Jeffrey "Iceman" Lisandro

If you sit down at a seven-card stud table and you hear an strange accent coming off of a man others are referring to as “Iceman,” I’d be sure of what I’m doing before dropping my chips on the table, cause chances are they will all end up with him.

Jeffrey “Iceman” Lisandro was born in Perth, Australia and his mother taught him the game of poker when he was just five years old. Since then he has used that knowledge to put some serious skins on the wall, having won multiple World Series of Poker Championship bracelets, earning an impressive bankroll, and having beaten some of the very best in the world including Daniel Negranu, Nick Frangos, Phil Ivey, and Howard Lederer.

Now living mostly in Italy and occasionally in Santa Barbara, California, Lisandro, who is known primarily as a cash game specialist, has become a well known face on the touring poker tournament circuit and is well regarded as one of the best at seven card stud. During the 2009 World Series of Poker he was the first person to ever pull off a trifecta, winning all three seven-stud tournaments Stud High, Stud High-low, and Razz. That nifty feat also earned him the title of Player of the Year. He has also won a bracelet playing Pot Limit Omaha.

If you are a fan of the World Series of Poker, you may remember one incident involving Lisandro from back in 2006. Prahlad Friedman accused Lisandro of not putting in his ante during a hand and started to berate him, calling him a thief. The dealer noted that it was not Lisandro, but another player who had mistakenly forgot to add his ante in with his blind, but Friedman continued his assault, leading to a lot of friction between the two players and Lisandro threatening to “take his head off” at one point in the debate. Cooler tempers eventually prevailed and Lisandro placed 17th in that World Series, while Friedman placed 20th.

So the next time you settle in to your seat in Vegas or Atlantic City, belly up to the felt and call for chips, make sure to take a good look around at those sitting with you. Lisandro commonly wears a black fedora and chews gum at the table to help reduce the number of tells he gives away, and as his nickname of “Iceman” implies, he is not known for being very talkative at the table, and seeming quite cold and calculating. Don’t come back with empty pockets saying you weren’t warned.

This has been a guest post from Australia's latest betting news source. Check it out if you want to stay up to date on the latest poker news.

Adelaide Player Profile

Adelaide isn’t exactly known as the nexus of poker, but it has bred some top players. Let’s have a look at one of the best to have come out of the SA capital, James Obst.

Starting out as a teenage chess champion, Obst began playing at the (illegal) age of 14 online. Because he had no access to a credit card at the time, he got other players to transfer him small amounts to get his bankroll going. By grinding it out and building his bankroll gradually.

He eventually made a name for himself by winning a $10 rebuy tournament, taking out the first prize of $17, 000. From there on it was on to bigger and better things, making 5th place at last year's $100, 000 challenge at the Aussie Millions. His career winning to date exceed $2.4 million.

One interesting fact about his career is that another online player snitched on him when he was 17 years old (due to his underage status) and Obst was banned from online play for a year. Keeping his cool until he could play again, Obst used this time offline to focus on his studies, health and his other obligations. This left him free to get back into poker full time by the time he was 18.

James was invited to join Team Victory at the popular site Victory Poker in 2010, a testament to his skill level. His contemporaries in the Victory Poker stable include Antonio Esfandiari and Danny Wong.

A true Adelaide Crows supporter, James’s online handle is “Andy McLeod” after Andrew McLeod, one of the greatest indigenous players of all time and also considered by some to be the best Crows player of all time.

Being a hometown boy at heart, James still resides in Adelaide to this day.

Archie Raweed is a content writer at pokie.com.au, where he tries his best to cover the latest in the Australian pokies scene. In between articles, he likes to fit in a few hands of poker both online and offline.

Internet Poker Is Less Aggressive Than Casino Gambling [Guest Post]

One of the great things about gambling online is how much more relaxed it can be. The feeling of winning some money in the comfort of your own home is something that can tempt a lot of people, and because of the large amount of competition between internet gambling sites there are large numbers of relatively cheap places to play anything from bingo to poker. Many sites offer large bonuses when people first sign up to play; quite often this can extend to free bets, and games free of charge if you're browsing through poker and bingo sites. Because of this it really does feel like the ball is in your court to a much greater extent than if you walk into your local bookmakers or bingo hall.

In fact, due to the large amounts of online providers, you can quite easily find a social site which is regularly used by many like-minded people. There are so many different niches; often filled by the same operators in order to gain as many customers as possible; you're bound to find a place to make some friends.

