Poker sites : Poker resources | Play poker online | Video poker strategies | Poker software
Poker articles : Poker game play | Sample poker deals | Poker hands | Poker betting | World Series of Poker

Poker resources

Card Games: Poker - A collection of annotated links and rules for several variants.

Card Player - Industry publication also featuring casino games and sports. Article archives, casino links, instructional books and tapes.

Gambling Poker - Rules for over thirty games, including common casino varieties and uncommon home games.

Gaming Gurus - Directory of game variations.

The Hendon Mob - Group of four UK-based pro players offering tips, a forum, a gallery and competitions.

Home Poker - Resource on non-casino games including the basics and a glossary.

Live Action Poker - Forums, interviews, "tips from the pros", streaming video and radio.

Mike's Poker - Learn the rules for over one hundred variants, indexed by title and amount of players.

Play Winning Poker - Strategy articles, news and a variety of instructional resources for both casino and online play.

Pocket Aces - Archive of over one hundred fifty of Maryann Guberman's columns from Casino Gaming.

The Poker Forum - Articles, tournament information, rules, forums, book reviews, trip reports, and television schedules.

Poker in the UK - Covers the playing public and informed list of places to play within the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Poker Pro - Membership site of an association providing advanced poker strategy and research for the professional players.

The Poker Project - Online poker room directory, where the players themselves provide reviews of each site. Also, poker rules, poker books, and strategies.

Poker Search - Cardrooms guide and forum topics about tournaments, trip reports, casino and online games.

Poker Tips - Strategy articles as well as cardroom reviews and other online playing information.

Poker Top 10 - Lists on topics such as online rooms, rules and players.

Poker UK - Guide to basics, etiquette and UK casinos offering poker.

Poker-Images - Poker photo library. Classic poker pictures as well as photographs from the latest tournaments.

PokerInEurope.com - Message board and coverage of European clubs and tournaments.

Poker.net - Articles, rules, cardroom directories and online tournament information.

PokerPages - Searchable database of cardrooms, daily-updated tournament results, player profiles, tips and articles.

Pokersyte - Games rules, strategies, and tips from "Bullet Bob" Maxwell.

Pokerworks - Stories from both sides of the green felt, as well as Bellagio Casino tournament information.

Rec.gambling.poker FAQ - Answers to frequently asked questions from the usenet newsgroup.

RecPoker.com - Web-based newsreader for the rec.gambling.poker newsgroup.

Serious Poker - Resources, links, articles and Dan Kimberg's dictionary.

Two Plus Two Publishing - Moderated discussion forum hosted by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth and Ray Zee. Also sells their books.

United Poker Forum - Moderated discussion forum hosted by authors Mike Caro and Roy Cooke.

2004 World Series of Poker - Official website for the 35th annual World Series of Poker. Summary of events, tournament schedules, news and history.

World Series of Poker Retrospective - University of Nevada, Las Vegas look at the history of the game's oldest tournament.

Play poker online

Americas Card Room - Play live games and tournaments for fun or real money.

CCC Poker - Supported by Europe's largest cardroom, the Concord Card Casino in Vienna.

CelebPoker.com - Hosts interactive games with a selection of mainly European celebrities. Contains biographies, game information including rules and security, screen shots, interviews, and a gallery. Also offers corporate events.

Dynamite Poker - Play live games and tournaments for real money or fun. No downloads.

24h Poker - Play live games and tournaments for fun or real money.

Lone Star Poker - Play for real money with players from around the world.

Pacific Poker - Cardroom associated with Casino on Net offering real money and free games.

Paradise Poker - Offering games against people from around the world for real money or just for fun.

Party Poker - Play for real money with players from around the world. Hosts PartyPoker Million tournament each year.

Planet Poker - Opened as the first poker room on the Internet in 1998. Author Mike Caro endorses the site and offers playing tips.

The Poker Club - Play for real money with players from around the world.

Poker Incorporated - Offers the ability to play at different affiliated cardrooms.

Poker Joint - Play for real money with players from around the world.

Poker Room - Java, non-download games can be played on Linux and Mac computers without an emulator program. Also a downloadable client.

Poker School Online - Providing weekly lessons, tests, tournaments, interactive practice play and other multimedia instruction.

