Skeptics say that there is little chance to pull out of the crisis in 2010. Optimists say “but we will, it’s time!” Moderates say we will begin the year poorly but end it in good shape. Overseas, the economic world has been seriously shaken, with consequences all through the society. From the tycoon to the simple man, we have all become more calculated when it comes to spending money. Especially us, the inhabitants of a country where the crisis lingers on without knowing whether it will wear off or whether it’s here to stay or simply whether it hasn’t even arrived yet…

With all this, the world of gambling has not fallen apart as predicted by those who hold a grudge against it. Moreover, Santa Claus brought the investors in the domain more courage and dedication inasmuch as, after a few failures, resonant sales and alarming rumors, Las Vegas, the universal temple of gambling, ended year 2009 in good shape and year 2010 promises to be one full of great challenges, one during which the crisis will be definitively gone and the recession ended. Beyond the accounting balance sheets which show a considerable drop in cash-ins, and even significant losses, the American style, which is to face your destiny, to take on unrealistic challenges, against all odds, seems to bring things back on track, by force if necessary.

The answer to the crisis?! A mega-launch – City Center, a complex stretching over 30 hectares, which includes hotels, a casino and a commercial center.

All in all, the investment meant a “mere” $8.5 billion.

“It’s not just another launch, but a change in the world of gambling” declared Jim Murren to the press in front of an impressive assistance – the chairman of MGM Mirage, one of the developers of the project.

Even though it seems crazy, some more new resorts and casinos are preparing to open their doors, during the first half of the year. Is this not normal? Maybe just to those who don’t know or have forgotten the secret of the game. “When you feel you are out of shape, push your luck!

Sooner or later you will get the winning cards”.

The waves of the recession seriously shook even the giants of the casino world, as their shares plummeted on the stock exchange, the direct incomes registered also dropping, just as the degree of occupancy of the casinos.

The online gambling industry has also gone through difficult moments due to the economic recession.

Although it was believed that the online gambling industry was a segment immune to the economical crisis, the world recession didn’t spare the virtual casinos either. Many experts in the field believe that the industry has yet to become as powerful as it was before the crisis.

CASINO INCOMES DOWN TO 2003 LEVELS

The analysts of the company Applied Analysis announced in a report that the gaming industry had in 2009 a year full of challenges, adding that this situation may also extend for the following 12 months to come.

Month October of last year was the 22nd month of decline for the casinos in Vegas which registered incomes in continuous downfall. Furthermore, October brought along the lowest incomes since December 2003, the casinos winning just $767.4 million.

DROPS ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE

Month December was not an easy one for the gaming companies listed at the stock market, although the total trend for the year 2009 was for the share prices to go up, as compared to the prices recorded in 2008. The American company Las Vegas Sands Corp. was a special case for the stock market as its shares went up by 171% in the past 12 months, this being in fact the biggest increase registered by a company in the gambling domain during times of crisis. On the other hand, MGM Mirage was included among the companies which did not elude the negative effects of the crisis in the year we have just ended. The value of its shares went down by 17% in the last 12 months.

FITCH ANNOUNCES: IN 2010 THE CRISIS IN THE GAMING INDUSTRY WILL CONTINUE

The rating company Fitch announces that year 2010 will not mean pulling out of the crisis for the casinos. The economic recession will continue, while increased unemployment will be among the factors to affect most visibly the incomes of the gambling industry. People will be much more careful with how they spend their money.

A NEW YEAR, NEW HOPES…

Despite all these, the end of year 2009 brought a sudden change for the better for the famous Vegas. The figures related to tourism increased and with the tourists, for the New Year, came along the players for Vegas. Gary Selesner, chairman of Caesars Palace said: “This year people are less afraid that they were last year. This time last year was the peak of the economic crisis, and people were truly worried for their financial future”.

Hotels such as Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood or the properties of Harrah’s Entertainment scored maximum in occupancy in the night in between years even in the condition of prices increases by 34%.

Dan Ciobanu, the chairman of UNIGENS, considers that the current economic situation can be beneficial for the serious players on the market. Those will remain the best, with a very strong business model, who know how to sell and how to manage such a product” he declares.

