Poker Players and Loose Women Permitted Here

Date: Fri, May 9, 2008 Internet

Every theme bar entrepreneur should be made to read this piece about the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada, (travel 25 miles south-west of Las Vegas) if only in the hope that the penny might finally drop.

"The sense of decorum at this town's 95-year-old watering hole is summed up by two signs that greet its patrons:

'Open Everyday Till The Drinking Stops.'

'Poker Players and Loose Women Are Permitted In This Establishment.'


"...ask the regulars about Gary. The longtime regular died unexpectedly while drinking in the bar a few years ago; they say the bartender downed Gary's unfinished beer, smashed the glass and proclaimed: 'To you!'"


"The place had been allowed to deteriorate, the staff says, until part of the floor collapsed one day, dumping patrons into a mining shaft."


"Friendly Dave (member No. 1872) also runs "chicken bingo" outside the bar. Players pay $10, pick a number on a board and wait to see if a chicken defecates on it."


"Locals say the saloon's star turn came in 1942: They claim a shaken Clark Gable waited there to hear whether wife Carole Lombard survived a plane crash on nearby Mt. Potosi. (She didn't)"

You don't reproduce something like this, Mr Theme Bar Entrepreneur. The best you can do is go away and come up with an idea of your own that's just as good.

And you'll excuse us if we don't hold our breath.

Free Poker Training Videos

Date: Tue, May 6, 2008 Internet

Enjoy these instructional videos freebies while you can. The one of Isaac Haxton commenting on low-stakes multi-tabling teaches me one thing within seconds: if you struggle just to follow multi-table poker, you probably shouldn't be playing it...

Bookmakers in European Union legal action

Date: Tue, May 6, 2008 Internet

Great bookmakers bust-up brewing in that utopia known as the European Union ("A unique economic and political partnership between 27 democratic European countries") where we're all one big happy family and everyone can muscle in on everyone else's markets without so much as a raised eyebrow in protest.

"Ladbrokes has received notice from lawyers representing Svenska Spel, threatening legal action against the company unless it withdraws an advertising campaign which it launched in Sweden on May 1st.

"The advertisement for sports betting carries the slogan 'Svenska Spel, Engelska Odds', which translates as 'Swedish Games, English Odds'."

If litigation was settled by soundbites, UK company Ladbrokes would be home and hosed already:

On the question of whether the advertisement could be seen as a direct provocation of Svenska Spel, [Ladbrokes'] Mr. Dilschmann says, 'actually, it is.

"'For a long time, Svenska Spel has insulted its consumers through an illegal economic monopoly and bad odds. To now try and monopolise the Swedish language is even more disappointing. Svenska Spel should be ashamed.

"'It is easy to understand why Svenska Spel wants to control the language. When you speak out clearly, it is obvious how bad their offering is. For a state-owned monopoly company I suppose it is natural to try and threaten its competitors into silence,' he said."

So what do you say to that, Svenska Spel?

"Ladbrokes is using our typeface and our company name in a commercial advertising inappropriate gambling. If they do not stop, we will take this to court."

Oh, right.

And that's why Wagering War is proud to be European. It's the continent that puts the 'Me' into 'Younion'.

Classy gesture by True Poker

Date: Fri, May 2, 2008 Internet

[PLEASE VOTE NOW ON THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF THIS BLOG]
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Anyone who works in the corporate jungle will be familiar with the 'non-person' philosophy - the idea that the moment someone ceases to exist on your payroll or your sponsors' list, that person or entity ceases to exist, with not so much an acknowledgment of his leaving or what he did for you while he was there.

I believe it's all part of the brilliant executive mindset that believes any display of gratitude, compassion or even the remotest acknowledgment that an association which once worked well has run its course, is tantamount to weakness. Everything in Corporate Land must be positive and 'goodbye' is seen as a negative.

So hats off to True Poker for bucking the trend of this infantile crap and showing that there are still businessmen out there who can handle closure of commercial arrangements with a dignity that befits their age. Not to mention their salaries.

Here's the nub of how they announced the end of a deal with Third Bullet Poker:

"...Third Bullet Poker has informed TruePoker that it is moving its brand to the Cake Poker Network, effective May1st. By agreement between our companies, you do not have to stop play here on TruePoker’s software. You can have their Cake and play here too !

"...We wish Third Bullet Poker well in their new home and appreciated their business while their brand was hosted here."

It's a sad reflection on modern business mores that I have to hold this up as a refreshing breath of fresh air but so be it. A classy performance by True Poker and a welcome reminder that not everyone in modern corporate management has his head up his butt.
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On the subject of purported adults in high places, if you still wonder how the American authorities can still get themselves in such an almighty lather over Internet gambling, this story from the world of alcoholic beverages might make things a little clearer. And sadder.

