Although Dempsey could count himself unlucky to miss out on a second bracelet at this year’s WSOP, the second-place finish in Event 25 bagged him an impressive $301,790, which happens to be his highest-ever cash finish. Dempsey, an immensely talented UK online poker player who has enjoyed numerous wins recently in live UK poker tournaments, is leading the way for fellow Brits in Las Vegas this year. In fact, Dempsey is leading the way for all WSOP players, as his second-place finish has installed him – at least for the time being – as the Player of the Series leader, on one win, one second-place and one other cash finish.

It is more than likely that Dempsey will continue his impressive run of good form in Las Vegas and there is every chance that he might win another bracelet this year. Dempsey’s first WSOP bracelet came earlier this month after he won Event 9, a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament that earned him $197,470. Dempsey has plenty of opportunities left to ensure that he holds on to the coveted Player of the Series award as this year’s WSOP has not even reached the half way point. WSOP events are scheduled to end on the 17th July, by which time Dempsey will hope to have consolidated his position.

This week, Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan suffered a $2.5 million loss whilst playing poker online. To most players, $2.5 million would represent substantial career earnings; to Dwan, the figure is just a number that can be won back next week. In fact, despite his recent failure at the tables, Dwan’s balance for the year remains $3.8 million in the black. Dwan had begun to hit form since a poor start to the year cost him $5.5 million to Isildur1, with $1m, $3.25m and $2.38m returns between February and April. Unfortunately for Dwan, this form came to an abrupt end when he played jungleman12 and Phil Ivey in a series of heads-up matches. On Saturday alone, Dwan had played almost 8,000 hands against jungleman12 and was $584,000 the poorer for it.

To illustrate the point that one player gains as another fails, Dwan’s long-term rival, Patrik Antonius, finally managed to overcome his recent poor form to emerge with £50,000 profit for the year after a week of success. Online big money tables attract the biggest names in poker, but those with big blinds of $50 or less tend to be favoured by low-profile players. Additionally, many players enjoy success in low buy-in online UK poker tournaments, the prize pools for which range from $1,000 to $5m.

Whereas emotional outbursts can be permitted to an extent when playing online, in a real world tournament they are unacceptable if only because they reveal a player’s vulnerabilities; indeed, sweaty palms, greasy foreheads and armpits floating on the Caspian Sea are no greater giveaways than the emotional outbursts of otherwise cool customers.

At the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo last week, a good-spirited high rollers event turned sour when UK pro Luke ‘Fullflush’ Schwartz moved all-in on his big blind with pocket tens against Dori Yacoub’s king-queen suited (clubs). King-queen suited is not, contrary to what many poker novices might believe, generally a hand worth going all-in for; unless the blinds are such that a player has no choice but to risk their short stack. Pocket tens, by contrast, is a hand worth playing. However, as with any hand in poker, there is no guarantee that such a hand will prevail over any other. Unfortunately, it would seem that nobody told Schwartz.

According to sources at the event, Schwartz sniped, “what a donk call”, after Yacoub revealed his hand. On the flop, much to Schwartz’s dismay, a king appeared and suddenly Yacoub held the advantage. Much to the surprise of other players, Schwartz failed to keep his head upon catching sight of the king and instead chose to hurl his stack of chips across the table. After failing to catch a ten on the river, a visibly angry Schwartz was ushered away by security guards – a situation UK online poker players need never deal with over the internet.

No stranger to attention, Michelle said: “I enjoy getting to meet the people I’m always playing with online, so I’m excited about this tournament. I think it’s a cool prize that’s never been done before. Even my friends and family are talking about taking a shot at this tournament and they don’t even play poker! I’m totally a guy’s kind of girl, so baseball, food and poker is the perfect date”. The lucky winner of the tournament, which is scheduled to begin at 8:30pm ET on the 28th April and features a prize pool of $2,000, will watch an L.A. Dodgers baseball game with Michelle before dining at a popular L.A. restaurant. Michelle added: “I’m just crossing my fingers that I get some good company!”.

Ultimate Bet’s decision to promote one of its sponsored professionals in this manner may raise the prospect of similar events for international and UK online poker players in the future; indeed, Tiffany Michelle is not the only ace held by Ultimate Bet. One of its English sponsored professionals, Liv Boeree, also has the power to turn heads at the table – if Ultimate Bet were to invite UK players to compete for an evening with Boeree, chances are the servers would take a hit.

