The exact origins of poker are unclear but it is believed to have originated in Persia and Europe, where it was called ?poque? or ?pochen?. However, the game actually developed in the United States in New Orleans in the 1800?s prior to the American Civil War and spread rapidly to towns throughout the Western frontier.

Poker was played by two distinct groups of gamblers. The first group was comprised of gentlemen players who enjoyed the game in moderation and did not depend upon their winnings for their livelihood. The second group consisted of professional gamblers who relied upon their winnings for financial survival. Professional gamblers were often looked down upon by the general public because they were perceived to be con men who cheated victims out of their hard-earned money. Popular card games in that era were Three Card Monte as well as Poker.

Gambling had been tolerated in the Western frontier in the early 1800?s but fell out of favor around 1830 and laws were passed prohibiting gambling. A number of known gamblers were run out of town, some were tarred and feathered and some vigilante groups went as far as lynching them.

Consequently, since gambling was no longer tolerated on land, gamblers took their trade to the steamboats on the Mississippi River where Poker was popular for some years.

The Gold Rush was responsible for bringing gambling to California as there were all those miners walking around with all that money. As miners poured into Northern California, gaming houses sprouted up all over the region providing the men with Poker, music and women. As a result, San Francisco became the gambling capital of the country with gunfights at the gaming tables not an unusual event.

As the area grew and became more civilized, gambling was outlawed ? first in Nevada in 1909, with California not far behind.

In the mid-1930?s, illegal casinos in California were being run by Ernest J. Primm under the patronage of corrupt Gardena mayor Frank Shaw. After Shaw was recalled by the voters of Los Angeles, Primm?s casinos were raided and closed. However, Primm would not give up his enterprises. While reading the 1872 California statute outlawing gambling, he discovered that the listing of illegal games did not include poker.

Consequently, he was able to have California card rooms legalized and the poker rooms in Gardena were the playgrounds of movie stars for the next forty years. In 1987, the Gambling Statute was again brought to light. However, a judge ruled that all games of skill were legal which included Omaha, Seven Card Stud Poker and Texas Hold?em Poker making Southern California one of the most popular areas in the world to play Poker.

World Series of Poker (WSOP)
2006 Harrah?s Rincon Casino and Resort Circuit Tournament

Harrah?s Rincon Casino in San Diego marked the 9th stop in the 2006 World Series of Poker Circuit Tournaments. Following are the winners of the events that took place from February 26th thru March 8th, 2006:

- February 26, 2006 Sunday Event #1, No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $300 + $40
- Winner of the event was Norm Ketchum ? Prize Amount $39,722
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $175 + $25
- Winner of part 2 of February 26th event was Max Shapiro ? Amount of Prize $13,668

- February 27, 2006 Monday Event #2, No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $500 + $50
- Winner of the event was Edward Nassif ? Amount of Prize $26,408
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $175 + $25
- Winner of part 2 of February 27th event was Timothy Glass ? Prize Amount $9,019

- February 28, 2006 Tuesday Event #3, Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $300 + $40
- Winner of the event was Michael Odeh ? Amount of Prize $13,724
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $175 + $25
- Winner of the event was Kevin Blakey ? Amount of Prize $8,851
- March 1st, 2006 Wednesday Event #4, No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $500 + $50
- Winner of the event was Sirous Baghchehsaraie ? Prize Amount $32,330
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $175 + $25
- Winner of the event was Peter Lynn ? Amount of Prize $9,915

- March 2, 2006 Thursday Event #5, No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $1,000 + $60
- Winner of the event was Gary Dolenga ? Amount of Prize $48,975
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $175 + $25
- Winner of the event was Jesse Fields ? Prize Amount $8,739

- March 3, 2006 Friday Event #6, No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $500 + $50
- Winner of the event was Philip Routsis ? Prize Amount $31,050
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $300 + $30
- Winner of the event was Stuart Stone ? Amount of Prize $14,885

- March 4, 2006 Saturday Event #7, Ladies Invitational No Limit Hold'em BuyIn: $200 + $25
- Winner of the event was Kelly Alberger ? Amount of Prize $8,190
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $175 + $25
- Winner of the event was Rob Eubanks - Prize Amount $12,772

- March 5, 2006 Sunday Main Event, Championship no Limit Holdem, Day 1 BuyIn: $10,000
- Chip Leader was Andy Bloch ? Chip Count 145,300
- No Limit Hold?em BuyIn: $175 + $25
- Winner of the event was Marc Tazbaz ? Prize Amount $5,867

- March 6, 2006 Monday Main Event Day 2
- Chip Leader was Kathy Liebert ? Chip Count 230,000
- March 7, 2006 Tuesday Main Event Final Table
- Winner of the Main Event was Darrell Dicken - Prizes: $373,780, a Championship WSOP Circuit Ring and a Freeroll Seat to the Tournament of Champions

- March 8, 2006 Wednesday Main Event, Championship No Limit Hold'em - Final
- 4th day of the Main Event did not take place due to the low number of entrants.
World Series of Poker History: How It All Began

The idea of this Poker championship was conceived way back in 1949 when Nicholas ?Nick, the Greek? Dandolos approached Benny Binion with a proposition. Nick wanted to play a Poker marathon against ?the best?. Consequently, Benny set up an arrangement between Nick and the famous Poker player Johnny Moss based on the premise that the match would be held in view of the public.

