Review of "21"

'21" is a movie out of its time. The public craze of gambling-poker, five card stud and the like-which started (and arguably stopped) in the earlier part of this decade is the central theme. More specifically, how to cheat at the card games in a casino. Had the film, based on a true story, been released before the last star crossed gambling film (2007´s oft-delayed and much criticized "Lucky You"), it may have stood a chance. But even with household names like Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne to anchor the cast of relative newcomers, it is a story trying to recapture a fad. Almost like the net effect of a movie based on the 1990´s collectible dolls called Trolls. It preys on our (presumably good) memories about "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and "Rounders" while reinforcing a negative message about cheating.
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) has a problem. While he´s a veritable genius, he wants to get into Harvard Medical School. The problem? The estimated $300,000 for admittance. So he falls into a card counting "club" headed by Professor Micky Rosa (Spacey). When the group initially scores big in Vegas, a security officer (Laurence Fishburne) starts to notice Ben in particular. Then, the game is afoot.
There is an episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" which handles this basic premise with more flair, fun and stakes than "21" can ever hope to. In that installment, the senior staff of the space station play along in a holographic simulation of Las Vegas in order to "steal" money and prevent a holographic friend from being "killed." It sets up the science fiction plot and runs the audience through the entire scheme using video montage with a voiceover. In essence, we see the way the "theft" is supposed to go down before the crew attempts it, thereby allowing us to see where it goes wrong. "21" attempts a similar filmmaking construct using salt and pepper shakers, not to mention a mustard container, in a restaurant. The issue? This explanation relies on the audience to remember which of our newly introduced (and poorly drawn) characters corresponds to each of the jars on the table. Without that basic knowledge-to be fair, after the second successful Vegas trip, we pretty much know the drill-the movie becomes stagnant, maybe just a little bit boring.
About those poorly drawn characters: we know why Ben and, to a certain extent, his love interest Jill (Kate Bosworth) are involved in the gang. But the other three members? No idea. Presumably it´s to cover tuition and living expense, not to mention keep them all from working menial jobs. But there´s no "there" to them. Choi (Aaron Yoo), Kianna (Liza Lapira) and Fisher (Jacob Pitts) serve no function in the story other than to be glorified background extras for the blackjack scenes. Why have any of them signed on for this endeavor? The pull of a large pay day not withstanding, what is their individual motivation?
The story doesn´t seem to care about them, instead content to give them all single lines designed to flesh out the character. Choi gets drunk after their first win with Ben; Fisher meets up with a stripper or two. Then they recede into the background again. It´s a curious thing, to boot. A rather large development occurs with Fisher halfway through the film, suggesting a course of action for him. We expect to see it, based on all the conventions of the genre and films in general. Yet the adapted screenplay (from the book by Ben Mezrich) doesn´t go there, to its credit. Where it does go, as the final "twist," is quite obvious based on other information within the movie.
In Sturgess´ very first scene, I found myself cringing over the acting-or, rather, non-acting. As he talks to the dean of admissions, there is a scene the actor is doing nothing more than reciting lines with no emotion behind them. His face barely changes expression while the words coming out of his mouth fall harmlessly onto the floor. Perhaps that was the direction for the scene to show his progress from "nerd" to "cool guy." Thankfully, he gets much better quickly and the acting generally isn´t a problem.
Fishburne´s character Cole Williams is a problem, though. We´re given small drops of a subplot indicating his company is down to one client in Vegas since every security outfit is upgrading to facial recognition software. A worthwhile idea to explore, yet it falls completely by the wayside. The premise can´t sustain a film by itself, so it would need to be included in an existing concept, but the idea of man being pushed out by computers can be compelling. Williams as a character never is. He´s the obligatory bad guy, cigarette chomping and doing whatever needs to be done, no matter how illegal it may be.
Card counting is not illegal. That point is made several times, quite pointedly. So when Ben eventually gets found out (please, it´s not a spoiler…anyone who´s seen a movie knows it´s going to happen) and subsequently gets beaten up, a thought ran through my head: how is this legal? It can´t be, quite simply. A law suit would boil down to "he said, she said" most likely and bring undue media attention to the participants; as the movie tells us, though, it´s not illegal to count cards. Holding someone against their will, not to mention beating them up, has to be. It´s really the one false note in the film.
Side plots preaching the power of friendship and not letting friends down are ham-handed at best, clichéd at worst. Of course a guy who looks like Sturgess hangs around with a Jonah Hill-wannabe, lamenting his lack of luck with women. Cue rolling the eyes. If a film wants us to believe a character has a problem-say, blindness-don´t put said character in the drivers seat of a car. If you want to convey a virgin college student, then cast an actor we can buy in the role. Not Jim Sturgess.
(One comment on the ending: Ben is told he needs to dazzle Harvard Med to get the scholarship he needs. Specifically, the dean has to understand how far he´ll go to acquire the money. Now, in the final scene, we see Ben retelling his story in an attempt to "dazzle." If, for the sake of argument, Ben gets in, what does that say? Cheating is rewarded in the long run? It´s a message I don´t like, considering the way the movie is left. Sure, he gets beat up and loses a lot of money…but he gets a free ride to Harvard Med and gets the girl? Not the moral anyone wants to be projecting, I think.)
Despite all my misgivings (particularly thanks to unending advertising during "Big Brother"), "21" doesn´t fail nearly as much as it could have. Aside from being a couple years too late and a few character issues, it engages and never lets go, even when we think we´re one step ahead of the story. Is it great? Not even close. But it provides entertainment between the dog days of winter and the summer blockbusters. A 6 out of 10.

