31.3.07

Confessions of a Master CD Sales Woman

A couple calendar months ago, I wrote The Rogues to inquire them directly what it is that brands them so successful at merchandising CDs, and why they are one of the top 10 sets on CDstreet merchandising CDs. Sharon Wothke wrote back:

"As caput gross sales individual for the band, I believe that I would be the 1 to speak to. The Rogues are definitely alone in what they do, and if you will indulge me, very good at what they do.

As a gross gross sales person, I cognize that the manner the cats play their music definitely is the greatest factor in their sales quotient. When the music, which can be described as infectious, is smoking hot, and everyone is having a good time, the gross sales are usually pretty good. Most people who come up up to a Renaissance Festival, where the set still makes the lion's share of their gigs, make not come
expecting to purchase a cadmium with pipes music on it. The Rogues have got converted many people to this word form of music. So in other words, they make a alone ambiance which is contributing to sales.

If the cats are doing their occupation (making great music), it do my occupation a batch easier. Iodine just have got to be available and approachable to people and looking like a I am a portion of the show for people to experience comfortable in coming up to me. We started from the very beginning employing the usage of a roaming basket. It is very effectual and other groupings have got successfully copied our approach.

Our Sellers walk around holding up the merchandise so people can see them. Our Sellers seek to intermix in with the show and not be pushy, just visible. I personally bask interacting with the crowd, spoofing off of what is being said on the phase and telling gags to do the audience laugh. And I will speak and be nice to everyone, even if they don't purchase a cadmium simply because I bask people and I am trying to be an embassador for the band. They may not purchase today, but opportunities are they will believe about it and purchase a cadmium at another time."

Straight from the Master's mouth. What makes it take?
1. Great music
2. Great unrecorded performance
3. Roaming gross sales people with handbaskets of CDs
4. Peter Sellers hold up merchandise DURING the show
5. Peter Sellers blend in an interact with the show

The Rogues utilize CDBaby to sell their CDs. Why? See for yourself?

Increase Gambling Affiliate Revenues Through Article Submissions

If you have got a gambling-related website then you are certainly concerned with its rankings in hunt engines because you desire to increase traffic to your website to increase affiliate revenues.

Fortunately, with article entry services and directory entry you can increase the visibleness of your website as well as its ranking in the hunt engines because you will be gaining one manner golf course and visibility. See the following benefits of article entry and directory entry so you, too, can bask a high ranking from the popular hunt engines.

Article Submission

The benefit from article entry is not as much from the information in the article, but from the golf course embedded in the article that addition your rankings with the hunt engine. Search engines work on a assortment of levels, one of them including the amount of golf course on the Internet pointing back to your website. As a result, the more than golf course you have got the higher you are ranked.

So, portion of your hunt engine optimisation strategy should be to utilize article entry services. You simply compose or purchase an article and have got golf course to your site and different pages in your site embedded in the article. Then, the article is submitted to assorted article directories and spreading across the Internet as well. The more than than golf course you have got got the higher your hunt rankings and a great manner to acquire a batch of golf course is to utilize article entry services.

Remember, once your article is submitted with the embedded golf course to your site it is more than likely to remain on the Internet forever and you will have one manner lasting golf course to your site that are always helping you in the hunt engine rankings.

What do this technique really good to casino/poker/gambling affiliates is that they are able to not only make one-way backlinks, but also beef up the subject relevancy of their websites.

Example: A gambling-related article is submitted to an article entry service. The ground tackle textual matter used in the article are gambling-related and point to gambling themed content on the mark website. This type of nexus is very powerful. Together with the likeliness that the article will be hosted on a 3rd party site which is also gambling-related - the theming strength of the article, it's position and backlinks do for a very solid linking strategy.

Directory Submission

If you are interested in your website truly performing the best in hunt engine rankings then you will refer yourself with directory submission. There are thousands of different directories out there, some that use to your website, and others that make not. By focusing on directory entry in the directories that are related to your site you will certainly increase your rankings. Of course, each directory have classes as well so it makes take some research and attempt to acquire your website submitted to all the directories in the right classes that really profit your site. But, once you make you have got a lasting listing of your website in the directory that volition direct your mark audience to your site twenty-four hours in and twenty-four hours out. Remember, however, that just any directory entry is not going to acquire you the traffic you want. You necessitate to concentrate on submitting to directories that associate to your website in order to have got your website directory entry in the location where your mark audience is.

Theming is really about creating critical mass around your content, both on-page and off-page.

Article Submission = Permanent Links

When you trust solely on other websites to host your nexus in order for you to host their, you are risking that other webmasters simply chose to take your nexus and with it your Search Engine rankings travel down. However, when you utilize article entry and directory entry in order to construct golf course to your site and do your website more seeable to your mark audience you are basically receiving lasting golf course and advertizement for your site. The benefit of this is that with a small attempt you can acquire your articles submitted and your website listed with the directories and then just sit down back and bask the lasting golf course and higher hunt engine rankings you receive.

A couple of ads to share

30.3.07

Gambling Comps 101 or The Ask Game

Gambling Comps 101 or The Ask Game


I don't cognize who did it or when it happened, but person shortened the word complimentary to comp and made it an industry standard.


In casino language, comps are cash or gifts (freebies) that the casinos give to their clients as a wages for gambling with them. It advances good volition and also entices players to be loyalty to the establishment. In order to acquire comps from the casinos, you must play the inquire game.


Most players believe that comps are only for the invitee who pass large vaulting horses at the casinos and therefore don't inquire for them.


This is wrong. There are many different comps given out by the casinos and it depends on how much money you play which comp you might get.


Casino places give away everything from free tapers to promotions that offering free suite and food.


A little comp that a casinos gives away to everyone is free drinks. Most casinos will give you a suds or cocktail as long as you are playing. I have got seen high rollers ( large money gamblers) inquire for particular drinks such as as a rare Score Whiskey and the casino would acquire it to maintain him there and gambling.


There is another comp that is generally easy to obtain and that is Casino Rate. The casinos like you staying and playing on property. They are willing to give you a price reduction on the hotel room charge per unit and if you play enough you can probably acquire a full room comp.


In order to measure up for comps you necessitate to make two things:



First of all you have got to acquire your play rated. This agency you must subscribe up for the casinos player's baseball club and usage your card whenever you play the machines. When you play table games you have got to inquire the cavity foreman to charge per unit your play.
The 2nd thing you must make when looking for a comp is to inquire for it. No 1 will inquire if you would wish a free repast or a free hotel room, you will have got to inquire for what you want. If your play measure ups for the comp you are looking for you will acquire it. If not you are told you don't have got adequate play. You can then inquire as to how much play is required for the comp you are seeking. Most of the casino employees will flex over backwards to maintain you on place and playing.
So to recap:



Most casinos will give nutrient and drink comps freely if you ask.
Some volition give the hotel suite fairly easy during off extremum times and sometime during extremum times if you ask.
If you gamble large denominations, the sky could be the limit, if you ask.
A friendly smiling and a polite enquiry can set down you right in the center of some very nice freebies. Aways play the inquire game when you see a casino.


Happy Gambling!


 

Some Interesting Facts About Baseball

Baseball is a fun game. It drives people crazy like anything.

It is considered to be one of the most popular games in America.


Here are some of the fun facts for you to know various activities that have happened in baseball.


In the baseball, a distance is measured to be 90 feet. Picture mound and home place are 60 feet, 8 inches apart from each other.

In 1997, it ended its oldest traditions. That was the first time Inter league began.

After that American league could play the National league at the time of regular season.
First league is believed to be played on 12/06/97.

Babe Ruth used to wear a leaf that would be under the cap.
The funny thing is that he used to change it after every two innings.

Cal Hubbard, umpire in Major league is the only one who was in both the games, baseball and football.

The baseball inventor is credited with firing the first shot, which was against civil war.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum was created in 1935. It was created for 100th anniversary celebration of baseball.

In one game of base ball fourteen players could hit only 14 runs.
Philadelphia manager has the highest number of victories. The total number is 3755.

A All-Star game was played in the year 1993. the players from National league and American league participated in that.
Out of 73 games played, 40 were won by the National league.

These were some of the facts about baseball. We shall come up with more fun facts in our forthcoming articles.

29.3.07

Play Roulette Like a Pro

It is commonly believed that a game like Roulette is one of complete opportunity and luck. How can there be any strategy for playing this sort of a game?

