Tournament Poker is evolving quickly. Not just changing - evolving. From local tournaments to casino events to world-wide month-long televised tournament tours, poker is no longer an underground industry. The stakes for tournament producers, promoters and players get bigger every day, as do the number of entrants and the size of the prizes. And all of this affects you.

Stan Sludikoff knows as much - or more - than anyone in the poker world about the industry-wide activities and trends related to tournament gaming. And as a poker publisher and journalist his advocacy for players' tournament rights and rewards is unmatched by anyone else's.

Have you read his recent ongoing series about how the changes in the World Series of Poker - a tournament for which he is a staunch supporter and advocate - have impacted players since the WSOP was acquired by Harrah's? Stan and Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner, were both Featured Presenters at this year's California Poker Players Conference. Did the sparks fly?

Jeffrey Sandman is spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, which promotes the freedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. Additionally, the Initiative is a resource for information about the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) to regulate Internet gambling, and provides opportunities for individuals, organizations and companies to support the legislation and engage their elected officials.

Millions of Americans enjoy gambling online and Jeffrey Sandman is s key spokesperson for those who believe Americans should be able to do so without government interference. Jeffrey will discuss pending legislation to regulate Internet gambling and provide specific ideas for how you can encourage Congress to support the rights of Americans to gamble online.

Jeffrey recently discussed online gambling regulation at the CPPC in October 2007.

John was recently a presenter at the 2007 California Poker Players Conference, and he discussed Politics in Poker.

Every industry and its constituents needs "a good man in Washington." In the poker world, John Pappas is your man. He's been working in Washington government circles since the day he graduated college and began working for his hometown Congressman. Since then, he's served as a media and policy advisor for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, start-up firms, trade associations and grassroots organizations.

If you think that poker doesn't have anything to do with politics, or vice versa… think again! Why is it that in California, you can play "21" Blackjack in some casinos and not in others? Politics! Why is it legal to bet on horse racing online, but not play poker for cash in online poker rooms based in the U.S.? Politics! Why can police in on most states walk into a friendly penny-ante game and bust Mom and Dad while they're playing poker with their kids or their neighbors? Politics!

What do you have to know about if you want to protect - and expand - your right to play poker at your home, in the casino, and on the Web? Politics! Who can you turn to to teach you about this important aspect of the game? John Pappas.

Do you have a strategy for how you’re going to get the chips in tournament play?

Tournament play and live cash play are two different ball games.  Going into a tournament, you might be thinking about how you are going to get these chips.  You aren’t going to do an instant evaluation of each player at your table, but it is something that you are going to do over the course of play.  It’s something that you want to do as soon as possible, because you want to pick out one or two, hopefully two, opponents or customers.  They are those players who you build on and have chosen to attack in your play.  You’re going to use them and going to do it repeatedly.

As soon as you sit down in the tournament you’re looking around you, and you’re trying to find like two specific players who would be your main customers, the ones who will supply a lot of your money, and so that’s really a goal of yours when you sit down to finals too.

It’s necessary to find those players that you are going to take the chips from.  And it certainly wouldn’t be one of the top tournament players in the world who might be at the table, but it would be some other players that show a little bit of weakness, just a little bit of weakness.

What does your image do to your opponents that make them give you money?

Marsha Waggoner believes being able to exude your self-confidence so strongly to your opponents that they do give you money.  They do feel a little intimidated and so they are probably not going to try and bluff you.  If they don’t try and bluff you, they’re giving you money.  Basically the thing they do when you’re playing with them is giving you money, because you have the power just through that attitude to control them.

It is their confidence, self-confidence.  The players you’re playing against pick it up, and you have the ability to intimidate them a little bit.

Just by having the right attitude, the right image, that right confidence at the table makes your opponents play worse, be intimidated, and give you money.

Hear more about Marsha Waggoner’s success at http://www.2007cppc.com/#waggoner.

