December 29, 2005
Barry Shulman doesn't consider himself a professional pokerparty player -- "I've never made my living playing pokerparty," he says -- but he has beaten the pros at their own game, winning nine major tournaments and earning a coveted World Series of PokerParty bracelet. Clearly, the 58-year-old retired real estate developer knows how to play the game with the best.
Shulman, who owns Card Player magazine and operates CardPlayer.com, shares some of that knowledge in his first book, 52 Tips for Texas Hold'em PokerParty .com, a guide to the game that has become a big hit among players and television viewers.
What's the appeal of pokerparty on TV? It's only been in the past couple of years that they've used the technology of the cameras to make it a lot more interesting. To view it on TV, you have to see the players' hole cards. Then you can have the commentary. Otherwise, you're just kind of sitting there watching people doing ... nothing. There was no spectator-sport aspect to it previously. It was like watching a football game and not knowing who has the ball.
Tournament poker party.com has undergone a drastic change since the beginning of the century.For more than a couple of decades, the "old school" cash game style of the Texas road gamblers seemed to be the way that most followed in pokerparty. It is a grind it out style, one where players sit back and wait for those big hands and the "moments of terror" that they bring. Blair Rodman and Lee Nelson are looking to change that theory of thought.
Rodman has enjoyed a significant renaissance in 2005, although the veteran professional didn't do badly at PokerParty prior to this year. In 2004, Rodman was ranked 64th among pokerparty tournament players and, in 2005, finds himself in the mix as the PokerParty Player of the Year battle heads into its final tournaments in 26th place. There's even a $1,000,000 freeroll at PokerParty.
He has captured over $500,000 this year and has had a couple of near-miss tournaments, finishing second to Arnold Spee at the WPT's World PokerParty Challenge in April and also second to Andy Bloch at the Ultimate PokerParty Challenge II in July.Nelson has been a top rated tournament pokerparty player in Australia and Asia, taking the Seven Card Stud championship at the Aussie Millions in 2005. They have come up with what seems to be a radical new approach to the world that is tournament pokerparty and that is to "Kill Phil"!
What makes a great pokerparty player? They're good at making decisions. They're good at controlling their emotions. And, from a financial standpoint, they're not afraid to put their money on the line. It's the same as becoming a good businessman.
I've been selling pokerparty.com books ever since I bought the magazine, and I think they are much too complicated. If you follow our tips, you will win at every single level, except for the big championships. I don't mean you'll win in every single sitting, because nobody does. But you'll win in the long run. As a general proposition, at every level, including the championship level, the people who make the fewest mistakes win. If you don't make a mistake, sooner or later, the other guy probably will. Being cute in pokerparty is not a good idea.
