Meet Sam the Casino Man...

The Pokerkeep is pleased to announce our association with 'Sam the Casino Man'. Sam's is the newest and coolest gambling forum on the web.... ok, maybe not THE coolest but it is pretty cool. And it is new!

What is really cool is that we are Sam's only "poker content" provider. Yup! The Pokerkeep officially has it's own forum at Sam the Casino Man for our readers and friends to chat, learn and share. We will be providing Sam's members with exclusive deposit bonuses, freerolls, money added tournaments and even some no deposit bonuses. Check our sub-forum, aptly called "The Pokerkeep" on a regular basis for the latest poker bonus offers, freerolls and special events.

Sam the Casino Man - Biggest deposit bonuses, No deposit bonuses & Gambling forum!

I invite you to join me at Sam's and share in the fun. We will be offering Sam's members a number of "Grand Opening" deals including freerolls and free cash! When you join, please introduce yourself and don't forget to enter the "NOOB" draw - each month, our new members have a chance to win $25 cash. It's free to join, do it now!

What will you find at Sam The Casino Man?
Besides the obvious casino, poker, slots and bingo reviews, we have a 'flash arcade', a 'YouTube' section, industry news, a rogue pit, CONTESTS, polls, private tournaments and you're gonna love our new and exclusive S CLUB. I can't give too much away yet, but S Club is gonna be an awesome rewards program exclusively for Sam's members.

Pop over to Sam the Casino Man and check it out! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Doyles Room Bounty Tourney Tonight

Don't miss the last Bounty before WSOP!
Get ready for the hottest WSOP party ever!

BLUFF Magazine Publisher, Eric Morris is Team Brunson's newest member. Bounty hunt Eric 'NoJaxx' alongside WSOP multiple-bracelet winners Doyle Brunson, T.J. Cloutier, and Hoyt Corkins this Wednesday at 9:30pm ET.

The World Famous Bounty Tournament.
For a $25+2.50 buy-in, you'll be able to chat, play and bounty hunt our special celebrity guests and legendary Team Brunson pros.

Small risk and huge rewards - Each bounty is worth $500!
Knock out two players and we'll make it $5,000. If you can take out three bounties, $25,000 and the story of a lifetime are yours.
What really makes this the best deal in poker is that first time bounty players will have their buy-in and fees returned at the end of the tournament....win or lose!

Safe Deposits Big Bonuses

U.S. and global players have an upgraded selection of options by visiting the Bank section of the game lobby. Cash in on the industry's best bonus on your first deposit. The Pokerkeep has the best Doyles Room deposit bonus anywhere. Use Bonus Code TPKE110B to receive 110% up to $550.

History of the Poker Chip

I found this article a long time ago (origin unknown) and originally posted it on my forum. I found it interesting and thought it was worth sharing here.

History of the Poker Chip

Poker chips, also known as cheques, have been around as long as the game of poker itself. In the beginning, poker chips were introduced as a way to keep track of the money in the game instead of using real coins which were confusing for the players. These first chips were made out of ivory, bone, and wood and each represented a real money equivalent. As the popularity of poker began to rise, these chips soon became a problem as the materials they were made of allowed shady characters to sneak their own "chips" into the game.

In order to prevent counterfeit chips from entering play, establishments began to develop their own chips with custom designs, weights, and special inlays that made them hard to duplicate. In the late 1800's to the mid 1900's these chips were made from clay. In the 1940's the plastic poker chip was developed and popularized in home games. Today, the best poker chips are found in the casinos, and while they are still called clay chips, they aren't actually made of clay. Instead they are made out of clay composite material such as clay, sand, and chalk.

Even with custom designs and weights, poker chips are still a security concern. Recently, casinos began to place RFID microchips inside their poker chips. This technology makes it very difficult for counterfeiters to duplicate the chips and has the benefit of being able to track where the physical location of the chip as well as the betting patterns of gamblers. However, these types of chips are very expensive to produce thus limiting the number of casinos using these new poker chips.

Introducing Betsson Poker

We're pleased to announce ThePokerkeep has partnered with Bettson Poker.



Betsson launched it’s poker room in July 2004. Betsson was then the very first partner of what was about to become the world’s largest poker network, Ongame. In addition to poker, Betsson also offer a wide variety of games such as a Sportsbook, Betting Exchange, Casino, Scratch Cards, Bingo and Trader. Betsson is listed on the OMX Nordic Stock Exchange in Stockholm, Sweden.

