The organizers of the World Poker Congress last week announced that Steve Lipscomb, president of the World Poker Tour, will deliver a keynote speech at the event, scheduled for June 27 – 28, 2006 at the City Conference Center in Stockholm, Sweden.

Lipscomb joins the leader of the other leading poker tour, Jeffery Pollack, the first commissioner of the World Series of Poker, for a keynote exacta at the World Poker Congress.

As poker invades your TV viewing schedule and Internet time, grows your fervent wish to play in one of those tournaments and win big prizes. No-Limit Texas Hold’em is the usual poker game you see on TV. And while it is arguably the most popular form of poker right now, you shouldn’t limit yourself to learning this variation alone.

Howard “The Professor” Lederer, a poker star and member of Team Full Tilt Poker, tells us that there is danger in specializing on No Limit Hold’em alone.

The World Poker Association (WPA), joins the MLB, NFL, FIFA, NHL and PGA as the sports world’s latest and most needed governing body. Where television and the Internet have fueled the multi-billion dollar poker boom, the WPA will unite the poker community under one banner.

The non-profit WPA is the only membership-based association for tournament poker that is not directly affiliated with any for-profit poker entity. It is the only non-profit organization that unites all entities of tournament poker into a single, member-based sporting association. Understanding the concerns and needs of both individuals and organizations within the industry, the WPA will reconcile tournament issues among all entities to establish uniform standards.

The organization has already attracted top names in the international poker community to its membership roster including: Joe Beevers of the Hendon Mob, poker philanthropist Barry Greenstein, Casey Kastle, Kenna “Cowboy” James, “Kill Phil” Author Blair Rodman and world-renowned Tournament Director, Matt Savage.

The Pennsylvania State Lottery has taken a bite at the poker popularity by using their lottery to help players make their trip to the World Series of Poker.

The Pennsylvania Lottery has been running their own scratch-off Hold ‘Em Poker game as a part of their lottery offerings, which now could help to send five people to the World Series of Poker. These five seats are being offered as a “second chance” prize for participants in the lottery who have losing Hold ‘Em Poker tickets. Through a rather easy process, five presumably Pennsylvania residents could potentially be seated in Las Vegas come July and August this year.

Bravo Network has announced that nine-time World Series of Poker champion Phil Hellmuth will take over the commentary chair that has been vacated by longtime co-host Phil Gordon on Celebrity Poker Showdown.

This alone should add a new texture to the program and we’ll see how patient this Phil is with some of the plays (or lack thereof) made by the celebrity participants. Dave Foley will remain to hold down the celebrity host seat in the Losers’ Lounge.

The most crucial decision you make in a Texas Hold’em game — whether your playing limit, pot limit, or no limit — is whether you will play your hole cards or not.

One factor to consider when making this decision is the position of the dealer button, so you know if you’ll be first or last to place a bet. If you have a strong starting hand and your first to bet, the best move is raising the pot. That way you’re trying to take control of the betting.

But if you have a middle, or weak hand, it would help if you’re the last to bet. That way you can gauge if your opponents have playable hands.

Another important factor is if you have a strong hand or not.

On April 1st, the 2006 Masters Series gets underway at Paradise Poker with a bang!

Masters 1 week is set to start on Saturday, April 1st and will feature over $4million in tournament guarantees for the week. Paradise is offering ‘BIG MONEY’ guaranteed daily tournaments along with a Final Main Event on Sunday, April 9th that will carry a $1million guarantee.

Poker dealers are a much-maligned group. Charged with maintaining order over a typically unruly gaggle of combatants, they can’t win. They have to work fast, enforce the rules, manage the bank and maintain a cordial demeanor while sitting at a table with nine bosses.

Often reviled by players for events over which they have no control, they have cards (and slurs) thrown at them regularly. Under eagle eyes and cameras in the sky, they have to push the money of reluctant losers to gloating winners. Their backs ache, their fingers stiffen and they have chiropractor bills. For this they get minimum wage.