I'm on the Fence about where Poker is Going- World Series of Poker posted by Jonathan Flanagan

I was watching ESPN's 2008 World Series of Poker final table preview show on election night and they showed where the final table will be played. It will not be in the Rio card room, or even a different casino. Contrary to tradition, it will be held in the Rio's Pen and Teller theatre. I wouldn't have thought much of it until they showed the theatre itself. This theatre looks like it seats hundreds of spectators, if not more. If you're like me at all then you like to see the player run over to his family and friends to be embraced after catching that ace on the river or seeing his kings hold up. But what now? Are we going to see "Chino" Rheem sprint up a flight of stairs to be congratulated by his cheering section? However, all of this is irrelevant compared to the bigger picture and the question I have for any of you reading this blog. Do you like or dislike the scale on which poker is being displayed? For example: the stadium-like setting, the American Idol like preview show, and the straight to super star status the nine finalists have received, in some cases just for catching cards. Now, if I were one of the last nine I'm sure I'd revel in it. But due to the fact that I am on my comfy couch and not an uncomfortable casino chair I dare to ask the question. I'd love to hear what you have to say. So I pass the keys to you, America, or the few eyes that may be reading this. Do you love or hate what you're seeing at this year's Main Event? Thanks for lookin- "Flanders"Continue reading "I'm on the Fence about where Poker ..."

Making money with a more passive preflop style posted by Braden Pan

About a month ago I was playing some 2/5NL at the Borgatta in Atlantic City and talking to the two poker pros who happened to be sitting immediately to my right. Both of them, like myself, are members of the wonderful twoplustwo.com poker community, and having something in common, we began to discuss poker strategy. While I ended up down a full buy in ($500), this may have been the single most valuable poker session of my career due to the information I garnered and new perspective on poker I eventually gained from our discussion.

One of them, who claimed that he rocked the $5/10 and $10/20 tables on both Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker and was just winding down a 36 hour session by donking it up at $2/5 live (some other online pros I talk to know him and verified that this claim is true), argued that the poker training sites, such as deucescrackes or cardrunners, are actually making poker more profitable for him. This goes against all conventional wisdom, as most pros can be heard complaining about how poker is "drying up" and the edges are becoming much smaller due to the hyper aggression taught by such training sites. The more people who sign up for and learn from these sites, the fewer there are in the ocean and the more sharks there are fighting to feed off of them.

According to this poker pro, he was able to play a 24/14 preflop style profitably. A 24/14 style is generally considered to be stationy, leeky, and played only by losing players. For those who don't use HUD displays when playing online poker, the first number refers to VPIP, or the % of time you voluntarily put money into the pot (thus limping or calling increases your VPIP, posting a blind does not as you are forced to put money in then). The second number refers to Preflop Agression (PF) or the % of time you raise it up preflop. Note that you can never have a great PF than VPIP.

Playing Two Pair With A Flush Draw On The Flop posted by Chris Humpherys

The Daytona Beach Kennel Club and Poker Room recently built a brand new structure just down the road from the old one.  Gone is the old school track and seedy poker room.  The new and improved complex now sits at the intersection of I-95 and I-4 and features more tables, a cleaner card room, a much nicer dog track, more simulcast screens and a considerably nicer bar and dining area.

On a recent trip to Daytona, I had some time to kill so I figured I’d pay the new poker room a visit, check out the surroundings and hopefully take down a big pot or two in the process.  I’ve been having significantly better results at cash games than tournaments lately, so I opted for the $1-$2 no limit table.  Besides, the only sit-n-go they offered at the time was a $120 buy-in, six person tournament with prize money for first place only.  Not exactly the odds I was looking for.

I sat down at Table 3 where eight other players had already gathered with the largest stack to my immediate right.  After watching a couple of hands, no player seemed über-aggressive, although it was still way too early to get a definitive read on anybody.

About six hands in, I became the small blind.  Five players ahead of me called.  Since the person to my left hadn’t made a move since I took my seat, I guessed he likely wouldn’t raise from the big blind.  For an extra dollar, I saw the flop with a J-5 off suit, a hand I obviously wouldn’t play otherwise.

How to use social media websites (MySpace, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon) to promote your blog posts posted by Earn Money Blogging

You may have noticed the small icons at the bottom of your blog posts linking to MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Stumble Upon and other social media websites.  These icons allow you to quickly link your blog post to these sites.  You should be using these links a lot.  Submitting to social media sites is free and easy and can really increase the traffic to your blog.  Consistently using them is the easiest way to build a following and increase your traffic.
Using the Facebook and MySpace links:
Assuming you have an account on MySpace or Facebook (it's free to join so if you don't sign up now) click on the icon below your blog post for the site you want to submit to.  It will take you to a submission page where you simply put in a brief description about your blog post.  Then, a link to your blog post will appear on your Facebook or MySpace profile. It's that easy.  If you have a large following on either of these sites it's an easy way to get people to your sports blog.  So make sure you submit links to your best sports blog posts.
Digg, StumbleUpon, BallHype:
These social media sites are a little different than MySpace and Facebook.  You create an account on these sites (it's free to join), you submit interesting content (i.e. your sports blog posts) and you vote on content submitted by other people.  As you click around the sites looking at interesting content you'll also be trying to build a friends list, which is important because people will find your submissions based in part by how many friends you have.  This is a simplistic overview of the sites, but it should be enough to get your started.  There is quite a bit of complexity to each of these sites and they all work a little bit differently.  The only real way to learn them is to use them so sign up with them today and start using them.
Continue reading "How to use social media websites ..."

