San Rafael’s Keikoan claims WSOP bracelet
By Arnold Warner

Last year, San Rafael’s Matt Keikoan made a highly respectable showing in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker finishing 63rd out of 6,358, but this year he has already one-upped himself, taking home a bracelet and $550,601 for first place in Event 7, which had a total prize pool of $2,899,260.

The tournament began on June 4 with 1,593 entries paying $2,000 each to enter this no-limit Hold’em event, and finished two days later with Keikoan the last man standing. He felt that the improved structures at this years Series was advantageous for him, stating, “I think they made a lot of really good changes this year at the World Series. The structures are better, the facilities are better. They have extra rooms so we’re not as cramped in.” click here to read the whole article!

Casino Real is site of first Central Valley Poker Challenge
By Barbara Engler

At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, with cameras running and a feature table complete with “hole cams,” the $5,000 buy-in Central Valley Poker Challenge kicked off with 42 participants and a prize pool of $201,600.

Twelve hours later they were down to the final table and broke for the night. The next morning those nine finalists renewed the battle for the first Central Valley Poker Challenge crown. click here to read the whole article!

Reflections on a year as world champ
By Jerry Yang

As this article goes to press, the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker is about to begin, which causes me to reflect on the past year. I would like to take this opportunity to share a few words with my fellow poker players, poker fans and poker community about what a wonderful ­ex­perience it has been for me as world champion.

I have been able to do the things that I only dreamed about for years. Specifically, I have been able to spend more time with my family. As you may know, I am the father of six children (two boys and four girls). click here to read the whole article!

Poker Ambassador
Taking a firsthand taste of the WSOP
By Randall Rapp

One thing becomes quickly apparent when visiting Las Vegas in May: World Series fever is affecting poker rooms throughout the city. It seems like every casino in town has a series of tournaments overlapping those going on in the Amazon Room at the Rio.

You can find a wide variety of buy-ins (from $25 to $10,000), structures (deep stack to short stack, hour long levels to 15 minutes), and games played (Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Razz, etc.). If you can’t find the sort of tournament you’re interested in, you’re not looking very hard! click here to read the whole article!

Kamikaze Corner
Improving your limit Hold'em game
By Davin Anderson

Here’s another great email I wanted to share:

Seeking greater success at limit Hold’em

I can’t seem to beat $4/8 half-kill limit poker, I need some advice.

Am I mistaken in the assumption from your nickname that you are the kind of player that I hear at the table all the time saying “I gamble” and call or bet an 8-3 offsuit for “action”? I lose to those people all the time.  click here to read the whole article!

On the Button
No-limit Texas Hold'em cash games: Structure and buy-in strategy
By Davin Anderson

Now that almost every poker room in America has at least one no-limit game, novice and avid no-limit players have plenty of choices in blinds and buy-ins. The most common no-limit games have relatively small buy-ins and small blinds. These games are usually dominated by relatively new no-limit players and have such great action that even the most diehard limit players have at least tried no-limit.

With so many no-limit choices now available, you should do a little investigation and try to place yourself in the games that best suit your style and bankroll. The most important factor when choosing a no-limit game is structure. click here to read the whole article!

Book Review
Apostolico's advice not aimed at idiots
By David Schecter

David Apostolico is a fairly well-known poker author and player. I have read a couple of his books before, but recently ran across two others that I thought you might enjoy reading. Interestingly, they are in the series “The Pocket Idiot’s Guide.” You can insert your own joke here about this kind of series—it’s in the same vein as the “Dummies” series—but in all honesty these books are pretty darn good as “starter-type” texts so don’t let the titles fool you. click here to read the whole article!

Virtual Roundtable
WSOP final table moved to November

As we go to press, the World Series of Poker has been in full swing for over a month and the Main Event is about to begin. The big buzz this year centers around the WSOP and ESPN moving the final table of the Main Event from July 16 all the way back to November 9 and 10. They are doing so in order to provide an (almost) live broadcast of the final table on November 11, just hours after the champion is crowned.

This means there will be nearly four months from the time nine players make the final table until they play to the conclusion. Some of the positives they feel will come from this include the fact that most people won’t already know who won when it’s shown on television; players will have more time to line up sponsorships and coaches, review the play of their competitors, participate in other tournaments, and take advantage of the new publicity and promotional opportunities that will be available. click here to read the whole article!

Casino Marysville welcomes Jerry Yang for earthquake relief tournament

Since 2006, Casino Marysville has been serving the community, hosting charitable events, providing funds for nearby schools, and so much more. Their next charitable endeavor will be held on Aug. 9. Partnering up with Jerry Yang, the 2007 World Series of Poker champion and The Cardroom, they are out to raise money for the recent earthquake victims in China.

So, they are calling all poker players—don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in a live, no-limit Texas Hold’em tournament with the champ! You will get to put your poker faces on with one of the best, contribute to a good cause, and have fun—all at the same time! click here to read the whole article!

Along the Rail
Disaster recovery meets poker
By Paul Giambroni

In case anyone was wondering if my lucky streak continued past the point of my last column, I’m proud to report that it has! Amazingly enough, it has manifested itself in ways that never could have been predicted.

I should start by prefacing this story with the fact that for the 16 years prior to starting this poker publication, we were dedicated to publishing a disaster recovery guide. The origins of that project lay in the fact that my old neighborhood burned to the ground in the 1991 Oakland Firestorm two years after the 1989 World Series Earthquake leveled most of our overpasses. click here to read the whole article!