The other day we, at The Poker Web, ran accross this website that has excellent instructional How-To videos of poker chip tricks. There are photo only versions of the tricks as well, but the video versions are by far the best and worth waiting for the feed to complete its buffering. Since they are short videos, this process doesn't take but a couple of minutes.

There are three categories of difficulty, aptly named Difficulty-1, Difficulty-2, and Difficulty-3.

At the time of this article's publication, there were a total of thirteen tricks in their database. One of these is a trick performed by Johnny Chan that was seen in the movie Rounders, which by the way was the latest addition to the poker chip trick list of tricks.

Stop by their website www.pokerchiptricks.com and bone-up on a few poker chip tricks, then show them off to your poker buddies.

From cardplayer.com

2005 WORLD POKER CHALLENGE RENO HILTON
RENO, NV

Event: No-Limit Hold'em Championship Day 1 Chip Count
Buy-in: $5,000
Number of Entries: 361
Total Prize Pool: $1,750,850

The championship event at the Reno Hilton's World Poker Challenge has a buy-in of only $5,000 (compared to $10,000 for most championship events), but there were still only 361 players willing to pay to play. That makes it one of the smaller events on the World Poker Tour, and quite a few professional tournament players skipped this event. (The poker calendar is so packed nowadays, players have to pick-and-choose to create their own "vacations" away from tournaments.)

However, these same factors make it that much better for non-professional players who wish to play in a WPT event. At $5,000, it's like entering for half price, but you still start with $10,000 in chips and face a similar blind structure to other WPT events. As a bonus, the smaller field should make it that much easier to reach the coveted final table that will be broadcast on the Travel Channel.

A few of the most recognizable players who didn't show up for this year's event were Doyle Brunson, Layne Flack, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Chip Reese, Chip Jett, Evelyn Ng, and Paul Phillips. But there were still plenty of famous players present for all of the railbirds to root for.

Phil Ivey ended the day in great shape with $99,000 in chips. Although he isn't the chip leader, he will be a dangerous presence on day two. Other notable players who survived to day two include Allen Cunningham, Toto Leonidas, John Murphy, Alex Vuong, Joe Awada, Andy Bloch, Dan Harrington, Barry Greenstein, Tony Ma, Harley Hall, "Miami" John Cernuto, Casey Kastle, Hung La, Steve Brecher, David Plastik, and Robert Williamson. Official chip counts from the end of day one will be posted as soon as they are available.

In addition to the WPT cameras, Robert Williamson is also being followed by a separate camera crew from the A&E television show "Airline." Williamson survived to day two, but wasn't left with many chips. Obviously, the producers of "Airline" would love for him to make the final table here, but his performance so far should already be enough to have given them plenty of great footage.

Here's a twist: professional players entering alongside less-experienced relatives -- and losing the family last-longer bet. Jennifer Harman's 24-year-old niece, Aunnie Kress, managed to outlast her famous aunt, surviving well past the dinner break, (she finally busted out when she flopped two pair and went all in against another player's set). After Jennifer Harman busted out, she gave a brief interview to a local news station (she's a Reno native, after all), and then stayed to cheer her niece's performance from behind the rail.

Meanwhile, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi was sent to the rail late in the day, while his wife Aidilay survived to play tomorrow (after earning her entry in a satellite). Michael was a little embarrassed that his wife had outperformed him, and he was also a bit bored, because the roles were reversed as he had to wait for her to finish a tournament. But those emotions were easily overshadowed by his pride in her achievement, and he was talking about what would happen if she won the tournament. (A Card Player cover? We'll see ...) Depending on how well she does, there might be a wave of players' relatives showing up at future events.

About 100 players survived day one, and day two will play down to 27 players. That creates an interesting situation where the "bubble" for money finishers will fall at the very end of tomorrow's action -- so whoever finishes on the bubble in this event will have the added notoriety of being the last person to bust out on day two. Expect extra applause from the remaining players when that happens.

With a total prize pool of $1,725,350, this is the payout structure (paying 27 places):

1) $638,380
2) $327,815
3) $163,908
4) $103,521
5) $77,641
6) $60,387
7) $43,134
8) $34,507
9) $27,606
10-12) $20,704
13-15) $17,254
16-18) $13,803
19-27) $10,352

Day two's action begins on Wednesday, March 30, at 12:00 noon; stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for full coverage, including live updates.

businesswire.com

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American IDC Corporation (Pink Sheets:ACNI) and Smart Entertainment bring CelebrityPokerChat to your phone. CelebrityPokerChat is a new SMS, or "text messaging," service that allows world-renowned Poker players worldwide, for the 1st time in history, to be in direct contact with their fans through their cell phones, and generate money from each message. Poker tips and news from the pros could hit thousands of mobile handsets within seconds while the celebrity earns money on each message.

