Every market has a part of information which is absolutely useless. The markets with big money involved usually have more garbage than the others. The poker information market is one of them. Just by entering a simple keyword in the search engine gets millions of pages. In most cases the old trustworthy websites just don’t show up.

How can then people get quality poker information?

Source No. 1. Reliable and long-living poker information websites such as PokerNews.com and Pokerlistings.com provide information which is useful to all the poker players, fans and people who are simply interested in poker issues. Also any other poker-related website which has been around for a considerable amount of time usually provides quality information. Some of them use the popular magazine format. The best-known of the kind are Cardplayers, Bluff magazine and Poker In Europe (European poker issues). These websites have been on the market for quite a long time, therefore there is no need to worry about their credibility and information quality.

Source No. 2. The main principle of information search is “Ask”. If you do not know something, just raise the question at some busy community site and you will get the answer. 2+2 is the biggest poker forum where people may ask any poker-related question and get full directions and explanations. Some of the other big poker forums are Cardschat, PocketFives, FullContactPoker etc. There is no need for asking the same question in all of them. To participate in at least two communities is more than enough.

Asking questions at the poker social networks such as PokerSpace, Railbirds, PokerDIY, PokerNations is also a good idea. They are quite busy with advanced poker players and community members eager to help people in search for quality poker-related information.

Source No. 3. Some industry news and views are best described in the most popular poker blogs. A lot of professional poker players write their blogs, but usually they are associated with some big poker brands, so the commercial aspect is also very important once we speak about quality information. The most popular and trustworthy poker blogs are Tao of Poker, Guinness & Poker, Las VegasVegas Blog etc. The blogs provide unofficial information, which is based on the opinion of the writer, therefore the reputation of the blogger guarantees the information quality. Not the website’s credibility, nor its appearance on Google.

Source No. 4. The independent encyclopedia edited by thousands of people is the perfect source for the unbiased poker information as well. Wikipedia is the most popular information source on the internet, however some of the alternatives such as Google Knol, Citizendum, Encyclopedia.com (collection of published encyclopedias and dictionaries) should also be taken into consideration. Another interesting and trustworthy source is Answers.com which provides the information in Questions&Answers style.

Source No.5. If one is looking for poker industry news, the best source is the general news magazines and newspapers online – New York Times, CNN, BBC, MSNBC, FOXnews etc. These sources are very selective and provide only the most important news from the poker industry. Sometimes they are too selective and do not cover all the local issues, therefore it is suggested to search for the poker info using the Google News or Yahoo News search, which gather the information from a lot of trustworthy sources by using certain keywords.

It is always useful to have at least 5 different information resources for a person with the basic information selecting abilities. A larger amount of sources could be used by those who can easily detect the information which should be trusted and the one that should not.

However, there is also a need to highlight the information resources that should not be considered trustworthy. They usually contain a lot of useful information, but it must be extracted from a pile of garbage. The unreliable information sources are:

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other biggest global social networks, because they are widely used my the marketing people to promote their brands and deals
Press release and article directories are also used for marketing purposes, as it is impossible to check the quality of every submitted piece of information.
Link directories usually contain links to the garbage sites which are submitted in order to gain the value for some small ugly website with few pages and questionable quality content.
Questions&Answers directories answer all the questions about poker, but resources of these answers are of a very poor quality. In most cases they are used for marketing some brands and deals.These online destinations are very popular and it does not mean that people searching for poker information should avoid or abandon them. These sources have valuable content which only needs to be found. Information search is a skill just like fast typing, wood cutting, sewing, knitting or any other and must be developed over the period of time. Teachers should provide such classes at school so that children could learn searching and information selection skills.

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Poker in the Alps
UltimateBet poker invites you to stack your chips higher at a luxurious five-star ski resort and spa, perched atop the pictures mountains of Austria, from march 21st through 28th, 2009. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/Poker_Promotions/Poker_In_The_Alps.html

There are many bonuses offered by online casinos that compete for customers. This is one of the things that anyone who is seeking out casinos should take a look at before they sign up for a casino. In some cases, the bonuses can be substantial or even consist of free casino money. It is important for any player to get the most for their money by seeking out the guides that will lead them to the biggest bonuses for the games that they want to play when they go online.