Poker Staking Site Snatched Up by Part Time Poker

Online poker website Part Time Poker announced recently the acquisition of a poker staking site called NeverBeg. The acquisition was staged in order to provide an additional service to the users of the Part Time Poker site. The additional traffic boost from Never Beg’s regular customers was also a factor: those users will now find the same services under a new name, Part Time Poker Staking, which boasts 15,000 members. Members post needs and offers for staking deals for poker tournaments, where one party offers to pay the buy in for another party in return for a share of any winnings.

Job fair at Texas Station April 4

Up to 80 companies will be at the next lasvegasjobs.com job fair taking place April 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Texas Station.

Dress for a first impression and bring lots of resumes, as you'll be able to interview for dozens of positions in one day. You'll also be able to network with other people.

Some of the companies attending include:

• Advanced Training Institute
• Consolidated Resorts
• Country Financial Services
• Cox Communications
• Credit One Bank
• Crescent School of Gaming & Bartending
• Cumming Corporation
• Dunkin' Donuts
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Excalibur
• Fairway Henderson Chevrolet
• Georgia Pacific
• Harrington & Reed, Inc.
• Hilton Grand Vacations
• Holiday Systems International
• KFC
• KVBC-TV Channel 3
• La-Z-Boy
• Luxor
• Mandalay Bay Resort
• Metro PCS
• MGM Grand Resorts
• Neiman Marcus
• Nevada Army National Guard
• North Las Vegas Police Dept.
• Pioneer Services
• Priority Staffing
• Ritz Camera
• Station Casinos
• The Nuance Group
• The Signature at MGM Grand
• Transportation Security Admin.
• U.S. Airways
• U.S. Border Patrol
• University of Phoenix
• Wells Fargo Financial
• Westgate Resorts
• Winder Farms
• Wyndham Vacation Resorts
• Yum! Brands

Poker Tables Sent To The Troops

A Tempe, Ariz., business owner did his part this week to support the troops in Iraq - he sent them some poker tables.

According to the Arizona Republic, Randy Ying donated three custom-built poker tables to a Marine Corps unit in Iraq this week.

The tables have already been constructed and packaged and will soon be on their way to Iraq, complete with the image of the Marine Corps group's VMM-162 logo on the felt surface.