YOU HAVE DEVELOPED AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT – THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INFORMATIC SYSTEM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CASINO ACTIVITY. CAN IT BE IMPLEMENTED IN THESE CONDITIONS OF RECESSION?

Paradoxically, I consider these conditions to be favorable, because people show perhaps more attention in making decisions and they think ten times over before making them, as opposed to just once, as it was until now. It is becoming increasingly important what an informatic system can do and not where it comes from. Moreover, in conditions of recession, people seek to improve their activity as best they can. Thus, development is stimulated because new solutions are being looked for. And we think that we find ourselves in a context in which we found the best solution, developed in a very difficult moment. We will reach very many clients who will be positively impressed and who will find a use for our systems for their business. The facilities that the system presents and the business model we propose from the point of view of the sale, the cost structure for its implementation, are totally different from all the competition has to offer. And so it is a mixture of functionalities and financial conditions which we believe will be very well received.

YOU MENTIONED THE CRISIS. TO WHAT EXTENT DID IT AFFECT YOUR ACTIVITY?

I don’t think there is a single field to not have been affected by the crisis. We invested very much in this product in the past two years. The activity related to the casino area, however, was not so much affected.

We were in the development stage, in the investment stage. The other activities which we are running in other industries were indeed affected and, as such, the level of investments was not the same in the prognosed time unit. If it hadn’t been for the crisis, the product would have been finished a lot sooner. From a different standpoint, the current situation is welcomed because it helps filter things a little bit. Many of our competitors went bankrupt. The best will remain, those with a very strong business model, who know how to sell and how to manage such a product.

HOW DID UNIGENS BEGIN ITS ACTIVITY?

We have been active in the casino field for more than 10 years.

I have always wanted to have the time, financial resources and clients to be able to develop a project which can sell internationally. In the past two years, things have taken such a turn that we were able to focus well on what we were doing heading for a very precise goal. All that we are developing for the casino area we have included in the UNIGENS Company.

PLEASE DESCRIBE A BIT FURTHER WHAT THE REVOLUTION SYSTEM MEANS!

As the name itself suggests it’s about a new approach on the issue of informatic management in the casino activity. It is applicable in all the domains of a business of this sort. Moreover, it transcends the domain, being able to more outside the casino field in order to move towards the digital signage area, having very advanced specific functionalities.

We took each module in turn, from those constituting the REvolution system and tried to develop it at the highest quality standards, respecting the last technological solutions in the IT sector. And our experience in IT and casinos was a real help leading to a great success of the product. The system covers both the slot area and the live and marketing areas, also the surveillance, management areas; all the components of the system are integrated and communicate with one another.

It’s the first system which comes close to the expert systems, being able to take certain decisions by itself, depending on the way it is trained by the beneficiary.

IS THERE ANY ROOM LEFT ON THE MARKET FOR SUCH NEW PROJECTS?

Yes, there will always be room, because the IT industry is one of the most dynamic ones at this time. Everything changes every three years. But we have approached this domain seeing that, for 10 years and at international level, things re on a standstill on the IT-casino area.

Software materials made 15 years ago still sell. Of course that the market has its specific features. The potential number of clients is limited, even small.

When you develop such a software product, you need to consider who you address it to. You can plan the size investment on a certain period of time. If you will be able to optimize the way you make your software, then it can become an interesting business.

At this time, there’s enough room on the market.

Because, from a technological standpoint, the available systems do not use modern technologies.

In the last five years I have not seen any remarkable progress. But in turn I saw many integrated systems that do the same things, under various presentations.

We tried a new approach and are convinced that it will be a success.

WHAT IS THE STAGE OF YOUR PREPARATIONS FOR EXPO LONDON 2010? HAVE YOU FINISHED THE BRANDING APPROACH FOR THE PRODUCT?

Yes. The branding for the product and for the company as well. We approach these things differently due to the fact that one of our weak points is the fact that we come from Romania.

