What's luck got to do with it?..

We never stop thinking about #luck and the role it plays in poker. So which is your favorite definition of luck (thank you to the Urban Dictionary!)?

Luck
The absence of skill
That was all luck baby!
by Obley September 17, 2004

Luck

something that I don't have.
Guy 1: Are you okay? You fell pretty hard. It looks like you broke yor spine and will never be able to walk again

Guy 2: Yeah, it's just my luck
by Who The Douce Are You? April 14, 2005

Phil Hellmuth is famous for saying "If it wasn't for luck, I'd win every tournament"

Luck

An indiscriminate phenomenon of chance or fate, which one comes to increasingly appreciate less with hard work.
Pretty much every time you get something you know you don't deserve
by nethcev! April 27, 2004

Luck

when something for once in your life doesn't end up being fucked up or bad
Man, so glad I didn't get shot again today. Must be my lucky day.
by Whatever doc September 01, 2003

Luck
Only getting wet when you should have drowned.
Like the handle on a piss pot, there but not in it.
by tootie January 11, 2005

Luck
life itself
count yourself lucky every day you're alive...
by Jester December 06, 2003

I myself am torn between 3 and 4; what's your definition of luck?..

EPT Vienna Final Table All Set for Tomorrow

There we are - a field of more than 900 entries in #EPTVienna went down to 9 today and Irishman @Gavin O'Rourke   bubbled with Euro 60,800 in prize money for the ninth place. 

Here are the eight finalists, by chipcount:

@Anthony Ghamrawi (AT) 5,150,000            @Frei Dilling-Kjaer (DK) 4,230,000

 @Pablo Gordillo Caballero  (SP) 4,075,000 @Timo Pfutzenreuter (DE) 3,740,000

 @Simeon Naydenov (BG) 3,550,000           @Rumen Nanev (BG)  2,765,000

 @Alexey Khorosenin (UA) 2,150,000          @Marko Neumann (DE) 1,685,000

Anthony will start the final table with the double advantage of being the chip leader and playing on home ground. The two Germans and the two Bulgarians are the most experienced among the otherwise largely unknown finalists, as you can see for yourself if you check their profile pages on RankingHero.

With $865,484 in live earnings since 2009 and a WSOP bracelet, Simeon Naydenov can easily be regarded as a favorite. Bulgarians have had a massive presence and impressive results here in Vienna - the numerous fans of poker in the country are already overjoyed at their countrymen's performance. Rumen actually lives in Portugal and can rely on both Bulgarian and Portuguese support in the rail. 

Chopping has traditionally been quite common at EPTs and seems particularly likely with this national configuration - we'll just have to wait and see. Final table begins at 1pm CET Saturday. 

If you missed the livestream:

Are Poker Home Games Legal in Your Country?

Next time you log onto Facebook to ask your friends over for a home game of poker make sure you check the legislation in your country first - the police is on Facebook, too :)

A Tasmanian was recently put on trial after the police found out he had organized a private poker tournament in his home using Facebook. The man had invited 25 friends to play with a $150 buy-in. The court ruling was announced this week. He escaped conviction but "must be of good behaviour for two years" (and has returned the contributions to the prize pool made by his guests).

Australia is tricky as legislation differs from one state to another and private home games are tolerated in some of the states as long as there is no rake or entry/registration fee. The good news is that gambling wins are not taxed provided they are not the main source of income.

The UK has the most liberal and poker-friendly legislation in most respects, including private games. (In the UK gambling winnings are not subject to taxation and UK professional players do not pay taxes on their poker earnings.) 

As usual, in the U.S., the laws vary from state to state, but in most places friendly home games are ok as long as there is no rake (then again, in Richmond, Virginia it is apparently even illegal to flip a coin to decide who pays for pizza!..) 

Spiderman @Tobey Maguire  was famously sued (and settled the lawsuit iin 2011) over secret, high-stakes, celebrity-packed home games in Hollywood.

In Germany, too, regulations may vary among the 16 provinces but it is generally illegal to host any cash games or tournaments outside a state casino.