Poker Stars - Live games and multi-table tournaments. Home of the World Championship of Online Poker.

Pokeroo.com - Pokeroo offers variety of poker games including texas holdem, omaha, stud, tournaments, progressive badbeat jackpots and high hands.

Pokertropolis - Play for real money or just for fun with players from around the world.

Popular Poker - Play for real money with players from around the world.

Prima Poker - Information on the network of sites using Microgaming poker software.

SkillPoker.com - Play multiplayer poker for real money or for fun.

Sunrise Poker - Providing a downloadable software that offers various types of games to play for fun or for real money.

TigerGaming.com - Offers multiplayer card games for fun or real money, including Chinese Poker, Texas Hold'em and Big 2.

Total Poker - Play Holdem or Stud for real money with players from around the world.

Tribeca Tables - Victor Chandler Poker and associated cardrooms.

True Poker - 3-D Texas Holdem and Omaha ring games and multi-table tournaments in both free and real money environments.

Ultimate Bet - Play with people around the world. Also offers information from champion players who endorse the site.

World Poker Exchange - Cardroom associated with the World Sports Exchange sportsbook.

Video poker strategies

Fat Tony's Video Poker - Strategy with a focus on positive expectation and skill elements.

Jeff Lotspiech's Video Poker Page - Strategies for several types of games, as well as related resources including a "gambler's ruin" calculator.

Mastering Video Poker - Ted Knuden's strategy.

Video Poker Help - Shows the cost per hour of playing and lists pay schedules for different games.

Video Poker Home Page - Skip Hughes' membership site offering articles, book reviews, strategy tips, and Video Poker Player magazine.

Video Poker King - Strategy, tips, payoff charts, articles, books and latest news.

Video Poker Player - Game descriptions, odds, payouts, tips and strategies.

Video Poker Review - Dedicated to help players find where to play in both online and land-based casinos.

Video Poker Strategy - Offers rules, strategy and advice.

Poker software

Acespade Software - Package delivers simulations of various poker games. Also blackjack and video poker. [Win]

Adaptive Poker - Offers the ability to play Texas Holdem against computer opponents that can adapt to the user's playing style.

Dogs Playing Poker - First-person, 3D card game for the PC, bringing the famous dogs to life.

The Edge - Database software to track player habits playing online. Demo available.

720 Holdem - Windows software companion tool for use while playing Holdem online.

Holdem Analyzer - Texas Holdem simulations and analyses. [Win]

Holdem Odds Calculator - Windows program calculates probability of different turn card and river card hands at the flop stage of Holdem.

Holdem Showdown - Specify an all-in hand situation for two or more players, and discover the chances of each player winning. [Win or Mac]

Holdem Winner - Program assists online Holdem players by calculating odds and making recommendations.

I Can See My Feet - Offers PC poker software. Computer players know how to bluff, semibluff and slowplay. Demo version available for download.

iPoker - Poker simulation software for Mac OS.

iPoker - Simulation software for the Macintosh OS X, 9 and 8 and Windows XP. Unlimited games of Seven Card Stud for all users, and additional variations for paying, registered users.

Online Poker Inspector - Instant odds and simulations for online holdem games.

The Pokalyzer - Provides statistical analysis of Texas Holdem situations of up to ten players. [Win]

Poker Analyzer - Analysis of texas holdem, omaha and stud hand situations.

Poker Clock - Software allows home and professional users to manage a poker game or tournament. Screenshots and free trial available for review.

Poker Countdown - Tournament timing software. Displays ante, blinds, and rings bell at end of each round. Screenshots and demo available.

Poker Tracker - Statistical program for analyzing Texas Holdem play using hand histories. Free trial version. [Win]

PokerBase - Statistical program analyzes an individual's Texas Holdem play at Paradise Poker using hand histories. [Win]

PokerCharts - Web-based application for analyzing long-term poker results, including an opponent tracking diary.

PokerHUD - Automatic odds calculator for use with many online poker sites.

PokerStat - Statistical database program. [Win]

Poki's Poker Academy - Training tool for Texas Holdem. News and demo version available.

Rococo Poker - Five card draw shareware game, playable alone or against three human or virtual players.

Saloon Poker - Play draw poker against a band of programmable, animated cowboys.

SourceForge.net: Pokersource - A repository for open-source software dealing with the simulation, analysis and play of poker.