Another advantage of internet gambling is that it's convenient. Though you can lose your money in an instant if you don't place sensible bets online or in traditional brick and mortar bookies, the journey there and back can be so long that it leaves a black cloud over your day, and the opening hours can be difficult to work with depending on your job. It's quick and easy to find a good online bingo room, or a fast poker iGame, and as other people can't see you the pressure to lose your money quickly just isn't there.

Online gambling can be relaxed and social, and a few pence can easily last you an entire evening if you're less bothered about winning big and more bothered about having a chat and passing the time doing something fun.

Attitudes to online gambling are changing; even countries that are traditionally harsh with gambling, like the United States, are coming around to the idea of online poker and betting. In some States gambling is still illegal, but that looks to be changing soon in places like Illinois, and the United Kingdom is one of the few places where gambling in various forms really is part of our cultural heritage, so you really have nothing at all to worry about when you are visiting online poker and bingo rooms.

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Stephen has played poker with friends from being a teenager, but is new to the world of online poker. He joined iGame last month and is enjoying the experience.

Simple Tips For Playing Online Poker

Playing online poker for the first time can be an exciting experience. With the recent poker boom more people without easy access to brick and mortar casinos are turning to online gaming. Playing from the comfort of home while being able to trust that the money deposited online is safe is very appealing. People ranging from beginners with small bankrolls to experienced pros with larger bankrolls all have equal access to the same game selection. Playing online poker is easy but there are a few tips to remember in order to ensure a pleasurable and secure experience.

Choose a SAFE login password

There have been many cases of people breaking into online poker accounts and either changing bank account information or transferring money to their own account. In order to ensure your money is safe be sure to use a secure password that only you will know and do not share your login information with anybody.

Practice Disciplined Bankroll Management

This is probably the biggest mistake that poker players make. Many of them play way above their bankroll. Poker may be a game of skill but there is also luck involved and if you hit a string of bad luck and are not playing the appropriate limits in relation to your bankroll then you can lose your money fast. When deciding which game to play you should never sit with your whole bankroll on the table. Choose a game that you sit with no more than 20% of your bankroll. You should also have a daily loss limit and if you reach that limit you should quit. Far too many poker players go broke by not practicing proper bankroll management.

Play Smaller Stakes When Learning a New Game

There are many different forms of poker from Texas Hold 'Em to Omaha to Stud and more. If you are an experienced player at one of these games and feel confident enough to try and learn another be sure to step down in stakes in order to develop your skills. For example if your regular game is $5/10 No Limit Hold 'Em and you are interested in learning Pot Limit Omaha you should try playing $1/2 PLO. This allows you to practice and become experienced at a new game without risking too much of your bankroll.

Do Not Collude

Most online poker sites block two players from playing at the same table from the same IP address but if you wish to play against your friends from different IP addresses for fun be sure to keep the integrity of the game and play the same way against them as you would any other player. Believe it or not poker sites track hands and if they see suspicious play among two players they could freeze your account, ban you from playing and confiscate the funds in the account for violating their policy.

Playing online poker can be just as much of a rush as playing live in the casino. Stay safe, stay disciplined and stay honest and you can have a very enjoyable experience playing online poker.

Consider Free Poker Games

If you would like to enjoy online poker without risking your own hard-earned money, we highly recommend trying SandzPoker, a Free Texas Hold'em Poker Game played with virtual chips. The beauty of SandzPoker is that it's highly addictive! In fact, it has tons of cool social features that are integrated into the game. You can chat live with players at the table, befriend them and exchange virtual gifts and drinks. You can also earn achievement points and increase your level to be able to play with more experienced players. SandzPoker is also a great way to learn poker for beginners.

Poker for a Living

Its easy to get romanticised by thoughts of quitting your job and becoming a professional poker player. The truth is, its not glamorous as it may seem and its certainly not as easy as you might think.

One time when I was playing the $4/$8 limit Hold'em at Adelaide Casino, I got talking to this young guy who I'd often seen at the tables and who's play was pretty solid. He was a poker enthusiast, as I was, and he told me that he played every night after work for a total of about 40 hours a week, pretty much equivalent to a full time job. I asked him how much he makes from playing poker and he said around $400/ week. Not exactly a glamorous wage... but there is an alternative. The world of Online Poker can be much kinder.

