This years tournament schedule start off on May 31, 2011 and has 58 events. One more than last year.

Pre-registration for the 2011 WSOP will be available on-site at the Main Cage of the Rio in Las Vegas and online through www.WSOP.com beginning February 7, 2011. 

You can check out the whole schedule HERE.

Playing cards truly unlike anything you've seen before. It's never been possible. It's never been done. DeckONE : Industrial Edition Playing Cards.

The gunmetal colored box glistens in the light and demands attention with its hardened steel aesthetic. The box is made of paper 25% thicker than the Sentinel tuck case. These cards protect themselves.

DeckONE features original illustration by Homer Liwag proudly on the box, the back design, the Jokers, the Ace of Spades, and even each court card. The Kings, Queens, and Jacks exude a unique patina.

The cards are printed in Q1 quality on the web casino press at USPCC. Available now in limited quantities. Like Homer's critically acclaimed DVD's CoinONE and CoinTWO – these will be in very high demand. Act now and stock up for the holiday season.

DeckOne's industrial inspiration draws from over 30 years of television and movie production design, concept art, and illustration. While sketching Bat Mobiles and Colonial Viper space ships as a kid in the 70's, Homer dreamed of designing props and ships for TV shows and movies.

"I wanted the back design to appear heavy – like the giant otherworldly machines they depicted. For the case, I created the look of worn, military grade, black stamped steel by using thick metallic stock and subtle printing and embossing effects."

D1IE is the perfect union of Homer's formal training in Industrial Design and his passion for feature film conceptual art. A simple, sleek, modern design.

You can grab a pack for $6 over at the Theory11 HERE.

Designed with both the typophile and card player in mind, Helveticards are the beautiful, usable alternative to the traditional deck of cards that both Vignelli and Brunson would be happy to deal. (I'd like to think so, at least.)

Pre-orders will be accepted through April 14, 2010 before initial print run. Please expect 4-6 weeks for delivery.

You can check them out HERE.

You can check out the site HERE to see the whole list.

The Grand Prize is a trip for two to Las Vegas, NV and the opportunity for the winner to participate in the 2010 World Series of Poker Event. Trip package includes roundtrip coach-class air transportation for two to Las Vegas, NV; three nights accommodations ; a seat for the winner at the 2010 World Series of Poker Event; and $500 spending money.

There's also a lot of instant prizes:

ONE (1) FIRST PRIZE: A PlayStation 3 game console. ARV: $299.99. ONE (1) SECOND PRIZE: One (1) year of 2-at-a–time unlimited game rentals from Gamefly. ARV: $275.40. ONE (1) THIRD PRIZE: Nintendo Wii game console. ARV: $199.99. ONE (1) FOURTH PRIZE: Xbox 360 Pro game console. ARV: $249.99. THREE (3) FIFTH PRIZES: Six (6) months of 2-at-a–time unlimited game rentals from Gamefly. ARV: $137.70. SEVENTY-FIVE (75) SIXTH PRIZES: A Poker Set. ARV: $50. THREE HUNDRED FIFTY (350) SEVENTH PRIZES: A Jack Link's World Series of Poker t-shirt (size determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion). ARV: $15. THREE HUNDRED FIFTY (350) EIGHTH PRIZES: A Jack Link's World Series of Poker hat (size determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion). ARV: $15. FOUR HUNDRED (400) NINTH PRIZES: Three (3) 1.5oz Jerky and Nuggets packages bags of Jack Link's Jerky. ARV: $12. EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE (825) TENTH PRIZES: A Deck of Jack Link's playing cards.

You can play the contest HERE.

First off, you need to be at one end of the table. Seat two or seat eight is the best. Next, you need to start up a conversation with the guys right around you about poker. Now, what do you say? The best thing I've found is to give out a little information about the players at the other end of the table. Even if it's a guess about what someone had, if they were bluffing, or so on. This starts things off.

From there, you need to find some way to talk a little bad about the players at the other end of the table. You don't need to over do it, just little jabs. The best is if the other end of the table is winning, to say something like "Those chips need to start coming to our side of the table", or "When are we going to start getting cards?". The idea is to say something positive, and include the one or two guys on either side of you. In creates the idea that you're all in it together against the other end of the table.

The fact that you're talking about other end of the table, also means that their less likely to hear you talking about them. 

What does this do for you? A couple of things.

One, if you have more talkative people around you, they might start giving you information about things they see the other players doing. Three sets of eyes are always better than one.

Two, if they're the friendly type, they might not try so hard to take your money. They might fold a little easier, bet a little weaker, and so on.This makes it easier for you to concentrate on the other players around the table.

Finally, they might also give you a lot of information about themselves, and how they play. Things like telling you what they had, why they played a hard the way they did, or even their general strategy. You might find out something that will help you later if you do end up in a big hand against them.

You can get a lot of things like this from just being friendly, but for more serious players, that doesn't always work. I've found though that if they think you're in it together, against the other players, even hard cases are more forthcoming.

The downside of all of this is that the second you take their money, they're probably going to stop talking to you. If you take a small hand or two, show them you had good cards, tell them your sorry and act like you mean it, you might be able to keep things rolling. The longer the better.

This isn't something that you can do all the time. It has to be the right situation to give it a try, but it can give you quite and advantage.

Let me know what you think.

A flask that holds not only your favorite liquor, but also a deck of playing cards in case a poker game breaks out.

It's made out of stainless steel, and only cost $30. They have them in stock at the moment, but something like this won't last long.

You can go buy yourself one over at the Taylor Gifts site HERE.

Anyway, this trip was no different. Had a great time, and did pretty well at the poker tables. Nothing fantastic, but decent. I took in $250 at the cash tables, and in the four tourneys I played in, I came in 18th, 8th, 5th, and 3rd. I only won $220 for third place in the one, and the 5th place finish made me the bubble boy, which still upsets me. They were all 30-60 person tournaments, so nothing huge. I just didn't have the time to hit the bigger ones that have a $125+ entry fee and 100 people in them. Still, not a bad haul for only playing here and there.

Yes, I did totally miss putting up any football picks. Not that it would have helped at all. The picks I made in Vegas all went three for four or five in my parlays. I need to learn to just beat the teams strait up, and I'd do a shole hell of a lot better.

I know you've heard it all before, but I'll try to get my picks up this week. Maybe not the whole list of teams this time around, but just my picks. Makes it a lot easier.

Any suggestions for the upcoming week?

It's the subscription poker site of the World Poker Tour, and a better way to play poker. No more risking your entire bankroll playing No-Limit or spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on tournament fees and rake. For just $19.95 a month, you can play dozens of tournaments and win as much as your skills allow. Tournaments cost points — not cash — to enter. And if you lose, your points balance is refreshed each day!

You can check out the ClubWPT site HERE if you're interested. 

Has anyone tried this? I was wondering if it was worth the $20 a month or not.

I decided not to use any names in this update, just in case someone is in avoidance mode. For the rest of you, I will say that there are two really big names left, and one of them is currently sitting in the number two chip spot.

By the time this post pops up on Wednesday they will already be down to 27, and getting ready to play to see who will sit at the final table. 

You can check out the standings at the WSOP site HERE. I'll warn you though, the site is running pretty slow while they're playing.