There are different types of gambling at online casinos. Some of them feature regular casino games that you will find in off line casinos as well. They include blackjack and other table games. Slots and sports betting are also featured at these casinos as well. Some online casinos also offer poker. Poker is usually set apart from the other gambling that is done on these sites and many of the bonuses that are offered are for poker or other games. When seeking out bonuses, you want to make sure that you get those that can be used for the gambling that you wish to do when you go online. You can look for bonuses for slots as well as bonuses that will allow you to play poker. You should always make sure that the online casino gambling guide tells you about the bonuses that you can expect and which games they can be used to play.

An online casino gambling guide will also tell you the right way to gamble and how to manage your bankroll. They encourage responsible gambling so that players do not run into problems with spending too much money at the casinos, giving the potential to lose more than they can afford to lose. It is important that players look at online casinos as an entertainment form and not a vocation, although there are some professional players who make a living playing poker online.

In addition, the online casino guide will tell you what you need to do in order to open up an account at the online casinos and how you will be paid out when you win. You should take a look at the guidelines for any casinos you are considering so that you understand how you can collect your winnings. The more you take a look at the guides, the more you will learn about choosing the right online casino for you.

Poker Study Nears Release
A study analysing the behaviour of almost 3,500 poker players over 2 years is about to be released. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_23042009_208.html

PPA Calls For Action On Online Poker
The Poker Players Alliance is calling on their members to use Obama’s website to vote for changes to online poker legislation. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_16012009_139.html

Before you join an online poker room, be sure that you can play for free. After this is established, you can then join in the fun. While you will not be winning money, this is the best way to get used to playing poker online. You can learn all about poker odds when you are playing for fun instead of playing for money.

Most poker players use the odds when they are playing poker. Odds are figured on mathematical equations and analyzing what has already been played. Players figure on outs, pot odds, bet odds and implied odds. While none of these are a sure fire way to win, they can prevent poker player from making moves that can cost them the game. For example, the outs are the cards that are still in the deck. If you have four hearts after the turn, you can figure that you only have 9 outs left to get the flush you are looking for – a game winner in Texas Holdem.

When you are playing free poker online, you have a chance to develop your poker strategy without risking money. You can learn how to play the odds without a great financial risk. Pot odds are another way that you can analyze the game. Look to see how everyone is betting. How many of them are calling your bet is crucial in any game of poker, which is why it is vital to bet in sequence. In the aforementioned scenario, if only 6 people are calling your betting, you have a 1 in 5 chance of hitting your flush. Checking out the betting odds is one way that you can learn the strategy of playing the odds.

Pot odds should not be ignored. If you have that flush and have only one more $10 bet coming at you, and there is $200 in the pot, your odds are pretty good that you are going to win. However, if people are continuing to raise you, the odds go down as to your winning with that hand as someone else may hold a full house or higher.

When playing poker, play close attention to implied odds. This is whether others are just calling you or raising the bet. If other players are calling you because they think you have the flush, then the odds are that you will win with this hand. Watching the outs, pot odds, bet odds and implied odds are a strategy that you cannot afford to ignore when you are playing Texas Holdem or any other type of poker game, either in an online poker room or anywhere else.

It often pays to learn about poker odds when you are playing free poker online. This is because you are not privy to the faces of those around you and cannot use eye reactions as a way to judge their hands. Some poker players, when they are playing off line, will wear sunglasses at the table so that they cannot reflect anything that is in their hands. You should understand the poker odds when you are playing at an online poker room by learning what the odds are of you winning with the hand you are dealt.

A great many poker players will use the poker odds as well as judge reactions when they are playing poker. When you play in an online poker room, you cannot see the faces of those who you are playing with and it helps to be able to figure out equations in your head. The odds are not only determined by the chances you have of getting the cards you need to make a good hand, but also the chances that you can win with the hand that you have. Much of this comes from observing how everyone is betting.

Having a good understanding about poker odds is one of the essentials of playing good poker. It is said that those who do well when playing in an online poker room are those who primarily play with the odds. Most players will use both odds and observation of mannerisms to decide whether they want to bet, fold or call. Learning simple mathematical equations, such as the percentages of making an out to get the card you need means using numerator factors to figure on the cards you have not seen. Calculate your percentages of getting a winning hand by dividing the numbers of the other pocket cards by the deck during the pre flop, after the flop or after the turn.

Playing free poker online gives you an advantage when you are playing the odds. As is the case with anything else, the more you play at an online poker room, the better you become at ascertaining the odds. The more you play free poker online, therefore, the better you will become at trying to figure the odds for this game.