In January 2014 the German Federal Administrative Court ruled that tournaments with very low buy-ins (around €15) do not constitute illegal gambling on condition that the buy-ins go towards covering the cost of the event itself and there is no prize pool distributed among the players.

In France only licensed gaming establishments can host cash games or tournaments open to the public. Home games for money are tolerated as long as they are truly private and with restricted access (cannot be held in a public place).

In sum, wherever you are, to be on the safe side:

• Don't advertise your weekly #HomeGame and use private messages on FB rather than wall posts;
• Make sure you don't disturb the neighbors with loud music or noise as you don't want a visit by the local police during your game;
• Keep the number of players limited and the buy-ins low;
  
• Make sure you're well-stocked on beer and good mood :)

Happy Birthday, Dominik Panka!

If we could present @Dominik Panka with a gift on his 23rd birthday it would be the title of 2014 Champion of Sportsmanship :)

We hope to see him just as positive, friendly, humble and gracious to his opponents!

Dominik Panka previously on RankingHero

Bulgaria - the Next Country on the PokerStars Map and an Emerging Force in Poker

Bulgaria had its own mini #BlackFriday last June, with a government blacklist of sports betting sites and online poker room domains. After a few months of uncertainty, new legislation and a change in taxation, the license application procedures were set in motion and the State Commission on Gambling has already issued licenses to PokerStars and Betfair. 

In February 2014 PokerStars became the first Internet poker operator with a Bulgarian license and should launch any time now. While Bulgarians never actually found themselves in the hopeless situation of U.S. poker players, and were not left completely without recourse to online poker and without access to their funds, it will certainly be a relief to be able to play, deposit and withdraw freely again.

@Dimitar Danchev  - Bulgaria's top live money earner - won the 2013 PCA Main Event.

Bulgaria is 11th on the European list of the Rational Group (operating PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and the European Poker Tour) which already has gaming licenses for Estonia, Italy, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Isle of Man and Malta. PokerStars Head of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser was reported saying:

“Bulgaria is full of promise; poker is extremely popular in the country. We are looking forward to work with the Gambling Commission so that we can launch as soon as possible.”

This seems to find confirmation in the rather impressive representation of #BGPoker at the #Eureka  and the #EPTVienna. Vienna is a popular destination for East Europeans and they are traditionally numerous to attend EPT events in the friendly and accessible Austrian capital. In fact, as many as 12 Bulgarians made it to Day 2 of the Main Event and 4 started Day 4 when only 50 players were left.

Four Bulgarians were seated at the same table on Day 3: @Simeon Naydenov , @Atanas Kavrakov , @Rumen Nanev , and Ivan Neytchev. As we write two are still playing: WSOP bracelet winner Simeon Naydenov was 3rd in chips at the start of level 22 after eliminating @Ludovic Riehl and Rumen Nanev was 15th out of 30.

GL to all in Vienna and in the regulated online poker market at home and we hope we'll have many occasions to update their player profiles with new tournament cashes in the future!

Anti Internet Gaming Bill Introduced in U.S. Congress - Don't Let the Sky Fall on Poker Again

Since January a draft bill proposing a federal ban of Internet gaming backed by Adelson has been circulating and there have been frequent reports of imminent introduction of the bill in U.S. Congress. This has now become a reality as Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) yesterday introduced their bipartisan legislation, Restoration of America’s Wire Act,  “to restore long-standing United States policy that the Wire Act prohibits all forms of Internet gambling” (with the single exception of horse-racing).

From the very start of the online gaming regulation process in the U.S. we have been witnessing a mobilization of its opponents, championed and generously funded by the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Adelson established the Coalition to Ban Internet Gambling and vowed to do anything in his power to prevent regulation.

Whether or not his vehement attack on online gaming has more to do with manic obsession, with some secret personal feud, or is driven by straightforward business interests, it should not be taken lightly.

One person who cannot, and will not, take this lightly is @Danielle Moon-Andersen, aka dmoongirl, star of the Bet, Raise, Fold documentary that told the pre- and post-  #BlackFriday story of online poker in the United States.