Texas Hold'Em Odds Advisor - Shareware software for learning poker strategies and determining pot odds.

True Odds Poker Programs - Program for computing Holdem odds.

UK Tournament Poker - Tournament simulations. Registered version has more features. [Win]

Valley Forge Services - Poker software to improve playing odds. Program offers statistical odds for various poker holdings in stud and draw poker games

Wilson Software - Simulations of a variety of poker games. [Win]

Poker game play

Poker has hundreds of variants, but the following overview of game play applies to most of them.

A session of poker consists of any number of deals (also called hands, but the former term is less ambiguous). During each deal, players deal cards, make wagers into a central pot, and perform other actions of the game, the object of which is to win the money in the pot at the end of the deal.

A single deal of poker consists of one or more betting rounds, during which players make bets into the central pot or may drop out, forfeiting their interest in the pot. Between betting rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt.

At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot. Some deals may not reach the showdown phase if all players drop out but one, as explained below.

Someone must be selected to deal cards. In a home game the right to deal the cards typically rotates among the players clockwise, often marked by a button (any small item used as a marker, also called a buck). In a casino with a "house" dealer, a buck is still often rotated among the players to determine the order of dealing and betting in some games. At the beginning of each deal, the deck of cards is assembled and shuffled by the dealer, who offers the deck to the player on his right for a cut. That player cuts the deck toward the dealer, who then reassembles it and prepares to deal.

Depending on the game rules, one or more players may be required to place an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt. These are called forced bets and come in three forms: antes, blinds, and bring-ins (see Poker betting structure for more details). After the forced bets have been paid, the dealer deals a first round of cards, one at a time, clockwise, beginning with the player to his left. The manner and number of cards dealt varies with the particular variant being played.

After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. During a round of betting, there will always be a current bet amount, which is the total amount of money bet in this round by the player who bet last in this round. To keep better track of this, it is conventional for players to not place their bets directly into the pot (called splashing the pot), but rather place them in front of themselves toward the pot, until the betting round is over. When the round is over, the bets are then gathered into the pot. Beginning with a player determined by the rules of the particular game, each player in clockwise order may choose one of three actions:

Fold: The terms "drop" or "pass" are also used. The player places no money in the pot, relinquishes his cards, and takes no further action in this deal. This action forfeits the player's right to win the pot for this deal.

Call: The term "see" is also used. If the current bet amount is nothing, this action is called a check or "pass". The player makes his total bet for this round equal the current bet amount. For example, if he has not placed any money in the pot yet on this round, and the player to his right (who just acted before him) has placed a total of $5 in the pot, then the player must place $5 in the pot to call. If the player whose turn it is to act has already placed $2 in the pot on this round (because the betting has gone around the table more than once, or because that player posted a blind bet), then he need only place an additional $3 to bring his total bet up to the current bet amount of $5. A call maintains the player's right to keep his cards and possibly win the pot.

Raise: If the current bet amount is nothing, this action is called simply a "bet", or an open. The player increases the current bet amount by betting more than the amount sufficient to call. All remaining players (in order) are now required to call the new current bet amount to maintain their interest in the pot. If a player raises, and every other remaining player folds, so that the raiser is the only player left who can win the pot, he takes the pot immediately and no cards are ever shown.

Except in the case of a live blind, a player may not raise the current bet amount if he is the one who first set it. If it is that player's turn to act who first set the current amount, the betting round is closed and no further betting may take place in this round. This occurs when all other players have either called the amount or folded. All remaining players will have bet an equal total amount (except for some rare cases covered by table stakes rules).

After the first betting round is complete because every player called an equal amount, there may be more rounds in which more cards are dealt in various ways, followed by further rounds of betting (into the same central pot). At any time during the first or subsequent betting rounds, if one player makes a bet and all other players fold, the deal ends immediately, the single remaining player is awarded the pot, no cards are shown, no more rounds are dealt, and the next deal begins. This is what makes it possible to bluff.

After the final round of betting as determined by the game, if more than one player remains, then all players' hands are exposed and the player with the best hand (as determined by the rules of the game) wins the pot. This is called a showdown. In the case of ties, the pot is split among the tied players.

