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Coaching Camp by WSOP ACADEMY with Alex Outhred, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Brad Booth, Charley Swayne, Greg Raymer, Howard Lederer, Joe Navarro, Kenny Tran, Gavin Griffin, Mark Gregorich,Mark Seif, Michael Gracz, Oliver Nejad, Paul Wasicka, Phil Gordon, Phil Hellmuth, Scott Fischman and Sam Chauhanimg . Instruction in Tournament, Advanced, or Cash Lessons at various times in the year. Cost from $1,699.00 to $2,199.00 plus travel and hotel. Learn poker tournament/cash skills, strategies and tactics through live hand demonstrations, and seminars with Q & A. Private WSOP Academy tournament(s) is(are)included and a chance at amazing prizes!

Real Poker Training has no sign Up Fees and costs $12.48 per month if you pay for a full year in advance. Otherwise, it is $24.95 per month. Once you have joined, you will have gained access to the thought processes of professional tournament poker players..Including David Williams, Ryan Fisler and Todd Arnold. You will have access to over 234 hours of Video Tapes, Hand Analysis Tool, and numerous articles. Their Video Collection is growing with daily updates. The Poker Video Training concept is something that they claim to have introduced to the marketplace – one thing for certain, they have been one of the original organisations providing expert training to help the poker enthusiast improve their game. They take you step by step through online poker tournaments and cash games while their instructors discuss the strategy behind the plays they make. In addition to their huge library of MTT strategy videos, they have sections for SNGs , Omaha, 5 Card Draw and NL Cash. They also do videos of hand history replay of students videos and in these they point out the mistakes they may be making. Real Poker Training is very reasonably priced with highly professional videos and instructors, and is higly recommended for you to try it out if you are serious in improving your poker skills.

Poker SavvyPlus to date has 296 videos with5-7 added per week. Lessons in Cash Games and Tournaments for beginners right up to advanced poker strategies and tactics . Games include – 6 MAX NL, Full Ring NL, Heads Up NL, Limit Hold\’em, Omaha & Mixed Games . Trainers include Mike Matusow, Andrew Brokos, Chris Rhodes,Dani Stern,Evan Roberts,Justin Rollo, and Tony Dunst and numerous well known guest Professionals. Choice of Servers from USA or Stream from Europe. Most Videos are downloadable. A high proportion of the videos do not have lessons on a single table and this can distract from the lesson that is being taught. Videos are categorized into four basic headings or by Pro,game-type,number of players. Loads of extras included in your subscription: Articles,Blogs,Forum,Member Tournaments, and Chat. Videos are very easy to view, simple and clear graphic presentation- visually pleasing site. You can try it out for free for 7 days (you have to give your credit card information so be sure to cancel your free trial before the end of the trial period if you do not wish to stay as a member.) Membership costs $24.95 per month and there is no sign-up fee.

ProPlay Live Membership is just a one-time $49.95 setup fee which includes your first month of unlimited video viewing, and then only $19.95 a month thereafter, cancel anytime. Pay five months in advance and the sign-up fee is waived. Watch and listen to the the videos and see how professional players win. Observe their though processes, their analysis of situations, their methods, and you will eventually integrate their techniques and strategies into your own poker game. Extremely well known team of instructors that have won more WSOP bracelets collectively than any other video training- site\’s trainers . Video Instruction by Greg Raymer – 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion, Annie Duke – WSOP Bracelet in 2004, Tom McEvoy – 1983 WSOP Main Event Champion, Author of over 13 poker books, Erik Seidel – Holder of 8 WSOP Bracelets, Alex Outhred ,Former Associate Producer for World Poker Tour TV Show, Bill Chen – Two WSOP Bracelets, Shawn Rice,and John Lukas – Holder of 2 WSOP Bracelets. Video Topics include the following:Cash Games, SNGs & Tourneys, No Limit and Limit Holdem, Omaha, HORSE, Stud, Razz and much more . Both Educational and Entertaining.

