo showed against Robert’s . The turn brought a and the river was , ending Massimo’s tournament.

Around 20 minutes later, Robert Ritchie moved all in for 3900 and thought his would hold up. Luke moved all in and tabled . The community cards fell and , busting Robert in ninth place.

Close to an hour later, Martin Page looked down to see and went all-in for 4,475. Ilja made the call with . The flop came , giving Ilja a comfortable lead. The on the turn, followed by on the river sealed the deal and left Martin in eighth place.

With blinds at 400/800, with a 100 ante, Robert Price raised to 1800 and Ilja, who had lost a string of hands, moved all-in for 175 holding . Andrew then moved all-in for 8,150 and Robert folded. The community cards showed and whilst Ilja felt confident with the straight on the river, Andrew made the flush with .

The next elimination occurred just after 17:00, when Robert Price, holding , moved all-in with an impressive 14,350 and was called by the Italian Carlo Carione. Holding , Carlo was the favourite heading into the flop. The community cards showed and , sending Robert to the rail.

Four minutes later, Kairit went all-in with and Andrew called all-in for 5,025, showing . The flop showed , giving Kairit top pair. The turn brought a and river was the , giving Kairit the win with a pair of aces.

As had been the trend for most of the day, Kairit then moved all-in pre flop for 9,875 holding and was called by Carlo, holding . The community cards landed and , sending Kairit to the rail in fourth.

And then there were three.

At around 18:00, Jo Abolins in the small blind went all-in for 11,600 holding and was quickly called by brother Luke, showing . The flop produced , giving Luke the high card. Both the turn and river didn’t help Jo (), who finished third and claimed her prize of $1,000 worth of online tournaments at Pacific Poker.

Luke Abolins and Carlo Carione entered heads-up play with roughly the same amount of chips (47,500 and 54,500 respectively). After two hands and with blinds now sitting at 1,500/3,000 with 500 ante, Luke raised 6,000 from the small blind and Carlo jumped all-in for another 12,100 in chips. Luke called and players produced their cards. Carlo, showing , was just ahead of Luke, who tabled . The flop of didn’t help Luke, although the on the turn most certainly did. The river brought an inconsequential , ending Carlo’s tournament in second place and leaving Luke ‘Resteal’ Abolins as the newly crowned PokerProForAYear.

Luke receives a package that includes buy-ins to four major tournaments in 2008, including flights, accommodation and expenses. The major tournaments are expected to include the Aussie Millions, World Series, 888 UK Poker Open (London) and the 888 Canadian Heads-up Challenge.

For finishing second, Carlo wins entry to the 2008 Aussie Millions Main Event, which begins January 14 at the fantastic Crown Casino, including flights, accommodation and expenses.

It certainly was a massive and lucrative competition, with players sharing in over $150,000 in prizes. “We were excited to send the PokerProForAYear finalists to Australia to battle it out for the Champion. It was a great series and it was good to see that the final table lived up to the excitement. Crown was a great venue and I would like to thank them and PokerNews.com for their support”, says Gareth Edwards from 888.com. “Luke was a worthy winner and we look forward to him representing 888.com at events around the world this year.”

Luke was thankful and still in shock after his massive win. After all the photos and fanfare, Luke celebrated with a well earned beer.

Resorts’ poker room is easy to overlook. After all, with all of the large poker action at the Taj, and the fairly large room also next door at Bally’s; it’s easy to see how the small Resorts room might be overlooked. Even so, they had one of the first poker rooms in Atlantic City and some of the earliest poker tournaments. Now, after a long hiatus of being dark, they’re back with tournaments twice a week and daily low-limit and low-stakes no-limit action.

When I visited on Saturday afternoon, they had one game going – a $2/$4 limit hold’em game. It was full so I waited at an empty table, talking with a fascinating older dealer who was waiting to start a $1/$2 no-limit game. He entertained me
Pokerstars
for nearly 20 minutes with stories about poker games in the 1970s in Florida. I was then called to the limit game.

I played limit hold’em for about an hour, winning $15. Half of the table was women who had never or only rarely played. The other half were men who weren’t much more experienced. It was the type of game with a lot of laughing, a lot of calling, and expressions of surprise if anyone raised. It was just the type of game for a limit hold’em duffer like me!

The room was well run – though a few things bothered me. There was smoking right next to the open front of the room – so it was impossible to avoid smoke coming into the room. I found that annoying and easily remedied just by having a smoke-free zone within ten feet of the entranceway of the poker room. Alas, when I left the room I smelled like cigarette smoke.

I didn’t care for the policy of dealers sharing their tips – as they did in this room. I prefer to be able to toke an individual dealer for skillful and quick work. Resorts has no say in this, however. Apparently, this is the law in New Jersey for any room with 15 or fewer tables. Curiously, though there was no financial incentive to be so, the dealers were as good as I’ve found them – skillful at dealing the game, funny when appropriate, and unobtrusive when there was action in the game. I’m not sure why the best dealers I found in Atlantic City (and perhaps in any card room I’ve been to) happened to be at the smallest and least prestigious room I’ve visited, but there you have it.

The house rakes the standard 10% of each pot with a $4 maximum. There is no bad-beat jackpot. Players earn $.50 an hour in comps if they have a player’s club card – which is easy and free to obtain.

I was lucky during my one hour of limit play. On my fifth hand I was dealt aces. I played them strictly by the book, raising the blind, and then coming out for a bet on each of the next three successive betting rounds. I got five callers before the flop, three after the flop, two on the turn and two on the river. They all laughed when I turned them over and raked in the largest pot of my session. That’s what I like: fun players who can enjoy the game even when someone else wins the pot!

The game was entertaining – made so by a dealer who kept the action lively and the players lighthearted. I’d come back to Resorts for low-limit action in the future. If I had a friend or two who had never played before, this is the place I’d take them in Atlantic City to introduce them to the game. Win or lose, I’m sure they’d leave with a fun memory.