Ali Nejad: From East Bay to Hollywood
By Arnold Warner

You’re probably familiar with Oliver “Ali” Nejad from his work as the voice of Poker After Dark or other poker shows like Poker Superstars and the Heads-Up Challenge. What you may not know about this East Bay native is that his television career dates all the way back to high school and he was a well-known fixture in Bay Area cardrooms long before he got his big break.

Despite all the projects he currently has going and the many more that are on the drawing board, he took time out to talk to The Cardroom about growing up and getting started in Northern California. click here to read the whole article!

Thunder Valley takes poker into the future

Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln has been a fixture in the Greater Sacramento area for quite some time, but on Oct. 1 they upped the ante by adding a brand new poker room.

If you are looking for a poker experience unlike anything in Northern California, then Thunder Valley Casino is the place to be. Thunder Valley is taking poker into the future with its new, innovative poker room.

The poker tables feature 42-inch plasma screens in the center to view the flop and 10 individual screens, one in front of each player. The screens are touch sensitive, so you can view your cards at any time during a hand. You control everything from your monitor, which allows the game to be played at a more consistent pace, without the hassles of dealing with players collecting their chips or dealers making payouts. Because it is monitored with computer technology, there is no human error—so you know that everyone is getting exactly what is due to them. click here to read the whole article!

New Calif. Grand Casino opens in '09

The popular East Bay cardroom, California Grand Casino, is expanding into a brand new facility next spring.

The impressive new building, designed by Stephen E. Harriman A.I.A. & Associates in Walnut Creek, will replace the original cardroom that is currently operating across the street at 5867 Pacheco Blvd., just off the Highway 680 exit at Concord Ave.

Players will enjoy many upscale amenities, such as an expansive gaming area, full bar and sit-down restaurant. The facility will also feature ample parking.  click here to read the whole article!

Poker Ambassador
New Sacramento venues sprouting up
By Randall Rapp

Most of the experts will tell you that the poker boom has peaked and that we’re on a downward trend in the always cyclical nature of such things. The Sacramento area certainly goes against this conventional wisdom, demonstrated by the fact that recently two new poker rooms have opened up and more may be on the way.

But, before we get to them, your Ambassador would like to share a recent visit to Gilroy and another cardroom that is moving up in the world.  click here to read the whole article!

The Champ's Perspective
In the minds of the nine finalists
By Jerry Yang

It is inarguable that the WSOP Main Event is the most prestigious of all poker titles. It is the ultimate bracelet that every poker player wants to have on their wrist. Winning the Main Event is like winning a unified boxing title.

Along with the bracelet comes the phenomenal amount of money that will change one’s life forever. In addition to the cold hard cash, the winner also has the opportunity to receive endorsement deals which total thousands, if not millions, of dollars. That is why the WSOP Main Event is the most popular event in poker today. It is truly every poker player’s dream to be sitting at that final table. click here to read the whole article!

Kamikaze Corner
Tournament strategy: Small tournaments revisited
By Davin Anderson

The last time I addressed small, local tournament strategy, I assumed that they were all very fast structures (doubling blinds and short stacks). But now, to the benefit of tournament players, more poker rooms are offering daily and weekly tournaments with better structures and more chips. These tournaments allow for a more traditional tournament strategy instead of just push or fold tactics.

The best of these small tournament structures provide you with 50 or more big blinds to start and don’t double the blinds more than once in the first hour. The second hour is when the blinds become big and stacks start to become short relative to the blinds. The third hour is usually the final table with very big blinds and some very short stacks. I have created a modified version of my five stage strategy to fit this type of tournament structure.  click here to read the whole article!

On the Button
Ten tips from the tournament director
By Davin Anderson

As the new tournament director at Capitol Casino, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many of Sacramento’s local tournament players, and some really great people. One of the greatest benefits of being a poker player has been meeting interesting and often colorful people from a wide range of backgrounds.

After the first few months, I’ve been impressed by how many players consistently make the final table and their approach to the game. The one thing they all have in common is they understand the basics of tournament strategy and that tournament poker is different than cash game poker. click here to read the whole article!

Back to School
One Weekend at the WSOP Academy proves it's never too late to learn
By Matt Villano

There are two ways to sharpen skills as a poker player: lose a fortune at the tables and learn from your mistakes, or go to poker school.

Bank statements can attest to the fact that I’ve tried my luck at the former approach. So this September, I tried the latter strategy, forking over $1,499 for a two-day, all-meals-included World Series of Poker Academy at the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, Calif.

I was one of 60 students at the camp. The goal: to reprogram what we thought we knew about poker. With two days of first-hand information from a faculty of pros and experts, I also hoped to transform myself from a moderate but profitable cash player into a tournament toreador.

The mission achieved mixed success. click here to read the whole article!

On the Rail
The Cardroom's distributors now have their own special section
By Paul Giambroni

Over the last two years the circulation of The Cardroom has zoomed up to 48,000 copies. We consider ourselves quite fortunate that our little venture has drummed up enough interest to justify such a big number so quickly.

Progress like this doesn’t happen without a little help from your friends. In our case, that would be the 1,400+ distributors behind us. These are the good folks who own and operate all the many businesses that are kind enough to distribute our newspaper.

After two years, we have established the following fact: It’s not a bad idea to have a bundle of free poker papers in your lobby. They’ve proven to be very popular and there are very few leftovers.

With that in mind, we are starting a new section in this edition called the “Distributor’s Marketplace.” It will be dedicated to showcasing some of our friends who help us put this paper into your hands. click here to read the whole article!

Virtual Roundtable
Does Main Event final table need big names?

As the World Series of Poker winds down to its televised conclusion (the final table will be played just after this issue is printed), the final nine players are all virtual unknowns. It seems like a good time to reflect on the state of poker celebrity and what it means to the game.

With that in mind, we asked for your thoughts on the following three questions in this version of the Virtual Roundtable. What follows is the responses we received from poker players and those in poker business.

1) Is it good, bad, or indifferent that tournaments like the Main Event have final tables missing the bigger names in poker? Is it important to the overall health of the game for big televised events to have familiar personalities or is it just as well when they have nothing but new faces?

2) What do you think of the made for TV events like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker (with their pre-selected celebrity lineups) as compared to the open tournaments like the World Series and World Poker Tour?

3) Last, just for fun, if you were to put together your ultimate final table (with you seated too, of course), who would the other eight players be?  click here to read the whole article!

Tales from the Floor
Poker romance: Proceed with caution
By Johnny Coldeck

I don’t know how it is in other clubs, but opposite-sex pairing opportunities are pretty limited in our little cardroom. If someone is willing to relax their standards a bit (or perhaps eliminate standards altogether), there is a possibility of getting a date at the table. Before you all start primping, however, maybe we should examine the options.

Our first candidate is Trashmouth Tammy, a semi-single wealthy business co-owner. Not unattractive and extremely proud of her recently-purchased bosom, she is a potential party partner for the brave soul willing to venture into her personality and unnaturally-pointed appendages.  click here to read the whole article!

Video Game Review
Reel Deal video games a good value
By Rick Fultz

When the Poker Ambassador approached me to write video game reviews, I put on my best poker face (pass the cliché please) and pretended to be mildly interested in the prospect of giving up my time for such a venture. Secretly, I salivated about the prospect of free games. This could have saved me thousands of dollars in quarters during high school and college on Donkey Kong and Pac Man.

The Phantom EFX’s Reel Deal Casino Millionaire’s Club offers a wide variety of casino games. From table games to slot machines, there’s a little bit of something for everyone. The graphics are good quality and most of the games are fun and simple to play. click here to read the whole article!