Test Your Poker is an interesting choice for improving your poker skills. Training is provided by computer analysis of your playing patterns and decisions. You are given games on a Poker Table against various types of players and you are assessed how you play each hand.Here is what they say -\” Your poker skills will be tested and analyzed in over 30 categories! Among the skills being tested are: Correct hand selection, Correct actions (bet/raise/check/fold), Correct bet/raise size, Play from the Blinds, Play from different positions, Pot odds, Aggressiveness/Passive Play, Blind stealing, Adjusting for previous action in the hand, Adjusting for previous action at the table, Using your play on prior streets to your advantage, Playing in raised pots, Slowplaying, Check-raising, Bluffing, Defending against aggressive play, Knowing when to push All-in, Understanding opponent\’s tendencies, Understanding opponent\’s stack size, Pot control, Playing too \”fancy\”, Pre-flop play, Flop play,Turn play River play, Many other subcategories of the above skills\” Currently they provide a free Full ring Test, a Test from the NL Hold\’em Cash Full Ring Member Database,6-Max NL Hold\’em Cash Game Test, NL Holdem Multi-Table Tournament Test, NL Holdem Sit \’n Go (Single Table) Tournament Test and Limit Holdem Cash Game Test . You can take the tests as often as you like. Each time, you will receive a printable analysis of your play with recommendations where to improve your weaknesses and where to build up on your strengths. You can also watch a Professional playing the same game, with commentary on the optimum situation, position, bet size etc. You can watch your own game with hand by hand commentary of your play- pointers are provided as to where you played correctly and where you may have played it with errors. If every time you take the test, you read your analysis report, you watch your personal replay and the professionals replay- you will learn to improve your game. This method does have its limitations and therefore we recommend that you join for one month, try it out, improve your game and then decide if you need to remain as a member for further training or not. The Cost is just under $20 and is a good investment to improve and advance your poker skills.

Cardrunners is one of the premium poker training sites, especially if you want training in cash game NLHE. There are over 1,000 videos to view, of these 795 are in the No Limit Hold\’em category, with 513 of these in Cash Game and 197 in MTT. There is also Limit Hold\’em with 94 videos,Omaha with 8 videos, and Pot Limit Omaha with 63 videos. Then there a few videos in Razz,Stud, and Triple Draw. The resident trainers are Taylor Caby,Andrew Wiggins,Brian Townsend,Brian Hastings,Mike Schneider, Cole South, and Eric Liu – all of them top ranking young professional poker players. To compliment this team, there are guest trainers as well. There is an abundance of videos where the trainers are playing several tables at once. Apart from Videos, the site offers a Pro-moderated Forum, Live Chat, Online Seminars, Members\’ and Pro Blogs, A Hand History Tool, as well as a Tournament League. You can try out the site to guage if it suits you by purchasing a one day pass for $17.99. If you decide that you wish to subscibe as a member, this amount will be applied to your membership Fees. Membership Fees are $27.99 monthly. Initially, there is a sign-up fee of $99.99. We strongly recommend you try the one day pass, with unlimited viewing of all their videos, and guage for yourselve how much you can learn to improve your poker playing.

Stoxpoker currently hosts over 750 videos. Coaches include the sites\’ founder Nick \”Stoxtrader\” Grudzien, Bryce “Freedom 25” Paradis, Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt, Kyle “Cottonseed” Hendon, Matt “Jacks Up” Matros, Collin \”sngman101\” Moshman, Ed Miller and more. Videos include NL Holdem, Limit Holdem, Tournaments, Sit-N-Go, Omaha, and Razz. Membership Costs $24.95/month with $99.95 Sign-up Fee or 6 months $189 and 12 months $299 paid in advance. Videos are downloadable. Active Forum and many videos posted by members as well.

