It took a few weeks and thousands of players but the 2010 WSOP has finally been narrowed down to a elite group of nine. The nine will play the final round of poker in November on television. Apparently, even today with the popularity of poker, main stream media still doesn’t get why anyone would want to watch all 57 events of the WSOP on TV; but hey, at least we get this final table.

Here’s the lineup:
Filippo Candio

Joseph Cheong

John Dolan

Jonathan Duhamel

Matthew Jarvis

Michael Mizrachi

Soi Nguyen

John Racener

Jason Senti

The final event of the WSOP consisted of good old fashioned No Limit Texas Holdem which, despite the numerous variations that exist in poker, remains the most popular way to play our favorite game of skill. Perhaps the popularity of Holdem was why there were over seven thousand entrants into this year’s events and 1,125 folks who handed over their $10,000 buy in for one last chance at gold.

The week long final event of the tournament cut down around 200 players at the end of every day. Early leaders quickly faded into non existence and major celebrity players didn’t make it to the final table. One of my personal old favorites and former champions, Greg Raymer left the competition on the very first day, in the very first plays. Poker is mostly a game of skill but the final game of the WSOP also reminds us that luck still plays a role in who wins the big one.

Michael Mizrachi seems to be having quite a tournament having already won the Player’s Championship. He’s my current favorite to win in November. As play ended for the four month break Jonathan Duhamel led the chip lead with 65,975,000 according to the WSOP homepage and Jason Sneti came in last place with 7,625,000.

We all know things could change quickly in the first round of play and I for one can’t wait for that final table to get underway.

Every time I turn around, or at least refresh my page, someone else has a poker pro sponsorship deal. Here are just the latest poker players to get that contract.

Shannon Elizabeth (the cute actress who is one awesome poker player) signed up with Carbon Poker this week. The deal includes her playing online exclusively at their casino, writing a blog for the company and represent them in tournaments.  When she isn’t appearing in cult classic like “American Pie” and “That 70s Show,” Elizabeth is playing her favorite game. She has a number of cash wins under her belt and came third at the NBC National Heads Up Event. Shannon Elizabeth is a coy player, great at bluffing and entertaining to watch.

PokerStars.net now has Vanessa Selbst (seven money finishes and one bracelet to her name) as a professional on their site. Selbst has been making her name lately winning the Main Event at Mohegan Sun earlier this year. Professional  poker player, Yale graduate and wannabe human rights lawyer Selbst is one of the younger female pro players at just 25 years old and she continues to take the poker world by storm. Definitely worth watching.

David Williams also signed up with the PokerStars folks  and will be meeting with the media in Vegas this week to confirm. He used to be associated with the Bodog team but after all their controversy he decided to leave. Williams has 17 money finishes as well as bracelet. He loves to play poker as well as Magic The Gathering.

Yup seems everyone is signing up with professional poker sites these days. But that’s okay. Sponsorship in the world of poker keeps the game in the spotlight and attracts new players.

Coming up this July 3^rd is the fourth annual charity event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.  Organized by poker professional Annie Duke and actor Don Cheadle, the event will help support relief efforts in Africa’s most hard hit regions such as the much talked about Darfur. The charity organizers work with the WSOP I marketing and coordinating the event.

The event is not officially a part of the 2010 WSOP Main Event, it is housed in the same hotel at the same time to help ensure maximum attendance. The combination of poker professional and Hollywood faces should encourage all large bankrollers to participate in the hope of both helping those less fortunate and enjoying some big payouts. The rumor is the winner of the tournament could walk away with six figures in earnings.

Online reports indicate that Annie Duke and Don Cheadle will definitely attend along with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Ray Romano, Phil Hellmuth and poker pro and commentator Phil Gordon. The event is set for this coming Saturday and the $5,000 buy in helps the group meet their giving goals. They have so far raised over three million dollars to help African communities.

Those wishing to attend the event can register anytime from now until the event begins. You must be at least 21 years old to enter.  Anyone who comes up with the buy in can take part. So if you have a spare five grand laying around, get down to Vegas and make a difference.