While it is undeniable that opportunity and fortune are an built-in characteristic of roulette the fact that a strategy for the game can be followed, should not totally be overruled. Roulette is a game of statistical chance and hence the strategy goes quite simple. Here are a few simple tips that you should maintain in head while betting:

Since Roulette is a game based on consecutive statistics, generally you acquire just odds. For illustration you volition acquire even money likelihood when you wager reddish and the existent statistical likelihood that reddish will come up up is approximately even. The exclusion is the 1 greenness foursquare in European Roulette. Therefore your likelihood are slightly less than 50/50. It is of import to note, however, that the house border can vary, as it makes most notably in the US. In American roulette the house border is 5.26% for every stake except the five figure stake which gives a house border of 7.29%.

Roulette is a pretty rigid, non-interactive game and players can make very small to take down the house edge. But what they can make is to be on a careful lookout man for places that offering particular rules. In Atlantic City there is a good rule called ?surrender?. Enquire about this rule, at the table before playing. But to sum up briefly, the rule is applicable lone to outside stakes that pay even money. These are red/ black, even/odd and high/low. If the ball lands on a dual nothing (00), the better loses half the stake instead of the whole amount.

Though even money stakes are doubly nice as compared to their interior counterparts, the player have to give up on payoffs significantly in order to profit from the less house advantage. Even though this cannot be considered a perfect situation, the strategy works.

Be on the expression out for wheels that make not have got a dual zero. In European roulette wheels this is standard but it is rarely the lawsuit with American tables, where the house advantage is significantly higher. American casinos make away with the likelihood of European Roulette and add an other Green space ? the dual ?00?. With this move the house advantage travels up by a factor of 2. Hence European Roulette gives the house an advantage of 2.7% arsenic against American Roulette that gives an advantage of 5.5%.

One other rule that must be kept in head is called ?En Prison?, which can only be establish in Europe. Suppose you are placing an even-money exterior bet, and the ball lands at ?0?, if En Prison is applicable, the stake will not be swept off after all the other bets. It will not be returned either. The stake goes ?in prison? and corset on the board and acquires another opportunity on the adjacent spin. In the adjacent ?spin? if your stake wins, you acquire the money back, though with no other winnings. If the adjacent spin is a ?loss? your stake acquires swept away. In lawsuit it lands on a zero, it stays ?En Prison? once more. This rule lessenings the house advantage on even-money stakes to 1.35%.

After all these strategical tips you will get to believe that playing at European tables is probably the best strategy. The existent issue here, however, is not location, but that you must see ?Single nothing roulette wheel? locations. One such as location, rather surprisingly, is some online casinos.

Selfish Genes

Interesting!

Researchers at CalTech have published a way to use "selfish genes" (transposable elements) to potentially insert malaria and dengue-resistance genes into mosquito populations, thus preventing mosquitoes from spreading these diseases to humans. By coupling a toxin/antidote vector with an effector gene conferring malaria or dengue resistance, it actually becomes deadly for the insect to NOT have the gene. In this way, the selfish gene can quickly propagate through a wild type insect population.

The greatest challenge to this course of disease prevention is making sure that enough genetically modified mosquitoes are released into the wild to drive out the genetically wild type mosquitoes pre-existing in the population. Plus, there are subpopulations of mosquitoes that do not mate with each other, so it will be necessary to introduce genetically modified "representatives" to each subpopulation. Both of these caveats can definitely be overcome.

Read the article, published in The Scientist, here. (The actual paper was published online, www.sciencemag.com, as a Science report.)

Surveying the Poker Podcast Landscape (2 of 2)

Okay, here are the other six poker podcasts to which I subscribe. By the way, I should mention that Beyond the Table (discussed last post) is taking this week off but will be back next week with new shows. (Stay tuned here for details.) Meanwhile, if anyone knows of any other poker podcasts I should be checking out, give me a shout.

Poker Diagram


Poker Diagram
(website; RSS feed; RSS feed [enhanced version]; in production; last show late February)

After producing shows frequently for over a year, Henry and Zog have definitely slowed the pace here over the last few months. Their show consists of one of the pair (usually Zog) playing an online tournament (usually a $10 or $20 one-table sit-n-go), with both commenting on the action and decision-making along the way. Might sound less than thrilling in the abstract, but the two Londoners are able to keep the listener interested both with their analyses and quick-witted banter. Card Clubs also hosts a forum for Poker Diagram, though not much is happening over there. In some ways, the show’s format doesn’t really suit forum discussions all that well, as one cannot really discuss hands or particular situations without listening to the entire show first. On the most recent episode, the pair expressed their hope to begin producing shows on a “fortnightly” basis, although that goal doesn’t appear to have been realized. (A between-the-hands discussion about random card generators led me last summer to write a post called “Doing the What If Shuffle” as well as a sequel.)


Poker Podcast World


Poker Podcast World
(website; RSS feed; in production; last show 2/17/07)

Found this Australian poker podcast a couple of months ago and have really enjoyed listening to the occasional shows posted by host Synergy. Most of the recent shows have presented short interviews (some conducted by CardPlayer humor writer Max Shapiro) with figures such as Mark Vos, Billy “the Croc” Argyros, Marsha Waggoner, Jay “Moose” Moriarity, “Cowboy” Kenna James, and Robert “Chip Burner” Turner. There is also a very active forum associated with the podcast, Poker Analysis. Been a while since the last installment, so here’s hoping some new shows are coming soon. (For a longer review, see my post about Poker Podcast World from a couple of months ago.)


PokerWire Radio


PokerWire Radio
(website; RSS feed; in production; last show 3/28/07)

PokerWire Radio is, of course, the rebirth of the old Circuit podcast that featured Scott Huff, Gavin Smith, and Joe Sebok. The trio debuted the new show last February at the L.A. Poker Classic, and it was as though they’d never been away for those three-plus months. Huff appeared on the L.A. shows, but has announced his intention not to travel with Sebok and Smith to other circuit events. His place is being filled by Joe Stapleton, a man Huff introduced to us during that first week of shows as “the original king of hairy Italian comedy.” Stapleton is a funny guy and an able host, and should fit in well with Sebok and Smith (both of whom are smart and entertaining co-hosts). 2006 WSOP wunderkind Jeff “Mad Dog” Madsen is also on board as the show’s official news reader. (Here’s a post from last fall praising the old Circuit show, and here’s a more recent post announcing “The Caveman, the Cub, and Donkey Are Back.”)


Rounders, the Poker Show


Rounders
(website; RSS feed; in production; live show every Sunday night with podcast usually made available on Tuesdays; last show 3/25/07)

This weekly program from Vancouver is one of the most consistent poker podcasts around, having produced shows without interruption for nearly two years. The show is recorded live on an AM sports radio station in Vancouver, then made available for download. Shows are always around 45-50 minutes long (with a few commercials), and hosts Mike Johnson and Adam Schwartz routinely bring in big name players and other prominent figures from the poker world for interviews. While the pair’s discussions of weekly poker news and the occasional strategy session are engaging, they are best with interviews, asking smart questions of their guests and -- importantly -- letting their guests speak their minds freely. Their interview of Jamie Gold just a couple of days removed from his WSOP Main Event victory was particularly well-handled, in my opinion. Some on forums suggested Johnson and Schwartz were too soft on Gold, but I disagree, and, as it turned out, they provided a ready environment for Gold to introduce that controversial persona he’s been cultivating ever since (intentionally or otherwise). (That interview ended up being entered as evidence in the Gold-Leyser lawsuit some months later.)


CardPlayer's The Circuit


The Circuit
(landing page; RSS feed; status unknown; last show 2/28/07)

CardPlayer’s podcast has fallen on hard times here since the departure of Huff, Sebok, and Smith. The revived version of the show hosted by Konan Luce, Rich Belsky, and David Singer was an ill-fated experiment that now appears to have been abandoned by the media giant after just 22 episodes. Problems with chemistry between the hosts and other factors have been discussed at length on forums (not always in constructive ways). Seemed to me that while the hosts certainly could’ve been more engaging, the main problem with the new show was a lack of focus on the tournaments they were purportedly covering for CardPlayer. Too often the show seemed to be about the show itself, with way too much self-conscious hand-wringing about its quality, how it compared to the earlier version, etc. No word at present whether CardPlayer intends to come back with yet another version of the show. It appears their focus might have shifted to the new CardPlayer TV now appearing on the site. (Previous posts discussing the new Circuit include “The Circuit 2.0” and “Common Knowledge & Common Sense.”)