We don’t have a particularly good appreciation and then we compensate with various other strategies to be able to penetrate through the market. Unfortunately, the credibility of a Romanian company at international level is still low. You have to find various solutions in order to compensate this disadvantage.

WHAT OTHER PROJECTS ARE YOU PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE? IN IT, CASINO OF ANOTHER SECTOR.

In the casino area we still have many ideas which we haven’t yet managed to put into practice. I wish us to be able to achieve that in the following year. This means new modules, new components, and new functionalities for the casino area. I also want to promote the REvolution solution outside the casinos. We have very many modules with general application which can be used in any field of activity. In IT we have our software development projects, at national level, and I want in 2010 to be able to keep them all going.

BECAUSE YOU GOT CLOSER TO THIS INDUSTRY, KNOWING IT FROM THE INSIDE, MAY I ASK YOU WHETHER YOU ARE DRAWN TO THE CASINO GAMES?

I am drawn to them, but on TV. I am not a player and I think that luck you make at the office. But several times a year I play roulette, blackjack.

DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY WHICH YOU FIND PARTICULARLY INTERESTING?

Besides IT, I like billiards, lego or robotics. Things that put my mind to work.

LAS VEGAS, ATLANTIC CITY OR BOTH?

There are two places in this world that a gambler is dreaming of going to: Las Vegas and Atlantic City. They are the paradise of land based casinos but how often do you really have the chance to go there and feel the thrill and excitement of the Live Casino?

LIVE BASED CASINO OR ONLINE LIVE CASINO? UNIBET ONLINE LIVE CASINO

Unibet found the solution. In September 2009, Unibet has lunched the Online Live Casino – the closest thing to the real deal, which has been proved to be a real success. Even the most demanding players can find the same atmosphere, the same game rules, live dealers shuffling the cards or managing the roulette wheel in real-time as in real casinos and even more. At Unibet Live Casino you can play Live Roulette, Live Blackjack and Live Baccarat 24/7 from the comfort of your home or anywhere you have an internet connection, watch the live dealers and chat to the other players – have the real casino world at your fingers tips. Unibet makes all this possible through a simple concept: live streaming.

LIVE CASINO VS ONLINE LIVE CASINO

First of all, there is hardly any difference between a real and an online game because in an online game, the players can watch the game live broadcasted at Unibet.

Secondly, the games are more secured when it comes to money. There is no cash involved and all the transactions are done through credit cards or other online payment methods via a secured network. In the third place, there are even different tables that you can play at with different betting limits.

The downsides of the live based casino compared to the online casino are that you may have to wait before you can actually play at a table or a roulette wheel and there are people crowding over you trying to get into the action, you have endless amounts of cigarette smoke lingering in your face. The list of disadvantages to visiting a land casino can go on and on for each individual.

The best thing about Unibet online live casino is that the payouts offered are comparable to the traditional games. The rules of the games remain the same, and instead of playing with actual cards or dice, players only need to use the mouse to click away.

Aren’t you convinced yet? Go to www.unibet.com/livecasino/ and give it a try.

Chris Moneymaker, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, came to Romania on the occasion of the PokerStars Romanian Open competition. Chris Moneymaker won $2.5 million after earning his place online, at a $39 satellite tour. On this occasion, Chris gave an exclusive interview to our magazine.

BEFORE ANYTHING, WELCOME TO ROMANIA! IS THIS YOUR FIRST VISIT HERE?

Yes, it’s the first time that I’ve been to Romania and it’s a fantastic experience. To be honest, it’s one of the best spots I’ve ever come across so far. I liked it very much, the people are extremely nice, and the poker here is excellent.

I was in four casinos so far and all of them are unique in their own way. It’s amazing for me how they all offer that unrivaled food… Everything is very comfortable, makes you feel at home, if you want. A thing I particularly like is that when you enter a casino in Romania, there’s noise… People talk all the time, which is good, because everybody is having a good time, everybody is enjoying themselves.

In the States, if you go in a poker room, you can hear the fly humming.

WHAT DO YOU THIN NOW ABOUT THE ROMANIAN POKER CHAMPIONSHIP AND ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS?