Ying said in the Republic article that donating tables was just something he could do to make the Marines' time a little more enjoyable since they're risking their lives each day.

Ying, who owns Rye Park LLC, a gaming supply company, has used his goods to help support organizations in the past as well. He recently donated a poker table to a group of helicopter pilots in Odessa, Texas for a fundraiser.

Ying found out the Marine squadron was looking for poker tables when he was contacted by Capt. Zachary Webb, the squadron's family readiness officer.

Webb had seen Ying's Web site and inquired about obtaining tables for the troops.

"It's just a good way for me to do my part and support the troops," Ying said about his donation in the Arizona Republic.

The tables have already been sent to North Carolina, where the squadron is headquartered. From there they will be sent to Iraq.

Bluffing

Bluffing is one of the main elements in poker and that what makes it a unique & interesting game.

Imagine yourself for a moment that if in every poker game, every single player could have seen his opponent's cards. The best hand would always win… sounds great but boring. The truth is that poker is not absolute and segments of information does make it possible to win the big pot just by convince that you have the best cards in your hand -- and to make the other poker players believe in it. That's the essence of bluffing in a poker game.

In simple words to bluff means to bet or raise with an inferior or weak hand. Bluffing is a crucial skill under headline of "must" for an advanced poker player and it’s only a matter of the best timing & how to plan your move to bluff if you want to be a w-i-n-n-e-r.

Of course, It's easier to win when you're improving or when you're already a good poker player, but the odds are against you. In order to be a money maker, you’ll need to be able to win even with lower cards.
Then again, if you bluff too much and in the wrong positions, you’ll become a "donkey" or a "fish". It's only a question of right balance.

After we have review the theoretical part now we'll get to the practical side of bluffing.

There are two basic types of bluffs:

Pure bluff -- When a player makes a pure bluff, he bets or raises with a bad hand that has barley room for improving. For instance, if in a player has 2 7 off suit and raises, hoping everyone will fold.

Semi-bluff -- When a player bets on a hand that is probably not the best hand at that second, but has an option of improving later in the hand, it is called a semi-bluff. For example, if a player has 4 cards to a straight or flush in Texas Hold’em on the flop and bets, that’s a semi-bluff.

Bluffing- it's a question of timing!

Many players adopt a misconception that bluffing means that every X number of hands, you must pretend you have a big hand, no matter what he or she has or what other players appear to have. That theoretically perhaps is bluffing, because that player is trying to represent a bigger hand than they have -- but if you don’t take notice to the other players and select your spots, bluffing can "cost" you dearly.
Keep in mind: While bluffing is an important skill to learn, it is not a firm rule of poker game. Poker does not mind how much or how often you bet. You will not be measured by how often you bluff, but by how often it works for you.

The most perfect timing to bluff is when you encounter with one of the text cases:

• When you are in late position and no one before you is representing a strong hand.
• The board cards or cards you have showing make it potential for you to represent a strong hand.
• You have a table image of a rock
• When you have an understanding of the player's nature and thoughts or their Futuristic moves & sense they are weak and will fold to a bet or raise
• You are facing only one opponent

The Worst Time to bluff is when you encounter with one of the text cases:

• When you recognize the kind of player who will never folds.
• When you play against a player, who has a respected mount of money in his pocket that your raise or bet wouldn't considered as an actual threat to the point of forcing him to fold.
• There are still many players in the hand