Betsson Poker of course focuses on Texas Hold'em but they also offer Omaha (Hi, Hi/Lo), 7 Card Stud (Hi, Hi/Lo) and 5 Card Draw. Omaha players always have a good selection of tables and games to choose from.

Betsson offers one weekly and one monthly cash back tournament with $2,000 guaranteed in the weekly tournament and $10,000 in the monthly tournament. You qualify to Cash Back weekly by gathering 200 player points a week and to VIP Monthly by gathering 1000 player points a month. Both goals are fairly easy to reach for a mid-level player and the amount of participants aren’t that high so there is quite a good value in these tournaments.

100% Bonus Offer!
The Pokerkeep has negotiated a special sign up deal with Betsson just to get our new partnership off on the right foot.

Sign up for a new player account and deposit a minimum of $10 and Betsson will credit your account with $1 for every 10 player points you accumulate. Use Bonus Code: POKERKEEP200 when signing up to qualify for this easy to clear bonus offer.

Betsson offers a wide variety of deposit and withdrawal options.
Visit the website for more details.

"Animal Lovers" Charity Tournament this Weekend

Full Tilt Poker Pro Jennifer Harman Hosts International "Animal Lovers" Charity Online Poker Tournament

Poker Pros Howard "The Professor" Lederer, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen and Others Join to Support the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on March 16th

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - March 10, 2008) - On Sunday, March 16, at 9PM EDT, Team Full Tilt Pro Jennifer Harman will host the "Animal Lovers" charity poker tournament on FullTiltPoker.com. The $5 + $5 no-limit hold'em event will benefit the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) no-kill animal shelter in Las Vegas. The Nevada SPCA animal sanctuary is desperately in need of immediate funding and Harman is encouraging anyone to join her in the "Animal Lovers" fundraising effort.

Also participating in the "Animal Lovers" online event are professional snowboarder and world halfpipe champion Jeff Brushie (SMAKEbreak), Olympic medalist and two-time X-Games champion Ross Powers, professional snowboarder Kris Swierz (WheatSApuff), X-Games gold medalist and five-time wakeboard world champion Parks Bonifay (pbpbpb), X-Games and Gravity Games wakeboard medalist Shane Bonifay (jeanyes407), four-time X-Games wakeboard gold medalist Danny Harf (d9bigtime), and professional motocross champion Jimmy Button (BTNFLY) and friends.

Other Full Tilt Poker pros have also promised their support to Harman on March 16, by participating in the "Animal Lovers" online event at 9PM EDT, including recent Aussie Millions winner Howard "The Professor" Lederer and NBC National Heads Up Champion Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Also slated to participate are John Juanda, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Clonie Gowen, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Allen Cunningham, Kristy Gazes, and dozens of other Full Tilt pros.

Go to FullTiltPoker.com and register today. New members should download the free software and enter referral code "ANIMALLOVERS" to ensure the Nevada SPCA no-kill animal shelter receives continued funding. Look for the "Animal Lovers" tournament located in the "tournaments" tab of the online lobby and register. The cost is $10 to enter. Fifty percent of all revenue will benefit the Nevada SPCA. The remaining money will be awarded to participants who qualify for cash prizes.

Harman, a professional poker player and member of Team Full Tilt, has been a Nevada SPCA friend and supporter for several years. She and husband Marco Traniello actively seek out potential homes and guardians for dozens of animals every year. Last Spring, the nation witnessed the Lied's Animal Shelter (located across town from the Nevada SPCA) euthanize nearly 1,000 animals. Though Nevada SPCA representatives fought against time to save the animals from eradication, they lacked the facilities and resources to house and protect the large number of victims.

Weeks later, the professional poker player hosted her own First Annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas, a fundraiser that awarded the Nevada SPCA over $130,000. The funds allowed the no-kill animal shelter to expand their facilities and services, thus protecting hundreds more animals of several species.

"We're making a difference," said Harman about her efforts to support the Nevada SPCA. "The people at the Nevada SPCA are amazing. They have so much heart. Every penny counts and these fundraisers really work."

If you are unable to participate in the Full Tilt Poker "Animal Lovers" online $10 tournament on March 16 at 9PM EDT, you can still help the Nevada SPCA by visiting www.nevadaspca.org and making a private donation. For more information and ways to help the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, contact Nevada SPCA Executive Director Doug Duke at (702) 873-7722 or write the Nevada SPCA at nevadaspca@aol.com.

