The favorite to win the 2008 WSOP is Russian Ivan Demidov, who sits in the final table’s second chip position. Vitaly Lunkin, also a Russian, won a no-limit Hold’em event; and Svetlana Gromenkova, yet another Russian, won the Ladies Championship. It kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Poker pro Daniel Negreanu figures the Russians owe much of their poker success to their penchant for playing chess.

“Chess is a great training ground for poker players because it’s a math-based game, much like backgammon is,” says Negreanu. “The battles between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky were epic. And while poker isn’t quite at that point, we’re definitely headed in that direction.”

Negreanu expects to see more Russians winning on the European Poker Tour and other major international poker tournaments in the coming years. (Read more of Negreanu’s article, “Chess Breeds Poker Stars in Russia“, in the Houston Chronicle.)

Poker Pro Magazine has plans to report on the massive poker scene in California. California is a poker hotbed with many large, well-known poker rooms. Over 11 months the magazine will feature a different geographic section of the state, and the poker action therein. The first issue will report on the Los Angeles card rooms.

“This is a major undertaking,” said Poker Pro Editor-in-Chief John “Johnny Quads” Wenzel. “California is home to hundreds of card rooms and many of the country’s best players. We are going to tell our readers exactly what is going on in the Golden State, from the biggest mega-rooms and Indian casinos down to the smallest local card room.”

The magazine will also increase their listing of tournaments and schedules throughout the States. Poker Pro magazine can be found in most casinos and poker rooms throughout the U.S., as well as on newsstands and in bookstores.

Read the interview with Team Bodog poker pro David Williams in Poker Pro magazine!

“The Poker Room at Trump Plaza will be the latest location for poker buffs to play in Atlantic City, just steps off the Boardwalk,” said Jim Rigot, General Manager for Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. “Our state-of-the-art poker room will have competitive game offerings, flat screen televisions, a comfortable lounge, with convenient food and beverage offerings and low-limit blackjack tables. When you consider the increased hands per hour and a $3.00 rake, it becomes an obvious choice for even the most seasoned players.” Rigot added.

Can’t make it out to Atlantic City? Play poker online. 

Bonus whoring isn’t what it once was. Online poker rooms install safeguards these days that pretty much stop bonus whoring. In the old days you could buy-in and cash out the bonus with minimal play. It makes sense to take advantage of any poker bonuses you can, but the opportunity to pad your bankroll and cash out the easy profit is long gone.

New sign-up bonuses are the best way to bonus whore now, but there are not enough new sites to make whoring worth the effort. Once you’ve joined the poker room you’re dependent on re-load bonuses, which are not as good as the sign-up bonuses. If you’re a member of numerous sites, and want to buy-in, you’ll be able to choose the best bonus available at the time. With the win/loss variance every player experiences, one could easily lose more than the bonus is worth.

- A personal handler to ensure you play your best
- VIP Players lounge: hang out with the pros, meet the Bodog girls, get a massage, enjoy a little TV celebrity.
- Cool swag: Bodog clothes, bags, gadgets.
- Player’s club evenings: party hard.

To get a seat to the WSOP you can either buy your way in directly into the semi-final tables for those free WSOP chairs or you can go on the cheap and work your way all the way up to the free World Series of Poker spot (starting at $1.50 buy-in or use your free points). For more information on how to win your way to the WSOP, visit Bodog Poker.

This is a pretty cool tournament: Poker News and Pacific Poker have teamed up for the “World Poker Crown” tournament! Jet off too an exclusive location in Peralada, Spain (May 6-10) to compete in a poker tournament for $1 million in guaranteed prize money. The prize package also includes a private helicopter transfer from Barcelona for a three-night stay at the five-star Peralada Hotel.

Here’s how to qualify for the World Poker Crown online final (WPC) taking place on April 26: PokerNews’ massive Unbeatable WPC Giveaway #2 will take place this Friday, April 25, at 7.00 pm (GMT) and will feature a buy-in of $25 + $2.50. To be eligible for this satellite, sign up to Pacific Poker through PokerNews and register a new account. Then all you have to do is access the Tournament Lobby and register to the PokerNews Unbeatable WPC Giveaway #2!