It is important to realize that when playing at an online poker room or anywhere else that you take the outs, pot odds, bet odds and implied odds into consideration. You not only have to watch your own hand, but those of everyone else as well.

Poker is a fun game and can even end up earning you cash if you become good at your craft. There is a certain skill to playing this game and, unlike other gambling sports; you are not playing against the house, where the odds are stacked against you. Someone has to win and it can easily be you if you develop a strategy that uses poker odds.

In order to become a good poker player, learn to play the odds and start out by playing free poker online. The more you play, the more tips you will receive and the better you will become at the game. Look for an online poker room that is challenging and fun and will let you play for free so that you can hone in your poker strategy and become a winner in this game.

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Poker Skill Debate Goes Mainstream
The debate around whether poker is a game of skill or chance breaks into the mainstream press. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_08042009_198.html

French Pro Fabrice Soulier Joins Everest Poker
Everest Poker have signed on Fabrice Soulier, a French poker pro. This move will help increase Everest Poker’s support for the French poker industry. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_26112009_394.html

Texan Poker Players Keen On Possible Taxation
New legislation being introduced this week proposes to regulate and tax poker in Texas. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_26032009_190.html

The journey towards choosing the ideal starting poker hands guide has to begin with the (potential) player working out what type of poker they are really keen on playing – as there are different types of poker, from the popular Texas Holdem rules poker to the lesser known forms of the game like ‘carbon poker.’ As it turns out then, the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on Texas Holdem rules poker might not be the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on say, carbon poker.

Indeed, the more specific a potential poker player can be about the type of poker they are considering playing, the better their chances of getting the ideal guide for their purposes. Someone who is really keen on Texas Holdem rules poker, for instance, will tend to discover that there is still a variety of Texas Holdem rules varieties they can specialize in, an example of which is for instance the preflop strategy; which is considered by many authorities to be the best way to get introduced to Texas Holdem poker.

Should one start out looking for a starting poker hands guide, then narrow down their search to a particular variety of poker (say poker starting hands guide for Texas Holdem), and then further narrow down their search to a particular strategy in Texas Holdem – say to a guide on the preflop poker strategy, then they have chances of getting a highly specialized poker starting hands guide that can provide them with highly specialized information, which if well practiced, can turn them into poker specialists on that particular type of poker they happen to have so gotten inducted into.

The fact that there exists highly specialized poker guides (like the preflop poker strategy guide mentioned earlier, which deals with one particular strategy in one particular form of poker) means that the starting poker hands guides are not a preserve of novices looking to learn and try their very first hands in poker, but also experienced poker players seeking to enhance their knowledge of poker – since poker is a very extensive and ‘quite brainy’ game; of which no one can honestly say they know everything about.

So the next time you see someone searching online for, or reading through a poker starting hands guide, don’t assume that they are absolute novices at the game, as they could be world champions on the game – just seeking to learn one more form of poker.

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Poker Pros Play Live and Online
Poker played at online poker sites is the way that many professional poker players are playing poker today but it is not the only way. Professional poker players still choose to play at regular land based casinos for their poker action. Some players even do both. Is the game played the same online as it is in local cardrooms?

Poker Professional Reality
With the huge increase of people playing poker online and in casinos, the thought of becoming a poker professional always enters peoples minds. As appealing as becoming a poker professional might be to you, it is not easy to become a poker pro.

The journey towards choosing the ideal starting poker hands guide has to begin with the (potential) player working out what type of poker they are really keen on playing – as there are different types of poker, from the popular Texas Holdem rules poker to the lesser known forms of the game like ‘carbon poker.’ As it turns out then, the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on Texas Holdem rules poker might not be the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on say, carbon poker.

Indeed, the more specific a potential poker player can be about the type of poker they are considering playing, the better their chances of getting the ideal guide for their purposes. Someone who is really keen on Texas Holdem rules poker, for instance, will tend to discover that there is still a variety of Texas Holdem rules varieties they can specialize in, an example of which is for instance the preflop strategy; which is considered by many authorities to be the best way to get introduced to Texas Holdem poker.

Should one start out looking for a starting poker hands guide, then narrow down their search to a particular variety of poker (say poker starting hands guide for Texas Holdem), and then further narrow down their search to a particular strategy in Texas Holdem – say to a guide on the preflop poker strategy, then they have chances of getting a highly specialized poker starting hands guide that can provide them with highly specialized information, which if well practiced, can turn them into poker specialists on that particular type of poker they happen to have so gotten inducted into.