"What better way to be in direct contact with your fans than sending a SMARTSMS directly to their phone?" said Halldor Sanne, CEO and President of SMART. "CelebrityPokerChat is a great opportunity for a celebrity Poker pro to reach all fans, new and old, to tell them news about the next tournament, valuable tips, when and where you'll be appearing next, or just simply to say 'hello'."

The service is very simple to use: Say for example that a famous Poker player is playing in a tournament. Fifty thousand people are watching on TV, online or watching a pre-recorded show on television, and the Poker player asks them to sign in by sending the message POKER to the number 76278. Thirty percent of the viewers respond to the request, and within minutes, 15,000 loyal fans have opted-in to his fan club. Let's calculate that 200,000 fans have signed in through his World Tour -- the player sends these loyal fans four messages a month, generating $400,000 of revenue that he would have never dreamt of before... $4.8 million a year in NEW revenue! All while keeping his fans updated on his latest and greatest news -- and smiling all the way to the bank. But of course, getting a personal message from your Poker mentor to your phone would be a big reason to smile too!

Smart Entertainment formulated CelebrityPokerChat in 2004. Try out the service by sending the word POKER to the number 76278. For further information and a brochure, please contact Smart Entertainment at 646-675-1615.

About American IDC Corp.:

American IDC Corporation (www.AmericanIDC.com), a public company (Pink Sheets:ACNI) is a leading marketing Internet and mobile communications and advertising firm that specializes in developing marketing campaigns for major brands. American IDC owns and operates SMART Text Messaging technology. This technology, which was originally developed and deployed in Europe, provides keen insight into the consumer market in creating branding and marketing campaigns that produce results. To date, Smart has successfully launched over 300 campaigns worldwide. Both Smart and American IDC are headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional presence in New York, Europe, Mexico, South America and Asia.

American IDC Corporation (Pink Sheets:ACNI) is a fully reporting issuer.

About Smart Entertainment:

Smart Entertainment (www.SmartEntGroup.com) is a leading consulting and advertising firm that specializes in developing marketing campaigns for major brands. SMART has come to rely on invaluable experience from Europe for keen insight into the consumer market in creating branding and marketing campaigns that produce results. To date, Smart Entertainment has successfully launched over 300 campaigns worldwide. SMART is headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional presence in New York, and Europe. Smart Entertainment and its companies, which include SmartSMS, are privately held.

Forward-Looking Statements:

With the exception of historical information, this news release and accompanying information may include forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated as a result of various risks. There are numerous factors that could contribute to such differences; therefore, such projected events and anticipated results are not warranties or guaranties that such events will occur or that the Company will achieve such results. For more information about this corporation and risks involved in the investment of their publicly traded shares, please see the company's web site(s), and/or documents filed with the SEC, which are easily accessible in the EDGAR database system.

By Jeff Shulman, cardplayer.com

NBC and The Golden Nugget hosted one of the most exciting poker tournaments to date; 64 players were invited to put up $20,000 each and compete in heads-up matches. To win the title, you had to win six straight matches. It was set up like the NCAA basketball tournament. There were four groups (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs), and if you made it through your grouping of 16 players, you were in the final four. It was a two-day event with bracket selections made the night before the event. Names were drawn out of a hat, and then both players walked up on stage for a quick photo shoot. While this was happening, oddsmakers were setting lines on individual matches, on players to win the event, and on groups to win the event. Thus, everyone was in action one way or another.

NBC did an outstanding job with the production of this event. There were eight heads-up tables - one of which was the featured table. On large monitors in the background, the brackets were displayed so that you could see who was advancing at all times, and you could see close-ups of the players.

Heads-up play is more fun for a spectator, whether you were waiting for your next match, casually viewing from the arena, sitting at home reading the live updates at CardPlayer.com, or watching it on TV beginning in May. Many of the top pros who played thought the vibe was unlike any event they had been to. The poker was good, too.

Those who won two matches got $25,000 back, and by winning three matches, got $75,000. Those who made it to the "elite eight" were John Juanda, Scott Fischman, Mike Sexton, Lyle Berman, T.J. Cloutier, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, and Phil Hellmuth. Phil played Antonio, and T.J. had a rematch from the 2000 World Series of Poker against Chris Ferguson. Phil and Chris advanced to the finals, which Phil eventually won. He was crowned the heads-up champ and won $500,000. Afterward, Phil bought more than a dozen bottles of Dom Perignon for everyone who was still around watching.

