The Aussies love to have a gamble on most things; it could be two flies walking up a wall to putting a few dollars on with a bookmaker for the Melbourne Cup! However what they really love to do is to play “Pokies” which is an Australian slang term for a slot machine! Australian style poker machines use a video display which usually works similar to a five reels slot machine and include more bonuses and features than the regular machines.

Recently though there appears to a dispute at the top of government as Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her Community Services Minister, Jenny Macklin have abandoned the deal they agreed to before the election with independent Member of Parliament Andrew Wilkie.  The promise that Gillard made Wilkie for his support during the last election to legislate mandatory pre-commitment technology for poker machines is now a non starter and is considered a dead issue.

Industry commentators agree that the modern phenomenon of online poker really took off in 2004.  Up until that date the conventional game had managed to make use of the internet and software developments which allowed poker sites to start to expand online, but it was the phenomenal win of Chris Moneymaker in the World Series of Poker in 2003, when he successfully pocketed $2.5 million, that attracted so many people to the game.  The early online sites also used televised World Series’ games to promote their sites. Moneymaker’s success, which later became known as the ‘Moneymaker Effect,’ was so unique as he was the first player to qualify online for a place at the Live tournament.  His story rapidly gained popularity as he only started with a humble $40 buy in.     

Obviously, the ‘Moneymaker Effect’ contributed to the phenomenon of online poker.  Players, who previously wouldn’t have considered playing with unknown challengers in distant parts of the globe realised that serious money could be won through the game and the modern explosion, which takes advantage of differing international timelines and enhanced security with modern software, really started to boom.

Some online sites claim to serve over 120 countries in over 15 different languages.  Other online sites have expanded so that they now have their own satellite TV stations in conjunction with major international carriers.  The United States alone is estimated to make up 60% of the online poker market, though rules and regulations for US based sites have changed due to congressional legislation.  A lot of the online sites are now registered ‘offshore’ Malta, the Isle of Man and the Caribbean all host sites for online poker.

Poker stars come and poker stars go and one that has parted company from the stable of Team Poker Stars is  just a few weeks after they parted company with J P Kelly who was also part of their UK and Ireland team. Duthie is the CEO and founder of the ever-popular European Poker Tour.

The news first came to light on the Two Plus Two forums and it was that man, or should we say The Oracle, that is Kevmath who broke it to the poker community. He is quoted as saying, “I’ve heard from a source close to John Duthie, one of the main people behind the creation of the European Poker Tour, that he is no longer part of Team PokerStars,” Duthie is a well-known, respected and popular player on the poker circuit and has almost $2,780,000 in live tournament winnings. The departure of the 53 year old leaves Team UK & Ireland with only three representatives, Victoria Coren, Liv Boeree and Jude Ainsworth.

Poker is one of the most enjoyable activities in which the player can socialise, improve their mental faculties through constant stimulation, and also, potentially, win money.

There are many people who like to socialise by playing poker, and both the offline and online versions of the game are hugely popular. You can log onto an online site at any time of the day or night, and someone somewhere will be chatting to another player about one or more aspects of the game.

Winning money through poker can give you a huge thrill, but novices to the game should set themselves a limit and never try to chase bad bets with even worse bets. Sometimes, the best advice after a run of bad luck is for the player to give up and try again on another occasion.

It can also be very satisfying for a player to walk away from a poker table after a win, or a series of wins, especially when the player has employed a skilful strategy.

Bluffing in poker can be great fun. Once a player has mastered this skill, the enjoyment that can be gained from winning a generous pot with a weak hand, thanks to a strong bluff, can be exhilarating.

January is a great time to be in Australia it is after all the southern hemisphere summer, but more to the point it is also the time when the world’s best tennis players take to the court at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open; all while the world’s best poker players take to the felt at Crown Casino for the Aussie Millions. Throw in Australia Day, which is the equivalent of the U.S Fourth of July, and the buzz around the city is simply fantastic. The weather is warm and the beach is calling. People start to close their laptops for the holidays and open the lids on their barbeques instead. Once the New Year ticks over, the celebrations continue at full force in Melbourne, the sporting capital of Australia.

Last year’s Aussie Millions was an iconic event on the global poker circuit. The $100,000 Challenge matched the record-setting figure of 38 players that was set only two weeks prior at the PCA. To follow that up, Crown then announced a last-minute addition to the schedule the Super High Roller. Twenty players coughed up $250,000 each to buy-in and the $2.5 million first-place prize went to Eric Seidel, which kick-started his incredible 2011 heater. So poker fans and casino lovers and tennis freaks, pack your bags and head for Melbourne!