Making Your Mark

What are your goals in poker? As players, our goals are as individual as we are.
Many up and comers are striving to be the next big “Brand Name” - the likes of Ivey, Helmuth, Brunson and others. They seek to make their mark with fame, fortune and instant recognition on the world poker stage, dreaming of being on TV, the newest poker celebrity. The art of poker and achievement may be secondary to their ultimate goal of just being famous for something, and poker may be the way in for them.
A large majority of players have dreams of winning the big one. Even though there are now many huge tournaments held around the world, most players agree the grandfather and ultimate BIG one, is still and always will be, the WSOP. Win this baby and you can flaunt it to the world by wearing the gold bracelet… which is always recognizable, even if your face is not. And, this is the time of year the wannabees gather, online and in Vegas, to take their shot at the moon with a BB gun. Their goal is to win a seat, to get in cheap by scoring in a satellite, of which there are thousands to choose from, both online and in poker rooms around the country. And so they play, dreams of besting Chris Moneymaker’s feat dancing in their heads.
Although there are thousands of players who have the “Name Brand” dreams, there are those few who have no aspirations of such grandeur. I know they must exist, as I am one of them. Never once in my 27 years of playing poker have I ever had a desire to play in the WSOP. I have been there, back in the last decade, before the poker boom hit and the cameras rolled. It was still a madhouse, so I can only imagine how insane it is today. Tournaments have never been my favorite way to play poker, and the thought of playing in them for hours or days, well, it sounds like purgatory to me. Maybe it is poker claustrophobia, but I prefer to play when I want and leave when I want. In a tournament, you are trapped there until someone tells you to take a break. Sure you can sit out, but wouldn’t you wonder, if the hand you are dealt when you are gone is that big one, the pocket Aces that would win a huge pot?

From meeting thousands of poker players over the years, I do know that my lack of enthusiasm for ever wanting to play the Big One puts me in the minority. But does this make me less of a poker player? Not to me it doesn’t. I am happy playing tournaments online, not fading the people, traffic, noise and being chained in a chair at a live poker table. Putting myself through all of that, to take a one in a gazillion shot at coming in the big money, well, it is just not on my agenda. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities, thousands in fact, to come into some serious money in tournaments online. I do take shots at these, and who knows, maybe one day I will get lucky and have a big payday. If so, it will be from the comfort of my own chair, in my own home, not a noisy chaos filled live venue.
No matter what your poker goals, they are right, for you, and that is all that counts. Whether you dream of being a Brand Name or just like to play for fun, no way is the wrong way. After all, it is your money and your time, so spend them both how you want and make your mark your way.
As for me, my goals are simple although not so easy. I want to build a bankroll from nothing. No monetary investment at all, not even one dollar, zip, zero, zilch. The size of my bankroll is of secondary importance, the main goal is building one, no matter how small. I have managed to do this, but holding on and building it has been a struggle. It takes hours of grinding, but in the end the sense of accomplishment is well worth it, no matter if I have $100 or $10,000 it is the fact of doing it, not the money amassed.
The people I admire in poker are not the Name Brands, nor the amounts of money they win. Players who get my respect are the ones who have made their mark by sitting at the table and playing their best game, day after day. The ones that have a good attitude, make the game enjoyable for all and take their beats like a wo/man, not a cry baby.
I have had a friend for years named Walt that I have always had the utmost respect for. Not only for his poker ability, but for the way he handles himself in a game. He is never out of line, has a great sense of humor and is a great winning player to boot. Walt is not famous, nowhere besides whatever local game he is currently playing in at least. But to me he will always be famous, one of my poker heroes. He was my mentor without even knowing it and I can never repay him for all he taught me. Not that I will ever be half the player he is, but I still aspire to be like him. Walt is also a professional; he has made a good living at poker for somewhere around 30 years, never holding a day job.
When I say a “good living” I mean he has paid for a custom built house, drives a nice car, lives well and put his daughter through college. These are things most people struggle to do in two income households, to do it playing poker is quite an achievement. And, his winnings don’t come from big scores in tournaments; they come from daily NLH ring games. Walt made his money in NLH when it was hard to find NL games, I can only imagine what his poker income is now, since NLH games are everywhere. I haven’t seen Walt in awhile, the last time was in Reno where he was a staple in the NLH game at the El Dorado three times a week. I picture him still there, and all the rookie hot shots trying to beat him and leaving without their shirts.

