Marc-Etienne McLaughlin's Massive Comeback

It wasn't long ago that French-Canadian Marc-Etienne McLaughlin was dangerously low on chips but that's changed in a big way over the last hour.
His biggest gain came moments ago in a hand against France's Sylvain Loosli.
Loosli was in the cut-off and opened to 1.6 million. McLaughlin called from the big blind and the flop came down K♠ 8♠ 5♠.
Loosli continued the aggression marked cards with a 2 million bet and McLaughlin took a few moments before raising to 5.2 million.
Loosli paused for a beat before grabbing a tall stack of chips and sliding it over the line. It was a min-raise which meant McLaughlin would need to call 3.2 million more.
The French-Canadian tanked for a minute before announcing all-in. Loosli quickly folded and McLaughlin took down a big pot.
After that hand Loosli is down to 14.25 million while McLaughlin finds his stack at 37.4 million.

Level

38

Blinds

400000/800000

Ante

100000

Average Stack

31,760,000

Players Left

6

Tables Left

1

Living the Good Life

I've played poker for decades. I've known hundreds, thousands of punters, amateurs, pros and semipros, winners and losers, the sublime and the simple, the saps and the geniuses.
And there's this big question hovering around the poker world that's bothered me for a long time.
They come; they go. Some last, but most seem to fall off the end of the pier. Never seen again.
Why? This word keeps banging marked cards a dull, thudding bell in my brain. Why do they vanish? Isn't this "the good life?" No real job. No responsibility. Easy money. Pick up and go where you want, when you want. Have cash, will travel.
So, while in Vegas I got in touch with a friend, a pro "with legs." We had a leisurely dinner and a long chat.
My editor likes me to personalize my protagonists, so let's call him Max. Max plays mainly Stud, but he'll sit in a game of Hold'em if the field looks soft.
His home is Vegas but he follows the tournament circuit - not to play in the events but for the side action. He says he makes the lion's share of his income in these circus-like gatherings since the joint tends to be filled with players who just aren't as good as they think they are - and many arrive seriously bankrolled.

Battle of Malta Day 1B Update with Kara Scott

The action has come to a close on Day 1B at the PokerListings Battle of Malta and host Kara Scott is here to bring you up to speed via our daily video show.
Kara joined the marked cards players on the felt today and earned a spot on Day 2 with right around the average stack.
She also spoke to American Don Ford who won his seat to the BOM via a giveaway on the Mirror UK website.
It was actually his best friend Michael Schmidt who won the seat but since his wife is 36 weeks pregnant he called in Don to take his place.
Get a taste for what the Battle of Malta is all about and hear how Don flew 24 hours to arrive five minutes before the cards went in the air on Day 1B.
Check out more updates from the Battle of Malta and keep an eye right here on the blog for more videos.

Internalizer or Externalizer: Which Are You?

Reading through the vast piles of poker literature out there, you'll occasionally encounter the notion of "control."
Usually it refers to situations where a marked cards player, by virtue of a combination of skill on his own part, a lack of it among his opponents and a dram or two of luck, manages to dominate a table.
He or she pushes people out of pots with well-timed bluffs, draws them in when holding the nuts and acts pretty much like a director on a movie set.
Most discussions focus on how to establish this enviable position and how to maximize wins when it occurs. Most of the advice is pretty straightforward and typically turns on the use of selective aggression as a potent weapon.
I have no problem with this analysis. But I do have some things to tell you about the psychological issues that lurk behind the strategy. And as usual, when we probe the psychological we find solid poker principles.
Control is, indeed, an intriguing concept. It looms significantly over our everyday lives, particularly when we contemplate the degree to which we have (or don't have) control over events.
If we're the boss, we have control over our employees. If we're the underlings on the production line, we don't have a lot of it.
In some relationships all the control and power resides in one partner. In others it gets shared. Often money supports control. Money is power, power grants control, control garners money.

Poker is particularly messy, as you can control the decisions but not the outcomes.

In poker it's particularly messy. We can control the decisions but not the outcomes.
Generally, it feels good to have control over the events in our lives. It is satisfying to be the master of one's fate, the captain of one's personal ship. It also feels distinctly unpleasant when the tide is turned, when we sense that we have little or no control over things.
But the notion of control is, in reality, a lot more complex and a lot more interesting. And one reason, as we'll see, is that we often don't know where the real control, the real power, lies.
Here are a couple of questions I'd like you to ask yourself. If you don't like answering them from a personal point of view, that's okay. Just think of them in terms of how you've seen others act in a poker game.
Question 1: Have you ever changed seats because you just can't seem to catch a card?
Question 2: Have you ever groaned in despair when the guy who moved into the seat you abandoned got hit in the head with the deck?
Question 3: Have you ever asked for a new setup?
Question 4: Have you ever thought that a particular dealer was "lucky" or "unlucky" for you?
Question 5: Have you ever returned quickly to a table because your "lucky" dealer sat down, or refused to play for a full shift because the one who never deals you a winner just sat in the box cheat poker?
Question 6: Do you have a "lucky" charm or "lucky" hand or "lucky" seat?
If recognizing yourself in any of these makes you feel a tad uncomfortable, that's okay; a lot of regulars do these things on a semi-regular basis. They are "magical" gestures that give them a vague sense that they are, in fact, exerting some measure of control.
But, of course, all is illusion. New decks aren't going to be different than old ones, and dealers aren't lucky - they just distribute cards from a shuffled deck.