Poker is fairly new to Romania.. The first day was pretty easy, but I expect today to be more difficult than the first day, which was no trouble at all for me. I was never in danger for a second, but there are definitely some determined players here and it will be tougher to move on, although it was nice to get past the first day without encountering any major obstacles.

I hope to continue in this manner today and in any case, I expect serious challenges.

DO YOU THINK THIS COMPETITION WILL PUT ROMANIA ON THE WORLD POKER MAP?

I think things are moving in that direction. First of all, a big number of Romanians play poker on PokerStars at this moment. Here, each casino has a poker room, and poker is a growing trend. I spoke with some people in Germany with whom I played since I’ve been here and they told me that games here are phenomenal. Romania is already renowned for its good games. People already know that this is a place where you can play and from what I can hear – and from what I myself have seen – Roma nians play on high stakes and are willing to risk their money, if you want.

CAN YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU STARTED PLAYING POKER?

Of course I remember! I was keen on sports betting, I used to bet also at blackjack. Back then I used to play poker with my friends in the kitchen, around the table, we played for a dollar or two and they were poker games with a limit. At that time there was no such thing as no-limit poker. Then we saw a few movies and found out that we can play no-limit poker and started to play like that. It was wonderful, because it was so much money at stake. Then I started playing for fun, and at Poker- Stars I got in 2001. Ever since I’ve started playing more and more and things started to go well. Games were at a lower level at that time. I earned my place at World Series of Poker and this is how it all began!

COULD YOU TELL US HOW MUCH YOU WON AS A POKER PLAYER?

I can’t say… I tried to keep count, but if I had to give a rough figure I think it would be somewhere around 3-4 million, something like that… Not bad.

DID YOU ALSO LOOSE A LOT?

Before winning the World Series of Poker, that is before 2003, I was a looser. I don’t think I ever won cash money until 2005; in 2004 I was a looser and in 2005 the balance was equal to zero. I took everything for granted, I didn’t take the time to study this game on which you really have to focus, to study it… You have to be patient with this game and I wasn’t patient at all, I can even say I abused this game, if you want. Eventually I started studying and at the end of 2005 – beginning of 2006 I can say that whenever I sat at a table, I would always win.

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE ME IF I TOLD YOU THAT I WANTED TO START PLAYING POKER?

The first advice would be – at least this is what I would do now – to begin with PokerStars, on the Internet, and to play very small stakes, within the budget.

The biggest mistake – and I can see that in a lot of good players – is to go over budget. Regardless how good you are, if you do that, you’ll end up being broke.

Play small stakes and always go for the best person at the table, observe what he does and try to copy. Each time you play seek the weakest three persons and the best three persons at the table, try to figure out what they do different and always try to guess what they are holding. Always do that and you will be better and better.

I KNOW YOU SET UP YOUR OWN COMPANY, MONEYMAKER GAMING. TELL ME A FEW WORDS ABOUT IT.

Moneymaker Gaming is a slot machines company which I set up in 2005. We are in a few casinos in Oklahoma and now we are reaching Michigan also, although the economic crisis has slowed us down a little bit.

With the production company I am already producing a TV show and we are discussing the production of a movie. I had many interesting projects to keep me busy and to make my life fun.

WHICH ARE THE BEST AND WORST THINGS ABOUT BEING A POKER PLAYER?

The best thing, by far, is the money and the freedom you have. I play when I want, besides, I can travel and see the world. It’s the coolest job in the world, it’s unbelievable! The worst thing is the traveling. You are away from your children, family… and then, the money! This is the only job in the world I know where you go to work and loose money. My wife refuses to hear of such things, like for instance when I lost $20,000. It doesn’t matter that I may have won $30,000 a day earlier; she simply doesn’t want to hear about it. I mustn’t tell her, it’s not something she would want to hear. But, despite all that, it’s a great job, even though sometimes stressful. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

THEY SAY IN FAIRY-TALES “PRINCE CHARMING – OR THE DRAGON – THREW HIS MACE AND THAN ENTERED THE PALACE”, SO LET ME ASK YOU IT YOUR NAME HELPED YOU IN ANY WAY TO OPEN THE DOORS YOU CAME ACROSS.

