Youth and online skills dominated as the WSOP final table in 2013, but it was an experienced grinder who carried the day. As Monday night bled into Tuesday morning, the most veteran player of the final 10 gamblers competing for a seat at the nine-person final table worth $8.4 million for the winner was defeated by the second-most respected player. Deep into the 14th hour of play on the seventh day of the world’s biggest no-limit Texas Hold ‘em competition, well-known Sacramento, Calif., grinder J.C. Tran went head to head with Carlos Mortensen, a Spanish pro known as “El Matador,”…

From Poker News The World Series of Poker may run annually in the United States’ gambling capital, Las Vegas, but that doesn’t stop worldwide residents from traveling to participate in the biggest tournament of the year. In 2012, 101 different countries participated in the WSOP, and this year 107 different countries flew in for the chance at turning their dream of winning a coveted WSOP gold bracelet a reality. It’s no surprise that the U.S. led in the WSOP World Ranking Standings. All together Americans accumulated 40 bracelets and made 6,035 cashes for a total of $109,966,358 in WSOP earnings….

Players notoriously, and quite literally, fold under these lights… but not JC Tran. When the WSOP Main Event reaches its last couple days before the final table, the tri-colored beams spotlighting the ESPN stage and camera bulbs surrounding the outer tables seep through players’ minds and alter their decision-making. They tighten up their games, getting involved with fewer hands in an effort to increase their chances of earning the vaunted status as a member of the November Nine final table. Any experienced gambler knows there’s value to responding in a contrarian manner and mixing it up as much as possible….

From Card Player In what could be his last main event ever, poker legend Doyle Brunson had quite a run. Brunson entered Day 4 with about 700,000, but failed to get anything going through the first six hours or so of the day. He was down to his last 290,000 when his elimination hand occurred. With blinds at 4,000-8,000, a player opened to 16,000 in early position. Another player called, and Brunson raised to 86,000. The action folded to the original raiser, who elected to fold as well. The player in the middle shoved, and Brunson called off his last…

Ultimate Gaming has completed its 30-day field trial for Ultimate Poker, the first ever fully legal online gambling site in the United States. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has recommended approval for the company to offer real money gambling at UltimateGaming.com. Ultimate Gaming, majority owned by Station Casinos, in April became the first company in history to offer fully legal online poker in the United States. The 30-day field trial began immediately after Ultimate Gaming dealt its first hand on April 20. Passing the trial proved the company adhered to requirements set forth by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. “The…

Representative Joe Barton wants to help poker players stay on the couch. The Texas Republican introduced a bill in Congress on Thursday that would pave the way for states to legalize online poker without fear of federal intervention. It’s the second such Internet gambling bill introduced this year. In June, Republican New York Congressman Peter King introduced a piece of legislation he called the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013. Unlike Barton’s bill, that gambling act would open the door to all forms of casino games, not just poker. The federal government cracked down on Internet…