Sample poker deals

Here are some sample deals to show the order of betting. Assume that Alice is dealing, that Bob sits to her left, Carol to his left, and David to her left. Sitting at a table with actual chips will make it considerably easier to follow and understand the text below.

All players ante $1. Alice deals five cards to each player one at a time, beginning with Bob, and ending with herself. Bob has the first turn to bet, and there is no current bet amount, so he verbally declares "check"; this action calls the current bet amount of zero, so he keeps his cards. Carol now bets $2, placing that amount in front of her toward the pot. This is a raise, and makes the current bet amount $2. David calls, by placing $2 in the pot (he did not have the option to check, because there was a non-zero bet amount facing him). Alice now reraises, placing $10 in the pot. This makes the current amount $10. It is now Bob's turn again. He folds, discarding his cards, and will take no further part in the action. On this deal, he has lost $1, the amount of his ante. Carol now calls Alice's raise by placing $8 more into the pot, which, along with the $2 bet she made earlier, matches Alice's $10. David now folds, discarding his cards. He has lost $3 on this deal: the $1 ante and his $2 call of Carol's first bet. Because it is now Alice's turn, and she was the player who set the current amount, the betting round is closed (she cannot raise her own bet). All remaining players (Alice and Carol) have now bet an equal amount ($10). All of the bets are now gathered into the central pot, which is now $26. A second round begins with Alice and Carol replacing one or more of their initial five cards with new ones from the remainder of the deck (they are playing a variant of draw poker). It is Carol's turn to act first on this round (she is the first player to the dealer's left now that Bob has folded). She checks, betting nothing. Alice bets $10. Carol calls, closing the second betting round. The new bets are gathered into the pot, which now contains $46. Because the game they are playing has only two rounds, the betting is now complete and Alice and Carol show their hands. Carol has the best hand, so she wins the showdown and takes the $46 pot. She has made a profit of $25 ($46 less the $21 she bet). Alice has lost $21.

On this second deal there is no ante. Alice deals three cards to each player, two downcards (dealt face down) and one upcard, as called for by the game they are playing (a variant of stud poker). David is dealt the lowest-ranking upcard, so according to the betting structure of this game, he is required to post a bring-in of $1. This is a forced bet under the game rules, so he may not check even though there is no current bet amount facing him. He also has the option to bet more than the required bring-in if he desires, but he chooses to simply bet the required $1, which sets the current bet amount to $1. It is now Alice's turn, and she can either call the $1, fold, or raise (she cannot check, because David's $1 set the current bet amount). She folds, indicating this by turning her upcard face down and discarding her cards. Bob now bets $5, setting the current amount to $5. Carol folds. David may now call by placing additional $4 with his initial $1 bring-in, but he chooses to fold, relinquishing his $1. Bob is now the only remaining player, and so he wins the pot (which consists only of David's $1 and his own $5). There is no showdown, but Bob chooses to voluntarily show his cards anyway, and shows a worthless hand. Bob's bet was a bluff, and was successful.

On this third deal there is no ante, but Bob posts a $1 blind and Carol posts a $2 blind. Alice deals two downcards to each player. It is now David's turn to act (because he is the first player after the big blind), and the current bet amount facing him is $2, so he cannot check. He chooses to fold. Alice calls the $2. Bob also calls, placing an additional $1 with his small blind to bring it up to $2 total. It is now Carol's turn. She is the one who set the current bet amount of $2, so this would normally end the betting round; but because her $2 was a "live" forced blind and she has not had an opportunity to raise voluntarily, she is given the option to raise at this point. She chooses not to, an action called checking her option. This ends the first betting round, and the $6 pot is gathered into the center of the table. Alice now deals three face-up community cards in the center of the table as called for by the game they are playing (a variant of Texas hold 'em). It is now Bob's turn to act first, since he is on the dealer's left. He checks (there is no current amount facing him on this betting round). Carol bets $2. Alice folds. Bob calls, ending the round (the pot is now $10). Alice now deals another community card, and a third betting round begins with Bob again. He checks. Carol bets $4. Bob now raises, betting $8 (he has just made a deceptive play called a check-raise). Carol calls, placing an additional $4 on her bet to match Bob's. This closes round three, and the $26 pot is gathered. Alice deals a final community card. Bob now checks, and Carol checks. The fourth betting round is thus checked around, and ends. This is a four-round game, so that ends all betting. Bob and Carol show down their hands, and see that their hands are equal under the rules of their game. They therefore split the $26 between them, each getting $13.