Yes. It helped me a great deal.

I’m thinking that if I had had a different name, it would have been much harder to remember. But this name is easy to remember, it has a certain impact. It was something never heard of. You can imagine that everybody was curious how a man with that name looked like. As such, I extend my thanks to my family for having this name. Moreover, having such a strong name, it’s obvious why I didn’t get any kind of nickname.

What nickname can you give to a guy named Buzdugan (mace)?!

BETWEEN THE POETRY FROM IASI AND THE FANTASY PROSE FROM BUCHAREST YOU CHOSE THE LATTER BUT WAS IT WITH YOUR SOUL OR RATHER YOU POCKET?

You can’t live off poetry and then you have to get on a train and head for the Capital where everything happens, especially in our domain. Although Iasi, just like Timisoara, Constanta, are all big cities, you still can’t achieve there what you can achieve in Bucharest.

And then, Bucharest has its own poetry.

It’s a city where you can find what you want to find, it’s important that you look. There are pleasant, romantic spots. For instance I can tell you that the parks are by nothing inferior to those in other countries. And then there are many streets with an extraordinary perfume where I roam on my bike during autumn, summer… Bucharest seen from bicycle has its distinct poetry.

THE ROLES OF COMPOSITION ARE YOUR PIECES OF RESISTANCE. WHAT IMPORTANT PART OF THIS SORT WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTERPRET ON THE STAGE OF THE ROMANIAN THEATER?

It’s true that I have the nostalgia of the stage on which I only climbed in the Institute. I have this sorrow that, since my student years, I haven’t felt the emotion of direct contact with the public, with applauses. In television you can mount, you can remake certain sequences. In theater you live everything on sight.

What role I would like? I don’t know. Something like Shakespeare. In “A midsummer night’s dream” or in “Hamlet”. In the institute I was Hamlet. A skinhead Hamlet. And Ophelia was also a skinhead. It was our challenge. At first it was a com- edy but in the end it turned out they way we proposed it to.

WHAT SUITS BEST YOUR TEMPER, THE HIGHLIGHTS OF TELEVISION OR THE SHADE IN THE RADIO STUDIO?

Radio is my first love. But television helps a lot. To make audience on radio, it’s good to have a nice wrapping, to be known by people from the TV. Fame is quicker brought along by television than by radio. But radio is my first love and someone said that it’s more difficult to make radio because there it’s just you with your own ideas, words, and thoughts. It’s more difficult to fool the listener. Radio is a theater of the mind.

WHAT STAGE OF YOUR LIFE WAS DECISIVE TO YOU, EDUCATED YOU ABOUT THE GOOD AND EVIL ONE NEEDS TO KNOW IN ORDER TO SURVIVE IN THE CURRENT SOCIETY?

The period of my adolescence. I had the possibility to work even starting with my junior years in high-school, I was acting figurant at the Romanian Opera in Iasi and earned some money. I was proud with that because starting from that point I never asked my parents for money, I could take care of myself. And it was very nice – I got to meet actors, I went to the theater, to opera performances, to the philharmonic. It was a great thing for a kid like me to have free access to shows, to be educated in that artistic environment.

WHICH OF THE PRANKS YOU PULLED HURT YOU THE MOST?

After each prank I will ask that person whether he is upset, has something to reproach me, whether or not he wants me to put in on air. Some choose not to be put on air. Others accept it even though they maybe sorry for it afterwards. But I always negotiate with them. We cut down names, we cut down the town name… I always ask for their permission.

DO YOU BELIEVE GOOD LUCK IS GIVEN OR MADE?

There is a combination be- tween these forms of good luck. Because you can be born with a certain talent, with a certain endowment but if you don’t help your luck you will not reach high performance. When I worked in Iasi, at the morning show, many told me I was crazy. How I could get up each morning at five, they wondered. Well, I did get up at five and moved on and it helped me.

ARE YOU FASCINATED BY THE INEFFABLE OF THE CASINO, THE ONLY PLACE WHERE A NIGHT CAN CHANGE A LIFE?