The celebrity line up for the forthcoming Sky Poker Tour Luton, which is one of the top UK poker tournaments, has attracted a diverse crowd this year. Scheduled to commence on Saturday, those who are keen to watch celebrities flex their poker muscles will be able to enjoy the eccentric antics of horse racing pundit, John McCririck, who is arguably every bit as outspoken and controversial as poker great Phil Hellmuth. McCririck will be hoping to summon a small proportion of Hellmuth’s talent on the tables as he squares up to former WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Johnny Nelson and former midfielder for Tottenham, Chelsea and Portsmouth, Micky Hazard.

Fans attending the Luton leg of the Sky Poker Tour will also enjoy the appearance of model, actress and DJ, Kitty Lea, who was recently voted one of Front Magazine’s fittest ever women – an accolade that is bound to cause a stir. Visual distractions aside, John McCririck is hoping to enjoy significantly greater success at Luton’s G Casino this weekend than he has experienced in other UK poker tournaments. Surprisingly, the horse racing pundit has also revealed his philosophical side in the run-up to the event, having astutely pointed out that it is “your fault whether you win or not”.

Secondly, players who have qualified for the Irish Open through Paddy Power Poker will be invited to an exclusive player party; although, the obvious disadvantage to this is that bona fide guests cannot gatecrash their own party.

Other top reasons suggested by the Irish based poker site include the opportunity to relax in the Paddy Power Poker player lounge and that players would be “219% cooler than the qualifiers from any other online poker room” (clearly, this one is debatable). It has also been argued that there are more Irish Open super satellite options at Paddy Power Poker than anywhere else online.

Many UK online poker sites have already begun hosting satellites to the Irish Poker Open 2010, including the popular iPoker website. Apart from plugging its own satellites to the tournament, Paddy Power Poker makes a good case in general for attending the Irish Open this year.

Some of the more generalised reasons include the chance to become a true poker legend, an honorary Irish person for a weekend or to simply enjoy the most profitable Easter ever. The quality of the live bands that will play at the tournament have also been put forward as a reason to attend the Irish Open, whilst falling in love with Guinness for the weekend is one that many people would be happy to experience. Likewise, players at the Irish Open will be able to enjoy the many treats on offer at the Burlington Hotel, which resides in the heart of the popular Dublin city centre.

This list contains a brief description of the five most popular online poker sites by traffic sizes based on the forecasts for 2008 and 2009. Of the five sites listed here, only two of them will accept payments from US residents due to US anti-online gambling legislation.

PokerStars

Currently the largest online poker room in the world, its name is linked with some of the biggest names in the poker community, such as Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem. It offers a $50 sign-up bonus and 100% initial deposit match. A huge variety of games are available at a wide variety of stakes with opponents at all skill levels. The PokerStars software is top-of-the-range, attractive and reliable. The future for US players is uncertain due to DOJ (Department of Justice) legislation on internet gambling.

Full Tilt Poker

A well known name in online poker due to its television presence and its association with celebrity pros such as Gus Hansen and Phil Ivey. It offers a $600 bonus on sign-up through a ‘PokerListings’ link plus a 100% deposit match. It is very novice friendly due to extensive support offered by its ownership team, many of whom are poker pros themselves. A huge variety of games (almost all forms of poker) are available 24 hours a day. Full Tilt is one of the few sites to offer mixed-type cash games and tournaments such as H.O.R.S.E. Overall, it is a very good site for novices and pros alike. However, as with PokerStars, due to the DOJ (Department of Justice) legislation on internet gambling, the future for US players at this site is uncertain.

Titan Poker

Part of the iPoker network, Titan is one of the top online poker sites and also one with a great international feel (with software available in 12 different languages) and very highly rated customer support. It is also one of three sites in this list that no longer accept players from the US, due to the country’s anti-gambling legislation. The ‘loose’ nature of games and the number of promotions and bonuses offered, means they manage to attract a variety of new players, experts and novices alike, so all levels of competition can be found. Offerings include games such as Texas hold-em, Omaha hi-lo, 5 and 7 card stud.

Party Poker

One of the top brands of online poker, its popularity is based on numerous satellite tournaments and special events. It offers a $500 bonus on sign-up through a ‘PokerListings’ link plus a 100% deposit match. Every variation of poker is offered here, along with plenty of soft play options for those who wish it. Similarly to Titan, anti-gambling legislation means it no longer accepts deposits from players from the US.