The fact that there exists highly specialized poker guides (like the preflop poker strategy guide mentioned earlier, which deals with one particular strategy in one particular form of poker) means that the starting poker hands guides are not a preserve of novices looking to learn and try their very first hands in poker, but also experienced poker players seeking to enhance their knowledge of poker – since poker is a very extensive and ‘quite brainy’ game; of which no one can honestly say they know everything about.

So the next time you see someone searching online for, or reading through a poker starting hands guide, don’t assume that they are absolute novices at the game, as they could be world champions on the game – just seeking to learn one more form of poker.

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Beta Test Over for PokerStars Mac Software
The world’s biggest online poker company now offers fully functional Mac platform Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_11092008_17.html

New Reality TV Show To Focus On Poker
Four poker players in a house … Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_30072009_277.html

Phil Hellmuth lost, but UltimateBet Poker still shipped him the pot
UltimateBet Poker now is facing new questions regarding the integrity of its software after its system paid out UB pitchman Phil Hellmuth with the losing hand instead of the player with the winning handle poker hand on Dec 20. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_25122008_116.html

The journey towards choosing the ideal starting poker hands guide has to begin with the (potential) player working out what type of poker they are really keen on playing – as there are different types of poker, from the popular Texas Holdem rules poker to the lesser known forms of the game like ‘carbon poker.’ As it turns out then, the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on Texas Holdem rules poker might not be the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on say, carbon poker.

Indeed, the more specific a potential poker player can be about the type of poker they are considering playing, the better their chances of getting the ideal guide for their purposes. Someone who is really keen on Texas Holdem rules poker, for instance, will tend to discover that there is still a variety of Texas Holdem rules varieties they can specialize in, an example of which is for instance the preflop strategy; which is considered by many authorities to be the best way to get introduced to Texas Holdem poker.

Should one start out looking for a starting poker hands guide, then narrow down their search to a particular variety of poker (say poker starting hands guide for Texas Holdem), and then further narrow down their search to a particular strategy in Texas Holdem – say to a guide on the preflop poker strategy, then they have chances of getting a highly specialized poker starting hands guide that can provide them with highly specialized information, which if well practiced, can turn them into poker specialists on that particular type of poker they happen to have so gotten inducted into.

The fact that there exists highly specialized poker guides (like the preflop poker strategy guide mentioned earlier, which deals with one particular strategy in one particular form of poker) means that the starting poker hands guides are not a preserve of novices looking to learn and try their very first hands in poker, but also experienced poker players seeking to enhance their knowledge of poker – since poker is a very extensive and ‘quite brainy’ game; of which no one can honestly say they know everything about.

So the next time you see someone searching online for, or reading through a poker starting hands guide, don’t assume that they are absolute novices at the game, as they could be world champions on the game – just seeking to learn one more form of poker.

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Brian Townsend Admits to Multi-Accounting (source: PokerSourceOnline.com)
Brian Townsend, a CardRunners.com instructor and one of the most popular young internet poker … (source: PokerSourceOnline.com) – RSS feeds and Feed widget on Feedzilla.com

How-to-play-7-5-cardstud – Courtesy of Poker Skool (source: poker-skool.com)
How to play 7 and 5 card stud poker, where are the best places to play 7 and 5 card stud, can you play for free, how much will the casinos pay you to play. we show you how and where. (source: poker-skool.com) – RSS feeds and Feed widget on Feedzilla.com

Poker & Pop Culture: Poker-Playing Presidents (source: pokernews.com)
Americans head to the polls today to elect their 44th president. It has been a long, arduous, hotly-contested battle, and those reporting it have seen fit on numerous occasions to employ a variety of poker metaphors along the way… (source: pokernews.com) – RSS news feeds and Widgets on Feedzilla.com

These poker aides online can not help you into transforming into a professional players at poker as for that you need a hell lot of experience and massive amount of studying. The poker aides online help give you the self-esteem and confidence which is required to start playing the low limit poker in exchange for real cash and also to enjoy an interesting online poker game.

Poker aides on the net can also be taken as poker schools. Most of the discussions are about mass hysteria the online poker can cause.