The Academy combines the extraordinary poker knowledge of the professionals who make up Team Full Tilt with the educational opportunities made possible by modern multimedia development. Among the pros standing at the head of the virtual classroom are Academy Deans Howard Lederer and Phil Gordon, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, Andy Bloch, Allen Cunningham, and many more. Full Tilt Poker Academy offers tips and strategies on a wide variety of online poker games, including No Limit Texas Hold \’em, Pot Limit Texas Hold \’em, and Fixed Limit Texas Hold \’em as well as varieties of Omaha, Stud, and Razz, and mixed games such as HORSE. They offer poker tutorial videos on ring games, Sit & Go tournaments, and multi-table tournaments. The educational materials come in the form of topic-specific Lessons, lesson-specific Challenges , interactive Sit-n-Learn quizzes, real-money online Sessions ,and daily Podcasts that are available for easy download using iTunes software. Click on the banner above, open an account(no deposit required) and thereafter you will have full access to the poker academy and to the articles and other features of Full Tilt Poker.

If you have not yet heard, Bodog Pokers\’ accounts to the tune of 24million have been seized in the US, and prosecutors have begun numerous lawsuits to seize even more. Some of Bodog\’s cheques have bounced and many players in the site are now worried about their funds – and justifyably, as there is a likelyhood that even more funds will be seized. The full story can be read in Forbes\’ Web Magazine Here is the link to the article:

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/07/30/calvin-ayre-bodog-biz-beltway-cx_jn_wb_0730ayre.html

The dillemma for poker site owners who promote poker sites to poker players is this:Should they continue to carry banners and other promotion material, and pretend that there is no danger to the potential visitor to their site in investing funds with poker sites like Bodog Poker? Should a site owner at least refer their readers to the above article and at least give the information to the player, who can then decide the risk for themselves. To do nothing is burying your head in the sand and totally irresponsible. Beside Bodog Poker, there is UBPoker who is currently ongoing internal investigations and looking at their sites\’ security breaches.

Personally, I believe poker site owners do have a responsibility to inform and to carry products and services that will benefit the visitor and not harm them financially – if there is a problem with a product or service, it is at the minimum their responsibility to let the visitor to the site know this, to give the information and news to the visitor and to let the \”informed\’ player decide to follow up or not follow up the links to a poker site for download. At the maximum, the poker site should remove all links and banners of sites like Bodog which present a danger to the investing poker player

If you have not yet heard, Bodog Pokers\’ accounts to the tune of 24million have been seized in the US, and prosecutors have begun numerous lawsuits to seize even more. Some of Bodog\’s cheques have bounced and many players in the site are now worried about their funds – and justifyably, as there is a likelyhood that even more funds will be seized. The full story can be read in Forbes\’ Web Magazine Here is the link to the article:

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/07/30/calvin-ayre-bodog-biz-beltway-cx_jn_wb_0730ayre.html

Imagine, you find an interesting Article in a Community of Poker bloggers or Postings. The Article and the site calls itself A Noted Poker Authority. You click on the Article so that you can read it further. The site asks you to register to read their articles. You register and get an e-mail confirmation. You link back to the site, as a confirmed member – AND YOU GET A BILL TO PAY ON YOUR CREDIT CARD if you want to read the articles, and on a monthly recurring charge to boot. We all expect to find advertisements, little promos, all type of inducements to click on something that might make some income for the site owner – this is mosly with no obligation. BUT WE GET TO READ THE ARTICLE WE WERE INTERESTED IN WITH NO OBLIGATION OR STRINGS ATTACHED. What a scam by someone calling themselves \”A Noted Poker Authority\”.  What is his/her real name I wonder? It can\’t be CHARITY! But it very well could be \”Scam Artist\”.

Many of us want to improve our game and we look for ways to do this. One of the ways I have been looking to improve my game is the Training Sites and Poker e-book Trainers. Most of the ones I have discovered are genuinely offering their services with trained and professional coaches and mentors. But there are some wolves-in-sheep-clothing who offer you enticements like the following: \”DOMINATE YOUR OPPONENTS\” etc etc. Next thing, they offer to let you downlaod their e-book for FREE, just provide them with your e-mail and verify your account and that will be all there is to it. And what do you think you will get? Pages and Pages and Pages of Banner Affiliate Advertising with a few paragraphs of advice and strategies that even your grandmother knew before there was internet poker. Well, it\’s free, isn\’t it? Yes it is- but it is not what I asked for!

