Poker Satellite Blog

Looking for something fun and inexpensive to do this weekend? Well, why not get a group of your buddies together and have a gaming night. Get a couple decks of Copag plastic playing cards and you’ll be ready to roll. Poker is always entertaining; the most popular of course is Texas Hold’em. Some other varieties are 3 Card Poker, Let It Ride and Caribbean stud. All of these are easy to learn and lots of fun to play. Then of course there is always the #1 favorite of all times, Blackjack, also known as 21. You could also play craps or roulette, but you would need to get the appropriate accessories to do so. Personally I would stick with Hold’em and Blackjack.

Some of you may not know this, but July 19-25 is National Poker Week. The organization Poker Players Alliance has been continuing its ongoing efforts in Washington D.C this week lobbying for legislation promoting legalized gambling in various playing arenas. Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke and many other famous poker players have also gathered in Washington this week to go head-to-head with members of Congress. Approximately 100 Congressmen agreed to meet this week to discuss pending legislation regarding gambling in the USA. Maybe the attends should offer the members some Copag playing cards as a “peace” offering. As with many situations only time will tell if those who gathered for this weeks events were successful in their efforts, I wish them luck.

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.