Another bad rap for AK in a poker context

Date: Wed, Apr 30, 2008 Internet

[PLEASE VOTE NOW ON THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF THIS BLOG]
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No matter how you play it, AK gets you in all sorts of trouble, especially when it's followed by 47:

After he was stopped by police, Michael Sean Conran told police he, his girlfriend and a friend had spent Monday night playing poker. After they left the party, Conran decided to pull off the road and fire the AK-47 that was in his car into the ground...

I'm sure we can all empathise with that. Personally, after a bad session at the tables, there's nothing I like more than to discharge mortar shells into a nearby shopping mall...

What was it Charlton Heston once said about gun control?



Now might be good...
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Just a thought on this whole Vegas tipping row. Personally, if we've got to the stage where seasoned journalists are writing phrases like "carefully negotiated, nuanced tipping policies", presumably with a straight face, isn't it time we were considering consigning the whole fatuous concept to the dustbin?

In a world devoid of tips, employers who don't pay enough to make tipping irrelevant, will struggle to attract employees or to keep them for long and they will be forced to raise their pay accordingly. Tipping becomes history, customers unfamiliar with those 'carefully negotiated nuances' are spared unnecessary embarrassment and management and unions are freed from one more drain on their time.

Am I missing something?
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Deal - a review
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Poker Twitter:

"researching Boris Becker's poker results this year. Concerned that 'gingerism' may be becoming a new 'racism'. Red headed jokes now v. nasty"

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I bow to no man in my admiration for Katja Thater but I do believe I've found the second Most Beautiful Woman in Poker.

Looking through the rest of Eric Willis' photo album, Poker Night in Walnut Creek, I must be honest: this is the kind of scenario that makes me think live poker may be a little overrated. The time for silly hats is New Year's Eve and even then I'm not overly keen.

That, however, was before I saw Melissa:



















Apparently no stranger to the word 'style', she carries a hat well and is clearly - how do I put this? - all woman. She is the most beautiful sight I have seen in poker for some time and undoubtedly my Poker Picture of the Day, save for the fact that she deserved far more than to be a mere footnote to today's post.
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So instead I've gone for this one. I don't know if I'm reading too much into it but it seems to be a poker twist on the Turin Shroud. If so, then it works.

Should my blog be more narrow-minded?

Date: Mon, Apr 28, 2008 Internet

Just thinking about how to take Wagering War forward, I would be interested to have readers' thoughts on the following:

Should this be purely a poker blog or do you like to read the occasional post on gambling in general?

I have no preference either way. WW started out as a general gambling blog but its focus is now 80-90% poker, reflecting the fact that the game is now my primary outlet when it comes to peeing money up the wall.

I still enjoy chronicling the odd thought on punting elsewhere, whether it involves quirks of the Turf or casino life in general but it occurs to me that diluting the poker element may be working against me.

So if you play poker yourself, how do you like your gambling blogs? Your vote and any other comments would be most welcome...

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Spin this: another in the series highlighting those fabulous PR coups that make you rejoice to be a gambler...

Mother expected in court for taking kids to card game
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Poker Pic of the Day

Poker: what if we called the pot a mutual fund...?

Date: Thu, Apr 24, 2008 Internet

Just when you think nothing can top the 'America's right to kidnap on foreign soil' story, mid-way through this broadcast, watch the last item on 'legalised online gambling':



Of course, there may be some of you who remain as duped by anyone in a shirt and tie as I used to be. "But you can't possibly equate poker or handicapping with investment banking," you might be thinking. "They are businessmen. They deal with serious stuff. Damn it, they wear a shirt and tie!!!"

Read this:

"...a culture of taking short-term risks for massive rewards meant bankers were not cautious enough"

"a number of investment banks overlooked basic risk controls in their drive to increase profits"

"...a remuneration structure which has encouraged some employees to take spectacular short-term risks, confident that if things work out well they will reap huge rewards, and if they don't they won't be around to pay the price. If it had been their own equity at risk, things might have played out differently."

Now you know why we have investment bankers. It's so that gamblers have someone to sneer at.

(And as for the kidnap outrage, thank you so much to MaryM from Wisconsin for the comment she posts at the end of this article on the subject in The Times. The reassurance is welcome, Mary: we were starting to wonder...)
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Calvin Ayre's departure (see Tuesday's post) - the fall-out begins?
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When poker players take a bath...
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Poker pic of the Day