Poker From The Rail
a Poker Blog brought to you by Full Tilt Poker
Posted by The Captain | Filed under Bloggers Corner
A lot books offer profound ideas on how one should act in a given situation (Lord of the Flies and a lot of De Sade’s gems on interpersonal relationships spring to mind). Ideally, poker books as a genre are specifically geared toward this. If you’ve sat down and read even one, you know what I’m talking about.
Recently, I laid my hands on an early copy of Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I have to say that I was really hoping for a chapter or two detailing Gus’ prowess/experience with the ladies. You know, some real pro tips along the lines of The Machiavellian’s Guide to Womanizing. However, this was not the case.
Tags: Gus Hansen, Live Poker
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
Andy Black is unlike any other poker player you’re ever likely to meet. He is, in fact, unlike any other human you’re likely to meet. And that’s what makes spending some time with him so fascinating.
Raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Black took a path less travelled and headed south to Dublin where he eventually earned a law degree at Trinity College. Again, however, he veered “off course”, choosing to pursue his passion for poker rather than his love of law. Following two heart-breaking appearances at the WSOP Main Event in the late 1990s, Black turned his back on the game he loved and disappeared from site for five years. He disappeared to England, nursed his wounds, and took up Buddhism. It was a break that served him well.
Bright, gregarious, and maybe just a little nuts, Black is, if nothing else, an original thinker. We were lucky enough to corner him for a brief conversation and, well, we’ll let Andy speak for himself. Enjoy a look at poker and philosophy from one of the game’s brightest minds:
Tags: Andy Black, Phil Ivey
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
In our last post, Chris Ferguson sat down and shared his thoughts on the UIGEA and the state of online poker. This week, we were able to talk to Howard Lederer and get his perspective as well. Speaking as a PPA board member, he discussed what he sees as a favorable future for online poker. Here’s what Howard had to say, in his own words:
Tags: Howard Lederer, UIGEA
Posted by The Captain | Filed under Bloggers Corner
While having a “professional” conversation over drinks, my colleagues and I got into the debate about whether poker is a game or a sport. As you might imagine, there were some disagreements on the subject. Of course, the argument was based on what constituted a sport versus what constituted a game. I’ll not bother with the finer points – our arguments made about as much sense as the UIGEA. However, I did manage to articulate a few thoughts on the subject in a semi-lucid fashion. Amazingly, I remember bits and pieces of this.
Tags: Erick Lindgren, Scott Clements
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
Following the recent UIGEA hearings in Washington D.C., there’s been more positive coverage (a bit of light at the end of the tunnel?!) of the state of affairs for online poker. In brief, it’s been clearly established that there isn’t an effective method in place for blocking transactions that fund something called “illegal wagering,” banks can’t and won’t effectively police this, and no one has been able to identify exactly what unlawful Internet gambling is. On the whole, it’s extremely vague and incredibly ineffective at achieving any positive end.
Chris Ferguson was in D.C. for the proceedings, and he definitely has some thoughts on what took place. We were able to sit down with Chris and a tape recorder a couple of days after the Senate hearing, and get his take on the current state of affairs for online poker. Here’s his opinion – in his own words:
Tags: Chris Ferguson, UIGEA
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
Everyone knows that the pros spend a load of time on the road. With tournaments all over the world, they clock a lot of air time and spend days or weeks moving between where ever it is that they call “home” and tournament destinations all over the world. As hectic as it may seem, most all of the good folks from Full Tilt Poker that we’ve spoken with have told us that they really enjoy that aspect of the lifestyle – it’s one of the perks of the job.
Tags: Clonie Gowen, Howard Lederer
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
We have a very special The Pros Speak for you today, as Roland de Wolfe is letting us in on his simple three-step strategy to winning this year’s Main Event. We’ll let Roland take it from here:
1. Play as good as Phil Ivey
If you’re going to win the main event, you might want to think about bringing your “A” game. You have to be able to maintain your focus for not only hours on end but days on end. I’m the first to admit that staring at a bunch of other men day after day isn’t always fun, but paying attention to your opponent’s tendencies will pay off. Noticing that your opponent always continuation bets means you can often take pots away from them with a raise. Watching what they do with their hands after a bet may tip you off to the strength of their cards.
Tags: Phil Ivey, Roland de Wolfe
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
Taylor Caby is truly a talented guy, and this extends well beyond his personal successes online. As one of the founding members of CardRunners, he’s already established himself as one of the top players in the game. What’s more, he’s a really nice, laid-back guy.
In spite of an obviously busy schedule, Taylor took a few minutes to chat with us about poker, CardRunners, and coming onboard with Full Tilt Poker. Here’s what he had to say:
Tags: CardRunners, Taylor Caby
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
Aaron Bartley recently distinguished himself from scores of poker pros through his uncanny awareness of brilliance. He is the first – and probably only – pro that has not only noticed our blog, but has actually read it. In fact, he went so far as to email us and share his thoughts on Poker From The Rail. As men of integrity, we’re well above sharing such precise and insightful commentaries on our journalistic and literary genius. Let it suffice to say that he recognized us as “pretty cool” and “having a good time.”
Tags: Aaron Bartley, Erick Lindgren
Posted by The Captain | Filed under Bloggers Corner
By now, everyone’s heard or read about Jonathan Little’s departure from Full Tilt Poker. While this is news, it’s interesting to read some of the threads that have spun out of it on the various forums – they cover the full spectrum. Some people have e-voiced that they are disgusted with him and that he’s a scumbag for what he did, while others state that he’s a “good guy” and was somehow a victim.
I’ve never met Jon, and I really don’t have a strong opinion about him as a person. That said, the guy did something blatantly out of line with his contract, got pinched for it, and then got booted. He’s even admitted to this in a blog post:
Tags: Chris Ferguson, Jonathan Little
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