The marathon lasted for five months. The men played every type of Poker known and broke only to go to sleep. Each and every day, there were a number of people interested in the event who gathered outside the casino.

Moss eventually won. The prize was $2,000,000. When Nick lost his last pot, he said his last words which have become famous, ?Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.? Nick then went to bed.

Benny Binion was surprised at the attention given to the event but it was not until the year 1970 that he decided to stage a battle of the Poker stars which would decide who would actually be considered the World Champion. Some of the best players in the country attended this event which was the first World Series of Poker. By the way, the first winner was none other than Johnny Moss!

The entrants in the WSOP went from seven the first year to thirteen the second. In 1982, there were 52 entrants and in 2002, the event attracted 7,585 entrants. The WSOP is one of the oldest, largest, most prestigious gaming competitions in the world and receives a great deal of attention from the media.

The WSOP prize money is huge. Here are the top ten winners of the 2005 World Series of Poker:

1) Joseph Hachem of Melbourne, Australia won the first prize of $7,500,000.
2) Steve Dannenmann of Severn, MD was the second prize winner - $4,250,000.
3) Tex Barch of McKinney, TX won third prize of $2,500,000.
4) Aaron Kanter of Elk Grove, CA took fourth place with $2,000,000.
5) Andrew Black of Dublin, Ireland was fifth place winner with $1,750,000.
6) Scott Lazar of Studio City, CA won sixth place with $1,500,000.
7) Daniel Bergsdorf of Umea, Sweden was seventh place winner with a prize of $1,300,000.
8) Brad Kondracki of Kingston, PA took eighth place with a prize of $1,150,000.
9) Mike Matusow of Las Vegas, NV was ninth place winner with a prize of $1,000,000.
10) Ayhan Alscncak of Goteborg, Sweden took tenth place with $600,000.

In addition to the prize money, the winner of each WSOP Tournament also receives a solid gold WSOP bracelet. The winners of the most bracelets are:

- Doyle Brunson - 10 bracelets
- Johnny Chan - 10 bracelets
- Phil Hellmuth - 9 bracelets
- Johnny Moss - 8 bracelets
- Billy Baxter - 7 bracelets
- Eri Seidel - 7 bracelets
- Men ?The Master? Nguyen - 6 bracelets
- Jay Heimowitz - 6 bracelets
- T. J. Cloutier - 6 bracelets

Poker News "Live at the Bike" is a Poker show seen on television and streamed to the world wide web. The Bicycle Casino is a well-known and popular casino that has been in business in Los Angeles for the past 21 years.

The show's commentators, professional Poker players Bart Hanson and David Tuchman, helps us understand the multiple strategies of Poker played in a real casino by making skilled play by play calls. This show captures Poker as its really played at the tables in every casino and card club in the country. Featuring a variety of games and all limits, this show captures the drama, the passion, the :in-between hands? experience that you only get at a real table???.

Unlike televised shows and Internet properties that focus on Tournament Poker, this is the only show where Poker is the real star. It?s not so much about the celebrities or the money. It?s about the sport and passion of Poker presented in its purest form. It?s not a staged and edited production on a set; it?s filmed in a real casino, with cold, hard cash on the line with every hand. This show gives viewers the unique chance to literally sit at the table with players of all calibers of experience and learn from the wins, and the fallout from mistakes made.?

North American Poker Tour

Who will be the first NAPT Champion? The Hollywood Park Open is scheduled to take place from May 8th to the 20th at the famous Hollywood Park Casino. There will be 25 events with a guaranteed $2 million Prize Pool No Limit Hold?em Championship Event. Some of the top Poker professionals scheduled to compete are:

- Joseph Hachen (2005 WSOP Champion)
- Daniel Negreanu
- Antonio Esfandiari
- Mike Matusow
- Michael Gracz
- ?Hollywood? Dave Stann
- Gavin Smith.

Qualifying tourneys start on May 8th , will be held daily until May 15th and are open to the public. Those who wish to participate in the $10,000 Main Event must meet any of the following requirements:

- You must be listed in the top 200 of Card Player or Bluff Magazine
- You must win a qualifying tournament at Hollywood Park Casino.

California Poker/Gambling Trivia

- Total number of gaming machines in the State of California is 58,101 and total number of table games is 3,162.
- Most casinos in a California city = 13 in Santa Clarita. There are 26 gaming machines and 65 table games. However, none of these casinos are land based. They are all located on Princess Line cruise ships which are moored at the city?s port.
- Largest casino in the State of California is the Pala Casino Resort and Spa located in the City of Pala. There are 85 table games and 2,250 gaming machines.
- California has the second largest number of casinos and card rooms in the United States - second only to Nevada.
- Card room growth is expected to quadruple the number of tables in California over the next few years from 1,774 to 5,429.
- Gamblers in California must be a minimum of 18 years old. However, if alcohol is served in the casino or card room, the minimum age of players is 21.
- By State law, liquor sales in California end at 2 am.
- Unlike Nevada casinos, California casinos are not permitted to give free drinks to gamblers.
- California card rooms are not allowed to have locked doors at any time so that all areas are accessible to inspectors.
- No more than twelve players at a time are permitted at any Poker table.
- California law requires that Poker players do not play against the house ? they play against each other. The house makes money by the dealer taking a ?rake? off each game.
- Native American casinos are allowed to have slot machines as well as table games. Casinos that are not run by Indians are permitted to have table games only and are prohibited from having slot machines.

California Casino Guide and Poker Room Listings...

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