Poker Satellite Blog

The 21st Century has been a new era for Poker, not only has the regular every day Joe caught poker fever, but many celebrities have as well. Obviously, most of the celeb’s aren’t playing for the money, but instead for the love of the game, or maybe they just enjoy using the really cool plastic playing cards .

 Ben Affleck actually won the $10,000 No Limit California State  Championship in 2004 which amounted to a grand prize of over $300,000, probably petty cash for him; maybe he donated the winnings to his favorite charity. Toby Mcguire, or better known as “Spiderman” has been in several tournaments since 2004 and has had a consistently high ranking. He even placed 1st in 2004 in the Phil Hellmuth Invitaional-No limit hold’em tournament. I bet that one of your favorite celeb’s is a poker pro too.

Are you slightly rusty on your blackjack skills and techniques? Have you ever seen those Vegas blackjack touch screen games? You play these just like table blackjack, minus the dealer. Unfortunately, if you use one of these touch screens in a casino and you haven’t played for a while you could possibly lose a bundle of money.

One great way to practice and get up to speed is with a Laptop Video Blackjack Game with Touch Screen .  This product is similar to playing the casino games, but you get the advantage of getting to practice, but aren’t out large amounts of cash if you don’t do so well. You can purchase one for under $100.00 and the dimensions are 7 x 9 x 8, which means it is the perfect size to take along and play anywhere you go.

Just ran across a product that has been around for quite a while, but was not in the radar until now.  The product is a neat line of poker tables that look like something from a different era, but they are modern quality built tables from the Kestell Furniture company.

With several different models to choose from, all of the tables are made from either Maple or Oak.  One of the fanciest is a large octagonal table with a beautiful pedestal base.  The example picture has the table shown with a dark stain finish and an olive green playing surface.  This Kestell table will knock your eyes out.

Amazingly enough, with most of the tables they make you can choose between the maple and oak construction.  Only on some of the lower end tables is the choice limited to Oak only.  In addition to this option, you can choose from a variety of 4 stains on maple and 6 stains on oak.  Further choices have you selecting from over a dozen upholstery options.  Without a doubt Kestell tables are a quality product and well worth the investment.

I love to play blackjack! The rules are so simple it is easy to teach the game to little kids. The goal is to get as close to 21 without going over and to beat the dealer. If you have children or are active in group activities for kids this is a great way to help them with their counting skills and they will have fun at the same time. I remember when I was little and my older brother and I would play blackjack with matches and sometimes even pennies, it was a blast.

Now days you can purchase blackjack accessories like they use in the casinos. This adds a different level to the game; it makes you feel like a pro. You can use a dealing shoe, discard holder, plastic cards, and even real poker chips to spice up your game. How fun is that?!

Las Vegas is known as the town that never sleeps, do you know why? Let me give you a little Vegas trivia.

If you were traveling in space, guess what the brightest city you would see is. You got it, Las Vegas. It is the brightest city, mostly due to the Vegas Strip where outdoor lighting displays are everywhere you turn. If you can see these from space imagine how luminous it is if you are standing on the street.

There are over 68 Casinos in Vegas and they are open 24/7 all year long. Some of the most famous are the Bellagio, Flamingo, Rio, Caesar’s Palace and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Circus Circus. The casinos in Vegas are unbelievable there is never a dull moment or a lack for something to do. Whether you like Hold’em, Craps, Slots or Blackjack there is something there for you. People that visit often leave sleep deprived because with all the excitement around no one wants to sleep in fear that something might be missed.

It is estimated that over 39 million people visit this sleepless city every year, why not plan to be one of those people.

Did you know that WPT offers Boot Camps?  If you are a poker enthusiast, then these camps might be right up your alley.  The three camps offered this year are:  Tournament Camp, Cash Camp and Battle for the Season Pass III.

The Tournament Camp and the Cash Camp are both for two days.  Tournament camp is for beginners up to advanced players, and focuses on understanding tells, reads and provides strategies to improve your game.  Cash Camp teaches you how to become a consistent winner, whether you are playing in tournaments or cash games.

Battle for the Season Pass III is a week long camp that takes place in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  You not only get to interact and play against professional players you have a chance to win 1 of 18 WPT Main Event seats. 

Take advantage of the camps and increase your chances to win big!

This hot new Poker Genie Pro Edition shows significant improvements over the previous model, which was already a gem of a product.  The list of improvement include increased volume, built in stand, wall mount eyelets, ability to choose chip values, and the ability to enter a completely custom blind schedule.

With five simple steps the Poker Genie Pro gathers information about your poker tournament by having you enter it into the interface.  While entering the information about your poker tournament, the Poker Genie shows you an estimate of how long your tournament will last.  By adjusting parameters such as round times, you affect the tournament length estimate.  Amazingly it is quite accurate.

So you already have a blind schedule that is a result of much trial and error and you don’t want some computer telling you how to set up your tournament.  Simply put the Genie into custom mode and program your custom rounds (up to 30), including breaks and antes.  This new Pro Edition of the Poker Genie seems to cover all the bases.

Ever been to the Mirage in Vegas?  Me neither, but I want to go.  I was just on their website and it is awesome.  This definitely makes the urge to go stronger.  Upon clicking on the casino link you see more options ranging from slots and table games to poker and horse race betting.  Whatever you are into, it seems to be there.

Table games are my favorite.  A variety of table games are offered, including Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette. Some of the lesser known games are Crazy 4 Poker, Pai Gow, and Pai Gow Poker.  Not to mention the fairly new 3 Card Poker and Let it Ride.  Can’t wait to go and see it in real life.

Phillip the “poker brat”, is a 44 year old Poker Hall of Famer. He holds the record for eleven Texas hold’em World Series of Poker bracelets, and in 1989 he became the youngest player to win the Main Event. Although Hellmuth has never won a World Poker Tour tournament he is still ranked 6th on the WSOP All Time Money List at a whopping $5,859,080.

Hellmuth not only plays the game, he has also written several poker books and instructional videos. Phil Hellmuth’s Million Dollar Poker System DVD will literally change your game overnight. With this instructional DVD you will learn: Strategy, Pot Odds, When to Hold’Em, When to Fold’Em, Phil’s Top Ten Hands, Phil’s Majority Play Hands, Poker Psychology and much more!  Even if you have never picked up a deck of cards Phil’s book, Play Poker Like the Pros will have you well on your way. This book lays out the rules and set-up of each game and then moves on to easy-to-follow basic and advanced strategies. A unique feature of this book is the focus is not only on traditional table play but also on online gaming at which many high-end players are now prospering. 

We all know that not playing smart poker or playing on tilt can be bad for your bankroll.  Saying you understand this concept and actually being able to recognize when you may be playing outside of your optimum range are two different things.

Also a potential problem at the poker table is the development of bad habits.  These habits can become a part of the normal routine and happen when we are fresh or tired.  If you suspect that you may have some bad habits, you need to have a trusted friend observe you at the table and be prepared for honest feedback.  Even if you do not suspect any problems it is a good idea to have a friend check your table mannerisms from time to time, just to be sure.

 For a list of admitted bad habits from real poker players, check out this article. You may find it as helpful as I did.