Having or not having control turns out to be a lot less important than whether we believe we do.

If you really think that you would have got those big hands had you not changed seats, you just don't grasp the random nature of the game (hint: you would have played the hands differently, the dealer would have begun shuffling a few milliseconds earlier or later; nothing would have been the same).
So why engage in these empty rituals? Well, for one thing, it turns out to be tough to determine just when we do and do not have control over a situation.
And, for another, having or not having control turns out to be a lot less important than whether we believe we do.
There's a concept called "locus of control." It's a personality dimension that runs from an "internal" pole to an "external."
People at the "external" extreme believe the factors that control their lives are located in the external world, the world outside themselves. Those who lie at the other end believe that control comes from within; it is "internal."
High internalizers tend to take responsibility for their actions, accepting the blame for those that go awry and taking credit for those that go well. High externalizers tend to blame outside forces for the unhappy events in their lives and credit luck or circumstance for the good.
Perhaps not surprisingly, high internalizers tend to be more successful in life. They make more money, win more contests, live longer, have lower incidences of depression, alcoholism, drug abuse. You name it, they're better off than their externalizing cousins.

One guess what type of player Phil Ivey is.

This may seem straightforward but it's not because, as noted, real control takes a back seat to belief.
In studies of people playing fair, competitive games, "externalizers" who won because they made the right decisions often thought that they just got lucky. When "internalizers" won such games they tended to take credit for their play.
And here's the fun part: In studies where the games were fixed so that the players' decisions had little to do with the outcome, the same patterns appeared.
Whether they won or lost, whether the games were honest or rigged, internalizers typically thought that it was their decisions and choices that determined the outcomes.
Externalizers showed the opposite tendency, whether they won or lost or whether the games were fixed or honest. When control was controlled, belief crushed reality.
This is powerful stuff, and the lesson for poker should be obvious. If you take responsibility for the choices you make, accept the blame for poor decisions and the credit for the right ones, you're on your way toward becoming a solid internalizer.
And remember, they do better at just about everything - no matter where the real control lies.
And, finally, those questions? Well, internalizers practically never answer "yes" to any of them.

PokerStove

PokerStove is a very handy freeware poker equity calculator used for Texas Holdem. You can put your cards against an oppponent’s range of hands to calculate winning/equity percentages. This is especially useful in all-in situations when playing against a short stacked opponent to determine which hands you can profitably stack off against him.
The first thing we want to do marked cards once you’ve downloaded and installed the software is to assign pre-flop hands versus some ranges. There are a few different ways for you to assign a hand range to an opponent, but probably the easiest way is to just put in a percentage.
So, for example, if you know the opponent is likely to be raising pre-flop with 8% of his hands in the under the gun position, you put that 8% in. By doing this, it converts the percentage to a range. In other words, it would be the same as manually putting in (88+, ATs+, KTs+, QJs, AJo+). Against an 8% range, you can see AJ is a 40/60 underdog.

Misclick

Due to a temporary loss of attention, a misclick can happen in online poker, simply by clicking marked cards the wrong button when it’s your turn to act. Misclicks can cost a lot of money.

EXAMPLE “You want to fold, but instead of clicking on the “Fold” button as intended, you click on the “Call” button.”
When playing poker online, a misclick can be easily avoided if you are focused at every table you’re playing at, and spend enough time to make every decision. They tend to occur when you’re rushed making decisions because of multi tabling.

Online gambling ban will cost U.S. $ 34,000,000,000

The U.S. Treasury miss the next ten years, up to $ 33,900,000,000. Reason why legalization is the prohibition of online gambling, the tax revenues could be higher. "On the Internet, the social control effect is completely lost, in the arcades to young people is still present, at least. The anonymity of the net naturally creates great dangers ", defended Ilona Füchtenschnieder, spokeswoman for the trade association gambling addiction , talking to press text that such a ban. Read more at derStandard.at. Banned

"Online gambling is prohibited in Germany. Provider but see tremendous business opportunities and leave no stone unturned to take this, "says the expert. A particular problem are likely to represent poker websites on the Internet. "Sometimes they cooperate with approved casinos, which gives them the appearances of legality", refers Füchtenschnieder existing trick cards loopholes.