Poker hands

The word hand in the game of poker is used to mean any of the following:

The set of cards held by an individual player during play. Joe took another look at his hand when Virginia raised. The term holding can be used for less ambiguity. In Texas hold 'em, these are more commonly known as hole cards or pocket cards.

The value of a player's hand, as determined by the rules of the game being played. Karen's hand was a flush, but lost to Steve's full house. The term hand value can be used for less ambiguity.

A single instance of poker game play, also called a deal. We played eight hands of draw poker, then eight hands of stud poker.

There are many poker variants, but unless otherwise specified in the rules of the variant being played, hands are evaluated using the traditional set of five-card hands. These are, from worst to best:

No pair (for example, A-Q-10-5-2)

One pair (for example, 10-10-K-7-4)

Two pair (for example, K-K-9-9-J)

Three of a kind (for example, 4-4-4-K-9)

Straight (for example, 9-8-7-6-5)

Flush (for example, K-J-8-7-4 of one suit)

Full house (for example, 2-2-2-Q-Q)

Four of a kind (for example, J-J-J-J-6)

Straight flush (for example, Q-J-10-9-8 of one suit)

Royal straight flush (only A-K-Q-J-10 of a single suit; not technically a separate hand, but sans wild cards the highest possible in poker [also called simply a royal flush])

Five of a kind (for example, 6-6-6-6-(Wild), only possible in Wild card games)

These hands are called the traditional hands or high hands.

Some games called lowball or low poker are played where players strive not for the highest ranking of the above combinations but for the lowest ranking hand. There are three methods of ranking low hands, called Ace-to-five low, Deuce-to-seven low, and Ace-to-six low. The ace-to-five method is most common.

Certain variants use hands of only three cards, either high or low. Three-card low hands can be ranked by any of the three methods above, although with three cards they become ace-to-three (rather than ace-to-five), deuce-to-five, and ace-to-four. The ace-to-three method is the most common, just as the ace-to-five method is most common method for five cards. Three-card high hands are ranked in one of two ways: either with or without straights and flushes. Without (which is the most common, and used such games as Chinese poker), the hands are simply no pair, one pair, and three of a kind. If you add straights and flushes, the order of hands should be changed to reflect the correct probabilities: no pair, one pair, flush, straight, three of a kind, straight flush. This order is used, for example, in Mambo stud.

Some poker games are played with a deck that has been stripped of certain cards, usually low-ranking ones. For example, the Australian game of Manila uses a 32-card deck in which all cards below the rank of 7 are removed, and Mexican stud removes the 8s, 9s, and 10s. In both of these games, a flush ranks above a full house, because having fewer cards of each suit available makes flushes rarer.

Some games add one or more unconventional hands, or have special exceptions to the rules above. For example, in the game of Pai gow poker as played in Nevada, a Wheel (poker) (5-4-3-2-A) ranks above a king-high straight, but below an ace-high straight. This is not the case in California, where the nearly identical game is played under the name Double-hand poker using traditional hand values.

General rules

The following general rules apply to evaluating poker hands, whatever set of hand values are used.

Individual cards are ranked A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (low).

Individual card ranks are often used to evaluate hands that contain no pairs or other special combinations, or to rank the kickers of otherwise equal hands. The Ace is ranked low in ace-to-five and ace-to-six lowball games.

Suits have no value.

The suits of the cards are mainly used in determining whether a hand fits a certain category (specifically the Flush and Straight flush hands). In most variants, if two players have hands that are identical except for suit, then they are tied and split the pot. Sometimes a ranking called high card by suit is used for randomly selecting a player to deal.

A hand always consists of five cards.

In games where more than five cards are available to each player, hands are ranked by choosing some five-card subset according to the rules of the game, and comparing that five-card hand against the five-card hands of the other players. Whatever cards remain after choosing the five to be played are of no consequence in determining the winner.

Hands are ranked first by category, then by individual card ranks.

That is, even the minimum qualifying hand in a certain category defeats all hands in all lower categories. The smallest Two pair hand, for example, defeats all hands with just One pair or No pair. Only between two hands in the same category are card ranks used to break ties.