Sincerely Yours,  Duped Again

The micro level MTT at Poker Stars is full of interesting \”characters\”. I have given them some labels of my own. Let me introduce the \”Optomist\” – this is a player who will always make large bets pre-flop with mediocre cards like AT and KQ and will continue to bet out even if the Flop did not connect at all. Then there is the \”Opportunist\”- this is a player who will go all in pre-flop with any low pair, middle pair or better, in other words, someone who will seize the opportunity of holding at least a pair before pre-flop. My favorite is the \”Dipper\”- this is the player who will make small bets at the Flop when everyone has checked, and then calls if anyone calls his bet. At the micro level, these players rarely change their style of play and can be counted on for a substantial amount of their chips if you apply the right course of action against them – a subject for another time.

 I strongly recommend AGAINST joining Spade Club; 1) you will spend hours and hours for very little return. 2) You will not have any hand histories 3)You will not have any stats 3) And if you have any money in your account- you will have a very, very difficult time cashing out. They will send you in circles filling out details and confirmation of your \”life\”; then when you have enough of that, they will tell you that you have to fill out some form that they newer send you. ( A form supposedly to prove that you are who you are etc.) They accept Pay pal as the vehicle to pay them but will not use the same vehicle to pay out. Here is a copy of the Affadavit they ask you to sign to cash out(Why don\’t they ask you to sign it when you Cash in -what do you think?)

AFFIDAVIT OF ELIGIBILITY

Congratulations on winning at SpadeClub! To complete your claim for your prize, we need you to send us the following information. SpadeClub keeps these forms confidential, and will not use them for any purpose other than to verify your eligibility:

1.

A completed and signed Affidavit of Eligibility (this document).

2.

A clear and legible copy of a current and valid government-issued identification (e.g., driver’s license or passport) that shows: your date of birth and current address.

Please mail these documents to the following address:

SpadeClub ATTN: PRIZE ELIGIBILITY 6940 O’Bannon Drive Las Vegas, NV 89117

Verification of Eligibility

I, _________________ (print Name), submit this affidavit to SpadeClub with the understanding that it will be relied upon in order to determine whether I am eligible to receive the prize(s) awarded to me on SpadeClub.

To verify my eligibility, I hereby represent that:

1.

I am the registered Account user for, and played the tournament under the Screen Name ________________ (insert Screen Name).

2.

I was age 18 or older as of the date that I joined SpadeClub.

3.

I played the tournament in the State or locale indicated in my identification.

4.

I have read and agreed to the SpadeClub Terms of Service, and agree to be bound by them.

Tax Statement

I understand that I am solely responsible for any local, state, or federal taxes on the value of the prize(s) that I accept.

Authorization for Future Verification

I authorize SpadeClub to maintain a copy of my identification and social security number for the purpose of allowing SpadeClub to use such documents to verify my eligibility for any future prizes that I may win. If any of my personal information changes (address, email, etc…), the I will immediately make such changes to my Account on SpadeClub. I understand that if I win $600 or more in a calendar year, then I may be required to provide an IRS form W-9 in addition to this affidavit.

Signature.

________________________________ _____________ Signature Date

Today I saw some training videos; most of them showed and used \”helpers\’\'- software which showed what the players opponents have done in the past; their win%,the number of hands taken to the river, betting patterns and the like. You know what I mean, you\’ve seen these yourselfe in many a poker video on YouTube and elsewhere. Personally, any software that helps me to analyse my own game and to develop for me my own judgement on a particular and singular situation is the software that does good and is a real helper. The type of software which builds a reliance on statistics and not on observation and judgement, in my opinion, leads nowhere for the poker player.

This video shows how much fun the makers seem to have with lampooning PokerStars