More money

An additional authorization of sports betting would bring the U.S. financial even total almost 43 billion dollars. This result shall be the consultancy and audit Price Waterhouse Coopers Institute using two different basic approaches. Licensing, regulation and taxation of online gambling only in those U.S. states where casinos are also currently approved standard would mean an increase of at least $ 17,600,000,000.

Banned infraredink

In ten different U.S. states, including New York, Washington and New Jersey, online gambling is prohibited under penalty. The bill HR2046 - the "Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007" - presented by Congressman Barney Frank sees a regulated licensing of online casinos provide, at least in those states where casinos are physically present. In the second approach on the basis of a draft (HR2607) by Congressman Jim McDermott, a lump-sum taxation is provided by two percent.

Addict

"In this country, the revenue from gambling taxes are already higher than, say, from the alcohol tax," said Füchtenschnieder the risk of addiction. Estimates for the number of problem gamblers in Germany would vary. "We are in the age group of 18 - to 65-year-olds from a Suchtrate by 0.5 percent, ie from at least 250,000 people, but there are probably many more. The real figure should also still be significantly higher, "said Füchtenschnieder.

Information on Gambling Addiction Treatment Centers

At the poker table, the gambling addict does not think about anything else, but being focused on the game. They love the high that it gives them to stay on top of their opponents. They like the greed that it makes them feel - the desire to want more and more of it marked cards.


On the Internet, it is the same feeling when someone enters that game room. They love the fact that this can be done in privacy and without anyone discovering their little secret. In fact, they can keep their secret long enough to get bankrupt, divorced and lose their jobs.
Some people will begin their gambling so innocently. They may have been on a cruise or gone to a casino and decided to try it out just for fun. These are the people who usually win the firs time that they try this enticing activity. The winnings get them into a greedy spirit and they want more. Before you know it, they are going to the casinos on a regular basis and blowing all of their paycheck on the slot machines. This is the beginning of a disaster. It has the potential of destroying their relationships; loss of interest in their jobs and losing all of their finances.
Some people find this addiction so appealing that they will make it a career and they may in fact, be successful at it, if they stay in long enough to learn the tricks and tactics that these poker players use to cheat others out of their hard earned money. This game is also one that can cause people to commit serious crime because of their greed marked cards lenses . It is so enticing that it creates a killer instinct in people who do not have the discipline to reject any idea of things that are illegal.

Gambling rehab facilities help people who have already damaged their lives with this addiction. They are able to get a second lease on their lives. They are given a second chance to get back on track. Of course, it will take total commitment from the individual to be able to complete treatment successfully. It is going to also take the support of family members and friends to get back on the path of real life.
The journey to recovery will be very difficult at first, but if you keep focused on what it will involve, and then you will be able to get through the process. Meeting with a therapist at the gambling addiction treatment centers will give you the opportunity to view things from a different perspective. You will be able to discuss your problems at great length and have someone listen instead of judging you.
At gambling addiction treatment centers, you are taught how to manage your life and your finances so that you will be able to shun the desire that this addiction brings and find other ways to deal with it productively. You have to stay away from the friends that influenced you in the first place.

A Game Of Luck Or Logic: Learning Tricks To Win Blackjack

When playing blackjack most people depend on luck to help them win as they hope their next card isn't a ten, but you can realize that blackjack is more than the usual game of luck but a game title of logic that may be won by using a few simple tips that will change the scale closer.
Walking to the casino filled with the rich aromas of different beverages, smoke and a slight hint of body odor you might have looked around and wondered which game you could be good at. You scan the arena and notice green, felt covered tables and recognize blackjack-commonly referred to as 21. You meander towards a table and sit down tossing your chip to the dealer for the following round. So how can you win farmville of blackjack when you're not quite the luckiest guy within the room? It's relatively easy cheat poker, follow these tips of logic and you'll soon be the blackjack champion of the room.

Tip 1: The Worthiness of 10

In a game of odds it's best to understand what you, like a player, are likely to get at the blackjack table. Because you will find four cards that are valued as 10 your chances are 4 times higher to have the next card pulled equal 10. Always presume the following card is a 10 value.

By continuing to keep those odds in your mind do the math: if you have cards that equal 12 or higher the following card you pull is most likely going to be a 10, which may cause you to bust (or go over). The dealer's hand can also be important to watch. A two to 6 in the dealers hand means he/she will likely redraw with similar chance of using a 10 valued card and busting marked cards lenses.

Tip 2: Counting Cards

If you're serious about winning a game title of blackjack and therefore are willing to take time to learn how to count cards this may be good for. Granted counting is difficult work and is likely to take a large amount of effort and time from you as you practice the technique. It's also likely to set you back a little extra money to start out with as you buy training guides but it certainly may be worth a go.

