Wed, 03/02/2011 – 23:18 – PokerPages Staff

#5 – Keep your advice to yourself
Poker players may from time to time attempt to incite opponents into playing on tilt, but only empty-headed know-it-alls offer unsolicited advice on how others should play their hands.  Even if you think it, don’t say it.  Just don’t.

#4 – Pay attention, 007
These are the words of mild admonishment spoken by gadget-maestro Q to an inattentive 007 in the Bond movies.  But they constitute good advice for the poker room, too – there’s nothing more annoying than a player gawping idly at the table waiting for the next player to take his turn when it’s actually been his turn for the last five minutes.

#3 – Slide the chips, don’t throw
No matter what you might have seen in the movies, tossing your chips into the center of the table is considered the height of bad manners, not unlike slinging your sandwich crusts onto your host’s floor after a bite or two.  Keep chips neatly stacked in front of you and slide them calmly into the middle of the table when everyone else does.

#2 – Always act in turn
You might instantly know that the cards you have in front of you are turkeys but always wait until it’s officially your turn before folding.  If you fold, raise or turn out of turn, it unfairly favors some players and disadvantages others.  The chances are you won’t be invited back.

#1 – Button your lip during a hand
Resist the temptation to pour forth with your speculations about what might be about to happen during a hand.  Keep notions like this on the inside of your skull, not clattering through the airwaves into other players’ ears.  You have to sit zipper-mouthed throughout the game – you can freely share your thoughts after the hand is finished.

Wed, 03/02/2011 – 01:28 – PokerPages Staff

Season 7 of the High Stakes Poker game show premiered on Sunday evening as new host Norm Macdonald took the reigns for the first time.

Macdonald, who was a surprise choice to replace former favorite Gabe Kaplan, oversaw a star-studded table which included Poker Hall of Famer Doyle Brunson and Team PokerStars Pros Vanessa Selbst and Barry Greenstein.

Selbst got the action underway at the Bellagio, rasing from early position with Ah-Qc. Robert Croak called from the cut off with pocket jacks and Bill Klein (Ks-7s) and David Peat (9d-8h) also came along for the ride.

Selbst fired the first bullet on the 4s-2h-9h flop for $7,600 and Croak min-raised to $15,700. Klein and Peat mucked but Selbst continued her interest in the hand.

A 5h on the turn prompted Selbst to fire a second barrel for $28,400 and Croak finally gave up as the 26 year-old dragged down the pot.

The next big action came when Phil Ruffin limped with pocket threes. Brunson made it $4,900 to go with 7s-5s and Selbst called with pocket queens. Antonio Esfandiari also wanted to see a flop as he limped in with 10d-9d.

Esfandiari bet $17,000 on a 4c-9c-3d board and Ruffin elected to smooth call with his flopped set. Selbst re-raised to $63,800 and Ruffin then made it $117,100 to go.

Selbst tanked before jamming all of her chips into the middle. Ruffin snap called and the 6d and 6h turn and river were no help for Selbst as Ruffin snared the huge $474,100 pot.

Ruffin was also involved in the last notable hand of the evening after meeting Esfandiari’s $6,000 raise with Ad-8h. He was in bad shape as Esfandiari held Ac-Qd and it seemed like he would bleed a significant percentage of his stack when an Ace hit the felt on the flop.

Esfandiari fired an $8,300 bullet only for Ruffin to four bet to $38,300. Esfandiari responded by moving all his chips into the middle, forcing Ruffin to fold.