She knows what it is to wake up and find your whole world changed overnight, your funds frozen, your livelihood taken away. Because to Danielle, a young mother of a 6-year old son, “It’s not just a game, it’s my livelihood,” and it’s been that way ever since the day she left her job at a local shoe store and dropped out of college to pursue poker full-time.

"BTW: for those that just don't give a shit about online poker, that's totally fine and understandable. But, don't get caught up in the logistics of WHAT the government is interfering with. Focus on the fact that they continue to interfere more and more on personal freedoms. It might not be your life or interest that's directly impacted this time, but it could be next time.

I'll stop ranting now. For a little while anyway…"

Poker players and industry professionals in Europe should not brush aside the latest developments in the U.S. as we are equally concerned if we ever want to see something like the online poker boom of the 2000s again. The American market is key to worldwide industry growth not only in terms of sheer numbers of potential paying players but also in view of the huge power of the American entertainment & media arsenal.

I, too, will stop ranting now on this final note: #FreeOnlinePoker :)

Stay on RankingHero and read more about Danielle and Sheldon Adelson or share your own #BlackFriday story!

New Insights on Self-Control

Self-control is probably the single most discussed and valued quality that makes a good poker player; moreover, its absence renders all other skills -  logic, maths, memory, psychology, etc - quite meaningless or at the very least, unproductive, since we would lack the concentration and willpower to exercise them consistently. That is why all of us here on RankingHero are always on the lookout for tips on improving our self-discipline and focus.

And since poker mimics life and is a veritable 'microcosm of life' such tips and insights can come from unexpected sources, from everyday situations, and even completely unrelated to poker, self-help books. Now we can add one more title to the dozens of books under the bed (because the pile on our bedside table has grown too menacingly tall even by gambler standards): 

Psychologist Jeremy Dean is the founder and author of the popular website 'PsyBlog' http://www.psyblog.co.uk Brought to our attention by another excellent review on brainpickings.org. Thank you, Maria Popova :)

"People naturally vary in the amount of self-control they have, so some will find it more difficult than others to break a habit. But everyone’s self-control is a limited resource; it’s like muscle strength: the more we use it, the less remains in the tank, until we replenish it with rest. In one study of self-control, participants first had to resist the temptation to eat chocolate (they had a radish instead); then they were given a frustrating task to do. The test was to see how long they would persist. Radish-eaters only persisted on the task for about 8 minutes, while those who had gorged on chocolate kept going for 19 minutes. The mere act of exerting willpower saps the strength for future attempts. These sorts of findings have been repeated again and again using different circumstances."

"We face these sorts of willpower-depleting events all day long. When someone jostles you in the street and you resist the urge to shout at them, or when you feel exhausted at work but push on with your email: these all take their toll. The worse the day, the more the willpower muscle is exerted, the more we rely on autopilot, which means increased performance of habits. It’s crucial to respect the fact that self-control is a limited resource and you are likely to overestimate its strength. Recognizing when your levels of self-control are low means you can make specific plans for those times."

In poker terms, this would suggest that rather than think about whether we should stop while winning or stop when losing, what really matters is to stop while our level of self-control is still high enough. And if you've been gritting your teeth for an hour at the idiotic comments of your right-hand neighbor, or the endless tanking of the one to your left, consider it dangerously depleted even before that crucial hand that might draw you into a lose-lose situation before you know it!..

PS

Any jokes, gifs, memes and demotivational posters on self-control for my personal collection are most welcome, thanks :)

Newcomer Dominik Panka and Online Legend Viktor Isildur1 Blom with Similar Live Performance Records

They are both 23 years old and typical representatives of the online poker generation; they both took on the live tournament scene with major wins at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and so far have about 1.5 million in live earnings; last but not least, both @Viktor "isildur1" Blom and @Dominik Panka come out as thoroughly likeable, ‘normal guys', humble and yet sincerely proud and happy about their live poker achievements. Both are currently in Vienna for the EPT.

The swede had achieved legendary status as #Isildur1 already in 2009 and was the most-talked about online player, famous for winning and losing the largest pots in online poker history and for playing 9 tables at once against the likes of @Patrik Antonius (FI) , @Phil Ivey AND @Tom Dwan. He had started making a name for himself in the live field by 2010 but his big breakthrough came in 2012 when he won the PCA Super High-Roller event and $1,254,400.