ESPN's The Poker Edge w/Phil Gordon


The Poker Edge
(landing page; RSS feed; in production; last show 3/28/07)

Phil Gordon’s podcast for the “ESPN Poker Club” has been disappointing, generally speaking, ever since it first appeared about a year ago. Over the past couple of years, Gordon’s podcast reports from the floor of the WSOP have been uniformly excellent -- a fine example, actually, of what one could do with the podcast format. The ESPN show, however, has been much less compelling. Each episode begins with a brief rundown of poker news by co-host Andrew Feldman -- not always timely, and never really explored with any serious depth. Then Gordon interviews (usually) a fellow professional player, often with a focus on some particular strategy question about which the guest is called upon to provide “expert insight” (the name of Gordon’s DVD-producing company constantly promoted by the show). These brief (usually 15- or 20-minute) discussions are sometimes interesting and, in fact, insightful, though usually remain on a general level. As he’s proven in other contexts, Gordon is a terrific commentator and I think most listeners probably like his personality. One gets the impression, though, that his many other projects haven’t allowed him adequate time to make this podcast as rewarding as it could be.

* * * * *

I should also mention a thirteenth podcast I sometimes catch, “The Cold Call Show” over on Never Win Poker. Not so much a poker show as an irregularly-produced, unrestrained marathon of mayhem for Micon and his considerable legion of degenerates. The guys are funny, though, and some decent poker talk occasionally does surface amid the craziness. Only just discovered their RSS feed, and so maybe they'll make it into the regular rotation here.

Maybe its not me?

"Don't be so Freudian. of course its you!" - Gestalt

I have been frustrated lately in my lack of cashes, especially in my blogger events. But I did notice one thing last night. The level of play in the blogger events is notable higher than typical events.

For example, I am playing in a local online series. There are about 21 regulars, and I am first in points after 7 events, cashing 3 times (only pays 3 places). The level of play is averge and decisions are not mind boggling.

I did push with an OESD and flush draw with one card to come, got called by two pair, and hit the straight, but other than that one hand, my money went in ahead every time. I took a devistating hit when I flopped a straight and a set rivered a boat on me with one card to come, but I battled back from last to end up second.

Now, here is my question/observation of the week:

How do you play a league tournament different from a MTT?

Here is my answer:
You locate the top 10 point players. Then you give yourself a "last longer" challenge with them. So, when/where you would normally "take a chance which could help you win the tournament, but if you lose it you are crippled" move, instead you check your standings in relation to the other 10 point leaders. If you are well in the running against them, you pass on the chance for now. If you are behind them sigificantly in this current MTT, then you take the chance.

thoughts?

Alot of this will get put to the test with the annoucement of...

http://bloggerpokerchallenge.blogspot.com

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How Does Poliovirus Replicate?

Below is my overview of the replication cycle of poliovirus. I've included references in case you want further information. Poliovirus is a common virus studied in scientific labs, and its replication process will fascinate you.

The poliovirus positive sense RNA genome is flanked by a pseudoknot and a region of polyadenylation at its 3’ end and by a VPg, a cloverleaf structure, and an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) and at its 5’ end (Flint et al, 2000). The 5’ cloverleaf and the IRES are both conserved regions of secondary structure. The 5’ cloverleaf binds cellular and viral factors to regulate genome replication and maintain RNA stability (Lyons et al, 2001), whereas the IRES is responsible for associating with factors which recruit the 40S ribosomal subunit during translation initiation. The polioviral genome is organized into three primary regions, denoted P1, P2, and P3. P1 codes for the coat precursor, while P2 and P3 code for nonstructural proteins involved in proteolytic processing and synthesis. A conserved stemloop structure called the cis-regulatory element (CRE) has recently been mapped to the genome’s center and is thought to facilitate communication between the 5’ and 3’ ends (Murray and Barton, 2003). Poliovirus conducts its entire replication cycle within the cytoplasm of a permissive eukaryotic host cell (Fields et al, 1996).
Immediately after entry, the poliovirus genome is translated by host cell factors into a single polyprotein. Translation initiation occurs at the IRES, where viral factors and cellular trans acting factors (ITAFs) associate and recruit ribosomes (Boussidia et al, 2003). The polyprotein is cleaved numerous times to ultimately generate eleven gene products. The first cleavage, which releases P1 from P2 and P3, is autocatalytic and occurs while the nascent protein is being translated (Flint et al, 2000). During later stages of infection, this cleavage is also catalyzed by 3CD, a product of P3, and by 2Apro, a product of P2 (Fields et al, 1996). P1 is sub-cleaved into the capsid proteins VP1, VP3, and the capsid precursor VP0. P2 is self-cleaved to release the protease 2Apro. The P2 region also contains 2BC, a precursor protein which inhibits cellular transport. 2BC gives rise to 2B and 2C. 2B is thought to be a host range determinant and a cellular transport inhibitor, and 2C functions as a 3Dpol transporter and an RNA anchor during negative strand synthesis (Cuconati et al, 1998). The P3 region can either be self-cleaved, or can be processed by its own cleavage product, 3Cpro. As with P1, self-cleavages occur during initial infection stages, when protease concentrations are limiting. P3 products include the precursor proteins 3AB and 3CD. 3AB assists 2C during 3Dpol transport, and gives rise to 3A, which inhibits cellular transport, and 3B, which is also known as VPg (Fields et al, 1996). 3CD mainly functions as a protease, but is also sub-cleaved to generate 3Dpol and 3Cpro. 3Dpol –the viral RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (RdRp)—is a primer- and template-dependent replicase which creates an opposite polarity RNA molecule from a positive- or negative-strand viral template. Poliovirus cannot replicate its genome until it translates 3Dpol because the host cell’s machinery is not equipped to replicate RNA (Flint et al, 2000). Poliovirus avoids the problem of translating a polycistronic genome with eukaryotic cellular machinery by synthesizing a single multifunctional polyprotein and generating active gene products by cleavage. Despite this benefit, poliovirus cannot regulate gene expression using this mechanism. Consequently, nonstructural gene products such as proteases and 3Dpol must be generated at higher levels than are necessary in order to maintain adequate levels of capsid proteins (Flint et al, 2000).
Within in thirty minutes of poliovirus infection, 2Apro cleaves the host eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G) (Koch and Koch, 1985). eIF4G is a subunit of the cap binding complex which functions in ribosomal recognition of the 5’ 7-methyl guanosine cap and subsequent translation of host cell mRNA. When eIF4G is cleaved, formation of the cap binding complex is inhibited, and translation of host mRNAs is precipitously reduced. This increases the concentration of free ribosomes for viral mRNA translation and ultimately stimulates membrane permeabilization and cell breakdown, allowing for cell lysis and virion exit. Cleavage of eIF4G also releases its C-terminal region which is required for recruitment of ribosomal 40S subunits to the viral IRES. Thus, 2Apro simultaneously inhibits cellular protein synthesis and stimulates viral protein synthesis through a single processing event (Fields et al, 1996).
Within three hours post-entry, poliovirus stimulates vesicle proliferation by inhibiting transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cell surface (Koch and Koch, 1985). Vesicles radiate outward from the nuclear envelope, essentially packing the host cell. Poliovirus requires these vesicular membranes to anchor cellular factors during viral RNA synthesis and packaging. Additionally, tight membrane associations may compartmentalize high local concentrations of necessary molecules and increase reaction rates and efficiencies (Teterina et al, 2001). The resulting cytopathic effect is a significant rearrangement of internal cellular membranes and a disruption of nuclear RNA export. Additionally, the infected cell cannot transport cell surface antigens and is therefore less likely to be detected by the immune system. These events greatly compromise the cell, but do not adversely affect the virus which has no use for glycosylation or transport because it is nonenveloped (Flint et al, 2000).
During early stages of infection, poliovirus seems to reroute cellular transport. The protein Sam68 (Src-association in mitosis, 68kD) migrates from its normal nuclear environment and associates with 3Dpol in the cytoplasm. Similarly, the nucleolar protein, nucleolin, moves to the cytoplasm and interacts with the viral genome to increase efficiency of genome synthesis during early stages of infection (Waggoner and Sarnow, 1998). These nuclear proteins may shuttle between the cytoplasm and nucleus and be trapped in the cytoplasm after viral inhibition of vesicular transport occurs. Alternatively, the proteins may be used as chaperones, recruited by the virus while viral protein concentrations are limiting (Waggoner and Sarnow, 1998).
Once viral protein concentrations are sufficient and vesicle formation has occurred, poliovirus replicates its positive strand RNA genome into its negative strand complement. The proposed mechanism for negative strand synthesis includes the transport of 3Dpol to the vesicular replication site, which is mediated by 2C and 3AB (Flintet al, 2000). 3CD and poly(rC) binding protein (PCBP), a cellular ITAF, associate with the 5’ cloverleaf of the template RNA. This mechanism may commit the template to synthesis, or prevent the formation of a translation initiation complex (Teterina et al, 2001; Lyons et al, 2001). Additionally, crosstalk between the 3’ and 5’ ends of the template is required to initiate replication (Teterina et al, 2001). In this model, the genome circularizes when 3CD proteins at the 3’ and 5’ ends dimerize (Murray and Barton, 2003). Crosstalk may be a mechanism for coordination of negative strand synthesis and translation (Lyons et al, 2001). Following formation of these initiation complexes, 3AB becomes anchored within the host membrane and 3CD mediates its polyuridylation by transferring free uracil monophosphates (UMPs). 3AB is then cleaved by 3CD to release VPgpUpUOH. VPgpUpUOH then binds to the polyadenylated 3’ pseudoknot region of the positive strand genome and serves as a primer for extension by 3Dpol (Arnold and Cameron, 2000). The negative strand is subsequently used as a template to generate numerous positive strands. As many as eight “daughters” can be transcribed simultaneously through this replicative intermediate which can support multiple, continuous cycles of initiation (Arnold and Cameron, 2000).
Recent literature has contradicted this traditional model for negative strand synthesis by reporting that VPg uridylation is only required in positive strand synthesis, and that the tyrosine-OH residue of VPg is sufficient to prime negative strand synthesis (Murray and Barton, 2003). Moreover, in the proposed model of positive strand synthesis, a primer is created by 3Dpol-mediated VPg uridylation, using the CRE as a template (Murray and Barton, 2003). Apart from these key differences, positive strands are thought to be synthesized through the same pathway as negative strands (Fields et al, 1996).
When genome replication is complete, the ratio of positive- to negative- strand RNA is greater than 30:1 (Barton et al, 1995). A proliferation of positive strands is useful because the positive genome has many roles in polioviral replication. It can serve as a template for translation or negative strand synthesis, and it is also encapsidated as the genome. The fate of each positive strand must therefore be regulated to prevent problems such as collisions between ribosomes and 3Dpol, and also to prevent encapsidation of negative strands (Fields et al, 1996). This regulation has been confirmed by mutational analysis, and is thought to be temporal and concentration-dependent. As the concentration of capsid proteins increases, most positive-strand RNAs are encapsidated rather than undergoing translation or negative strand synthesis. Capsid protein concentration is similarly regulated by 3CD concentration because 3CD is capable of cleaving P1, the capsid protein precursor, from the polyprotein (Flint et al, 2000). It has also been proposed that only RNA molecules actively undergoing replication are stably anchored to vesicles, and only newly-replicated positive strand molecules are encapsidated (Teterina et al, 2001; Nugent et al, 1999). Alternatively, RNA molecules destined for translation are released into the cytoplasm. Taken together, these results support a model in which replication and encapsidation are coupled at vesicular membranes and are sequestered from translation initiation (Johansen and Morrow, 2000). Additional levels of positive sense RNA regulation have also been proposed. The 5’ cloverleaf and the IRES have been implicated as a regulatory “switches” between replication/encapsidation and translation. High concentrations of 3CD bind to the cloverleaf and repress translation in favor of encapsidation or replication (Johansen and Morrow, 2000). Alternatively, ITAFs may serve as chaperone proteins, folding the IRES into a secondary structure which promotes translation and signals release of the RNA (Boussidia et al, 2003).
Assembly and encapsidation occur within four to six hours post-entry after virion proteins have reached sufficient concentrations and the viral genome has been replicated (Koch and Koch, 1985). As the concentrations of P1 and therefore of VP1, VP3, and VP0 increase, pentamer assembly becomes favorable. Sets of twelve pentamers associate to form procapsids into which positive-strand VPg-bound RNA is encapsidated to form the provirion (Flint et al, 2000). Each association step in the pathway is stabilized by extensive protein interactions within the developing capsid, and is thought to be mediated by host cell chaperones, such as heat shock proteins. It is unknown whether pentamers condense around genomes or whether genomes are threaded into preexisting procapsids. The final “maturation cleavage” of VP0 to VP2 and VP4 follows encapsidation and creates a state of metastability which is required to prime the mature, infectious virion for entry into a new host cell (Flint et al, 2000). The pathway from initial infection to the completion of assembly lasts between 6 and 10 hours (Koch and Koch, 1985). By this point, infected cells have begun to break down as a result of abrogated protein synthesis, and virions usually exit through cell lysis, although in some cell types, poliovirus is shed nondestructively. Lysis can release as many as 100,000 new virions into the extracellular environment. This high yield is necessary; because only one percent of progeny virions go on to establish productive infections in other host cells.