I predict that Phil will have a great year, because his confidence is at an all-time high. Playing with confidence is one of the main ingredients in being a top poker player. Good job, Phil, and I can't wait to watch this event on television.

In other poker news, go to Page 8 to read Andy Beal's newest challenge to Doyle Brunson and the corporation.

Groundbreaking Tour Tops Century Mark in Prize Money Over Three Seasons

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2005--In just under three years, the WORLD POKER TOUR(TM) (WPT) has become one of the most lucrative ventures in sports for its players. Over the weekend, the WPT crossed the $100 million mark in prize money with the awarding of the $7 million plus prize pool on the latest tournament stop of the WPT. Michael Gracz captured first prize, earning $1.5 million, and entered the record books as the WPT's "$100 Million Man."

"What the WPT has accomplished in such a short period of time is truly astonishing," said Steve Lipscomb, President and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE). "We have lifted poker from a backroom game to a sport that is churning out a whole new generation of respected professional players making their living by competing in our tournaments around the world. $100 million is just a mind-boggling number and it sends a message that the WPT and poker are here to stay. If you look back at the PGA, it took more than 30 years to reach $100 million in prize money."

When considering that many WORLD POKER TOUR events pay as deep as 40th or 50th place means that for the first time many professional poker players are earning their mortgage money on the tour and successful amateurs are enjoying nice bonuses for their bank accounts.

Airing every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the Travel Channel, the WORLD POKER TOUR(R) is responsible for launching the worldwide poker boom. By turning poker into a televised sports sensation, the WPT has made stars of the poker players who have captured million-dollar purses on the Tour. Since their WPT Final Table appearances, they are frequently spotted in airports and restaurants, and pressed for autographs by fans.

The WPT has created twenty-two millionaires over the last three seasons with ten of those being newly minted this year. Among the players who have placed in the money at WPT tournaments in the past three seasons are Doyle Brunson, T.J. Cloutier, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Gus Hansen, Erick Lindgren, Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, John Juanda, Mel Judah, Carlos Mortenson, Paul Phillips, Erik Seidel, Layne Flack, Phil Ivey, Scotty Nguyen, Paul Darden, Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott, Alan Goehring, Ron Rose, Martin De Knijff, Hasan Habib and many other up-and-coming players.

"Wow! A hundred million makes a lot of new poker millionaires," said veteran pro Jennifer Harman. "The WPT has changed the lives of poker players forever. The game is no longer what it was where you could play well but still had to hold a second job or live on a tight budget. The WPT deserves all the credit for the success we are all now enjoying. It is so exciting to play for the kind of dollars that can transform your life."

Just as significant as what the WPT has achieved for the players has been its influence on viewers. Viewers have become passionate about learning and improving their game, watching WPT shows multiple times to pick up the nuances of poker. The WPT has stepped up to the plate as the sports league that wants to help all players improve their skills. Today, the WPT aims to educate poker enthusiasts through its new line of books ("WPT: Shuffle Up and Deal" from HarperCollins), a 60-second radio and audio internet feature ("WPT Poker Corner"), a series of weekend instructional clinics around the country (WPT Boot Camp) and the DVD collections of each season's WPT shows that can be viewed for tips and strategy. For more information on the WPT and WPT poker learning tools, go to: www.worldpokertour.com.

"We at the WORLD POKER TOUR are very proud to have achieved this milestone so quickly. With the addition of the PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR, which WPTE launched in November 2004, we will place even more money into the hands of players. Our faith in poker's future is unlimited and we are excited to be leading its growth in innovation, prize pools and popularity," said Lipscomb.

About WPTE

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour(R), a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and more than 60 markets globally. WPT Enterprises currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to www.worldpokertour.com.The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO). Photos and media information can be found online at: www.worldpokertour.com/media.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by WPT Enterprises, Inc.) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the expansion of WPT's brand licensing, the development of new television and film projects, the development of WPT corporate sponsors and other business development activities, as well as statements regarding other capital spending, financing sources and the effects of competition. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of WPT. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, WPT's significant dependence on the Travel Channel as a source of revenue; the potential that our television programming will fail to maintain a sufficient audience; the risk that competitors with greater financial resources or marketplace presence might develop television programming that would directly compete with WPT's television programming; the risk that WPT may not be able to protect its entertainment concepts, current and future brands and other intellectual property rights; risks associated with future expansion into new or complementary businesses; the termination or impairment of WPT's relationships with key licensing and strategic partners; and WPT's dependence on its senior management team. For more information, review WPT's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Editors Note: More information and 300 dpi downloadable images available at www.media.worldpokertour.com. (WPTEG)