It’s Award Season… and the Best Poker Event goes to…

All the glitz and glamour, an evening of dazzling stars, and the most prestigious awards presented to Hollywood's kings and queens. It's award season in Hollywood and I think it's only fitting that we hand out a few Poker Awards of our own…

In the Category 'Best Poker Event' – the Oscar goes to…WSOP (World Series of Poker)

The World Series of Poker, or WSOP as most poker players know it, is the most successful poker event in history with not only the most players taking part but also the biggest prize pool. Televised on ESPN this poker tournament has expanded poker to an all-new level and winning WSOP is considered to be the ultimate achievement in any poker player's career.

And what would the Oscars be without the red-carpet hype? Well the World Series of Poker is not far behind in this department. Professional poker player Liz Lieu not only turns heads with her hourglass figure but also impresses with her poker skills – she came 5th in WSOP 2005. This poker diva, who always wears her signature diamond jewels, is as comfortable with the paparazzi, as any Hollywood starlet on Oscar night.


In the Category 'Best Poker Event' – the Golden Globe goes to… WPT (World Poker Tour)


The World Poker Tour (WPT) is a series of poker tournaments featuring most of the world's professional players. Like the Golden Globes it focuses on the American market and is televised to a world wide audience. The television show has led to a boom in the table game across American homes, in local casinos and online poker rooms.






In the Category 'Best Foreign Poker Event' – the People's Choice Award goes to – The Aussie Millions

The People's Choice Awards is an awards show recognising the people and the work of popular culture and it is one of the few to be based on the opinions of the general public. This is the main reason why we're awarding the poker players down under with this award. We're talking about all the cards, all the cash, all the cameras and the people's favorite poker experience at Melbourne's renowned casino for the Aussie Millions. Why the people love this rich poker event is that they can break away from the tables, step outside and soak up the summer sun, as Melbourne hosts both the 2007 Australian Tennis Open and the Ashes Cricket Series.


In the Category 'Most disappointing Poker event' the Razzie goes to – EPT Deauville

The Golden Raspberry Awards or Razzies intended to complement the Academy Awards by dishonouring the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and films that the film industry had to offer. The European Poker Tour in Deauville wins hands free in this category after their sudden cancellation of the poker tournament; blaming the French authorities for their decision. At least EPT tried to make up for the disappointment by adding another leg of the Tour in Germany.

From Couch potato to WPT Champ

It’s the final episode of American Idol, the crowd goes wild while Simon Cowell wipes back a tear… I switch channels just in time to see Jeff Probst snuff out the torch of the skinny survivor with hairy armpits, making her the final jury member... I channel-hop again and this time the Bachelor hands his number one lady the final rose while she tries to hide the victorious look imprinted on her beautifully-made-up face… more channel hopping and Donald Trump fires the last apprentice in his boardroom.

My remote control gets stuck on the Travel Channel broadcasting the World Poker Tour, a series of 18 high stakes global tournaments, and I’m mesmerised for the next 6 hours until Victor Ramdin finally calls with his Ah Js hand. In that moment Ramdin not only secured the WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic 2006 title but also walked away with $1,331,889 first prize money and everlasting poker glory.

In the competitive world of high stakes poker, the WPT "final table" is comparable to the final episode of Idols or Survivor. The only difference is that anyone can enter the World Poker Tour, unlike reality programmes where a panel decides on the contestants. This is one of the main reasons why the World Poker Tour is so popular because for a buy-in a complete unknown has just as good a chance of winning as a poker pro.

This year you don't have to become a couch potato to see some World Poker Tour action. Why not join me and play in the WPT satellites where the winner gets a $12,500 package to WPF Foxwoods Main Satellite that includes buy-in, flights, accommodation and $500 spending money. The satellites are happening daily @ 19:00 EST & 22:00 EST and for only $12 you could win a seat to WPT Foxwoods happening at the Foxwoods Resort, Connecticut from 1 April – 4 April 2007.

So if you're not ready to give up being a bachelor, being fired by a man who combs over his hair, leaving your singing career in the hands of tone-death America or getting your torch snuffed because ‘the tribe has spoken', why not try a different kind of reality TV – becoming a poker pro. WPT Foxwoods will give you the chance to face-off against pokers stone-faced superstars and walk away as the next poker millionaire. After all – you'll get much more than just 15 minutes of fame.

WPT Poker profile: Victor Ramdin

Title: WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic 2006
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Hobbies: 9 Ball and Darts
Family: Wife and two kids

Born in Guyana, Georgetown, Victor Ramdin got his first taste of poker while watching friends play at a local bar. A few years later, in 2002, he decided it was time to take poker on as a pastime, and while his real estate paid the bills, his buddies taught him the game.

Now 5 years later Ramdin is not only considered a poker pro with his well-deserved WPT Foxwoods title, he’s also a poker millionaire. Ramdin won a whopping $1,331,889 with his winning Ah Js hand at the final table of WPT Foxwoods.


Apart from the World Poker Tour, Ramdin also played in other high stakes poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) where his best WSOP performance happened in 2004 when he ended in 16th position.

So what does a poker millionaire do with all the money? Ramdin likes to give back to the country where he grew up and for more than six years he helped children in South America receive much-needed surgeries. “We put together a team of doctors from the U.S. who dedicate their time for free. We go to our country and we serve the poor,” Ramdin said. A great family man, WPT champ and philanthropic poker player Victor Ramdin is a legend in his own right.

The Biggest Bluff – On and off the field…

If you thought that the best actors in the world are restricted to Hollywood and Bollywood, then think again. They actually reside on the other side of the fence, where the grass is really greener. With a soccer field as a stage and free reins to improvise on the script, their acting career seems to be perfect…

These so called actors are professional soccer players who fake injuries to get a free penalty kick for their team. It usually happens when a player loses the ball to an opponent. Their natural instinct is then to flop on the pitch, as if the victim of a horrible foul that appears to have caused a career-ending injury. The player will grab his ankle or head in a state of theatrical paralysis until the referee stops play, and orders that the player be carried off the field on a stretcher. The injury lasts precisely as long as it takes the stretcher to reach the touchline. Once off the field, the player bounds out of the stretcher, fully recovered, and ready to rejoin the game at the next opportunity.

At the World Cup 2006, the Italian soccer team coined the phrase ‘give him an Oscar’ with all the flopping that they had going on. There’s even a video depicting how the Italian player’s practiced their famous swan dive.

So why do soccer players fake injury?

Well for the same reason poker player’s bluff – they don’t have the goods and they somehow have to trick their opponents or the referee into thinking they have. While soccer players fake injury because their acting could be rewarded by a penalty from the referee, with poker, it’s a completely different ball game.

When poker players bluff, it means that they bet or raise with an inferior hand, or with a hand believed to be inferior. While it might seem like a good idea to bluff your opponents with a poker face, most players will find out that bluffing isn’t really the way professional poker players make a living. Just think back to what happens to James Bond in Casino Royale...

While you might argue that you’ve seen poker pros make huge bluffs and get away with it like seen on this WSOP footage; poker pros have a different bluffing strategy. A pro will loose the minimum on a bad hand because they are disciplined to stick to solid fundamentals and not get caught in dangerous situations. Their aim is to steadily increase their chip stack with minimal risk and to not lose their entire stack on one hand.

If you’re caught in the act of faking an injury on a soccer field, you risk getting a yellow card or even being sent off the field. On the other hand poker players who get caught bluffing risk getting a certain reputation and loosing a lot of money.

On-the-field bluffer or off-field scammer – let’s leave the acting to Hollywood, they are after all the real drama queens!

My Poker Resolutions for 2007

By Lady Luck

1. Play less Flops – I looked at my statistics for Ring Games at PokerTime for 2006 and noticed that I had played too many flops. So my New Year’s Resolution for 2007 is to fold more hands before the flop (especially if I’m on blinds).

2. I’ve decided to play more aggressively in 2007 when I’m in a good position and have a good hand. However I’ll fold more pocket Aces or Kings when the blinds are big and my hand doesn’t fit the flop.

3. Play more multi-table tournaments. It’s always fun to play at these tables - you just have to put some time aside to enjoy poker tournaments in all their glory.

4. Improve other games. I love Texas Hold’em but in 2007, I’m definitely going to play Omaha and Stud. I also enjoy blackjack and you can actually play blackjack in some poker softwares.

5. Play at the high stakes tables. I’m going to try out the $100+$200 poker tables because it doesn’t help if you just make money from fish and don’t improve your poker skill.