Lots of tips for playing and many types of poker strategies can be found in the online poker aides. It’s just like learning ABCs in school. So, go now and avail the online poker aides to get your online poker started.

As soon as you have finished that course, later, like a normal school, you jump of to the following level. The aides will later tell you about the various differences that are there between playing poker in real and playing poker online. You can also learn the possibilities of losses or winnings you are likely to get when you are playing online poker. The trick of bluffing also becomes different when playing online poker from when you’re playing real poker with actual people.

Actually, there aren’t many differences between playing poker online and playing poker in real. Many people do not realize that they are not just losing the small dollar sign symbols that are there on their monitors but they are also losing real money. Due to this a number of the poker rooms available on the net make some big bucks and will continue to make more big bucks.

So remember that when you’re playing online, it doesn’t mean it’s not real. It is so easy to withdraw money for playing at tables such that it makes you ask yourself whether playing poker in real world is less real than playing poker online.

To forget about bluffing is one of the things that the poker aide teaches you about. Bluffing is definitely one thing that should be struck out of your list of strategies. Speaking strategically, playing poker tournaments in real is more different than playing poker online.

Traditionally, online poker is being called a game of skill as you can call bluffs and also bluff your self. It requires a very high amount of skill to act as well as see bluffs and it is also necessary to learn and complete a lesson that needs a lot of courage. The skill of bluffing is very important when you are going to play a game of poker in real as you will be taking on real people with stamina and thinking, face to face.

Unlike that, it doesn’t make much of a difference with playing poker online. The poker aides also include teaching you how to perform a bluff before entering into a game of poker online. Don’t forget that, although bluffing is a low level act, you have no option but to use it at times.

But make sure you make only small buffs. With the fact that most of the bluffs you call are also small, there can be a huge chance of an opponent calling out your bluffs.

Not only do these poker aides teach you, they also help when you are stuck up with some really tough poker trouble.

You have a high probability of winning the jackpot as the last person standing in the games at casinos when there is an unsuited seven and two. Try to tighten up the game to its maximum. When you are playing with only suited picture cards and in a state at which a mistake committed doesn’t turn the tables of the game then you know the game is really tight.

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Player to Dealer and Management Ethics in Poker Tournaments
Player to Dealer and Management Ethics in Poker Tournaments If you are required to respect the other poker players in the poker tournaments, be it a minor or major poker tournament, you are also required to respect the dealer and the management. The Poker Players and the Dealers Because the dealers treat the poker players who joined in [...]

Online sportsbooks were the first to be introduced in the internet and they were followed by many, one among them being online poker. Online casinos were also introduced in the mid 90s, the same time when sportsbooks reached the internet. Microgaming, that came up in the early 90s is a good example and has now become a casino software developer.

In 1998, Planet poker entered the scene and was the first to create an online poker gambling rooms. It was the first and the last of its kind for quite long. With passage of time, many new and big poker sites reached the net carrying a maximum rate of about 3 dollars with an initial rake of five percent. The industry was recognized only in 1998 but it noteworthy that the rates have been almost the same.

In 1999, Paradise Poker was created and this has now become the leader in industry. It was around this time that Dutch Boyd created Poker Spot.

Though Poker spot is the pioneer in running poker tournaments online, they faced whole lot of problems. The group did not collect the deposits of the players from its credit card partners. The company did not remit the winnings of the players as all deposits it held, were not returned. This resulted in their fall.

The introduction of the Netellers e-cash system has reduced the repetitions of the problems encountered by the Poker spot group in other poker players. The online poker groups are provided with funds from the Neteller system. The Netellers e-cash system frees the players from the trouble of using the wire transfer or credit card to deposit money in order to enter the poker group. This has helped in the minimization of frauds and improved the credibility of the company.

In the year 2001, online poker industry welcomed the entry of the two giant firms, Party Poker and Poker Stars. Paradise was on the lead until 2003, when they were overtaken by Party Poker due to the latter?s strategic advertising. The launch of World Poker Tour along with the Party Poker Million strategies attracted a lot of people and drove the group to success.

Chris MoneyMaker also contributed a lot to the popularity and growth of online poker. He was charged with 40 dollars to enter the poker room. He won the satellite tournament conducted by the Poker stars and was qualified for the final and the main event. He won the topmost prize of 2.5 Million dollars in a game considered to be one of the biggest of the World’s Series of Poker tournaments and in which about 839 participants had contested.