The order in which cards are dealt is unimportant.

Poker betting

The game of poker as played today requires that players agree before play on allowable amounts for betting (called limits), and the use and amount of forced bets. These are collectively called the betting structure of the game.

The betting structure of a poker game is a more significant factor in its balance of luck and skill than the game variant being played. Higher forced bets and smaller limits increase the influence of chance. Smaller forced bets and larger limits increase the element of skill. Good games are carefully balanced so that skillful players will win in the long run while recreational players can win often enough for the game to be exciting to them.

Forced bets come in three forms: antes, blinds, and bring-ins. Home games typically use a small ante only. Casino games typically use blinds for draw poker and community card poker games, and an ante plus bring-in for stud poker games (very small limit stud games may even omit the ante). A good balance is for the total of all forced bets to equal one or two times the betting limit for a game. For example, if eight players play a game with a $2 betting limit, a $.25 or $.50 ante would make a well-balanced game, as would a game with $1 and $2 blinds, or a $.25 ante and $1 bring-in.

Betting limits apply to the amount a player may open or raise, and come in four common forms: no limit, pot limit (the two collectively called big bet poker), fixed limit, and spread limit.

All such games have a minimum bet as well as the stated maximums, and also commonly a betting unit, which is the smallest denomination in which bets can be made. For example, it is common for a games with $20 and $40 betting limits to have a minimum betting unit of $5, so that all bets must be in multiples of $5, to simplify game play. It is also common for some games to have a bring-in that is less than the minimum for other bets. In this case, players may either call the bring-in, or raise to the full amount of a normal bet, called completing the bet.

Outside of the United States, pot limit and no limit games are the most common. Most American home games are played with a spread limit, while casino games are played with spread or fixed limits, though larger casinos may have a high-stakes pot limit or no limit game as well. Fixed limit and spread limit games emphasise the skill of estimating odds, whereas pot limit and no limit games emphasize the skills of game theory and psychology. Almost all poker players believe that pot and no limit poker involve more skill than fixed limit play. A few prominent players, most notably Mason Malmuth, believe that the richer tactics make fixed limit more skilled. Although the main event at the World Series of Poker is played no limit, most high stakes cash games are fixed limit, so it is unclear which format is the experts' choice.

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker is the most prestigious set of poker tournaments in the world. Since 1970 (when it had seven entrants) it has been held annually at Binion's Horseshoe casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since then it has grown in popularity every year. In 2000 there were 4780 entrants in various events. In 2004 there were over 13,000, including 2576 in the Championship event alone, triple the number in 2003. The $5,000,000 first prize and total prize pool of more than twenty-five million dollars for the Championship event is by far the largest for any sporting event.

The Series consists of many events of different poker variants, each of which awards the winner a gold bracelet signifying the world championship of that event. The final event of the series, widely considered the world championship of the game of poker, is the $10,000 entry no-limit Texas hold'em championship, a week-long event. The winner of this event also has his picture installed in the "Gallery of Champions" at Binion's.

History

Some historical highlights include Jack Strauss's win, which was a comeback after having lost all but one chip of his stake early in the tournament, and Stu Ungar's third win 16 years after his repeat, having spent many of the intervening years out of competition and addicted to cocaine.

Johnny Chan won the Championship event in 1987 and 1988, then finished second to Phil Hellmuth in 1989.

Billy Baxter dominated the Deuce-to-seven draw poker event for many years, winning five bracelets and twice finishing second. He has a sixth bracelet in Ace-to-five draw.

Players who have won bracelets in a draw poker event, a stud poker game, and a community card poker game are Mickey Appleman, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson (who has a total of eight bracelets in six different events, and a second place finish in 13-card Chinese poker), Johnny Chan, Johnny Moss, and Stu Ungar.

Chris Moneymaker won the main event in 2003 after qualifying through a $40 satellite tournament at the Poker Stars (http://www.pokerstars.com) online cardroom. Four players at the final table of the 2004 main event qualified through PokerStars as well, including the winner, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer and second place finisher David Williams.

Harrah's has announced that the 2005 Series will be held at the Harrah's-owned Rio Casino, just off the Las Vegas strip, with only the final day of the main event held downtown at the Horseshoe.

Source: information here is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Poker. Check that site if you need more information on Poker variants and strategy.