Professional poker player Jennifer Harman is an original member of FullTiltPoker.com's Team Full Tilt and is the only woman with two WSOP bracelets in open events. She took a year off due to a surgery to replace her kidney, and then returned to the poker circuit where she's finished fourth at the World Poker Tour Five-Diamond World Poker Classic, fifth in the inaugural Professional Poker Tour event, and second in the WSOP Circuit Championship Event at the Rio. During her time off, she wrote the Limit Hold'em chapter for Super System 2. When she's not playing in tournaments, Harman can be found at the Bellagio participating in the highest limit cash games in the world, or at FullTiltPoker.com. Harman is also one of the first professional poker players to become a member of PokerPlayersSocialNetwork.

About the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The Nevada SPCA, a nonprofit organization, operates a no-kill animal sanctuary, promotes humane education, makes referrals for lower-cost spay/neuter and vaccination services, and challenges people to be the best possible guardians for the companion animals in their care.

Mark your calendar now:
Sunday - March 16 - 9 pm ET
FullTilt Poker

32Red looks forward to excellent growth in 08

32Red plc has today reported results for a challenging 2007, recording a fall in net gaming revenue and widening losses as the company struggled with its now divested Betdirect business.

Net gaming revenue from continuing operations fell 2.5% to £10.2 million, resulting in an operating profit of £1.3 million. However the poor performance of the Betdirect business and the write-down of assets following its sale pushed the group's loss to £12.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2007.

The company's casino continued to deliver the strongest results with revenues climbing 7.6% to £9.0 million, representing 88% of total revenues from continuing operations. The number of active casino players increased 26.6% to 18,992, however average casino player yield fell by 14.9% to £474.

The poker segment continued to struggle, recording a 7.2% fall in net gaming revenues to £1.2 million, despite a 6.6% increase in active player numbers to 14,753.

The company said that following the sale of Betdirect late last year, the re-shaped business now has the ability and flexibility to expand into new gaming related products and territories, such as last months launch of a French language service and the upcoming launch of 32Red Bingo.

“The sale of Betdirect has refocused the group on its core products of Casino and Poker and has in 2008 returned the group to a cash positive position. Management are focused on building growth, expanding our product range and moving into new territories through the 32Red brand," said Chief Executive Ed Ware.

"We have seen a very encouraging start to 2008 with excellent growth at the 32Red Casino. We have surpassed several important milestones in the first few weeks of 2008 and look forward with confidence to an exciting year.”

Shares of 32Red plc remained unchanged this morning in London having recorded no trades since March 4th.

Carbon Poker - 10% Instant Bonus

Back by popular demand

Due to popular demand Carbonpoker's incredible 10% Instant Bonus*, up to $200 (Max Dep. $2,000), is back for a full 48hrs!

To take advantage of this great deal, simply enter the code REMARCH10 into the cashier when making any deposit between Friday 7 and Saturday the 8 of March, 2008.

The best part is once you've deposited and received your free cash, you
could win up to another $2,000 during our March Madness promotion.

*This deposit bonus offer has the following play requirements:

• $1 per 100 comp points needed to withdraw bonus
• Cancels any outstanding bonus.
• Bonus not valid for Sidegame bets
• Coupon expires on withdrawal.
• One use only.

Writing new content - keeping me busy

I've been writing, writing, writing...
That's what happens when you take a few days off. My goal is to have 40 pages of quality content on The Pokerkeep by the end of March. Right now I have 21 pages online and 4 more ready to upload. That means I need 15 more by month's end. It doesn't sound like much does it? The problem is, I have to be in the mood to do the research. Since I'm mostly writing Poker Room Reviews at the moment, it's all about the research. Today, in 5 hours, I wrote 2 complete reviews and picked out some screen shots for a few rooms I've already covered. If I can do that every 2 days, I'll make my quota.

I also have a newsletter due out. Haven't even started it yet... but I do have the rough draft worked out in my mind. It won't take long to set it up and fine tune it. A subscribe link is available on my home page.

There are no new developments to report about PokerDream. The site is back online, not many playing, no word from support... I blacklisted them and removed their banners and links.

My good friend, poker pro and author, Sam O'Connor has just submitted his latest poker strategy article. This month he discusses Trapping and Avoiding Traps.