Do Not Overuse Slow Playing In Texas Hold'em

What is slow-playing in Texas Holdem? Slow-playing is always defined as when you have a very big hand and you choose to check or call rather than bet or raise in order to induce future bets or call from your opponents. For example, if the flop brings you a full house, the first thing that you think about is to check. You want to hide the value of your hand and hope your opponent will catch something on the turn or river. However, slow-playing is the most overused trick in many poker players. Personally, I suggest only use slow-playing in limit Holdem when all of the following conditions are achieved:

1. Only use slow-playing in limit Holdem, and you must only use it on the flop. You only want to give up a small bet in favor of a large bet.

2. Your hand must be very strong. I suggest at least you flop a full house or higher. You do not want your opponent to catch a card that can complete a draw and be able to beat you.

3. The pot must be very small. If the pot is large, you should protect your hand because if many raises and re-raises in the pre-flop, your opponent are more likely to get a better hand than yours. Also, if the pot is large enough to cover their pot odds, you should bet because most of the people are not willing to fold their hands at this point anyway.

4. The free card you are giving must have a good chance of giving the second best hand to your opponent. For example, if you flop a full house and you know your opponent is in a straight draw or flush draw, you may want to consider slow-playing your hand and hope they will complete their second best hand (which they thought they are holing the best hand) on a later street.

5. Only use against a loose-aggressive player. Many tight and experienced players will suspect your hand if you are slow-playing.

6. Do not use slow-playing if your table image is aggressive. If you have been playing aggressive poker, you will not be giving anything away by betting out with a monster hand.

Please note that slow-playing is not the same as check-raising. Check-raising means that you are playing your hand softly with the intent of raising later on the current round, which you do not give your opponent a free card.

Personally, I do not recommend any new player to use slow-playing because slow-playing is not correct very often.

28.3.07

The Biggest Reward Your Fans Hope to Receive

This weekend, we're flying to Hollywood. We are booked to execute at the Into the Occident Oscar Party, sponsored by New Line Cinema's Official Godhead of the Rings Fan Club. We are so psyched.

Unfortunately, I haven't done nearly as much promotion for the event as I would've liked. After five old age of promoting twenty-four hours and night, I'm kinda burned out. Fortunately, our fans aren't.

So when I got an electronic mail last hebdomad from Hagar "the Horrible" (he get dresseds as a Viking at Renaissance Festivals and kinda looks like the amusing strip character) saying he wanted my permission to electronic mail the television stations about our Oscar Party gig, I was like, "Hell, yeah! Why didn't I believe of that?"

I didn't believe anymore of it until a photographic camera crew showed up that evening. Jim Gustavus Franklin Swift from KXAN News 36's "Out On The Porch" section saw on our website that we were playing that very eventide and decided to interview us.

The interview went antic and ran this past Sunday. It also got me thinking. Why on this Earth makes Hagar continually travel out of his manner to assist us? What's in it for him?

There are many reasons. I trust to travel into many of them in future articles. But allow me state ye, it's not for any fiscal reward. We don't pay him a thing. Actually, he won't even accept money or free CDs. He makes it mainly for two reasons.

One, we've educated our fans to advance us. Two, and more than importantly, it lets him to "pay us back" for the joyousness we've given him.

Hagar isn't so atrocious actually. In fact, he's a batch like you and me. All we desire is acknowledgment for what we do. The greatest wages your fans really trust to have come ups from two emphatic and sincere words: "Thank you!".

Sellers, consider a home inspection...

Been a lot of talk about disintermediation...

Been a lot of talk about disintermediation...

Hoodia for Weight Loss



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EPT Championships Day 1A By Pauly I'm currently ...

EPT Championships Day 1A

By Pauly

I'm currently sitting in media row at the Bay Casino in Monte Carlo. The media room is where the actual tournament was held last year. Now it's set up to house over 200 international media reps. The EPT has come a long way since September of 2006 when I was one of a dozen media people (with the Antes Up and Gutshot guys) huddled around one table underneath the staircase at the Casino Barcelona.

This year's prize pool is close to 6 million Euros. The TD's had to set up an extra day to accomodate the record number of players. The defending champion is Jeff Williams, a 19 year old kid from Atlanta, GA. He won 900K Euros last year. This years winner might take home close to 2M Euros.

