March 29 2011, Rich Ryan

On March 21, 2006, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey tweeted the first message: “just setting up my twttr.” Now, five years later, Twitter users send 50 million tweets per day and nearly one billion per week.

The Twitter explosion has had a direct effect on the poker world. It’s the most powerful marketing tool for players, online poker sites and casinos because it allows you to instantly speak with your fans or customers. Two of the most important poker tweeters are World Series of Poker Vice President Jack “@WSOPTD” Effel and World Poker Tour Executive Tour Director Matt “@SavagePoker” Savage. They go to Twitter for feedback regarding their respective tournaments and they love the social networking tool because it allows them to discuss issues in a public forum. This saves them time – there is no paperwork involved – and it allows other people to read and comment, making it a larger conversation.

Other noteworthy tweeters include Kevin “@Kevmath” Mathers, who disseminates information at lightning speed. Joe “@joesebok” Sebok, who has over a million followers. And Doyle “@TexDolly” Brunson, who is 77 years old and still tweets to his more than 300,000 followers.

The relationship between Twitter and the poker industry is not perfect, however, and that’s where we come in. Below we’ve listed ten rules that – if followed – will enhance the Twitter experience for players, fans, media and all other consumers. They might also bring a little peace to the Twitter war front.

(NOTE: We are probably guilty of breaking all of these rules at some point, but admission is the first step to recovery, right?)

Twitter Rules

1. No Texting

It’s acceptable to send a couple of “@” messages back and forth with someone but sending six or seven in a row clogs everybody’s time line. Unless the conversation you’re having is relevant to your followers, take it elsewhere. You can send the person a text or direct-message (DM) them but please stop spamming my page with your dinner plans.

2. Stop Beefing

During March, there have been a handful of Twitter-wars, including a spat between the aforementioned Joe Sebok and Jonathan “@JonAguiar” Aguiar. Both people were at fault, Sebok should’ve never pushed the “send” button, and Aguiar should not have posted the message. DMs are private and should be kept as such, except in an emergency or if the sender gives permission to post it. The overarching theme is that personal issues should not be dealt with on Twitter. While tweeting is efficient, talking face-to-face is still the best way to remedy larger problems.

3. Don’t Trash Your Table

This one is for everybody, but it is especially pertinent for popular players. When you sit down at a poker table – whether it’s a cash game or a tournament – don’t start tweeting about how soft the table is or how bad the players are. This is a bad habit because (1) even if you don’t know who you’re playing against, they might know you and follow you on Twitter, and (2) you come off as arrogant. Tweeting a few names is perfect because then our tournament reporters know where to go, but giving away free information and boasting your own ego isn’t a good idea.

4. Tweet Your Suckouts

Bad beat stories are the worst, especially on the tournament circuit or during the WSOP. We hear them all day, every day, and the routine gets old fast. If you are going to tweet bad beats then you must tweet your suckouts as well. Variance works both ways and so should the information you convey on Twitter. For bonus points, you can add “#Isuck” or “#oops” to these tweets, as well.

5. How to Post Chip Counts

Tournament chip counts should never ever have “$” signs in front of them. The only symbol that should precede a tournament chip count is a capital “T” for tournament. The use of dollar signs should be restricted to cash games.

6. Use the “#” Symbol

Random information doesn’t help anyone. Online and live tournaments run every second of every day, so if you tweet a chip count, tell us what you’re playing using the “#” symbol. This rule is especially helpful for unknown players who want media coverage because it leads us to you. If you’re feeling really daring, then add your table number, but we understand why some players don’t want to be identified (see rule number 3.)

7. Don’t Retweet the Chimes of a Famous Clock Tower Every Hour on the Hour

#UnfollowShane

8. Keep Your Handle Simple

The simpler your Twitter handle is, the easier it is to find and “@” mention you. Vanessa “@VanessaSelbst” Selbst recently changed her handle from her online name “FslexcDuck” to her actual name and it made everyone’s life a little easier. Players who should follow suit include Ashton “@arfarfhowl” Griffin, Kevin “@BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul and Andy “@bkice_” Seth. Changing your handle is quick and easy, so you have no excuse not to do so.

9. Be Responsible

If you represent a site and tweet promotions for it, then everything you say can and will be connected with your employer. So when you are out having a good time, try to censor your tweets if necessary. Likewise, if there is a big debate raging, think before you tweet. Our emotions get the best of us at times — we’re human — but don’t allow them to ruin your reputation and marketability. Of course, you can always take the @AsianSpa route and create an anonymous account. Then you can fire off anything you want and not worry about the consequences.

10. Be Entertaining

Erik “@Erik_Seidel” Seidel hardly tweets about poker, but when he does, it’s short and sweet. Instead, he makes us laugh with dry jokes like “Told my daughter it’s been a great month, so I’m playing the 250k w house money. She said, ‘​I hope that’s figurative speech’” or “Wish hotels had a ‘Do Not Disturb Unless You’ve Got Chocolate’ sign to leave out.” If you don’t follow the rules, then the least you can do is make us laugh. We promise we’ll try not to complain if you do.

Disagree or have your own rules for Twitter? Then tweet them at us!

*Photo courtesy of SmashingMagazine.com

March 28 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

You may not have hit the $319 Mega Millions jackpot over the weekend, but you did hit the “top poker news stories of the day” jackpot by checking out the Nightly Turbo. In this edition, you’ll find out how you could get a coaching session by Tom “durrrr” Dwan, an update from the World Poker Tour Vienna, and more.