What can I tell you?! I am kind of afraid of these things. But I really do think that it’s a fascinating world. I entered a few times in casinos. We had some launches for the programs with the TV station Antena 1. I was very impressed. People were very concentrated on what they were doing. I saw some elderly ladies, very elegant, playing the roulette. It’s a special world that fascinates me but which I do not know and honestly, it scares me, being a field which I don’t know.

WHICH DO YOU CONSIDER WAS YOUR GREAT BREAK OF GOOD LUCK?

My good luck is the fact that I was born in a cheerful and optimistic family. Then, the fact that I was born in Iasi, a city full of poetry, culture. A town where you charge with spirituality. I thank God for all these.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PLAY ON 21 RED AT THE ROULETTE ON A DAY OF 13?

I would play good-doing. Because good always brings by good. I was talking with Florin Piersic some days ago, a person whom I truly love. Many people thank Florin for what he did for them. And his life philosophy is wonderful. He says that by doing good, good will return to you. Sadly, people tend to forget that. So this is what I would play at the roulette, regardless of the day and number – good. Even if, in the beginning, life is bound to push me around a little. Doing good is essential.

With a long history in Vegas, Las Vegas Hilton opened its doors in year 1969, under the name International Hotel, being then the biggest hotel in the world.

Its fame, beside the name with a long career, is also tied to the personality of a huge star of the millennium: Elvis Presley broke all audience records ever to be recorded in Vegas, performing 85 sold-out concerts. In fact, the movie industry is also a familiar element in Las Vegas Hilton, the casino of the hotel being the place where scenes were shot for famous movies, among which Indecent Proposal.

The casino, with a total surface of over 30,000 square meters, has the richest offer for true gamblers, everything from baccarat to slot machines. The gamblers who reach here may choose between Blackjack, Baccarat, Dice, Roulette, Big Wheel, Keno, Pai Gow Poker, Let it Ride or Caribbean Stud, slot machines, Megabucks, or Super Megabucks Furthermore, there is also a highlimit betting area, isolated from the rest of the casino, as well as a high-stake slot machines area. The ceiling for the Baccarat area is traversed all through its length by crystal chandeliers, offering an elegant image.

In the main area of the casino, the minimum stake is $5 but it is generally higher during weekends and in the periods when conferences are held, even reaching at a minimum of $100. The roulette tables have a minimum stake of $10 and the dice tables are open for playing for a minimum of $5. The room for sports betting and races, built later in 1986, is immense, covering more than 9,000 square meters and even including a VIP section for ardent players who go for high stakes. In fact, the executives at Hilton Las Vegas claim that this is the biggest room for betting and races in the world. The betting room, definitely the biggest in Las Vegas, has 400 seats (out of which 220 for race bets, with individual screens) and is equipped with 42 TV screens and 30 big screens.

THEMATIC SPACES, A TOURIST ATTRACTION

Starting with January 1998 and all the way to 2008, Las Vegas Hilton hosted the functioning of a theme space, “Star Trek: The Experience”. A tourist attraction that generated another novelty at the casino from Hilton: Space Quest – theme casino, where high-tech playing tables were located. This theme casino functioned until 2007. Also, in year 1998, 2002 and 2005 the famous Wheel of Fortune was also in service at Casino Hilton. Las Vegas Hilton is situated In Winchester, Nevada, being a joint-venture between Colony Capital and the New York foundation REIT. Having more than 3174 rooms, it is the largest hotel in the Hilton chain. The hotel as such has passed through a series of important changes in the past years, the rooms being refurbished and fitted with new furniture.

Played for many years in the Asian world, Chinese Poker is also known under the name of “Pusoy” or “Good, Better, Best”.

“Good, better, best” – referring to the three hands – began growing in popularity across the world due to its simple rules as well as to its exciting character.

Poker players will generally find no difficulty in approaching Chinese poker as the basic rules and the hands in classic poker also apply here. Moreover, the game presents no great difficulties to beginners either, the good luck element being one of the most important.

