ITH 2006 Internet Player of the Year Rankings

At the conclusion of the calendar year, InternetTexasHoldem.com will recognize the first ever Internet Player of the Year. Using a unique, objective scoring system, ITH has tracked the premier multi-table No-Limit Holdem tournaments on the web since Jan. 1, 2006.

By year's end, the true king of online poker will be crowned by ITH. Below, find the Top 25 IPOY standings as of Monday, Oct. 2.

Click here for more Player of the Year info like updated rankings, ranks by poker room, registration info., upcoming tournaments, player info., interviews, and online poker coverage! 

Ed. Note: if you don't know Bull, you should get to know him. Bull is Nuts about Bonuses. Bull has been tracking bonuses as they happen along with the other Bonus Chasers on the Forum . Now Bull is going to be bringing all this great bonus info. directly to you, every week. Due to the demand we've had for this, the Nuts are working on a realtime Bonus alert and more, so stay tuned to Bull's Bonuses!

PokerRoom Adds GoldRoom PokerRoom has opened a GoldRoom as the elite level in their Loyalty Program. To celebrate, they are offering everyone a 50% to $500 bonus that clears at 10X Player Points. Must use the bonus coade "Gold" when depositing. PokerRoom bonuses are stackable, and expire in 60 days if not cleared.

SIGN UP FOR POKERROOM

Poker Plex Adds to Monthly Bonus Plan Cryptologic network skin Poker Plex has changed their long-enduring $50 monthly bonus plan. Players can earn up to $200 every month as follows: -$20 as soon as players reach 100 raked hands. -An additional $30 as soon as players reach 250 raked hands. -An additional $50 as soon as players reach 500 raked hands. -An additional $100 as soon as players reach 1,000 raked hands. The "raked hand" definition is still the same as the accrual of MPPs, so if the pot is raked less than one full unit it only counts as 0.25 raked hands.

VISIT POKER PLEX

Absolute Poker Added to FGO Absolute Poker has been added to the ITH free gift offer. Members can receive two free gifts from the ITH store if they sign up at Absolute Poker via ITH and play just 1,000 raked hands. Use code "ITHBook" when depositing to make sure you are properly credited for this offer.

SIGN UP FOR ABSOLUTE POKER

Poker Room Signups & Deposits - 50% Match up to $250 initial Deposit Bonus! Poker Room Bonus Code A2161 - 3 FREE GIFTS including: Poker Tracker, a 500 Pc Chip Set, or Poker DVD Sets

POKER ROOM BONUS - CLICK HERE

Poker Stars Signups & Deposits - 3 FREE GIFTS including: Poker Tracker, a 500 Pc Chip Set, or Poker DVD Sets -Entry into an exclusive ITH quarterly $2,000 Freeroll, (for new signups).

POKER STARS BONUS - CLICK HERE

Didn't see the Poker Room you're looking for? Click here for a full list of Poker Rooms

Poker Game Idiosyncracies

As anyone who attended this year's convention knows, I'm a fan of listening to music while I'm playing poker. Many people will say it is a huge distraction, taking you away from observing the table. Personally, I think it helps keep me focused on the table. I don't hear slot machines whizzing, craps tables screaming, or large-ego'd redheads shouting "TAPIS!" every other hand.

Read more and join the discussion

What do You do when You Know You are Beat?

Most people know that all of the great Hold'em players play their opponents and not their own hands. Most players believe this is just a matter of sensing weakness in their opponent and then exploiting this weakness by stealing a pot. They believe it is just a matter of sensing when their opponents are bluffing. But playing your opponent works on many levels. Sometimes you can be absolutely confident that your opponent has a reasonably strong hand and still find a way to steal a pot. Let's look at an example to demonstrate this concept.

I was involved in a hand at the New Zealand poker championships a couple of years ago when I knew I was beat but was absolutely confident that it really didn't matter. We were in the first few levels of the championship when this hand came up. I raised under-the-gun with 33 with a standard size raise of about 3 times the big blind. It was folded around to the small blind who called. The flop came up 652 and the small blind bet out about half the size of the pot.

The first key point about this hand was that I knew the player in the small blind very well. He happened to be Andrew Dimock, a strong pro from New Zealand who also helped edit my book, Internet Texas Hold'em. Andrew and I shared many discussions on poker together so I was quite aware of his style of play. I also knew that he respected my play also. Let's get back to the hand...