Online Poker

If you want to honestly make a run at turning poker into your full time profession then online poker is without a doubt your best bet. Here's why:

• Lower Rake- The online poker rooms have much lower expenses than their real world equivalents so they can afford to take a much lower rake and let you keep more of your winnings!
• Wider Range of Stakes and Games- With literally thousands of players online at any one time, you can find people to play with at the games and stakes you prefer.
• Automated Dealing- The shuffle, deal, chip movements and other actions usually performed by a dealer are controlled by the poker software and fast as lighting with no mistakes so you can play many more hands per hour. If you are a winning player, this means more money in your virtual pocket.
• Multi-tabling- Another thing that can help you increase your hands played per hour is to play on several tables at one time. There are some videos on Youtube of people playing 10 or more tables at once! Playing this many tables would probably affect your ability to play but you can certainly maintain an edge playing 2 or 3 tables.
• Assistance- There are many software programs that can help to improve your game by calculating odds, analysing players and giving you advice to help you do better at the tables. Obviously this kind of assistance would never be allowed in a real life establishment.
• Play Anywhere- The beauty of the internet is you can use it almost anywhere which means you can play poker almost anywhere as well. This includes outside on a beautiful sunny day via mobile internet or at home in your underwear.

Benefits of Live Poker

While I encourage you to embrace online poker if you want to be a serious player, it doesn't mean you should leave live poker behind entirely. Playing live poker can be a great way to get out of the house, meet other poker players and practice the finer points of reading players at the table. Adelaide Casino has a number of great poker ring games and tournaments throughout the week.

Adelaide Casino Gambling

I've recently noticed various advertisements around Adelaide for our beloved casino but something struck me as odd. I couldn't put my finger on it at first, then it dawned on me... 'Adelaide Casino' was what was being advertised, not 'SkyCity Adelaide' as we've come to expect. Apparently the name reverted back in 2009 but I guess I didn't notice until now. Its nice to have the original name for the casino back I must day :).

Casino Game Odds

If you don't play poker, why not stick with the games that you have the best odds of winning.

• Big Wheel- This used to be my game of choice at the casino, its just so easy to play. But, it has some of the worst odds in the casino. Every bet your place on the spin of the wheel has a house advantage of 7.69%.
• Roulette- Pay no attention to those standing around the wheel recording whether the previous spins were red or black as they previous spins have absolutely no baring on future spins. The house edge for all roulette bets is 2.70% , not as bad as the Big Wheel but still pretty bad.
• Blackjack- This is a very unique game as, unlike roulette and big wheel, previous hands in the game DO have an effect on future hands. Its also a game where the player has a lot of control over their chances of winning. The optimal system of play is called Basic Strategy. Playing Basic Strategy at Adelaide Casino will give the house a very small edge of 0.69%.
• Poker- As you know, this is now my game of choice. In poker you play against other players rather than the dealer so the house doesn't have any edge. They do, however, take a percentage of each pot which is known as the 'rake,' this is how they make money from poker.

Online Casino Gambling

The online casino is a different beast all together! The online casinos have no expensive venue to pay for and no hundreds of dealers, pitbosses and security personnel to pay. That means they can offer a much better game with much more favourable odds for the player and still make a sizeable profit for themselves. The best online casinos also offer all sorts of bonuses, competitions and other incentives to make your playing experience better. You also don't need to worry about driving, parking or getting dressed up, you can even play in your underwear if you like!

Australian Government to Ban Online Gambling?

There is already legislation in place to prevent online gambling in Australia. The legislation is similar to that in the US which prevents financial institutions from processing funds that are to be used for online gambling.

From the Australian Gambling article: Australian Government to Ban Online Gambling?:

The Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) 2001, is the law that is in question. Until now the rules have been relatively relaxed and have not been enforced. If recent reports are proven to be correct, then this will be enforced. This law is similar to the UIGEA in America, in that it is seeking to stop online gambling as an attempt to raise revenue.

The IGA does not make it illegal for individuals to gamble online, that would be very difficult to regulate. The law specifically targets online gambling sites and is designed to make it significantly more difficult for Australians to find places to play.

Most online poker sites are located offshore, making it unlikely that they would honour the Australian law without significant pressure (as was applied to enforce the UIGEA in the US), so Australian poker players have been able to continue playing online unmolestered.

However, the Government's proposed filtering plan, if imposed, would make it significantly easier to enforce the IGA and leaked copies of the AMCA's blacklist of blocked sites seems to confirm that thats what they intend to do.

From the No Clean Feed website:

The Australian Federal Government is pushing forward with a plan to force Internet Service Providers [ISPs] to censor the Internet for all Australians. This plan will waste tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and slow down Internet access.

Despite being almost universally condemned by the public, ISPs, State Governments, Media and censorship experts, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is determined to force this filter into your home.

So what should you do? The IGA is already law but I suggest you join me in opposing the proposed filtering plan or 'Clean Feed.' Here's some relevant website you should check out:

No Clean Feed

Somebody Think of the Children