Fleet Maker

Gus Hansens Poker TV

Poker pro Gus Hansen is starting his own online video channel, called Gus TV. The channel is launching Feb. 21, featuring an actual boxing match between Hansen and fellow poker pro Theo Jorgenson. Starting on February 21, 2009, Gus TV will allow poker fans to see Hansen in action as he plays live around the world, to receive helpful tips on successful poker strategies as he provides hand-by-hand analysis, and to join Hansen and his friends from the poker world, playing in his hotel suites and beyond.

Hansen has set up production studios in Denmark and Las Vegas and will travel with a production team around the globe in order to provide fans and poker aficionados with hours of fresh TV content every day.

“Having my own free TV channel is a fantastic opportunity for me to connect with my fans and supporters,” says Hansen in a press release. “Today’s technology means everyone can sit down with me and watch as I play live at tournaments or even just in my hotel room with friends. And because it is online, Gus TV can reach the whole world, for fans as far away as Osaka and Oklahoma.” For anyone interested, the site is www.gushansentv.com. It will be interesting to see how successful this venture is, and if other pro poker players follow suit and create online channels of their own.

Reading, Not Just a Skill Applied to Books

Former US FBI Agent Joe Navarro speaks out about the ability to read body language and it’s application in poker.

Let’s face the blunt truth, in many games with non professionals, it’s almost guaranteed that nearly every hand someone is going all in.

And it when it happens, we get a variety of reponses, from the guy who looks nervous as hell regardless of whether he has a good or bad hand, to the guy who pushes all in and sits back in his invisible recliner showing as much emotion as he would watching grass grow.

But all of that’s only on the surface. Amazingly, a large majority of poker players out there don’t really know how to apply body language to their poker decision making.

Navarro focuses mainly on the basics. For him the smallest ticks can be big indicators. Say for example a player who just pushed all in is sitting with his legs uncrossed and feet planted far apart, his hands behind his head, and his head is tilted back. This is called a “territorial display,” comments Navarro. “People generally do it when they’re in a position of power.”

But there’s more to it than even that. As poker is a game of constant evolution, it only makes sense that we can take advantage of not only reading body language, but also writing it…falsely.

Once a player gets a good grasp on the basics of positive and negative body language in regards to socially situational power, it becomes easy to manipulate one’s own body language to convey something opposite of the physical reality of the cards.

Once you become comfortable enough and self aware enough of your own usual reaction in situations, you can recreate them at will. If you tend to act nervous when you’re bluffing, pay attention to what you do to show that you’re nervous, and when you have a good hand, recreate this effect. This type of evolution is the next step in staying one step ahead of the learning curve.

Turbo Sit N Go Poker Tournaments

When you don’t have time to play a long poker game, but would rather play a tournament than jump on a cash table, turbo sit and go’s are a good option. Turbo’s start you with the same amount of chips as standard tournaments, but the blinds increase at a much faster rate. You could have half of the amount of time than you’re used to, so you should make some adjustments.

First off, if you’re a tight player, you will not have the luxury of waiting for premium hands. The blinds increase faster, and if you wait too long, by the time you have the right hand, even a double-up of your stack might not be enough to get you back in the game.

I tend to play looser poker in the beginning of these tournaments. Not in a maniacal sense, but I definitely call with a variety of hands, while keeping my raises to premium hands. If you can catch someone with 2 pair when they hit top pair, even early on they are likely to give you a large portion of their chips. Gaining even a few hundred extra chips can be enough for you to sit back more comfortably and wait for those premiums.

The unfortunate thing about these tournaments is that when you get close to the money, the play becomes a little erratic. There are lots of pre-flop all-ins and the best hand does not always hold up. If you were able to amass chips early, you can stay out of the way when players start to go all in, or if you’re lucky, pick up a monster and take out a shorter stack.

In turbo sit and go’s, I tend not to make loose ace high preflop all in calls on an opponent. Even if your ace high is good, you’re probably not more than a 60/40 favorite. There are better spots to get your money in, and making a call with a marginal poker hand is not always your best choice. Take down some pots early, and then ride out the lunacy.