Last night there was a cocktail party sponsored by PokerStars at Jimmy'Z, the hottest night club in Monte Carlo. I was invited and took advantage of the open bar. I bumped into PokerStars staff like Otis, Mad, Ali, Conrad, and Tamar. I also saw players such as Isabelle Mercier, Chad Brown, Katja Thater, Joe Hachem, Humberto Brenes, Vanessa Rousso, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Barry Greenstein, Shaniac, Luca Pagano, Bill Chen, Carl Olson, Gobboboy, Brandon Schaefer, Noah Boeken, and Lee "Final Table" Nelson.

There are rumors that both Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey will be playing today.

I will be heading up the live blogging team over at PokerNews. Stop by and check out our live coverage starting up at 2pm local time or less than an hour away.

Otis will be blogging over at the PokerStars Blog, so take a peek. And Jan from 50 Outs is blogging over at PokerStars German blog.

Take a peek at our first video of the day featuring the lovely Tiffany Michelle:



Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

27.3.07

Streaks Happen: Winning and Losing Streaks Explained

Winning and losing runs are a familiar facet of gambling. But they are often misunderstood.
Streaks can take gamblers astray. I sometimes inquire how much money have been lost because a player makes not understand streaks.
For example, players who experience they are on a winning run may wager accordingly. They believe that since they are on a winning streak, it will continue. So they wager as if they must maintain on winning.
On the other hand, players who have got been on a long losing run may presume that they are delinquent for a win. They may presume that since the roulette wheel have come up up up black five times in a row, adjacent time it will certainly come up red. So they wager all their money on red. If the wheel come ups up black again, they may believe the wheel is rigged, or they are just cursed with bad luck.
You may already understand the job with this approach. See a simple coin toss. If I throw a coin five times and it come ups up heads each time, is the coin suddenly delinquent for tails? Americium Iodine on a "heads winning streak" which I can anticipate to continue? Of course the reply to both inquiries is no.
Each flip of the coin is independent. No substance how many times the coin come ups up heads, the chance of caputs on the adjacent flip stays 1/2. The coin makes not in any sense retrieve how many times it have come up up a peculiar way.
So why make runs occur? Are there any form to streaks? If there is, can we take advantage of this pattern?
As you will see, runs are not really mysterious. In fact, we can actually foretell their being using simple mathematics. We can also analyze their behaviour using computing machine simulations.
Let's go on using the illustration of coin tossing. We cognize that the chance of caputs in a single coin flip is 1/2. So is the chance of tails.
We also cognize that if we flip a coin 10 times, there is no warrant that we will acquire exactly five caputs and five tails. But in the long term, we anticipate the result to acquire near to 50% caputs and 50% tails.
If we flip the coin many times and record the results, we will see illustrations of runs of assorted length. Sometimes we will see three caputs in a row, sometimes five dress suit in a row. On the surface, there may be no evident pattern. But on near study, a form makes emerge. I'll supply an illustration later in this article.
First, to assist understand this pattern, let's see the lawsuit where we throw the coin 1024 times. This may look like a unusual number, but it's convenient because it's a powerfulness of 2, and this do the illustration easy to work out.
In theory, we anticipate one-half the flips to result in caputs and half in tails. 1024/2 = 512 so we anticipate 512 caputs and 512 tails.
If we presume exactly 512 caputs and 512 tails, then we can have got at most 256 runs of length 1. To conceive of this, believe of a simpler lawsuit where the figure of throws is only 16. See the sequence with the following pattern:

HHTTHHTTHHTTHHTT

This sequence have 16 throws, 8 caputs and 8 tails. There are exactly 4 HH runs and 44 terrestrial time streaks. There can't possibly be more than than 4 of each sort of run and still have got exactly 8 caputs and 8 tails.
This is just one possible outcome. In general we anticipate longer runs to happen sometimes. However, we anticipate them to happen less often than shorter streaks.
For example, we would anticipate a HHH run to happen only half as many times as a HH streak. To see this, compare the form HHHX with HHXX, where Ten is either Hydrogen or T. For HHHX, Ten must be Deoxythymidine Monophosphate to keep the streak. If Ten is H, then the run alterations from HHH to HHHH. In other words there is only one manner the HHH run can go on in the sequence HHHX. But HHXX can happen two ways, as HHTH or HHTT.
So we would expect, allowing for longer streaks, that we should acquire HH runs 128 times, HHH runs 64 times, and so on.
Now we can build a theoretical table for how often runs of each length should occur.

Length Times
------ -----
1 128
2 64
3 32
4 16
5 8
6 4
7 2
8 or more than 1


How makes this theoretical result lucifer with a existent experiment? Since it's tiresome to throw a coin 1024 times, I wrote a short computing machine programme to imitate this experiment. Instead of tossing a coin, I utilize a software system random figure generator.
The programme imitates 1024 flips and maintains path of how often each length run occurs. Here's the result of one run for runs of H.


Length Times
------ -----
1 126
2 66
3 32
4 19
5 7
6 3
7 0
8 2
9 0
10 1


The form suits well with our theory, although not exactly. Of course this is typical of experimentations in probability. We could increase the figure of throws in order to accomplish results which come up closer to the theoretical result.
My programme have done nil but imitate throwing a coin 1024 times, with equal chances each time of caputs or tails. Yet, runs occur. Moreover, they happen in a pattern, as our simple theory predicts.
I trust that this article provided some penetrations into streaks. I'll reason with this thought. When it come ups to independent events such as as tossing a coin or throwing the dice, you can cognize that you have got been on a streak, but you can't cognize if the run will continue.

One year ago today...

Surveying the Poker Podcast Landscape (1 of 2)

Surveying the Poker Podcast LandscapeIf you look over on the right-hand column you’ll see links to a number of poker podcasts. A bit misleading, really. Of the twelve poker podcasts to which I currently subscribe, only a few are producing shows on a regular basis, and a number are in what appears to be a kind of hiatus at the moment. Here is a list of the shows I’m currently downloading: Ante Up!, Beyond the Table, Bluff Radio, The Joe Average Poker Show, Keep Flopping Aces, Pocket Fives, Pokerdiagram, Poker Podcast World, Pokerwire Radio, Rounders, The Circuit, and The Poker Edge.

I thought I’d provide a quick run-through of the podcasts I try to catch, including what I know about the current status of each show. In cases where I’ve written before about a particular show I’ve also added links to those earlier posts. I’m going to take these in alphabetical order and discuss the first six here in this post & the other six in the next.

Ante Up!


Ante Up!
(website; RSS feed; blog; in production; shows posted Fridays)

Hosts Chris Cosenza and Scott Long recently moved their long-running podcast from Wednesdays to Fridays. The pair have continued to produce a fun, informative show without interruption for nearly 100 weeks now. They maintain a popular blog in association with the show, posting several times a week; additionally, the Card Clubs Network hosts a busy (and friendly) forum to which both listeners and the hosts contribute. While the pair sometimes interview big-name guests (e.g., Greg Raymer appeared last week), most shows are directed toward topics of particular interest to the amateur player. One of the show’s greatest strengths, in my opinion, is its inclusiveness -- Cosenza and Long have done a terrific job building a comfortable community where listeners can interact and exchange ideas about the game. (Last fall I wrote a post about one of the more interesting episodes titled “Who Am Us Anyway?”)


Beyond the Table


Beyond the Table
(Hold ’em radio landing page; RSS feed; in production, with new schedule to be announced shortly; most recent show 3/21/07)

While I’ve tried some of the other shows on Hold ’em Radio, only two have been able to keep me coming back for more -- Beyond the Table and Keep Flopping Aces. BTT is co-hosted by Dan Michalski and Karridy Askenasy (two amateur players located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area) and professional player Tom Schneider (who lives in Arizona). Michalski maintains the popular Pokerati poker news blog, and often brings topics of the day for the trio to discuss. Schneider is a high stakes cash game and tournament player who relates stories from the circuit as well as “winning wisdom” from his book Oops, I Won Too Much Money, Winning Wisdom from the Boardroom to the Poker Table. And Askenasy ably keeps the BTT vehicle between the lines (when not spilling coffee all over his trousers). All three are smart about poker and at times can be friggin’ hilarious -- indeed, we’re probably talking more grins per minute here than every other show on the list. During last week’s show, the hosts announced their plans to move BTT off of the regular live schedule at Hold ’em Radio. Hopefully we won’t have to wait very long before new shows begin to appear. (Wrote a post a couple of months back titled "Who Wants to Write About Poker?" which includes more about BTT.)