VC Poker has two awesome bonus offers running at the moment. They're offering $35 FREE, no catch, to new depositing players. For those who prefer to pick up bigger bonus money, VC Poker has a 300% new player welcome bonus. More details are posted on my home page - right hand column. I have to tell you, this is one of the most generous bonus offers I've ever seen.

The World Poker Store Inc. Announces "The Palace" June 2008 Opening in Loudi, China

SHENZHEN, CHINA--(Marketwire - February 28, 2008) - The World Poker Store (PINKSHEETS: WPKS), with corporate offices in St. Paul, MN, announces the June 2008 opening of its membership-based upscale entertainment center in Loudi, China. The 50,000 square foot facility called "The Palace" will be the first of three locations slated to open this year in China. The Palace offers Affluent Chinese and International clients the opportunity to enjoy World Class Hospitality, Vegas Style nightclubs and Restaurants, a Business Center, VIP amenities and Live Free Roll Texas Hold 'em tournaments.

With projected revenues of $2.5 to $3 Million US, The Palace will open its doors as part of the Loudi business district on the 4th and 5th floors of the newly renovated and landmarked HuiTain Office Tower and Shopping Center. Dubbed one of the top 4 most livable cities in China, Loudi, a city of 4.5 million people, is located in the Hunan Province and is home to one of China's fortune 100 companies and largest steel mills Qianan Liangang Yanshan Iron & Steel.

On any given day more than 200 buyers from Europe and the US come to Loudi to tour the steel mill and contract for products. This is where The Palace will capitalize on the need for upscale entertainment for the city's international clientele. "The Loudi facility will be a good complement to the 25,000 square foot freestanding Palace location already being developed in the city of Sanya on Hainan Island," said World Poker Store CEO Chuck Chastain. "The support for our opening in Loudi has been overwhelming.

We already have offers from business groups and government offices to purchase large blocks of Palace Membership packages," he added. "The cities in China are growing at such a fast pace that businessmen and business travelers are visiting with more frequency and The Palace intends to offer those travelers as well as local businesses a complete list of high level services and amenities that are currently not available.

China offers great potential and with the June opening in Loudi WPS will be well on its way to turning potential into profit," he said further. The World Poker Store's wholly owned subsidiary Shenzhen WPS Entertainment Development Co. Ltd. is currently in negotiations with multiple cities to open additional Palace locations through out China.

With offices in St. Paul, MN, Fort Myers, FL, Federal Way, WA, Amsterdam, NL and Shenzhen, China The World Poker Store Inc. continues to bring Free Texas Hold 'em and World Class poker entertainment to the masses. WPKS hosts a world wide poker community on its website www.theworldpokerstore.com and continues to add new player members while offering retail poker merchandise for purchase online.

Currently running hundreds of tournaments per week, WPKS offers a live, face-to-face poker tournament experience without the risk of gambling and continues to bring the game of Texas Hold 'em to an ever growing community of poker enthusiasts through its bar league, charitable and corporate events, retail stores and international entertainment clubs.

Sun Poker Mega Free Roll

The SunPoker $300,000 WSOP Mega Freeroll

SunPoker is offering a huge free roll series between now and May 11th.

Get one of the 25 Guaranteed $12,000 "Main Event" packages for as little as 10 MPPs. You'll never find a better way to Vegas!



SunPoker.com is putting up 25 WSOP (Main Event) packages.

The best part, players can earn a $12K package for as little as 10 MPPs (my poker points).

Each week, you can qualify to play in the "weekly final", where the winner gets a seat at the $300,000 WSOP Mega Freeroll on May 11, 2008. Twenty-five (25) packages will be given away on that date.

SunPoker is currently offering sign up bonuses ranging from $200 to $1,000 plus every new player is eligible to compete in the SunPoker New Player $10K Free Roll.

SunPoker also offers monthly re-load bonuses up to $1,000.

WPT slims down for season 7

CardPlayer.com is reporting that the World Poker Tour (WPT) is slimming down their season seven schedule from twenty events to fourteen.

The WPT events will all be held in the U.S. except The North American Poker Championships which will be held in Niagara Falls, Canada.

The reason for the reduced schedule is financial, the WPTE claims to be losing millions of dollars. They claim that until the U.S. regulates poker, they will continue to struggle.

Read the complete story here