The creation of the site http://www.pokertips.org made online poker more accessible to all people especially to those who were new to the field of online poker. In 2004, that is one year after the launch of the site, the game became very popular with the fascinating story of Mr. Moneymaker adding another feather to its cap. The companies pocketed huge amounts and there were other entrants like Noble Poker and the Full Tilt Poker to the industry as well.

Sportingbet, a listed sportsbook acquired Paradise Poker and this contributed to the growth of gambling industry. A lot of companies considered listing in the stock market as it helped them get funds to aid expansion of their business.

The United Kingdom has passed a legislation which states that gambling is legal.

Today we have a lot of sites that educate people who are new to the industry on the game. They aid in developing the skills of the beginners and making them professionals. Here are a few books on online poker: the Super System which is by Doyle Brunson, the Hold ‘em Poker for the Advanced Players and this is by Sklansky,Malmuth, the Killer Poker which is by John Vorhaus and Texas Holdem which is by Ken Warren. You are advised to learn the basic skills and the poker theory from experts.

Some of the best Online Poker Sites

Texas Holdem Poker
StudStrategy
Low Limit Omaha
Poker School Online at pokerschoolonline.com
Ichiban Poker
Poker Performance Psychology
PlayWinningPoker.com and playwinningpoker.com
The Gamblers Edge at thegamblersedge.com
Poker Pro Association
Low Limit Holdem at lowlimitholdem.com
PokerStrategy
Poker Pages at pokerpages.com

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Poker After Dark – Big Man Straight (source: launchpoker.com)
When Poker After Dark started their new season, they started to bring in some new blood as well. In the Cash Game episode, where players paid $100k to play, Phil Hellmuth, Tom Dwan, Allen Cunningham, Guy Laliberte, Mike Baxter, and David Peat were invited … (source: launchpoker.com) – RSS and News widget on Feedzilla.com

Deep Stack Poker Payout Quadruples Guarantee (source: launchpoker.com)
When the recent Deep Stack Tournament at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City announced a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000, it drew nearly a thousand players. The 956 players that each paid $2000 + $150 to play meant a final payout of nearly two … (source: launchpoker.com) – RSS widgets and RSS feeds on Feedzilla.com

In fact, yours truly actually did run a search specifically for “Women and Poker”, and here are some of the surprising results. In no particular order we present 10 of the most tasteful poker sites on the web:

-Pokerium Online Poker Room and Casino: The front page of this website is a model of good taste and restraint. Many of the searches yielded interesting results, but this website was head and shoulders ahead. Upon opening the home page one finds an illustration of a scantily clad brown-haired vixen with a flower in her hair(no real women were harmed during the production of this design). The interesting part of this drawing is that she is placed inside of a huge Ace of Clubs. In the middle of the card, where the woman is located, lies a very large club, and the stem of said club just happens to terminate in the center of the woman’s crotch. Although there is a possibility that this not-so-subtle innuendo was unintentional, we would not bet on it.

-Next on our list is the deliciously tasteful advertisement on hollywoodpoker.com for their “Babes & Bounties” tournament. To begin with, the title itself should be enough to ruffle the feathers of most women poker players. Then, the image used on the page is of a woman in a bikini top with money in the background behind her. And finally, for those players who aren’t sold by the picture in the middle, the site claims that “12 of the sexiest poker hostesses in the game” will be present at the table. It’s a good thing too, because most serious poker players refuse to play in tournaments with any less than 8 sexy poker hostesses. Finally, jus tto make sure that one can notice all the different features on the side, there is a picture of a woman on the left-hand side of the screen dressed in her rather unsupportive underwear lying down in front of a laptop with poker chips lying around her body. She is happily wearing a pair of flattering white high heeled shoes so that she can model at any moment during her poker game. A truly classy website.

-PokerWorld.com, an up and coming online card room, is another tastefully crafted website, with nothing to offend save for their new “Topless Bonus”. The “Topless Bonus: The Shape of Things to Come” seems a stretch: with this promotion they will “top up” your account with a free 20% bonus. The stingy bonus does not only fall way short of the 200% bonuses floating around on various sites, it also offends the eye. They advertise it with a small silhouette of a woman, hardly exposing anything whatsoever. Why they chose to try and correlate a 20% with topless women is a mystery, but they surely went for it.

