Planet Mark's Blog. Thoughts, News And Strategy For Poker Tournaments Of All Sizes

Planet Mark's Blog

Celiac Guide to Las Vegas

I just returned from an amazing Christmas in Las Vegas. Highlights included shows, a helicopter ride, cocktail / casino crawls and fine dining – oh, and getting married to my fiancé of 12 years!

This was also my first trip after being diagnosed as celiac earlier in the year. This post is to guide anyone else with 'gluten issues' visiting Vegas.

Best Vegas Poker Vlogs

I remember when 'blogspot' blogging was a thing. There were 50 or maybe 100 people posting at least weekly. I started with that myself, with no idea that I’d still be running a network of websites more than 8 years later… these days video blogs are getting popular. Poker celebs have been running them for a while. Negreanu and so on. After following a few regular players, and really enjoying the format – I figured it was time to share my favourites. This post focuses on some Vegas based non-celeb types. I will cover those from other places later. 

Sit N Go 2.0 Coming to America’s Cardroom

I had to think twice about posting this piece. On one hand the Sit N Go 2.0 idea previewed by America’s Cardroom sounds quite promising. On the other hand, it does feel all a bit hyped… revolutionising SNGs? I’d like a cup of tea and a biscuit with that please! It is the fact that a well known face from the world of Sit N Goes is involved that swung it for me… and I’ll admit that despite the hype I am looking forward to trying out the games.

10 Lies Poker Players Tell Themselves

These lies are not the sort that get told to other people. You know, the ‘bad beat that would have made me chip lead in the Sunday Million’ type of thing (meaning average+ stack with 800 to go)… This post covers the lies that we tell ourselves. Of course, poker players are not unique here – we could apply similar ideas to getting fit, eating healthy and many other topics.

In no particular order!

Top 10 Lies Online Poker Players Tell Themselves

#1 – 'I’ll only play when I am awake, sober and sharp…'

No Poker Summer Lull in 2016

Usually, August is the ‘off season’ for online poker. I can understand it, people are out enjoying vacations, barbequeues and festivals… This year does feel different though. There is plenty of poker news, events and even a brand new game out there. The biggest news has to be that the largest US poker room has been bought out (with the new owners giving away $10 no-deposit). This blog post rounds up all the different goings on for online poker, in what is turning out to be a (comparatively) ‘crazy summer’.

Post WSOP Live Poker Events for Summer 2016

With the Main Event of this year’s World Series about to get underway, it is safe to say that you are a little late for online qualifiers. There are plenty of live tournaments coming up (though to be fair not with $10 million prize pools!). This post looks at what is available in the Caribbean and Europe that you can enjoy satellites for right now.

Autumn in the Caribbean?

Euro 2016 Poker Promotions Roundup

Several Poker Sites Are Having Euro 2016 Promos – Here are my Picks

I’m pretty sure that the Euro 2016 football event, which kicks off with France vs Romania on the 10th June, will be bad for the online poker sites. After all, people who would normally be enjoying a game on a weeknight especially, will be at their local bar watching the matches.

This does not stop the poker sites from making the best of the event in terms of publicity – and who can blame them?

Poker, Food and Random Thoughts from Las Vegas

My original plan was to do a ‘Las Vegas Trip Report’, covering the ups and downs of 10 days in sin city. Many people do these over at 2+2, Vegas Message Boards and on personal sites and blogs. I have changed my mind. Instead this post is a random collection of thoughts, tips and experiences. It is much shorter than a trip report, hopefully more suitable for today’s fast-paced browsing.