Talk show host Montel Williams is set to play for Team USA at the PartyPoker.com Poker Nations Cup, which will play out April 7-10th in Cardiff, Wales.

Joining Williams will be captain Robert Williamson III, Jamie Gold, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Freddy Deeb and Chad Brown.

“I am thrilled and honored that I have been invited to be a part of Team USA for the Poker Nations Cup,” said Williams. “My teammates are extraordinary as I have played against many of them in the past year and now look forward to teaming up with them in our quest to defeat poker pros from around the globe.”

The winsome Williams has been playing poker for a number of years, going back to his old Navy days and as recently as the 2007 WSOP where he held the chip lead for an entire day.

The 2008 Ante Up For Africa poker tournament takes place at the World Series of Poker at 2pm (PST) on Wednesday, July 2nd at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Hosted by Don Cheadle and Annie Duke, this annual charity poker event hopes to raise money for victims of the crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Four years of fighting have left 200,000 dead and forced 2.5 million people out of their homes to live in refugee camps in Chad and Sudan.

Last year’s event brought together dozens of Hollywood celebrities and poker pros and raised over $700,000.

Celebrities in attendance last year: Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Charles Barkley, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Shannon Elizabeth, Brad Garrett, Willie Garson, Cheryl Hines, Kevin James, Mekhi Phifer, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler, Kevin Smith, Martin Sheen, Donnie Wahlberg, Montel Williams.

Poker pros in attendance last year: Andy Bloch, Doyle Brunson, Miami John Cernuto, Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Rafe Furst, Jamie Gold, Phil Gordon, Clonie Gowen, Barry Greenstein, Joe Hachem, Russ Hamilton, Jennifer Harman, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Kevin O’Donnel, David Singer, Katja Thater, Robert Williamson III, Paul Wolfe, Steve Zolotow.

Please visit the Ante Up for Africa website to see how you can help.

Can you believe the World Series of Poker is coming up on its 39th year? It’s true. The 39th Annual World Series of Poker World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold’em (Event 54) is scheduled to take place at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Thursday, July 03, 2008 to Tuesday, July 15, 2008. It’s a 13-day event that’s guaranteed to provide plenty of nail-biting action for spectators of the game, as well as lots of nerve-wracking moments for both pro and amateur poker players alike.

Last year’s winner, Jerry Yang, walked away with $8.25 million; the year before that Jamie Gold took home a sweet $12 million. What’s particularly intriguing about the WSOP Main Event is that history has proven that you don’t have to be a professional poker player to become the next World Champion. Over the last few years online poker players have made great strides in taking their game from online to offline, and in the process winning some seriously real cash.

Whether you’ve played in land-based tournaments before or not, the WSOP is a must-attend event for anyone who considers him or herself to be competitive poker player.

Get the complete schedule to the 2008 WSOP here.

So you didn’t do so well at that online poker tournament you registered for last week. Who hasn’t gone into a tournament with high hopes only to get taken out early in the game? It isn’t the end of the world and it certainly doesn’t spell the end of your online poker playing. What you need now is more arsenal. When it comes to poker, knowing the basics will only get you so far; like anything else in life — knowledge is power. So listen up before you ante up:

Know your math: Pot odds, probabilities, the importance of outs…there is some amount of math involved in playing poker. Stay on top by staying smart.

Exercise discipline: A good poker player expects to win and hopes that everyone else at the table isn’t having their luckiest day. And it takes discipline to know when to play and when to quit. Learning from your mistakes also takes great discipline.

Observe your opponents: Empathize with them, watch their body language and look for tells. With each of your opponents, try to figure out what they’re holding. Do you think they may have some idea as to what you’re holding?

Risk vs. Reward: It’s okay to take a long-shot risk if you know the return is going to be greater.

With these four simple behaviors to take to your next poker tournament you’ll be surprised at how long you’ll last and how many chips you’ll stack up! Good luck!