-Not to be outdone, Jungle Poker has its own female spokeswoman: none other than the lovely Cheynelle Fraser, a bartender/model who is now the official face of Jungle Poker. Why a poker site would need a sizzling hot model as a spokeswoman is a grand mystery. We suspect it is because the photos of Cheynelle – which include several excellent cleavage shots – surely have everything to do with poker and nothing with selling sexuality. Although the site may be using the good looks of beautiful Cheynelle to help promote their site, they are not just about T & A on their site: on the front page of the site they have an advertisement for their heads up Sit & Go tournaments, featuring two headshots of a man and a woman, both fully dressed, challenging each other to a card game. Hurray for equality!

-Europeans are no exception when it comes to using alluring images of the female form to help them sell their products. In a recent article published on poker.gamble.co.uk, the author writes about the upcoming Great British Poker Tour, and the centerpiece image of this article is a nude woman relaxing in a bathtub full of poker chips. It’s a good thing that they posted this picture, because nothing says Great British Poker Tour better than a woman bathing nude in poker chips.

-The most morbid result found during the search came from best-poker-rakeback.net on their rakeback advertisement, which features a frightening illustration of zombie woman in a corset, fishnet stockings, heels, and a short skirt using a rake to gather up some playing cards that must have fallen off a tree. Although the idea of having somebody literally raking poker cards is cute, we’re not sure about the need for a sexy undead woman.

-Gambling blog Oddjack paid homage to the women of poker in an article titled “Top 10 Sexiest Women of Poker”. This enlightening four part series takes the readers through their list of what they view as the sexiest women in the poker world. Just to give a small taste of their depictions of these women, we will go over the first three women they talk about. Each woman has a picture with a caption beneath it. At number ten on their list is Courtney Friel, a television hostess for the world poker tour. The picture they have of her is in a lacy tank top: fair enough. She’s obviously OK with the picture considering she modeled for it. Underneath the picure is a caption that says “Stop teasing us Courtney, tear those laces off!”

The next featured profile is that of Evelyn Ng. Underneath her picture they put a quote that says, “Evelyn sure is one sweet ride…” Sadly, they did not even try to be creative with this comment, the only possible connotation for this remark is a sexual one. They also remarked in her profile that she won the WPT Ladies Night event and that, “Yup, she kicked ass. Asses that belong to Annie Duke and Kathy Liebert. Asses I don’t wanna see anytime soon. No matter how much they pay me to.” This hilarious joke about the physical assets of two of poker’s greatest female players was insulting to say the least.

At number 8 on their list is none other than Lily Elviro. This strong poker player who, besides being a strong poker player, is physically well endowed as well. The picture which they used for her was taken during a poker tournament she played in and shows her at the table holding a pair of cards. She is leaning forward a little showing a fair portion of her not so small breasts. Unable to resist, the comment beneath the photo says, “It’s hard for Lily to always carry a heavy set of puppies like that.” If it wasn’t for such brilliant writing most of us would completely miss out on such hard to miss features.

-Next on our list is an article written by Toby Bochan on her poker blog. This photo-article, featured on about.com, is titled “The hottest women of poker”, and it is essentially an amateur photo gallery of professional femal poker players. The women featured in this article are Evelyn Ng, Shannon Elizabeth, Clonie Gowen, Jennifer Tilly, Liz Lieu, Vanessa Rousso, Isabelle Mercier, Cyndy Violette, Jennifer Harman, Annie Duke, Kristy Gazes, Chantel McNutty, and Jennefer “Jennicide” Leigh. Perhaps the most disturbing part about this gallery is not that these women have their pictures posted, but that none of the pictures were studio pictures. They all seem like photos that were taken in a clandestine manner on a digital camera. Does this strike anybody as creepy?

-Coming last on our list is none other than Full Tilt Poker, who recently issued a challenge between Paris Hilton and Clonie Gowen. Their hearts were definitely in the right place: they were to host a heads-up challenge between the two women and the winner would take the $100,000 prize and donate it to the charity of her choice. This sounds good, so why does this make our trash list? Well, if you go to the website, the page they created for this challenge has these two women stacked up next to each other. The title for their statistics is called their “Sexy Stats”, and just to make sure that the best poker player wins, they even added a “Who is sexier?” poll at the bottom of the page.

Thus concludes our trashy website list (NEED TO THINK OF A WAY TO PITCH THIS ARTICLE). Part IV will conclude “Women and Poker” by addressing what the future of women and poker may hold.

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