Event 25: Omaha Hi-Low Split 8 or Better Championship. This one went to Sam Farha of Houston, Texas and gave him not only a bracelet but $488,237. This was a three day tournament with 212 entrants and a $10,000 buy in.

Event 26: Six Handed No Limit Holdem. William Haydon from the United States won this event against Jeffrey Papola of New York. Both men held aces but Haydon’s Jack beat Papola’s six of hearts and brought him a whopping $630,031 in prize money. There were 1,245 entrants with a buy in of $2,500.

Event 27: Seven Card Stud H-Low-8 or Better.  There was a $1,500 buy in and winner David Warga of Tempe who took home $208,682 as the last one standing of 208 competitors.

Event 28: Pot Limit Omaha. It was Miquel Proulx of Canada with a pair of Queens who took this victory back to his hometown of Quebec. He earned over $315,000 in prize money and came out on top over the 596 entrants.

Event 29: The Limit Holdem Championship. With a $10,000 buy in the event attracted 171 players. It was Matt Keikoan of California who took home the bracelet and a nice chunk of change ($425,969) with his Ace-Seven.

Event 30: No Limit Holdem. The $1,500 entrance fee attracted 2,394 players but it was clever play by Mike Ellis of London, England who came out on top. He won against his heads up opponent Christopher Gonzales who had a pair of aces. Ellis had an Ace-ten but made it work to the tune of $581,851.

Event 31: HORSE. Konstantin Puchkov of Moscow, Russia took home a cool quarter million dollars after winning this tournament against Al Barbieri.

Event 32: No Limit Holdem Six Handed. An almost winner in event 26, Jeffrey Papola took home his bracelet after winning against Men Nguyen with a pair of Jacks. The win gave him a hefty $667,443 as well as a shiny new bracelet.

Event 33: Pot Limit Holdem/Omaha. A $2,500 buy in didn’t put off American Luis Velador from winning $260,517 with a measly 7-6 hand. His opponent David Chiu couldn’t get it over him with an Ace-Ten pairing so good for him right?

Event 34: Seniors No Limit Holdem Championship. One for the retired folks, the Senior championship was won by Harold Angle of Florida. Angle beat out 3,142 players and his heads up opponent Michael Minetti. The win gave him a nice $487,994 to put in his savings account.

Event 35: Heads Up No Limit Holdem Championship. The $10,000 buy in fee didn’t dissuade 64 professionals taking the chance in this heads up challenge. It was  Ayaz Mahmood of the U.S. That took home the prizes in the form of a bracelet and $625,682.

Twenty events to go!

The number of online casinos continues to grow. Every time I browse the web I find another potential online gaming site. With so much choice it can be difficult for a newbee poker player to know where to start. All the sites seem to have celebrities. All the sites seem to have bonus codes. All the sites seem to offer freerolls. So how can you narrow down your search and what should you look for in an online casino?

Start with the basic s and only choose sites that accept American players and American credit cards or bank cards. I’m not being funny here; a lot of sites don’t accept American players, especially those based in Europe operating under different banking and monetary systems. If you want to down the line you could set up a foreign account but to start out stick close to home.

Look at sites that offer the type of poker you want to play. It seems everyone offers Holdem these days but not Razz or HORSE or Omaha. Go to the “Games” tab of each site and see what’s up for offer. Be sure to check that all games are open to new players. I suggest avoiding sites with a bunch of poker games you’ve never heard of (fad playing) or only have bonus codes for the games you don’t know how to play.

Choose a reputable online casino. The easiest way to do this is to “Google” online casinos and see what names come up on the first search page. Page rankings (order of search results) have a lot to do with having enough money to advertise, branding and popularity of sites. If a site appears on page one of your search results, it’s probably well established and pretty reputable. If you aren’t sure, post a query at a poker forum to double check.

Don’t get distracted by bonuses and offers unless they are reoccurring and frequent. Every site offers sign up bonuses but not every site had daily and weekly freerolls, bonus codes to increase your bankrolls or tips from professional players. After you have narrowed your search down a little, check out the casino home pages and find out more about their typical offers and not just the current promotion.