Headlines Widget updated to include your blog posts posted by Earn Money Blogging

We've added some additional functionality to our " Headline Widget" so that our bloggers can now promote their blog posts through the widget.  Simply go the "Headline Widget" page, type in your username in the appropriate blank, and copy the HTML to any webpages (i.e. your MySpace profile page or your personal blog) where you want your blog posts to appear.
 
The " Headline Widget" can be customized to display in any color and it comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. 
 
Important: The widget is geared towards displaying headlines and blog posts for a particular sport or team, so if you want the widget to display all of your blog posts no matter what the subject of the blog post is, be sure to choose "All Sports Headlines" for the first customization option.
 
This widget is a great way to promote your blog.  Get as many people as you can to put the widget on their webpages.  For example, tell your friends with MySpace and blogs to paste your widget into their pages.  Or contact other sports bloggers and see if they would put the widget on their blog page.  The widget is simply HTMl code, so any page where you're allowed to post HTML is a good place to post the widget.  We've had local television stations use this widget on their website to get up-to-date information about the local professional sports teams so there's no telling who might find your blog posts interesting and be willing to post your widget on their website.  Email the webmasters of any websites you visit regularly and see if they would be willing to post your widget on their website.
Continue reading "Headlines Widget updated to include ..."

Inbound link contest winner announced! posted by Earn Money Blogging

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

The whole purpose of this contest was to get our bloggers networking with other webmasters and to start to build up their inbound links which will help their traffic.  Even a few links can help you with the search engines as they will see you as more of an authority on your topic the more inbound links you have.

To learn more about marketing your blog check out this post: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html#my_faq_2971

Marija's blog can be found here.  If you're a Knicks fan, check it out: http://www.newyorkknicksnews.com/marijak

The original post announcing the contest can be found here: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/bloggers/weblog/2984.html

And if you're not already signed up with Google AdSense and making money from your blog, check out our Revenue Share FAQ page: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html

How to Host a Successful Poker Night posted by Chris Humpherys

Poker, specifically No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, is a craze that is currently sweeping the nation.  With the constant television coverage of the World Series of Poker and its rise in popularity, everyone and their mother has suddenly become a poker player.  Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson are becoming household names.  Poker rooms continue to pop up in casinos, dog tracks and jai alai frontons around Florida and local poker games are becoming easier and easier to find.

But hosting a poker night is not as easy as it sounds.  Establishing a well thought out poker night, requires dedication, commitment, the proper equipment, a good core of friends and a variety of other intangibles.  Any one can have people over to play some cards, but in order to set up a steady batch of players, it is crucial to do it right if you want it to become a regular gig.

Accordingly, here’s a beginner’s guide to setting up a happy and healthy poker night.  Oh, and may you always be dealt aces.

Rules:  Have you ever played a game of pick-up basketball where one person complains about a foul call or another argues about an out-of-bounds line?  Suddenly, conflict ensues and the game goes to muck.  Similarly, a poker game without well-established rules and guidelines can easily go astray.  While posting the rules on the wall might be a bit excessive, standard poker and house rules should always take precedent.  For example, what happens if a dealer turns over the wrong card or someone places an improper, string bet.  Rules should be established at the outset and agreed upon and all players should respect those rules.  Additionally, all players should be aware that all verbal bets are binding and act accordingly.

How To Host a Successful Poker Night posted by Chris Humpherys

Poker, specifically No Limit Texas Hold 'Em, is a craze that is currently sweeping the nation. With the constant television coverage of the World Series of Poker and its rise in popularity, everyone and their mother has suddenly become a poker player. Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson are becoming household names. Poker rooms continue to pop up in casinos, dog tracks and jai alai frontons around Florida and local poker games are becoming easier and easier to find.

But hosting a poker night is not as easy as it sounds. Establishing a well thought out poker night, requires dedication, commitment, the proper equipment, a good core of friends and a variety of other intangibles. Any one can have people over to play some cards, but in order to set up a steady batch of players, it is crucial to do it right if you want it to become a regular gig.

Accordingly, here's a beginner's guide to setting up a happy and healthy poker night. Oh, and may you always be dealt aces.

Rules: Have you ever played a game of pick-up basketball where one person complains about a foul call or another argues about an out-of-bounds line? Suddenly, conflict ensues and the game goes to muck. Similarly, a poker game without well-established rules and guidelines can easily go astray. While posting the rules on the wall might be a bit excessive, standard poker and house rules should always take precedent. For example, what happens if a dealer turns over the wrong card or someone places an improper, string bet. Rules should be established at the outset and agreed upon and all players should respect those rules. Additionally, all players should be aware that all verbal bets are binding and act accordingly.
Continue reading "How To Host a Successful Poker Night"

Inbound link contest - Win $100! posted by Earn Money Blogging

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

We're going to impose some restrictions on the types of links you can get so please see below for the full list of links that do NOT count.

To get started simply go to Google and find other websites and blog that are about the sports and teams that you write about. Email the website owner and ask them for a link by explaining that you think your blog would be a good resource for their readers. Or offer to write a guest post for them with your by-line and URL at the bottom of the article. Or offer to exchange links with them by writing a quick write up of their site and a reciprocal link back to them. Some webmasters will be happy to add you to their blog roll even if you don't give them a link back (which is ideal) but some may want you to link back to them - you can easily do this with a quick blog entry on your blog about their website.

To learn more about inbound links and marketing your blog in general check out this post: