01 February 2012

» Road Gambler - Benny Binion, Part II

By Johnny Hughes.


The Texas Centennial in 1936 celebrated Texas’ independence from Mexico. It was depression-era, hard times, and the political bosses of Dallas and Ft Worth allowed wide-opening gambling. Benny flourished in hard times, first bootlegging, then dice, then the policy wheels. Benny said, “Tough times make tough people.”

16 January 2012

» A Pain in the Alias

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) - William Shakespeare

04 January 2012

» Benny Binion: Texas Boss Gambler by Johnny Hughes

By Johnny Hughes


So, I've turned 21 and can get a police card to work in a casino, if need be. After misadventures travelling from our beloved West Texas all along Route 66, the Mother Road, America's Highway, my poker and road partner and I are beating Las Vegas and Fremont Street hard on the free sandwiches, cigs, mixed drinks.

01 December 2011

» Las Vegas, Show Business and the Mob

By Johnny Hughes


Show business and gambling have always gone hand in hand. The recent poker scandal involving Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Tobey Maguire gained a lot of attention for high stakes, illegal poker, much like the Frair's Club cheating scandal in Los Angeles in the 1940s.

01 November 2011

» King of the Spinners

Everyone loves a good spin-up story – a death-defying tightrope walk which, for a few hours or days – or years, in some cases – cheats variance and flies in the face of everything we try tell our readers about good bankroll management. Let’s face it; no one can resist a spot of impetuous, reckless heroism, whether it’s by impudently defying the house edge or just sheer common sense. So, from busto to robusto in as little time as possible, here are our favourite spin-up heroes…

29 September 2011

» Why a flush beats quads!

The ranking of hands in poker – that is, what beats what – is based on the frequency of the hand-type in a deck of cards. The less frequently a particular category of hand occurs – ie the fewer ways it can be produced – the harder it is to obtain.

08 September 2011

» The five biggest online pots of all time…

Remember the high stakes games on Full Tilt? Will we ever see their like again? Probably not. These were the glory days of high stakes of online poker. For just three crazy months towards the end of 2009 pots at the highest level of PLO were regularly reaching the $300k. In fact, the top five biggest pots all occurred within one week of each other, all PLO $500-$1000, and featured just three players.

01 August 2011

» Mind the Gap

I played a live event last month – the Newcastle UKIPT, my first serious live event of the year. On top of that, I’ve played way less poker this year because I’ve been busy with other things. So I was excited to play and also a little rusty. It’s funny how that happens with poker if you don’t play – you don’t really forget any knowledge but your instincts get a little dulled.

29 June 2011

» Bankroll Management – OFF the tables

You’re a poker player, so by now you know that the feds have charged the founders of three of the world’s biggest internet poker businesses with money laundering, bank fraud and some other pretty serious stuff.

01 June 2011

» The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler & Barry Carter

By Matt Perry


The Gospel of Matthew [Perry], 1:40-43
40 A man with severe tilting problems came to Him and begged Him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me Ivey.”


41 Jared was filled with compassion. He reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be Zen!” Immediately the tilt left him and he was cleansed.