 

Tip 3: Choosing your Table

I know of a method about how exactly to choose a table to be able to help your odds of winning. It's a simple technique that many people don't know simply because they depend on luck instead. When you enter an online casino consider the different blackjack tables: where are most of the chips? If the dealership has more chips it means that the players are losing, just pass those tables before you locate one with the players with many from the chips.

Tip 4: Tip the Dealer

Sometimes if you tip the dealership the dealership will actually tip you with aids to helping you win. Some from the methods a dealer can do are to not shuffle as thoroughly, rooting as well as not shuffle in old hands so more of the deck can be used (this actually helps you if you're able to count cards). However, both you and the dealership will need to be careful on who does the majority of the winning because the dealer might be replaced if he/she loses too much house money.

Tip 5: Know the House rules

House rules could be different from casino to casino so you need to know what house rules might mean you need to alter the way you play.

You can have plenty of fun learning how to beat luck with logic as you play blackjack. This is truly a game title about outsmarting the cards by watching for little tales the cards provide you with. Learn the tricks so blackjack may become a mathematical equation that's just intended for you to solve.  

How To Clean Credit Card Machine

You are about to discover a simple way to boost your credit – FAST!
Just 37 days from today – my proven system - could?boost your credit scoreby 39… 68… even 135 points –?GUARANTEED!


I'm going to give you the same secrets I used to…
Delete 7 inquiries in just one day...
Delete 2 more inquiries and 3 late-pays in one week...
Delete 6 more late-pays and 1 judgment…that raised my credit score 73 points in only three weeks...
My credit score went from a lousy 520 all the way up to 655 in just 37 days!Today my score is way over 700.
By following my "it's so easy anyone can do it" system – I guarantee you'll have better credit marked cards …

Just like Leonardo B. from Anaheim, California recently discovered…
I have hundreds of emails from everyday people - just like Stephanie and Leonardo - who have boosted their credit.
People like you and me.

Hard-working people who've had some bad luck… Some got laid-off from work, others got battered in the housing crisis, and some were simply extended too much credit and got in over their heads.
Whatever your situation, you're here because you need to boost your credit score… and I'm going to give you the tools you need get it done starting today...
You'll learn…

• How to DELETE 30, 60, 90, 120, and even 150 day late-pays from your credit report virtually overnight!
• Four simple ways to never ever get stuck in the bad credit vortex again!
• How to easily setup an automated budgeting system to track expenses, income, and all of your payments and bills without lifting a finger!
• A super secret trick that ZAPS all of your harmful inquiries in days - not weeks or months – JUST DAYS!
• A neat little way to double your credit card limits with one quick phone call!
• A ninja-like technique to?drive your score up an easy 75 pointswith one simple call!
• The little known secret to getting your credit card APR interest rates dropped to zero! (This secret statement will save you thousands upon thousands of dollars in interest payments!)

Tricks On How You Could Maximize Your Credit Cards

Good advice on managing credit cards can be hard to find. Read further for advice on learning how to properly use credit cards and avoid common problems as well. A lot of people have a credit card and mismanage it and they endure financial difficulties as a result. Be safe when giving out your credit card information. If you like to order things online with it, then you have to be sure the website is secure. If you notice charges that you didn't make, call the customer service number for the credit card company. They can help deactivate your card and make it unusable, until they mail you a new one with a new account number.

Make sure you know what your interest rate will be with a given credit card. This is very important: prior to singing up with a credit card company, be sure you know what rate you're paying. When you lack this knowledge you find yourself paying much more in interest than you anticipated. This may result in your inablilty to pay off your credit cards monthly marked cards.

Do not use one credit card to pay off the amount owed on another until you check and see which one has the lowest rate. While this is never considered the best thing to do financially, you can occasionally do this to make sure you are not risking getting further into debt.

Before getting a credit card, make certain that you completely understand the policies you are agreeing to. Certain credit card companies have hidden fees and special requirements that must be met before benefits apply. Read all the fine print in order to make certain that you understand the card policy completely.

If you are about to start a search for a new credit card, be sure to check your credit record first. Make sure your credit report accurately reflects your debts and obligations. Contact the credit reporting agency to remove old or inaccurate information. A little time spent upfront will net you the best credit limit and lowest interest rates that you may be eligible for.

It is important for people not to purchase items that they cannot afford with credit cards. Just because an item is within your credit card limit, does not mean you can afford it. Make sure anything you buy with your card can be paid off by the end of the month.

Use a credit card to pay for a recurring monthly expense that you already have budgeted for. Then, pay that credit card off each and every month, as you pay the bill. Doing this will establish credit with the account, but you don't have to pay any interest, if you pay the card off in full each month.

As you have seen, it can be all too easy to cause problems for yourself by using credit cards improperly. Too many cards and too many expensive items, and before too long you are in a lot of trouble! Hopefully, you can use what you went over in this article to help you use your credit card more wisely.