Name Brands come and go, one day they are in the spotlight and the next they have faded from view. During my years dealing poker, I saw many of them, famous then, unheard of now. Most of them were on a “tournament rush” for months or a couple of years, then poof, they were gone. Another thing most of them had in common was they were extremely lucky in tournaments, but total fish in ring games. I read that Doyle Brunson was asked what he thought about some of the new players on the poker scene, his reply was something like “Ask me again in 20 years.” I agree with him. The test of a great player is not what they do today, but if they are still doing it years from now with the same success.
Maybe you will never sport a gold bracelet, have your name on a wall or be on TV. But success and making your mark doesn’t necessarily mean any of those things. If you have reached your personal poker goals, then you have made your mark, even if you haven’t attained worldwide fame and fortune.
Grab a Chair…see you there!

Bad Position, Decent Cards by Howard Lederer

In the middle and later stages of tournaments, there are often times when you're forced to make a pretty big commitment on a relatively weak holding. These are uncomfortable spots because you never want to risk a large percentage of your chips with a mediocre hand. Things get even more difficult when you're playing from the blinds and out of position.

For example, say you're playing late in a tournament. The blinds are $500 and $1,000, and there's a $100 ante. You're in the small blind with $18,000. It's folded around to the button, an aggressive player who raises frequently in late position. He has $30,000 in his stack and he raises to $3,500. You look at your cards and see Ad-9s.

You know that A-9 isn't a great hand, but you can't ignore it in this situation. First off, given your opponent's history, he may very well be raising with a hand that is far worse than yours. In fact, in this spot, he could very well have two rags. Another consideration is that there are a lot of chips in play. Between the blinds, antes, and your opponent's raise, you stand to pick up over $5,000 in chips if you can take down this pot, which would be a nice addition to your short stack.

So, you're probably going to want to play this hand. But what's the best action?

At first, it might seem that calling is a reasonable course, as it would keep you from getting overly committed on this marginal hand. But calling has some pretty big downsides. With a hand like A-9, you're usually not going to like the flop very much. In fact, you'll fail to make as much as a pair about two-thirds of the time. If you do flop a pair of 9s, how are you going to proceed if the flop also has an over card? Even on an Ace-high flop, you'll have a tough time knowing if your hand is good.

What's more, if you miss the flop completely, you leave yourself vulnerable to being outplayed. It's going to be very hard to bet if the flop contains three cards that don't help your hand. If you check, your opponent will likely make a continuation bet, and you'll be hard-pressed to continue, even though Ace-high might be good.

In spots like this, your best move is to press an edge while you have it - before the flop. Re-raise all-in pre-flop. Your opponent probably won't have a hand that he can call with and, if he does, you'll have plenty of outs. You still have about a 25% chance against AK, for example. Not good, but not dead.

The important thing to keep in mind is that, in the later stages of a tournament, you don't want to make many decisions after the flop when you have a medium-strength hand like Ace-middle kicker or middle pocket pair, and you're playing out of position. Put your chips in while you think you have the best of it, and hope for the best. If you let these marginal but good situations pass you by, you might regret it later when your stack has been whittled down even further.

Howard Lederer

Annie Duke surprise appearance on NBC's Deal or No Deal

Annie Duke, a woman, made a surprise appearance on NBC's Deal or No Deal, the game show featuring Howie Mandel and 26 super hot models holding briefcases with varying amounts of money in them.

Apparently the contestant last night was a female poker player, and in the middle of the show, Annie came up on stage to offer a "deal" that included $133,000 in cash and a free trip to Annie's WSOP Academy ladies poker camp, 4 private poker lessons and some other stuff that was valued at a total of $25,000. The contestant's husband encouraged her to walk away with the Annie Duke lessons and the money, but she went against his advice and said, "No Deal."

In the end, the chick wasn't stupidly greedy like every other contestant on the show. She made it down to two cases, one had $25,000 and the other $1 million, and when she was offered $340,000, she took the deal.

So what was in her case? The million bucks.