Food Recipes for Christmas Parties

This Christmas, throw a Winter Wonderland theme party! It’s a great spin on a traditional Christmas party idea and a great way to be original in your party planning. White chocolate fondue is the perfect kind of food to serve because it’s white like snow and sweet and delicious. If you have a fondue pot or fountain, it will look like a gorgeous, white fountain. Follow this recipe, using white chocolate chips. Serve with dippers such as pretzels, nut bread, crackers, gingerbread cookies, pretzels, sliced cubes of cake, etc. Be sure to set out plenty of cocktail napkins, fondue skewers and plates. Fondue is never an easy food to eat.

Fondue Recipe:

Ingredients:

2, 12 oz packages of white chocolate chips
1c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 stick butter, the unsalted kind

Directions:

In medium size saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and butter. Whisk to stir, until it’s simmering. Remove saucepan from the heat. Add white chocolate chips and stir in vanilla extract. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Serve it in a fondue pot, a fondue fountain or a big bowl with goodies to dip in it, such as fresh fruit or pretzels or bread.

New Poker Legislation for US Consumers

There’s new hope on the horizon for US Consumers who wanting to get in on the online poker action, and for the first time since 2006, it may be legal again. Proposed by Senator Robert Menendez (D) of New Jersey the Internet Skill Games Licensing and Control Act of 2008 may be the kindling to get the poker fire reignited in the US.

This is a bold move on the part of the senator and is based in part on research from Harvard University that has long been shouting “Poker, especially Hold ‘Em, is as much a skill game as Backgammon or Chess.”

And that is the focus of the bill, to create the dialogue that poker is in fact a game of skill.

There is a uniqueness to this bill that it is originating in the Senate, whereas all previous attempts to either revise or revoke the UIGEA were started in the House of Representatives. And with a Democratic majority, the Poker Players’ Alliance, is expecting the best.

Currently the bill has passed the test of the finance committee.

As a side note, this piece of legislation is designed to encompass more than just Texas Holdem poker. It’s a blanket bill to cover all games in which “a player’s skill is the main determinant of [his or her] success.”

And to appease some of those with a more conservative bent, the bill includes safeguards that require background checks on the CEOs and other top corporate officers, to ensure there hasn’t been a history of tax related infractions or other criminal activity.

And you have to speculate that the banking industry is backing this as well, as the passage would free them up to do business with internet gambling sites, thus creating a steady business relationship as the poker playing demographic is a large one.

So the poker players may be one step closer to finally getting to hit the markets and start competing with the top players around the world, all from the comfort of their own home (or favorite wi-fi hotspot, whichever the case may be).

Edible Wedding Favors are Bound to Please

Edible wedding favors are bound to please almost everyone at a wedding reception. You can of course new wedding favors which can be novel but the vast majority will prefer something sweet. How effective this looks might be down to how good the personalized wrapper is that contains the chocolate candy. Some people go out of their way to ensure the chocolate is from a specialist candy or quality department store. By having the chocolate outer wrapping specially designed to include the bride and grooms details, it adds a special touch to the gift.

If you are going as far as personalizing the wrapper, then why not have your picture printed on the wrapper to really impress your guests! Why not have a tin filled with different types of candy as your edible wedding favor to your guests. Once again, it is easy to have the tin given the personal touch with the bride and grooms details on it. The guests may eat the candy soon after the wedding but they can keep the candy tin as a reminder of your wedding; they can use it to store other small items such as change, sewing needles, rubber bands or virtually anything which is small enough to be stored in them. Candy is still the most popular choice of edible wedding favor and it will probably continue to be whilst we all enjoy sweet foods.

One unique way to give out candy as wedding favors is to use large glass bowls as the centerpieces for the tables and fill the bowls with the bride and grooms’ favorite types of candy. Otherwise a small container, which can be themed if appropriate, can be used instead. You can guarantee it won’t take long before the guests start filling their boxes with the candy. One edible wedding favor some couples overlook is cookies which can also be presented in a variety of ways. By using plain cookies, it is easy to present them in a nice box with the bride and grooms names plus the date and location of the wedding.

Of course you could always go all the way and have your photos printed on the face of the cookie as well. There are many companies that specialize in this type of work and if you have your own design and images it makes it quicker and easier for the manufacturer For something completely different, consider using beverages for the edible wedding favors; tea and coffee spring to mind but there are others. These too can be customized to suit the occasion and if you are going to all the effort of supplying something this exclusive, why shouldn’t they be customized. Just like the previous ideas, personalizing the package with the bride and grooms picture just completes the gift. Even if none of these ideas is too your taste, it might at least make things easier when you come decide on what you’re a favors will be.