Bluff Poker Radio


Bluff Radio
(landing page; RSS feed; status unknown; most recent show 2/12/07)

The WSOP’s new “digital media partner” produced a regular live show twice weekly for just over two years. The two-hour long shows had aired every Monday and Wednesday evening on Sirius, though not every show was made available for download as a podcast. On the most recent show some six weeks ago, host Nick Geber announced the program would no longer be appearing on Sirius, but no information was provided about when or where the show might resurface. Geber is an amiable host whose British accent always makes me think of Tony Hendra (the National Lampoon pioneer perhaps best remembered as Spinal Tap’s cricket bat-wielding manager). The show was generally plagued by too many commercials and some thin moments during the call-in segments, but overall was usually a decent time-filler. I’d expect Bluff will be providing some audio this summer -- hopefully without charge (say us short-stacks) -- at the WSOP.


The Joe Average Poker Show


The Joe Average Poker Show
(website; RSS feed; on hiatus; last show 3/20/07)

Like Bluff Radio, the Joe Average Poker Show has been broadcasting live on a regular basis for around two years now. The show had been airing live on Sirius (most recently on Tuesday nights). The host, Fred Moury, isn’t really a poker player and relies heavily on his professional poker playing co-hosts -- Robin Farley and Charlie Knox -- to guide him through discussions about the game and interviews with various figures from the poker world. Gotta admit this one has always been kind of a hit-or-miss affair for me. The production is slick (probably the most polished of any poker podcast going) and now and then they’ll produce a decent, informative interview. They do feature an inordinate number of commercials (12 minutes per 48-minute show), and the level of discussion ain’t always even “average” as far as poker strategy goes. Not too bad, though, if nothing else is on. As happened with Bluff Radio, Sirius has bumped Joe Average from its live schedule, and the site will be posting repeat episodes for the near term until a new schedule is determined.


Keep Flopping Aces


Keep Flopping Aces
(Hold ’em radio landing page; RSS feed; in production; live show every Thursday night with podcast usually made available early the following week)

KFA is hosted by Lou Krieger and Amy Calistri, both of whom are accomplished poker writers. Besides his informative blog, Krieger has authored numerous, well-received poker strategy texts. Calistri writes for Poker News and other outlets, and maintains her own blogs, including Calistri’s Corner over at PokerWorks and Aimlessly Chasing Amy. One can always count on KFA to provide thoughtful commentary on topics of relevance to the poker world. The pair do a great job interviewing high-profile guests as well. It would be nice if Hold ’em Radio could make the podcast versions of its programs available on a more timely basis; such is particularly the case with KFA since the show often treats “hot-off-the-press” topics and issues that don’t always play quite as well a week later. Even so, it is always worth checking out what Krieger and Calistri have to say about whatever is happening pokerwise.


Pocket Fives


Pocket Fives
(website; RSS feed; in production; shows posted Thursdays)

The Pocket Fives podcast has been producing brief (25-30 minute shows) on a weekly basis for nearly a year now. The show is ably hosted by David Huber and Adam Small. The show is, of course, associated with the very popular Pocket Fives website, the forum for which is most certainly the second-most popular poker forum on the web (behind Two Plus Two). The focus here is online poker, and the show usually features interviews with two top online tournament players (as determined by the P5s rankings). Sometimes the discussions of online tourneys can be a little tedious for those us who aren’t that involved in the scene, but the hosts always do a great job with their questions and allowing the guests to share their knowledge. I’ve been a little surprised that the podcast hasn’t seemed to focus much at all on the UIGEA or Neteller (and other vendors) pulling out the U.S. here over the past few months. After all, each show is introduced as bringing us “the latest news and events from online poker.” (I wrote a post that talked about my first finding this podcast called “Funny Business” last August.)

Will discuss the other six in the next post.

Best Places To Play Bingo In Oklahoma

Bingo is a fun, family-oriented game which continues to grow in popularity throughout the world. It is a game of chance, and randomly-drawn numbers are matched to the same numbers appearing on a bingo card. The winner is the first player to have the drawn numbers form a specified pattern on their card (lines can be made horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). When this happens, the player yells out, "Bingo!" to inform others of their win.

In many countries, Bingo is used as a form of legalized gambling. In the United States, numerous bingo halls are available to play at, and states like Oklahoma often locate these facilities next to more traditional casinos.

If you happen to find yourself in Oklahoma, you should certainly visit one of their many bingo halls and play a few games. The action is fast-paced, and all sorts of great prizes are up for grabs (including money and cars at some of the larger facilities). In fact, I've complied a short list of some of the better places to play in the state.

Okemah, Oklahoma - Located in Central Oklahoma, Okemah is the county seat of Okfuskee County. It is the birthplace of folk music legend Woody Guthrie (if you visit in July, be sure to check out the festival dedicated to his memory). In the Indian language, the word Okemah means "things up high." And if you're not in a hurry, you might also want to check out Lake Okemah, which is one of the most well-managed lakes in the state (and since Oklahoma is "America's Frontier Lake State," that's really saying something).

There are three major centers for bingo in the city. The first is Okemah Bingo and Casino, located at 1100 South Woody Guthrie Street. Second, there's The Okemah Gaming Center, which offers a variety of slot machines as well as bingo. It can be found just off of Interstate 40. Speaking of Interstate 40, that's where the third facility can also be found. It's called the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town Casino, and it's just off of Exit 227.

Concho, Oklahoma - A rural unincorporated community, Concho is in Canadian County and can be found just north of the Concho Indian School. While there's not much to see in the small community of Concho, there's some excellent bingo and gambling to be found at the Lucky Star Casino, located on 7777 North Highway 81.

Turpin, Oklahoma - Another small community which offers excellent bingo opportunities, Turpin is located in Beaver County. While there's not much in the way of shopping or dining, fans of history may be interested in the Turpin Grain Elevator which is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Bingo is available at State Line Bingo, which is located on Highway 83 South. Games are available every Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5:30 pm.

Haileyville, Oklahoma - Located in Pittsburg County, Haileyville has a population of around 900. Be careful when traveling to the bingo hall, however, as the town's main source of income comes from speeding fines.

In actuality, this community doesn't have an actual bingo hall. Instead, games are held at the Haileyville Fire Department, which is located at 110 Main Street. This may sound a bit odd, but it's perfect for those who want to make new friends and sample of slice of small-town life.

While the places I've listed here may sound small and unimportant, that shouldn't stop you from giving them a try. The people of Oklahoma are warm and generous, and the residents of these smaller communities are especially hospitable. Besides, there's often less competition, so that could possibly add up to more wins (and more prizes) for you.

Fixtures & Personal Property

How often does THIS occur?

I am at the final table of the MATH last night. Waffles is a freaking jauggernaught and has 1/2 the chips in play. I was in 3rd, but fell to 4th after having to let go of a hand. We have had numerous rotations with everyone "dancing in and out" very well.

Suddenly, I get AA in the SB AND its folded around to me. Hoyazo is in the BB, fresh off his WSOP qualifier win. He is 2nd or 3rd in chips. Maybe 20% more than me. I dont want to waste this opportunity, so I decide to show weakness and limp, hoping that Hoy will try to punish me. He thinks about it (he delays all his decisions online) and checks.

The flop is like K83 with two clubs. I make a weak lead on purpose, trying to rope him in. He raises, but only to about 40% of my stack. I think for a minute deciding the best way to get his chips and opt for the push. He calls with...
KK

That's right, AA in the SB and KK in the BB and no raises! MOST flops and Hoy goes broke with an overpair, but in this case he is the recipient of a 20% varience and IGHN.

Iberia By Pauly "Where the fuck is Iberian?" my...

Iberia

By Pauly

"Where the fuck is Iberian?" my cabbie asked as he drove me to JFK airport.

"It's not a place per se," I mentioned. "It's the name of the airline."

"I'm fuckin' horrible at geometry. I don't know where anything is. Iberian? Sounds like it's in fuckin' Iraq. Be careful kid, you don't want your fuckin' balls shot off by those towel heads."

I let it slip out that I lived in Las Vegas and was going to Monte Carlo.

"Monte Carlo? Is that were fuckin' Iberian is at?"

I didn't want to get into the semantics of Iberia which is a geography reference to Portugal, Spain, and Gibraltar. My cabbie looked just like Big Pussy from The Sopranos and about every sixth word was a derivative of "fuck." He could have been an extra in any mob flick and within five minutes of picking me up, he told me a craps bad beat story.

"I went to fuckin' Mohegan Sun this weekend," he said as he cut off a truck and flipped the driver the bird. "I was up 3Gs when I hit a cold streak. Next thing I knew I was broke. That was a tough drive home. I spent the rest of the weekend in my fuckin' pajamas chain smoking."