Once you have really narrowed down your potential poker playing sites to two or three possibles, download their software and play a few free games, observe tables and get familiar with the graphics and hardware. These features may be your tie breaker. Being comfortable with the way the casino looks and interacts with you the player is a very important part of improving your online gaming experience.

When choosing your online poker casino do your research and take your time. This is a place where hopefully you’ll be spending a lot of time and you should be both familiar and comfortable with your digital surroundings.

When you sign up for an online poker site, you are always asked to pick a screen name and an avatar. An avatar is an image or character meant to represent you in the online casino. When you look at the screen it is your chosen avatar that plays your hand. Some days I get sick of playing poker with cartoon sharks, fluffy white puppies and 1930s spy movie characters. But are these annoying images meant to be just that? Annoying?

I guess I’m boring. My avatar kinda looks like me. You know in Yahoo or Facebook where you can create a digital version of yourself by picking hair and eye color, clothing and skin color? Well I try and make the digital me look as much like the real me as possible. I’m all for truth online and don’t see any reason to hide. So I choose “boring” avatars that look like real people.  Am I wrong?

All these strange choices we see in the casinos, from dogs and cats to movie stars and aliens, make me wonder what are people thinking? I’m not a big fan of the whole role playing thing and don’t see the Internet as a place to act out fantasies. A blogger’s job is to research, observe and share not pretend to be an alien from a 1950s B movie while I decide whether I’m going to check or fold.

But I spend a large portion of my time staring at those fanciful avatars and reading those silly screen names and I can’t say it does my poker game any good. I certainly don’t claim to be a great player (still adjusting to online virtual rather than back room real) but I don’t think wondering why people want to portray themselves as hobbits, aliens and wizards is helping much either.

It’s such a distraction for me and I think that may be the point. Your avatar in the gaming world isn’t perhaps the same type of avatar you would use under other social networking circumstances. The poker player’s avatar is not meant to be realistic, it’s meant to confuse, puzzle or intimidate.

Think carefully about which avatar you choose for your online poker play and make sure you go out of your way to distract your opponents from the game. It will help you with your strategic play and help them with their concentration skills. A win win situation then I guess.

So I should be thanking all the hobbits and sharks? Hmmm….

If you are reading this expecting a ton of tips and tricks on how to beat your opponents at online gaming you are about to be disappointed. This is a survival guide. You know, how to beat the fatigue of online poker play, stay focused and on your game? This advice is based solely on my own online casino experiences and I’d love to hear other suggestions.

1. Pick a name and avatar you really really like because you are stuck with it. Staring for hours at an animated shark or psychic princess that is supposed to be a virtual version of yourself gets old really quick. If you picked a goofy gaming name, you are pretty much stuck with it unless you change casinos. Take time with these two aspects of gaming as bad decisions will haunt you every time you deal in.

1. Learn to use the bathroom in ninety seconds or less. Most sites give you 90 seconds to get back online after a disconnect and thirty seconds to play your hand. Sometimes you have enough time to sit out the next game and do your business. Sometimes you hold out for too long and end up knocking the laptop to the ground as you rush for relief. Get quicker, get smarter.

1. Keep healthy snacks around while you play poker online. Not only does having nearby healthy snacks save breaks or rapid trips to the kitchen, it helps to keep you alert. Opt for carrot sticks over carbs every time to avoid getting that sluggish feeling that could put you off your game.

1. Drink plenty of water. Yes it will increase the number of 90 minute bathroom breaks but it will also keep you focused and alert. Caffeine and sugar based drinks seem like the logical choice but their effects quickly wear off leaving you twice as sleepy and lethargic as you were before you drank them. Stick to cold water at regular intervals to meet your electrolyte quota and keep your brain in the moment.

1. Have a blanket nearby. Of course I don’t recommend lying down to play poker but having something to wrap around your shoulders after a four hour game can be very useful. Cold drafts, slight shivers and feeling uncomfortable can be a major distraction when you are playing. Sitting still for long periods cools you down so be prepared.

1. Play alone. The reason you play online poker is to practice your skills, improve your game and increase your bank roll, friends and family who want to play or ask you a hundred questions while you play are bound to distract from your goals. Poker is a study in human nature and concentration is required. Say no to guests and limit your playing time so you don’t get too unsocial.