For the novice poker player, the idea of gambling can be daunting and intimidating.  Fortunately, many of the biggest online poker sites offer schools and training where the beginner can test their skills and also play for free without having to make an initial investment.

It is usually a good idea for a player to set up a unique email account, and possibly a separate bank account, just for their online poker game, in order that they can monitor the situation at all times. The online sites will ask the player to download their software in order to play, so, therefore, it’s a good idea to have a look at a variety of different providers in order to ensure that the poker games they offer are ones that are suitable for the player.

Increasingly, online poker sites offer a chat facility for their players, and looking through the various comments and conversations might help a player to decide which site they should join.

The Prague Main Event of the World Poker Tour at the end of play on Sunday 4th December is down to just 62 players and the man who is leading them all is British poker pro Martins Adeniya. The cash game specialist managed to quadruple his 205,000 stack to a tournament leading 849,000 and is in pole position for glory in Bohemia. However, he has a long haul ahead as the plan is to play down to the final table of six regardless of how long that will take, meaning it could be a very long day for everyone involved.

A long day it proved to be, but it was a triumph for 22-year-old pro Andrey Pateychuk picked up another title Monday by defeating a field of 568 players to win the first World Poker Tour event in Prague. The Russian pro, who also took 15th at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, collected €450,000 for his win in the €3,500 buy-in tournament, increasing his yearly earnings to close to $1.5 million. He is now just a WSOP bracelet short of accomplishing poker’s Triple Crown, a feat that has only been achieved by Roland de Wolfe, Gavin Griffin, Jake Cody and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. It looks like the poker world has an emerging young superstar to keep an eye on. Less than two months after winning the European Poker Tour San Remo Main Event.

The Super Poker Event of Europe (“The Super 2012”) aims to be the biggest ever live poker tournament outside of America when the inaugural event takes place in Dublin in February 2012. To help them attract players in big number they have enlisted the help of 888 Poker, it is hoped that they will be able to enlist around 4000 players to the event.

Online poker players with accounts at 888 Poker have the opportunity to qualify for the event through a two stage satellite programme. 888 Poker is one of the longest established poker websites in the world. Attracting a steady stream of traffic throughout the day, 888 Poker hosts valuable tournaments and cash games using their state of the art software. 888 Poker is also one of the most innovative poker websites for player promotions and offers 24/7 help for players through the online chat facility.

Following their acquisition of Fox Poker, Genting have announced their new poker series which will tour the UK taking in seven different stops guaranteeing more than £800,000 in prize pools! The new series kicks off at the Genting Club, Star City, Birmingham between Wednesday 1st to Sunday 5th of February, 2012 with the crowning feature being the very affordable £400+£30 Main Event.

After the opening stop in Birmingham the Genting Poker Series then moves onto Southend, Edinburgh, Stoke, Sheffield and the Palm Beach Casino in London for the grand final. One of the most popular parts of the series will be the online event which is due to take place just before the Grand Final at Palm Beach London, so you could win a massive prize from the comfort of your own home. Each leg has a £100,000 guarantee with the Grand Final boasting a £200,000 guaranteed pot!

The following are rules and explanations of Poker Hands in order from lowest to highest.

No Pair or Nothing is a hand that does not fit into any of the categories given below consisting of five cards of all different ranks that are not consecutive or all the same suit.  For example: KING, ACE, 4, 6, 2

A Pair consists of two cards of equal rank within a hand and the other three cards of different ranks.  For example: KING, KING, JACK, 7, 8.

A Two Pair also consists of two cards of one rank, but also a second pair of cards of a second rank while the last card is a different rank.  For example: QUEEN, QUEEN, ACE, ACE, 4.

Three of a Kind, also known as a triplet, is when three cards have the same rank while the other two of the hand have different ranks.  For example: 8, 8, 8, ACE, 2.

A Straight consists of five cards that are not the same suit, but are consecutive in ranking. For example: KING, QUEEN, JACK, 10, 9

A Flush is a hand with five cards of the same suit, but not all consecutive.

A Full House, which can also be called a boat, consists of three card with the same ranking and the other a pair of the same value.  For example: 7, 7, 7, JACK, JACK.

Four of a Kind is when four of the cards in the hand are of the same value.  For example: QUEEN, QUEEN, QUEEN, QUEEN, 8.

A Straight Flush consists of a hand of five consecutive cards of all the same suit.