If you live in Texas and some other areas of the United States and the world, you know just how this can be. Just because it isn’t legal doesn’t mean people don’t do it. As a matter of fact, they say that things that are wrong are those that people want to do the most and that may be the case for poker lovers in Texas, as many of them find places to join together and share their love of poker, hopped up on caffeinated coffee drinks and energy drinks, puffing on cigar after cigar.

This is a big deal, bigger than many would make it out to be. The police in the state bust poker games and poker rings all the time. At the same time, this is a hot target for robbery, as games like this can rack up thousands of dollars in one night. They are an easy target, indeed.

There has recently been legislation introduced that would legalize poker in Texas, if passed. They say that hundreds of thousands of dollars are moving around due to this underground poker ring due to the illegal nature of the game. If legalized, supporters say that Texas could tap in to a valuable source of state revenue, at a time when they stand to need it the most. They say that this bill could promote safety and give players the opportunity to play in places where illegal activities are not going on.

Of course, this bill has its opponents. They say that underground poker would still be an issue, and that legalizing poker would open Pandora’s Box when it comes to casinos, slot machines at race tracks, and other such things.

We shall see how far this bill goes. It is a good idea and would give plenty of people who would rather play honestly and safely an opportunity to do so.

The time has finally come and the World Series of Poker schedule has finally been released, along with some key details about what we have to look forward to this year.

This event has been scheduled for May 26 through July 15 at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in beautiful gambling destination extraordinaire, Las Vegas, Nevada. While several things will be similar to last year’s event, some things have been changed slightly and will differ for this year’s WSOP event.

As many die-hard WSOP fans know, the 2008 event was a bit different from previous years because of the pause after the buy-in event. Ratings went up 46 percent for this final table event, and in order to mimic that success the final table has been scheduled for Nov. 10.

All rebuy events have been canceled. It was rumored that the rebuy events might not go down as they had in previous years by CardPlayer.com, and this rumor has been confirmed.

There will be a total of 57 WSOP bracelet events, more than there has ever been before. 10 of these are $10,000 buy-ins. This includes the main event. Seven of these are $1,500 buy in events and there is a $50,000 HORSE championship buy-in event, as well.

Those who love the WSOP are bound to be excited by the changes made to this year’s event. Whether making a trip to Vegas to be part of the action or planning to be glued to the boob tube for the event. It promises to be an exciting one, indeed!

The online poker world may never be the same again.

This site will feature names such as James “Andy McLeod” Obst, Soren Konsgaard, Stephen Costello, Morton Erlandsen and others. Other poker greats and coaches are set to publish a slue of training material for players looking to improve their game, setting the site to be known as one of the single most comprehensive poker training resources on the World Wide Web.

Of course, nothing like this is free of charge. There are set to be multiple tiers of membership available to those who would like to take advantage of this resource. There are set to be three tiers of membership to be exact. They are the Silver, Platinum, and Gold Membership levels. Each membership level offers its own set of benefits.

There are several different types of material that are available on the site. Video, blogs, strategy guides and articles are just the tip of the iceberg. The more elite a person’s membership is, the more access they will have to these resources. The membership levels are to be priced accordingly.

If you have been looking for a way to one-up your competition, Pokerswat.com may be just what you were looking for.

What does PurePlay.com have to say about this? Here is a quote from PurePlay CEO Jason Kellerman (Marketwire.com): “Our membership base remains unmatched among legal U.S. play-for-cash poker sites…our growth in 2008 validates our business model, which is to provide entertaining, challenging and financially rewarding opportunities to play poker with zero risk of losing money. We believe that our approach is geared for success at any time, but never more than now in today’s economy where ‘thrift,’ ‘value’ and ‘risk-free’ are watchwords in every household.”

The second largest online poker site of its kind has one-tenth the membership base of PurePlay.com. Players appreciate the fact that they know where they are putting their money and can rest assured that it is completely legal. Online poker is a great pasttime for many people, but there are too many illegitimate poker sites out there. Who wants to put their money somewhere where they cannot have faith that they will get it back if the occasion arises?

If you are looking for a new place to check out some online poker games, consider joining more than a million other likeminded individuals at PurePlay.com’s online poker game.

Dwan doesn’t need the money, obviously. He just wants the challenge–or so he says.