Mike Caro recently interviewed Marsha Waggoner about her poker success.  He asked her about her phenomenal success in both the non-tournament and in tournament worlds and attitude affects your profit at the poker table?  Here is what she had to say:

I first got the idea about attitude from female poker player I like to call my mentor about three years ago.  Her name was Betty Carrie.  I looked to Betty.  I watched her carefully, because she was a top player in Finland.  I learned about attitude from her.  I could see Betty sitting at the table and she had a good attitude of a winning player that you could see just by looking at her.  I decided to adapt that. 

It’s the way you might sit at the table and have a feeling of being a winner, to be able to exude this positive attitude.  Betty Carrie did exude the confidence and that focuses the opponents’ energy to you so they’re really aware of you.  You’re really sending out signals when you play that way.

Hear more about Marsha Waggoner’s success at http://www.2007cppc.com/#waggoner.

Here are some additional betting pairs that Lou Krieger discussed with Mike Caro.

Raising before the flop, then folding on the flop is either the mark of a disciplined poker player or someone who is overly cautious.  Most poker players are not cautious!

Another is the call, call, call then raise or bet on the river pattern.  That is the “I made my draw on the river” betting pattern.  If a third suit card comes up and someone who had been calling has now raised, they likely have the hand they were going for.

The call, call, raise, bet pattern is the “I made my draw on the turn” betting pattern.

All these patterns just tell what a person is likely to have.  They are likely to have the hand that the pattern specifies after three or so hands.

Everybody has a pattern has, but patterns may also change.  The pattern you make against conservative player is different than the one you use against a maniac betting and raising all over the place.  So, the pattern can change depending on player. 

Noticing patterns can be a great advantage.  If you are not in the hand, it’s the time to look for patterns and tells.  If you see how a player reacts or plays, then correlate those observations to the hand they turn over, at the end you’ll have the advantage.

Hear Lou’s complete interview at http://www.2007cppc.com/#krieger.

Lou Krieger gave a second interview with Mike Caro, prior to the 2007 California Poker Players Conference to discuss betting patterns. 

They are almost a kissing cousin of tells.  Every poker hand tells a story, and that story is told in how a player bets and how they call. 

The call and then bet, bet, check the river is the Top Pair betting pattern.  It’s good enough to win, but it’s not the dominating hand.  Still, it’s usually the winner.  The player should have bet the river, but didn’t.

Another common betting pattern is to check call on the flop, then check raise on the turn.  This is the Flopped Two Pair or A Set betting pattern.  He makes the best hand, then he waits until the betting limits double and raises.  If you have one pair, and you are check raised on the turn, chances are you are behind your opponent.  Unless you know them to be a habitual bluffer, you are better off to release your hand.

There are more betting patterns to come!  Or, you can listen to Lou’s full interview at http://www.2007cppc.com/#krieger.

Most of the tournament pros now are on circuits.  So, if all the pros are going in one direction, you may want to go another direction.  The Wild Horse Tournament in Oregon for example.  The players are likely easier to beat, and the pots are just as good.  But, this tournament is not on the pro circuit.  There is the advantage.

Just look at the schedule and follow a different direction than the pros.  If you look for tournaments that are not so well known, you’ll find a weaker field, and you’ll get the same prize money. 

They are all on track for player of the year awards.  They are all registered with Card Player and the other magazines.  So, you’ll get the recognition you are looking for in the medium size tournaments and avoid the pros.  You can make your name and money there while building a reputation for yourself.

You can hear more from Robert Turner by visiting http://www.2007cppc.com/#turner.

During his pre-conference interview with Mike Carro, Robert Turner also discussed tournament entry stages.  

How do you know what tournament is best for you?  When do you want to get into a tournament?  You want to be either the first or last to enter a tournament.

You want to be the first, because the first people in are the ones who are excited.  They are the newbies.  The pros typically come next, toward the middle or end of registration, when they are ready to enter.  The players who are not really that great typically are the ones who are signing up at the end.  Some of them may have barely gotten in.

So, signups really have three stages. The early signups are generally newbies.  The middle signups are pros or serious players.  The end includes those that are scrambling to get in at the very end.

You can hear more from Robert Turner by visiting http://www.2007cppc.com/#turner.