My cabbie was in the middle of the worst losing streak of his life. He had one that was pretty bad a few ears ago and took five months off and avoided Atlantic City, Foxwoods, and Mohegan Sun. He eventually built up his roll and headed back as he recanted his system of grinding it out. He started throwing dice when he was 13 years old growing up in the Bronx. In his late teens and early 20s, he played in various Italian social clubs.

"Back in the day, those games were fuckin' hot," he said. "Any action you wanted you got. I used to come out of there with a few grand every fuckin' week. When I started dating my wife, we had plans to go out to the movies. It was a Friday night. That's what we fuckin' did every week. A dinner and a fuckin' movie. Well I got off of work and headed to the club. I lost my entire paycheck shooting fuckin' dice. When I went over to her house she asked what fuckin' movie we were going to see. She was changing a light bulb at the time as I explained what fuckin' happened. She was pissed and smashed the fuckin' lightbulb over my head. I was so fuckin' pissed but I understood where she was coming from."

The ride to JFK took a little over an hour while he spoke and I listened. He told me that he drove an elderly couple down to AC twice a month. He'd drop them off on Tuesday morning and pick them up on Thursday. He charged them $600 for the round trip. They were in their 80s and only played blackjack. Sometimes he'd shoot dice at the Trop after dropping them off. If he lost, he headed back home and drove the cab. If he won, he'd come down early on Thursday and let it ride.

He asked me if I needed cigarettes.

"My cousin Petey runs cigarettes," he said. "I get a great fuckin' deal. Give me a call if you need fuckin' smokes."

His phone rang and he picked it up as he weaved through traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway.

"Where's my fuckin' money!" he shouted.

After his brief call, he told me that he was also a small time bookie. One guy was stuck so badly last NFL season that he owed the cabbie over $40K.

"You should have faded his picks," I mentioned.

"I thought about it. But with my fuckin' luck, the week I faded him is the week I lose my shirt."

He also mentioned that he played online poker and played the numbers every day. He blurted out, "Patience is the key to all gambling."

I picked up on the Zen musings of a Bronx cabbie. He was right. Patience is the key to so many elements in life, especially poker.

"And poker? Don't get me fuckin' started on poker. It's all about who has the biggest balls and who gets lucky first."

We finally arrived at JFK and I gave him a $21 tip. He asked for my business card and I lied and said I didn't have any left. He wished me a good flight to Iberia and I told him that I hoped he got unstuck from his craps losing streak.

If you want to read about the rest of my flight to Monte Carlo, head over to the Tao of Pauly.

* * * * *

While I waited for Shronk's flight to arrive in Nice, I spotted Snoopy and Jen from Blonde Poker as they walked out of baggage claim. They're two Brits who were in Las Vegas covering the WSOP last summer and we had some fun times with them in the media room. Otis and I teased Snoopy incessantly how he should be our British butler and personal assistant, getting us things like beers, chocolate shakes, and random chip counts.

It was good to see some familiar faces in Nice, France of all places. Of course, I get to hang out with Otis a little later tonight for the media event and tournament. The EPT Grand Finale starts on Wednesday at 2pm local time. I'll be blogging for PokerNews.com, which has a much smaller team than originally planned. Tim Lavalli hurt his back on Sunday and could not make it to Monte Carlo while Schecky was busy with work related stuff and had to stay behind.

Alas, we have an interesting team made up of myself, Shronk, Felipe (our photographer from Portugal), and Tiffany Michelle who will be doing all the video interviews for PokerNews. Stop by and check out the videos, pics, and live coverage of the EPT Championships starting at 2pm local time (or 8am NYC time). It's gonna be a lot of work, but we're going to do our best to have a ton of fun.

Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

Sometimes it is just like this...

Sometimes it is just like this...

What is Texas Hold'em?

One of the most popular poker games is Texas hold'em. It is a poker game with community cards, which are used by a lot of modern games of poker. Community cards are the cards shared by all the players at the table, and they are always dealt face up. The cards that each player holds in his/her hand are called 'hole cards' and they will make up the complete hand, together with the community cards. The most popular poker game with such community cards is Texas hold'em, which originates in the second decade of the twentieth century.

In most of the casinos in the USA Texas hold'em is the most common poker variant. It goes under different forms, and the form with no limits on betting is used in worldwide poker events such as World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker. But the popularity of Texas hold'em is not limited to the United States alone. The game is also commonly played and popular outside the USA.

The maximum number of players in Texas hold'em is theoretically twenty-two. However, it is more common to be played with no more than ten people. Of all the poker variants, Texas hold'em is considered to be the most positional because of the fact that the betting order is set at the beginning of each poker round.

The objective of most poker variants is to win pots, and so is that of Texas hold'em. The pot refers to the sum of money bet by all the players at the table in a hand. The pot can be won in two ways, either by having the best poker hand at showdown (five cards out of the seven available), or by betting until all the other players have folded and given up claiming the pot. The showdown refers to the situation which occurs after the final bets have been placed, and there are two or more remaining players. In this case, each remaining player has to make up the best hand out of the seven cards at his disposal, five community cards which are on the board and two hole cards that he/she holds in his/her hand. The best poker hand can be made up only of the community cards, but in this case, since the other player can make the same hand, the only thing to hope for is a split pot. The player can use one or both hole cards, hoping to outrun the other player(s) and construct the best poker hand. If at the end of the last betting round there is only one player left because all the others have folded, he/she wins the pot and does not have to show the hole cards.

It's not uncommon for the players to have poker hands with a close value. If the best hand that the players have is made up of pairs or three of a kind, for instance, the only way to settle the tie is by using kickers. Kickers are especially important in Texas hold'em because it is very common that the winning hand be made up of one of the two cards the player is holding and another card on the table. This means that the player's second hole card will act as a kicker.

Texas hold'em is a closed game since the showdown is the only moment when the two hole cards that the player receives face down at the beginning of the game may be revealed. Most specialists recommend a tight yet aggressive strategy when playing Texas hold'em.

26.3.07

Las Vegas Recap - Red Rock Casino

March 2007

You don't have a website or something like that do you?


No, why?

I don't want to go on the Internet and find out that you've been talking shit about some Mexican smoking all your cigarettes during the Gators game.

Huh? That's not going to happen bro. No worries.

Cool. Thanks for the smokes . . . . I guess we can die together then.

Soon after that conversation, my sportsbook profits went out the window. After cashing out two HUGE winning tickets on Saturday thanks to UCLA, I just couldn't quit. I had to bet the games on Sunday.

I crave action.

Double shots of Patron too.

I held onto my UCLA winnings for about 15 hours. Then I pissed it away on UNC. The money must have been burning a hole in my pocket.

FUCK the GEORGETOWN HOYAS!

Oh yeah, FUCK Tajuan Porter and the Oregon Ducks. Twice.

FUCK stupid fouls with less than a second left.

I care about the spread damnit!

Thank goodness for the UCLA Bruins . . . . and betting the under.

Roller Coaster ride indeed.

I had a huge swing on Sunday.

As Miami Don said, nothing gets the juices flowing like betting on a basketball game. It's for action junkies.

Especially March Madness.

Throw in Pauly's buddy Senor and things get crazy.

UCLA bailed me out on a day when I went 3-7 picking games. I put my biggest bets down on them the two days they played . . . and won. Betting the spread and taking the under on UCLA was gold for me. My 3-7 record on Saturday felt more like 10-0. Those UCLA bets turned a losing day into my biggest winning day of the trip.

I love gambling.

Won a lot of money on Vanderbilt and Butler too.

Let it ride?

It was UNC that killed me. I put a big bet on them Sunday and lost. Big. I couldn't even watch the last 2 minutes in the trenches with Pauly, Change100, and Miami Don. The huge lead by UNC slowly disappeared. I had to leave. And fast.

I couldn't listen to the Georgetown fans cheering anymore. The hootin' and hollerin' sucks when you're on the short end of it. I had to get a good distance away . . . well, it was no more than 25 feet away . . . I was by the poker room and still had to see the loss to believe it.

Terror turned into a sick feeling.

UNC lost in OT. Ugly.

Money down the drain . . . and also down the toilet. Isn't gambling fun?

I really love March Madness.

I had a great time even though my nuts got kicked in pretty hard. I got to spend some quality time hanging out with my brother, Senor, Change100, Miami Don and JW.

The money truck turned into an empty dump truck within minutes but I'd still do it all over again. Well, maybe I'd change one thing . . . I'd bet on Georgetown instead.

Thank goodness I didn't move all-in on that UNC game.

Crooked Ted?

Think big, win big.

Next time.

* * * * *

Betting stats:

13-15 overall. Mostly NCAA games. Some NBA and NHL.