Chinese poker is generally played in four persons, but it can also be played by just two or three players. Each player receives at the beginning of the game 13 cards from the 52-card deck which is used. Players must form three hands from the cards that they receive: the rear hand and the middle hand, both made up of five cards and the front hand, made up of three cards. Of these, the rear hand must be the strongest, and the front hand the smallest (the straight and flush have no value for the front hand).

After establishing the hands, each player lays them in front of him on the table, starting with the rear hand and ending with the front hand. After the players establish who moves on and who doesn’t, follows the comparison of the hands, as each player compares his hands, in turn, with all the others from the table. In Chinese poker, a player wins points each time one of his hands beats the hand of an opponent. Furthermore, one can also win an additional point if two or all three hands of such a player are winner (scoop). A point is the equivalent of a sum of money which is established at the beginning of the game. The players with very good hands can receive bonus or extra points (some good hands can be the royal straight, four of a kind, full house or three pieces in front).

PRESENT AT THE GRAND TOURS

Although in 1995 and 1996 Chinese poker was played even at the World Series of Poker, it hasn’t happened since 1996. However, this type of poker is often played in parallel in grand poker tours, as well as in the most important casinos in Vegas, at Bellagio, Wynn or Venetian. The stakes are generally of 25, 50 and 100 dollars/point, but it can also be played on stakes of 500 or 1,000 dollars/point.

The most famous version of Chinese Poker is the Chinese Poker with 17 cards, this one also present at the playing tables inside casinos and at poker tours. It seems that the version with 17 cards was invented by “Fossilman” Raymer, one of the legendary poker players. The difference between Chinese poker and its 17 cards version begins from the number of players accepted at the table, respectively three. Arranging the 17 cards distributed is done also on three hands (the rear – 5 cards, the middle – 5 cards and the front – 3 cards), and the remaining four cards left – called Badugi cards, will form a Badugi hand which has to be the smallest.

For those close to the world of poker as well as for those to whom highlife has little to hide, Victoria Coren – or Vicky Coren, to her playing partners from PokerStars Pro – needs no further presentation.

Vicky is a writer, journalist, TV star and a renowned poker player, extremely beautiful and highly admired.

More than that, Victoria Coren is the first woman to have won an event at European Poker Tour and the first player on the history of poker to have won a professional tour broadcasted on TV (European Poker Tour London 2006) and a tour for celebrities also shown on television (Celebrity Poker Club 2005).

The first steps in the poker world, however, she took as an adolescent, when her older brother introduced her to this path. Ever since, poker has been a passion for her, as well as a permanent occupation, next to her career as a journalist. Victoria is presently one of the women with the biggest winnings in poker, managing to gather up to this moment awards worth in total more than $1.2 million and to defeat the world’s best players. Her favorite casino is the Victoria Casino in London, where she is otherwise a common presence at the tours and cash games and at very important tables. Victoria became known in this world after appearing in the TV show Late Night Poker and since then her success kept going up. Start- ing with 2001, she also participates in international tours. Her opinion about this field has become a much documented one and poker enthusiasts have a strong leader of opinion in her.

Combining the career as a journalist with the agitated world of poker, Victoria writes an article on poker in the famous British newspaper The Guardian and makes comments for many TV poker shows. As such, she presented the Late Night Poker and the Nations’ Poker Cup for Channel 4 and the World Poker Tour for ITV2.

THE OBSESSION OF THE LAST 20 YEARS

Victoria’s last noticeable achievement is the book “For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair With Poker”. The long anticipated book tells the story of her success from starting with the European Poker Tour and also the story of a 20-year long obsession for poker.

It is the story of a journey that took Vicky from cash games to the glamour that can only be found at high-stake tables in the gambling capitals, Las Vegas and Monte Carlo. In the end, the book tells the story of a life full of glamour, friends, fun and money, but alsoloneliness, pain and defeat… Victoria often plays Texas Hold’em but admits she likes all poker versions and that she plays often any type of poker, without sticking to the modern trends which put Hold’em on the first position.

Beside the frequent visits in casinos, Coren is no stranger from poker games at home either, and throughout her career she managed to makes friends with another successful player, The Hendon Mob.