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Bodog.com Offers Poker Players their Dream for the WSOP - Wi*n a Seat a Day in May!
Published: 2005-04-27
 Bodog.com Offers Poker Players their Dream for the WSOP - Wi*n a Seat a Day in
May!
April 27, 2005
What's the dream of any dedicated poker player? A seat at the World Series of
Poker! Bodog.com, rapidly becoming the largest brand in online gambling and
entertainment, will help players live their dream throughout the month of May.
Every day in May players competing in Bodog's WSOP qualifying
tournaments will have a chance to w*in a seat to the World Series of Poker
taking place July 7th in Las Vegas.
Bodog.com&r's online tournaments represent poker players' best
chance to qualify for the WSOP, as Bodog.com is guar*anteeing a WSOP prize
package each day in May - regardless of the number of registered entries in
the qualification tournaments. This is another significant addition to
Bodog's tournament schedule, which already guar*antees over 1.5 million a
month.
All wi*nners will receive the Bodog.com World Series of Poker prize package
worth over $12,500. Team Bodog players will receive their airfare,
accommodation, the coveted Team Bodog gear, and a ticket to the hottest party
of the year - The
Bodog.com party held at the Rain Nightclub at the Palms Hotel &; Casino on
July 6th. Joe Montana was at the party last year signing footballs for all the
guests. Who knows what exciting surprises Bodog has in store this year?
"We know our players dream of sitting across from the best in the world
at the World Series of Poker, and we are thrilled to help them get
there," said Calvin Ayre, Founder and CEO of Bodog.com. "By giving
away a WSOP seat every day in May, Team Bodog will be a force to be reckoned
with at the tables."
Recently Team Bodog player, John Cook, known by the screen name of Big Dog,
competed at the WPT Championships, wi*nning $30,000.
To see other Team Bodog players and events, go to:
Bodog.com Sports Casi*no Poker located in San Jose, Costa Rica, is federally
licensed by the Costa Rican and UK governments. One of the pioneers in the
field, Bodog.com is the top ranked US facing online gambl*ing brand, with
highest site traffic amongst US gaming web sites according to Hitwise.
Bodog.com is valued at over US $1 billion and ranked in the Power 25 online
companies by eGaming Review. Bodog.com Poker &; Sports Marketing Conference,
www.bodogconference.com, will take place in Las Vegas July 6 &; 7, 2005,
attracting the leaders of the online gam*bling industry. For more information,
contact Media Relations at 1-866-892-3371, or pr@bodog.com.
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Full house for television poker as online pundits are drawn into web
Published: 2005-05-01
 Full house for television poker as online pundits are drawn into web
Raymond Travers
ANYONE suffering the outer reaches of satellite television recently, could be excused for thinking that poker - the old card game traditionally associated with last-chance saloons and gunslinging desperados - was making a belated attempt at respectability. There is now a dedicated poker channel dealing out hour after hour of action, and even the Home and Leisure channel (gardening, DIY, property redevelopment) dons its Stetson and most inscrutable poker face every night at 11pm.
Moreover, channel Five, like Channel 4 and Sky Sports before it, has embraced the game, and is broadcasting nightly coverage of the PartyPoker.com World Open featuring "celebrities, professionals and online qualifiers." Audience figures are apparently astronomical, a fact less surprising when you consider the increasing number of punters taking up the game. Somehow, poker has crossed over from the fringes of popular culture to the mainstream, and has a decent claim to be one of the world’s fastest growing leisure activities.
The internet is largely responsible for enabling new players to get to grips with the game, everyone from grannies to students seemingly taking it up with alacrity. Indeed, recent figures from a sports research company (Arksports) reveal that online poker is challenging traditional sports such as tennis and snooker when it comes to player earnings in Europe. A 21-year- old Swede, Erik Sagstrom, earned more in prize money ($1.02m) from online poker in 2004 than Ronnie O’Sullivan ($0.97m), Stephen Hendry ($0.54m) and Greg Rusedski ($0.34m) earned from their respective sports.
It is almost tempting to give up the day job and reinvent one’s self as an online poker adept, which is exactly what more and more people are doing. A recent mailshot from Ladbrokes, one of Europe’s biggest online poker sites with over 20,000 players a day, highlighted the case of Belfast teenager Lee-Anne Smyth, who jacked in a career in banking to pursue the more lucrative activity of poker. She apparently now pockets four-and-a-half grand a week.
Goodness knows what Gamblers Anonymous make of it all, because one thing is certain: despite the glossy bumph and tales of riches, there are always going to be a lot more losers, than winners. Still, it is a free country, and responsible adults can do what the heck they like with their disposable income.
There are even so-called poker academies springing up, where new players can hone their nascent talent before venturing into the unforgiving world of competitive play.
One of the interesting thing about televised poker is the way it is marketed to a mass audience. Although commentators never fail to cite the game’s picaresque, outlaw heyday, the fact is that most modern players are pretty ordinary characters. Middle-aged IT consultants and overweight builders are hardly glamorous figures compared to the game’s erstwhile exponents, but The Wild West image is still peddled by pundits.
Channel Five have two co-commentators: an American (the patter merchant) and a Brit (the no-nonsense bloke). The Brit is an ex-pro with the inside track on players and tactics, but he got everything so wrong on Wednesday that it soon became clear why he was sitting in the commentary booth and not at the table. Second-guessing a player’s next move is not easy, and commentators who try to do so always run the risk of looking silly.
Neither the American nor the Brit mention the word "luck" very often, because viewers are led to believe that it is only skill and cunning that determines the outcome of a hand. Luck, it is implied, plays only a minor role at this level. Nonsense. A player with limited tournament experience will beat a hardened pro if he is dealt good cards and plays them competently.
Here’s an example: prior to the online boom, the same small band of pros invariably appeared on television every time a game was screened. These guys pooh-poohed the notion that someone sitting at a computer terminal could compete with "real" players in a live game.
It was part snobbery, part ego, but Wednesday’s coverage of the World Open saw several young online qualifiers dispatch so-called poker high-rollers without too much trouble. So much then for poker mythology.
Tune in tonight - and every night, it seems - for more bluff and brinksmanship.
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