In Case You Missed It

Grinding online and traveling the poker circuit can be hectic and tiring. In the latest edition of the Sunday Grind, Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee shows you his on-the-road grind station and gives you his tips if you’re planning on being a traveling grinder.

Did you miss the newest episode of High Stakes Poker Saturday because you were too caught up with the March Madness games? Don’t worry, we’ve got a recap of all the high-stakes action for you.

FSN’s coverage of the ninth season of the World Poker Tour continued on Sunday night. If you missed the episode, you can catch up on the action from the Festa al Lago in the WPT recap.

Fourteen players added six-figure scores to their bankrolls Sunday. Want to find out who? Check out the Sunday Briefing for the results from Sunday’s biggest tournaments.

Daniel Negreanu and Viktor “Isildur1″ Blom battled on the PokerStars virtual felt Sunday in a rematch of the SuperStar Showdown. We know you know that Negreanu didn’t do so well in their first match. How’d he do this time? You’re going to have to read the SuperStar Showdown recap to find out.

Expert Insight from Durrrr and Others

Last week, we alluded to Phil Ivey teaching us to play poker, but we can’t say more for sure because his website is still “Coming Soon!” That’s OK, we’ll move on – for now. If we can’t have Ivey, we’ll take Tom Dwan or Patrik Antonius.

Brandon Adams started a thread on TwoPlusTwo on Friday that outlined his new project, a company called Expert Insight. What does this have to do with coaching? Well, Dwan, Antonius, Ben “Sauce123″ Sulsky, and Chris “GoMukYaSelf” Sparks have signed on with the site to offer coaching.

The calls with the pros will last one-hour over Expert Insight’s audio-video technology — kind of like Skype. Antonius and Dwan are going for $3,000, according to Adams’ post. There have been bids in the thread, but we can’t be sure which are legit.

The a majority of the proceeds from the calls will be donated to Morris Jeff Community School in New Orleans.

The website launches on April 18. To find out more, check out Adams’ thread on TwoPlusTwo.

World Poker Tour Vienna

The World Poker Tour is in Vienna, Austria, for its latest stop. In all, 555 players entered the event, creating a record for the largest WPT field on European soil. Arnaud Mattern, Vitaly Lunkin, Tony G, James Akenhead, Leo Margets, Bertrand Grospellier, and Dragan Galic are just a few of the notable pros to take part.

Pascal Lefrancois bubbled the official final table in ninth place when his ace-nine failed to hold against Dmitry Gromov’s king-ten. The final table will kick off on Tuesday at 1300 CET (4 a.m. PDT) and will be live-streamed, hole cards and all, on the PartyPoker Blog with commentary provided by Mike Sexton and Jesse May.

WPT Vienna Final Table Lineup

For more, head on over to the PartyPoker Blog.

Online Poker Legislation Efforts Being Noticed

On Monday, the Los Angeles Times ran a story summarizing the recent developments in the online poker legislation front. The piece touched on the Caesars Entertainment and 888 Holdings relationship, as well as the PokerStars and Wynn partnership that was formed last week.

“I’d be willing to bet that no major gaming legislation has ever passed in Nevada that has been opposed by the state’s largest casinos,” I. Nelson Rose, Whittier Law School professor and expert in gambling law said.

A quote from MGM Resorts spokesman, Alan Feldman, pushed for regulation at the federal level, “Otherwise we end up with a patchwork of rules and regulations,” he said.

If you need to catch up on the goings on, you can do so at LATimes.com.

Slide on Down

For those of you loyal Nightly Turbo readers, this bit is not news for you. If you’re new to the Turbo, or missed this somehow, this is something we here at PokerNews HQ are striving for.

When Phil Galfond bought a pair of penthouses in a luxury condo building in New York, he faced a dilemma — how to join them. Stairs would have been our first thought, but that’s why Galfond is featured in this Yahoo article. He decided to connect the two penthouses with a slide.

“The half-tube stainless steel slide starts on the top floor near the office, and lands below near both the living and dining areas. The sculptural slide is housed in a newly created 18′ tall double-height space, which includes custom designed glass railings,” Turett Collaborative Architects said. “The image of the stainless steel curves in front of the oversized window to the city beyond, to say nothing of the irrepressible glee of grown adults on the slide, is surprisingly poetic; with careful detailing, the playground element is an unexpectedly elegant addition to the space. Upon completion, the owner enjoys not only the newly combined total of 2,400 square feet, but also a new game room, office, putting green on the terrace, and of course, the slide.”

If you want to check it out, Yahoo.com has photos of Galfond’s slide. To let our boss know how much you want us to have a slide here at the office, tell him in our comments section below.

Calling the Clock: Erik Seidel

Kristy Arnett decided to catch up with Erik Seidel while at the World Series of Poker Circuit $10,000 Regional Championship in Rincon. Who does Seidel think will be the first player to win Player of the Year on the Onyx Cup tour? Why is he so awesome? You’ll have to watch the video to find out.

If you aren’t following PokerNews on Twitter, and you haven’t liked us on Facebook yet, you’re missing out. So why don’t you go do that.

We have one more $15,000 Sunday Million Freeroll with PokerStars left to qualify for, where $1,000 will go to the winner and 260 tournament tickets are up for grabs, including 45 Sunday Million Tickets.