There have been a few rumors of acceptance regarding this wager, and Finnish poker great Patrik Antonius is one of the confirmed. As of January 7, it is official–he will be battling against Dwan in his unprecedented poker challenge. Phil Ivey is also rumored to have taken him up on this offer. The craziest thing about this all is that Tom Dwan says he will try to play everyone who is up to the challenge. So far, Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius are the only ones to step up to the plate.

When this game is set to begin has not yet been discussed, but it is bound to be a great one. 50,000 hands takes quite a while to play. Like most poker lovers, we can’t wait to see how this one plays itself out.

The catch? If the opponent is ahead even the slightest bit at the end of the 50,000 hands…and we mean the slightest bit…Dwan pledged to make him or her richer to the tune of $1.5 million dollars. If he is ahead at the end of the 50,000 hands the opponent is to pay him $500,000. Needless to say, the winner gets to keep his profits from the session, as well.

As was bound to happen, somebody accepted. Well, a few people accepted. Some great players have accepted, including the great Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, and Patrick Antonius.

Benyamine is set to go up first against Dwan, but that hasn’t been confirmed by Benyamine himself as it came from the mouth of Phil Ivey. These are all great players, and this is bound to be a good round of Poker, with the loser potentially going millions of dollars in the hole.

If Dwan wanted competition, he’s surely got it now. They say poker is a game of gambling, but with the potential to lose millions upon millions of dollars, we think this is a bit extreme.

Those who win particular championships or competitions and find themselves standing out amongst the rest are bound to be taken into consideration but for those who want more specific informaiotn about what it takes to take this award home, let’s put it like this:

If nobody knows who you are, the Card Player and Bluff Magazine Player of the Year Award will not go to you. Point Blank Period.

This year, World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour champ John Phan will take home this award. It will go nicely with the poker fame, two WSOP bracelets, and the more than $1,000,000 he has picked up during his travels in the recently passed 2008.

John Phan has had an amazing year this year, and we think he deserves it. If you don’t know who John Phan is by now, keep paying attention. He had a good year last year, but 2009 is bound to be even better for him. This award doesn’t go to players of the great game who aren’t going anywhere, so we would like to bet John will be bringing home some more trophies, bracelets, and fat checks this year.

Congrats, John!

For those who need something else and can’t wait, the ‘Best Damn Poker Show’ is set to air the first of seven episodes for this first 2009 season in just a few days on January 12.

For those who don’t know, this is the ‘Bachelor’ of the poker world, so to speak. The show begins with 12 poker talents housed together hoping to be the last player standing. Every week contestants battle it out and one is sent home until the last few remain; that is when stuff is bound to get interesting.

This one has a few poker celebrities and that’s just one way they keep it real interesting for the true poker aficionados out there. Many of you may have heard of Phil Hellmuth; he has won the World Series of Poker 11 times, and is participating in this cool show. Also, Poker News journalist Annie Duke is set to take part in the show, as well.

If you eat, breathe, and sleep Poker the Best Damn Poker Show is just another way to incorporate it into your everyday life. It combines normal poker competition with something else to create a show unlike any other reality show that has ever aired on television.

With that said, you have a few days to get ready. Clear out your schedule. The Best Damn Poker Show airs next week!

In an announcement made earlier today by Bluff Magazine, it looks as if Dublin, Ireland, can add a little more to its country’s namesake besides green beer and St. Patrick’s Day.

The capital city of Ireland was honored by the famed poker media publication as the European Poker Capital of the Year, avenging last year’s finish when they ended up in 2nd place behind London, England.

“Last year, in recognition of the inaugural WSOPE and the general health of its burgeoning poker scene, we chose London as the place to be. This induced a lot of snickering from across the Irish Sea, where they’re rightfully very protective of their fantastic poker scene,” said Philip Conneller, Editor of Bluff Europe in their press release. “But this year there was really only one candidate.”

Dublin has long been seen as one of the premier global hotspots for poker.  The annual Irish Poker Open is hands-down one of the most popular tournaments of the year, and the series caters to players with small and big bankrolls.  The city itself also has a lot of cardrooms and rising casinos in the area, so there’s never a dull moment if you’re a gambler in Ireland.

This was a huge honor for Dublin, and they hope to only improve upon their reputation as a poker powerhouse by adding more tournaments and increasing their presence in the world of gambling in 2009 and beyond.