Well that’s my basic survival guide for online poker. It’s all about staying alert, being prepared and making smart decisions. Sort of like playing poker.

Everybody knows California is broke. Is that why they are looking to the state’s million strong online poker players as potential tax revenue? The proposed bill would bring legislation to the world of online poker for Californians and (as proponents argue) make the game safer. Of course, it will give this troubled state economy a much needed boost.

The proposed bill (Bill SB 1485) is being held up by numerous dissenters including the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. Many Native Americans in California feel the bill will encroach on their tribal profits. As many tribes rely heavily on the poker economy, competition could jeopardize health and human services programs on Californian reservations.

Some of the details of the bill in its current form include legal prosecution for those who try and play poker on illegal websites, 20 percent of gross poker income being turned over to the state, all poker players being 21 or older and the promotion of online California based poker sites. For many, the proposal is just too rigid. And of course, we all know this is coming about as a way to help the state make money not over any concern regarding poker playing.

I say the west coast folks should legalize marijuana and tax that rather than online poker. People will still buy pot. Kids will have much harder access to it as the illegal industry will fall by the wayside. With poker on the other hand, regulation and taxation will put a lot of players off and actually encourage players to try and cheat the system so they don’t have to pay taxes for practicing, and hopefully perfecting, a game of skill.

Many are still trying to get lawmakers to understand that poker is a skill game rather than a potential gambling revenue resource for fractured economies. I mean, would they tax and regulate the playing of online chess? Of course not.

Anyway, as it stands there are too many people grumbling about the bill in its current form for it to pass. More changes will be made and lawmakers will try again. I guess if at first you don’t succeed play another hand?

We’ll see what happens.

I love taking the results of the 2010 WSOP Main Event and viewing it as the poker Olympics. The WSOP site calls it the world rankings but I see it more as the number of gold medals each nation has so far and who look to take home the title of best nation. Or should I say nation with the best poker players?

Well, here are the results and rankings as researched on the WSOP home page.

It’s interesting that America has the most high ranked poker players. I mean it’s not like we have more people than the Chinese or more game playing history than the Europeans. Could having Sin City in your back yard really make that much of a difference? Or is it more likely professional poker is both encouraged and promoted in America as something to aspire to, a chance at a lucrative career and of course, getting to play cards all day.

I dunno, I think we have just experienced the democratization of card playing since the Old West and the stigma of playing cards seems to have left us as well. Perhaps the combination mixed in with a little American determination keeps us bringing home the gold. I’m not bragging people I’m just stating a fact.

There’s still time for the rest to catch up. Right?

Well…

The holiday is almost here and online poker always enjoys its busiest day on the Fourth of July. The summer holiday celebrates independence, freedom and for many, the world of online poker. Here’s a heads up on the promotions and specials offered by the major online casinos this 4^th of July weekend.

1. PokerNews $1500 freeroll: Begins July 4. Apply before midnight June 30, 2010 Absolute Poker First Deposit Match up to $1200.
2. PokerNews $1500 freeroll: Begins July 4. Apply before midnight June 30, 2010 Ultimate Bet Poker First Deposit Match up to $1200.
3. Party Poker $200 freeroll: Begins July 4. Need 50 party points to register.
4. Noble Poker $250 freeroll: Begins July 5.  Need Bankrollmob account registration.
5. Carbon Poker $First deposit freeroll: Begins July 5.
6. Carbon Poker $100 freeroll: Begins July 4. Must be a Green VIP.
7. Carbon Poker $1000 freeroll: Begins July 4. Must be a Gold VIP.
8. Carbon poker $250 freeroll: Begins July 4. Must be a Bronze VIP.
9. Absolute Poker $1,500 freeroll: Begins July 4.
10. Pacific Poker $1,000 freeroll: begins July 4 for players who earned at least 100 points on the site in June.

Remember, to qualify for many freerolls you have to be signed up with the online casino in advance of the tournament. Some freerolls include membership in sister sites and get you into partner promotions so do your homework. This list is a good place to get started but check the net all weekend to find out about any last minute deals.