In August 2012 Blom parted ways with PokerStars and signed a deal with Full Tilt Poker a few months later.

The arrogance and recklessness, and the intimidating and aggressive style of play associated with his online persona, however, seem to have little to do with the real-life character - "Viktor emanates happiness and kindness from the moment you meet him. He’s one of those guys that you can instantly tell is a truly nice and genuine good person" (@Phil Galfond), “great kid, unassuming, kind of quiet” (@Daniel Negreanu).

Meanwhile, nobody outside Poland knew much about Dominik Panka who described himself as “just an Internet player” and he took poker journalists by surprise with his incredibly good run at the PCA Main Event when he ultimately defeated Mike McDonald after a 16-hour final table and more than 3 hours of heads-up.

He immediately followed up by winning the EPT Deauville High Roller and has now established himself firmly in the live poker world. As for his personality, it is hard to find a public appearance, statement or interview by Panka where he doesn’t pay tribute to his opponents and where he doesn’t come out as genuinely nice, humble and down-to-earth.

More is to come, no doubt, since he has just made a deal with PokerStars and is sure to be playing more live tournaments. Dominik is at EPT Vienna (as a PokerStars sponsored player) where he dropped out of the EPT Main Event but had a deep run in the Eureka High Roller (ultimately won by @Eugene Katchalov).

Are You Pro or Against the Shot Clock in Poker?

The shot clock debate has been flaring up regularly in the past years and the most recent occasion was the news, during L.A. Poker Classic, that WPT was conducting a survey among players and was considering introducing a shot clock in some events. 

One player who has been outspoken on this issue is @Daniel Negreanu. He has always shared his refusal to tolerate systematic tanking and encourages everyone not to have any qualms about calling the clock. "It’s within our rights as players to police the game; If I’m at the table with players that are tanking, I have the right to call the clock on them anytime I feel that they are taking an unreasonable amount of time."

@Tom Dwan  - a player famous for taking his time at the table - has even assumed responsibility for starting the fashion. Yet, even he notes that much of it is just ‘hollywooding’.

The fact is, most pros are reluctant to call the clock (or openly support the shot clock) because of the established perception of it as unethical and disrespectful.  There is even the notion that tanking (assuming it is thinking) only confirms the status of poker as a skill/mind game and should be upheld.

Most importantly, players won’t call the clock because they fear their reputation and image would suffer and because of likely ‘retaliation’ from their opponents. To quote Bluff editor-in-chief Lance Bradley,

The problem lies in the fact that calling the clock has a stigma attached to it. Do it against somebody you're in a hand with and you're seen as a jerk for not letting your opponent think his options through. It's "unsportsmanlike," in some eyes. Call the clock on somebody at your table when you're not in the hand and you're going to spend the rest of the day dodging daggers from the player you called the clock on.

Interestingly enough, the ultimate argument of both camps concerns the best interests of amateur players. On the one hand, it is argued, they would be placed at a terrible disadvantage if, in addition to the intimidating experience of facing real pros in a live tournament, they also had the pressure of the shot clock.

On the other hand, drawn-out hands with endless tanking make live streams of poker events unbearable for the general audience or in other words, for the pool of potential or actual recreational players without whom the industry is doomed. This position is best resumed by PokerNews’ Chad Holloway: 

Finally, I’ll end by saying that a shot clock is a must for any tournament or final table being live streamed (I’d grant a few exceptions where huge money is at stake). I say this for purely entertainment reasons. Everyone fell in love with poker 10 years ago when action was fast-paced and ESPN episodes were full of big hands. Little did we know about the hours of monotonous footage that hit the cutting room floor. For the most part, poker is a boring game, and that makes it hard to attract new players. A shot clock would help speed things, inject some excitement into a broadcast, and hopefully appeal to a wider audience.

Apparently, 80% of the players who took the WPT voted in favor of the shot clock. And if you happen to be part of the 20 per cent who oppose it, here is one video that I think is likely to change your mind :)

Thank you for sharing other excessive tanking episode videos :)