It sounds ugly but I was up big at 13-14. It's always that last one that gets you.

At least I hit 3 different parlays during the trip. Truly sick.

You always gotta have a little action money out there . . . just to keep things interesting.

Always.

I wagered around $8,000 in bets and walked away down. I should've spent my money more wisely . . . like getting some of the Red Rock sportsbook cocktail waitresses to blow me.

Bet on the Tar Heels or pay for a hummer? I think I blew it.

It is Las Vegas, right?

I chose the wrong rim job.


* * * * *

Sheer randomness:

I stepped into the Red Rock Casino elevator with two surfer dudes and a girl on Saturday. They were coming from the pool. We were going to different floors. One of the surfer guys asks his buddy why the elevator was going to the 8th floor.

"Our room is not on that floor," said surfer dude # 1.

Surfer dude # 2 goes, "Duh, that's the other dudes floor. He pushed the button, not me. Look at the other button that's lit up."

Crispy indeed.

As I got off, the girl says to me . . . . "Your shirt. What does daddy like? He likes slots? He likes em slutty?"

I turned around and told her that Daddy likes them stout!

And slutty.

She laughed and the door closed.

I think I need new clothes.


* * * * *

Say what?

This Mexican guy sitting next to me in the sportsbook kept making me laugh. He was a local. He told me that it was a good thing he wasn't at the club the night of the Pacman Jones fiasco. Pacman was involved in that shooting incident during NBA All Star weekend.

So this guy tells me that he's always strapped (with his 9mm). If he was at the club that same night, he would've fired a few shots himself just for the fuck of it.

Always strapped? Fire a few shots? Huh?

How about another cigarette bro?

He also told me his lawyer was sitting a few rows over betting on the ponies. Him and his friends kept ordering "wet pussies." One of the cocktail waitresses was trying to shake them down for bigger tips.

Gotta love them angleshooters.

I found out later that this guy used to sell drugs at the Redneck Riviera. Nuff said.


* * * * *


Poker anyone?

The first two hands of poker that I played after the UNC testicle kicking were pretty rough. I had my KK cracked by Dr. P. Then I flopped a full house versus flopped quads (I had 7-7 on a board of 6-6-7). Ouch.

Sunday just wasn't my day.

I love gambling.

Red Rock Casino was a great place to gamble, stay and eat. And lose money. I had 3 great dinners at the casino including a BBQ dinner . . . Amy Calistri made the dinner selection for me . . . all you can eat ribs, brisket and sausages baby!

Red Rock also has a sweet sportsbook. I love the cocktail waitresses too. Even the mush . . . she was so damn hot.

Good times.

Over the weekend...

25.3.07

Building a Band Newsletter

I first started publication my set newssheet during the Summer of '98. I tried the snail mail route. It was exhausting. Electronic newssheets (aka ezines) were the manner to go.

I must've tried it all too. I promoted gigs, told of our up-to-the-minute accomplishments, gave away a free mp3 every month. Some of it worked. Some didn't.

Here are some tips I've learned about running my set newsletter:

Give away something for free. It can be as simple as an MP3 download at MP3.com. Or a sticker. A free cadmium once a month. Well worth the cost for their loyalty. And it can be a great promo tool to pull people into sign language up for your newsletter.

Hype your band. State your fans about all the set news. Who's reviewed your up-to-the-minute CD? Post rave testimonies by your fans. Post them on your website too. Be positive and allow them cognize you are the best!

In the two old age I've managed my fan newsletter, I've had tons of fans write, saying, "Wow! I'm glad you're doing so well." We weren't. And I didn't lie. But our many little successes sounded like large 1s to our fans. That is what ballyhoo is all about.

Keep it short. Write as if you were writing for a newspaper. Compose legal brief paragraphs about your greatness. Use newspaper headlines that do your fans desire to read it. Supply frequent golf course to your website where you can post articles or more than "further info".

Publish every 7-10 days. This depends on how much information you get. But as long as the content is short and informative, people won't mind. If you add a small drama, like how you're doing on MP3.com, and how they can help, you'll maintain the fans reading. But if you're not gigging much, and don't have got much news. Don't publish. Give your fans what they deserve, the best.

Don't acquire upset if people unsubscribe. It happens. If you lose half your list, see adjusting your publication schedule. But anticipate that some people can't cover with a newssheet every 7-10 days. Perhaps every two weekes is better. I was doing every two hebdomads until I realized how much more than effectual a 10 twenty-four hours agenda was for our fans. But less than two weeks, and you are no longer on the bow presence of your fans' minds.

Choose a great inspiring name. Something that have meaning and is fairly informative. Certainly you can can acquire by without one, but a good name could pull people just out of curiousity.

Make it visually appealing. Keep lines short--60-65 fictional characters followed by a difficult return. Rich Person a nice amount of space between sections. Add a table of table of contents at the beginning of the newsletter. Text newssheets work best, at present, but if you make up one's mind on an hypertext markup language ezine. Brand certain you prove it out extensively beforehand. Artwork demand to be attached to your message. But maintain it visually interesting on all accounts.

Content is King. You hear it all over the cyberspace selling circles. Brand certain the information you supply is utile and relevant. My greatest job is that my newssheet have endorsers worldwide and until we got hooked up on MP3.com, it was useless revealing our fans about gigs in Austin. So have got information that is interesting for EVERYONE!

Reward your fans. Give price reductions for their loyalty. Rich Person your cadmium on sale to newssheet subscribers.

Which Type Of Casino - Online Or Traditional?

Back in the early 1890s before casinos came online, I used to see my local casino in the metropolis about two or three times a hebdomad to play roulette. Now, I don't travel at all. I now play all my casino games online in the comfortableness of my ain home.

Since the introduction of online casinos in the mid-nineties, the growing and popularity have rocketed and will go on to turn owed to the big cyberspace population explosion. New casinos are appearing online almost on a weekly basis.

Compared to the traditional metropolis casinos, the online casinos have got got many advantages, so allows expression at some of them:

Any Time, Anywhere.
As long as you have entree to a computing machine you can play online casino games 24hrs a day, it doesn't substance where you are or where you live. If you go on to have got a portable lap top computing machine you can play any game you take while on the move, no longer are you restricted to put hours or locations.

No Need To Dress Up.
The traditional casinos usually have a airless frock code. In other words you necessitate to have on the right clothes outlined by the casino, and if your not dressed to their liking then you will not be allowed in. Not so with using the online casinos, you can even play in the bare you want, or maybe you just desire to sit down in you underwear!

The Weather's Not A Problem.
With the online casinos you don't have got got to venture out anywhere, just make yourself comfortable and log on to an online casino, pour yourself a drink, and start playing.

No Travel Required.
Why waste material time and money travelling when all you have to make is electric switch on your pc? By the time you've travelled to and from your metropolis casino, you could have got played numerous games at an online casino in the comfortableness of your ain surroundings.

The Safety Element.
There can be a safety issue when visiting the traditional casino, especially for women and people travelling on their own. The norm casino can be a spot intimidating for single women so the online casinos supply an obvious solution by making it possible to play from place in safety. According to the mass media a very big per centum of online casino players are now female.

No Smoking Problems
Speaking from my ain experiences I've establish smoking to be a existent job especially when the casinos go busy. It's a known fact that most heavy gamblers look to be heavy tobacco users too, and at times the fume can go unbearable. Even with air conditioning and the extractor fans in operation the fume never looks to unclutter properly.

No Crowds
If you're a diffident quiet person, then a busy casino is not for you. On a busy table, there can be a batch of noise as well as people pushing and shoving. At times it can be hard to acquire near the table to place your bets. At home, you can play quietly on your ain without all the fusses that we've already mentioned.

Many More Games Online.
The online casinos also offer many more than games to take from, far too many to advert in this article. Check it out for yourself, you'll be amazed at the pick of games that the online casinos have got to offer.

Methods Of Payment.
The traditional casinos usually only accept cash, but the online casinos offering tons of ways of paying, mostly by recognition card so there's no demand for difficult cash.

Play For Free.
The online casinos will allow you put up a silent person business relationship so that you can drill without using existent money. You can drill as long as you desire until you're confident adequate to start playing for real.

Free Money.
Yes, free money. In order to acquire your concern most casinos will offer you a free cash deposit. The amounts can be anything from $20 to $50, and in certain lawsuits much higher so store around for the best deals.

So there you have got it, these are the chief grounds why I take to utilize online casinos. I believe these grounds are good adequate to maintain me away from the traditional land type casinos but maybe you don't agree. If you're one of those people who would sooner acquire dressed up, trail down to the metropolis at nighttime in all weathers, get pushed and shoved in a crowded smokey room, then I wish you good luck.