Bwin Poker

Bwin is one of Europe’s largest online poker networks and has long been renowned for its graphical design and software (with a recent upgrade only enhancing this reputation). This site offers a $500 bonus on sign-up and includes all the usual variations of poker, plus some lesser played versions such as 5 card draw and seven card stud hi-lo. It too no longer accepts deposits from players in the US due to the country’s anti-gambling legislation.

The reason for the dip in attendance after the 2006 series is new laws reduced the number of entrants who could win their place by playing online, though the downturn hasn’t affected the popularity of the tournament. The main event is a no limit Texas Hold ‘Em game which has a hefty $10,000 buy-in and the prize money in recent years has been above $7.5 million thanks to the large number of initial participants. The main event is supported by an additional 45 different types of poker all with different rules and regulations and it’s great for amateurs and pros. The grand prize itself is coupled with a golden bracelet which champions consider to be the highest accolade a professional poker player can achieve because of the heritage and prestige of the World Series of Poker. There has also been an award for the Player of the Year since 2004, based on an accumulation of points over the course of the World Series of Poker.

Over the years there have been some amazing feats of poker playing and clashes of well known titans at the tables of the World Series of Poker and since 2005 saw the Horseshoe bought by the massive Harrah group of gambling and entertainment venues, spin offs and tournaments have taken place in some of Las Vegas’ most iconic casinos, including Caesar’s Palace, home of the Tournament of Champions. One of the most exciting comebacks in its history occurred in 1982 when player Jack Straus didn’t realise he still had a $500 chip left and was about to throw in the towel, only to discover it and came back to win. Thanks to the power of online poker many great players have gained entry to the tournament in recent years after honing their talents online, most notably the 2007 champion Jerry Yang. Having only started playing 2 years prior to his victory, this poker prodigy won his place thanks to a satellite tournament in California and went on to win the jackpot of $8.25 million, proving that just about anything is possible in the World Series of Poker.

The 2009 World Series of Poker has the largest jackpot prize ever, with over $8.5 million up for grabs to one skilful and indeed lucky player. There are already 6,494 players signed up and ready to go, so it should once again be a classic year. This year there are a total of 57 different events, including the main game and of course the winners of each will be able to drape their wrists with a World Series of Poker bracelet.

PartyPoker.com on Five
Channel 5 is one of the only terrestrial channels which supports poker broadcasts, so if you’re not a subscriber to Sky or Virgin Media then this should be your first port of call. They provide coverage for the PartyPoker.com tournaments, the most recent of which was the fifth annual European competition which saw the jackpot of $200,000 go to a UK professional player from Wales. Lively commentary from poker experts is always an enticing feature of this show and the next poker event to come up on 5 is the Women’s World Open, so watch out for it.

Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure
The European Poker Tour has a number of shows which broadcast around Europe and this is just one of them that’s airing on Sky Sports 2 at the moment. Qualifiers have come from all over the world via the internet having proved their prowess in tournaments or online. The aim of this particular tournament is to give the winner a ten thousand euro entry into the European Poker Tour Grand Final, held in iconic Monte Carlo, so the stakes are always high.

Full Tilt on ESPN
With ESPN now a major sporting channel in the UK, we can look forward to plenty of poker coverage with their partnership with Full Tilt Poker. Featuring all of the big name players taking part in some of the most exciting and entertaining matches you’ll ever see, ESPN always kick in with great production values and insightful commentary from experts in the poker world.

Celebrity Poker Showdown
This show originally aired on Channel 4, but is repeated regularly on Bravo and features a bunch of well known and lesser celebrities battling it out in what is always an interesting set of matches for real cash. Because of the inflated egos at stake as well as the money there’s always an altercation or two that can keep you interested and prize money of over half a million dollars has been won by already wealthy celebs in the past.

Watch Poker Online
There is another way to enjoy world class poker matches and that is of course on the internet. If you’ve got a broadband connection there are plenty of sites dedicated to streaming some of the best tournaments in the world live, as well as running clips from classic encounters throughout the years. Poker Channel Europe is one such online resource which lets you stream live news updates and check out highlights from tournaments that have made the headlines. Many other networks who host poker shows or cover live tournaments also make their poker content available online for free, so check out your favourite network’s site for more details. You can even get involved in online poker games yourself for real prizes, or take lessons from the pros in order to improve your game.

Here we’ll be posting random thoughts on musing on the poker world, as well as special offers and events, so please check back here often!