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Starting Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low

PUBLISHED: Oct. 3, 2006

OK, so you tried limit omaha high/low and you loved it. Chances are that you experienced some success with basic strategy and disciplined play. You learned the relative value of hands, the importance of position, scooping, and selecting your game carefully. You discovered when to stay in, when to get out, when to be aggressive, and when to just "play along". A curious thought occurs to you one day: "What if I tried the pot-limit version? After all, it can't be that different." Fairly soon, you discover that what worked so well in a limit game will not exactly make you wealthy in pot-limit. There are certain minimal adjustments you need to make. Pot-limit is a different beast. Surprisingly, there is little information available on how to play the game. In this article, we will look at some of the things you need to be aware of in order to keep your head above water.

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Internet Player of the Year Spotlight: MarvinGarden

PUBLISHED: Oct. 3, 2006

This summer, Chris "MarvinGarden" Birchby finished fourth for over 145K in Event 27 ($1,500 No-Limit Holdem) at the World Series of Poker. The big WSOP score marked a crowning achievement in Birchby's poker career, which has been boosted by an online effort of 62 cashes and seven final table appearances this year alone in some of the more premier multi-table tournaments the online realm has to offer.

After his WSOP score in July, Ryan Peck contacted Birchby - IPOY No. 15 - to gain his impressions of his WSOP play and where he believes he ranks with the some of the most established online players in the world.

Peck: Chris, for starters, congratulations on your final table at the WSOP. Can you put into words the experience of the final table at Event 27?

Birchby: Getting to a FT in a WSOP is the greatest achievement of my poker career. It has been my goal since I started playing poker professionally four years ago. I imagine it is akin to an NCAA basketball player playing in the national championship game.

Peck: How would you characterize your play at the FT, and are you happy with the way you played?

Birchby: I am happy with the way I played at the FT. I had the chip lead with four [players] left, and was feeling very good about my chances to win it, when Richard Toth slow-played QQ from the big blind against me and won a monster pot. Kudos to him. I had just changed up gears, and he realized it and adjusted accordingly.

Read more of this article and view MarvinGarden's Bio

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PUBLISHED: Oct. 3, 2006

With the end of the year approaching, and the crowning of the first ever Internet Poker Player of the Year on the horizon, InternetTexasHoldem is pleased to announce the launch of its new sister website, www.InternetPokerRankings.com. IPR is a website solely devoted to news surrounding ITH's first ever Internet Player of the Year (IPOY) race.

Since Jan 1, 2006, ITH has tracked the most premier MTT Poker tournaments on the internet. Using a unique, objective scoring system, ITH will recognize the first ever Internet Poker Player of the Year at year's end.

Previously set up as a separate page within InternetTexasHoldem.com, the new InternetPokerRankings.com has branched off as its own separate entity with the sole purpose of providing the best online poker player coverage on the web.

The new IPR website provides the latest tournament and player news, in-depth player spotlights, tournament tracking and upcoming tournament schedules, player rankings and more. You will not find a more comprehensive internet poker player database on the web!

ITH is excited about the newest addition to its dynamic community, as ITH continues to strive to bring you the top poker player coverage the internet has to offer!

The $5 Million guaranteed Ongame Network Poker Classic , hosted by Ongame Network and played over 25 separate affiliate sites, is now underway. This poker classic is truly one of a kind, combining online play with live play to determine the complete Hold'em champion. The online portion of the No-Limit Hold'em tournament is slated to conclude Nov. 4, when the overall field will be whittled down to 45 total players. The final 45 players will then reconvene to duke it out in a live setting in beautiful Barcelona, Spain from Dec. 2-3.

While in Barcelona, players will enjoy five-star accommodations while staying at the luxurious Hotel Majestic (pictured above left). Which player possesses the total package of poker skill regardless of venue? Find out who will lay claim to being the complete Texas Hold'em champion in just three short months.

Learn Texas Holdem from the Pros

See their cards, see their actions, see their thoughts...get inside the minds of the pros! Featuring lessons from Matthew Hilger & The Hendon Mob!

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The Poker Calculator has evolved. . .this isn't your grandmother's calculator

ITH's Calculator offers LIGHTNING FAST calcs on your chances of winning against a range of hands or even a random hand.

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For the second straight week, ITH welcomes a new columnist to the team. After ITH recently announced the arrival of Barry "DaveShoelace" Carter roughly two weeks ago, Paul "Tall Paul" Taylor was added to the ITH columnist staff last week!

Unlike Carter, Taylor is a familiar face to ITH. He is a long-time member of ITH's forum community - having joined ITH nearly two years ago - and he has made a name for himself with a couple of huge online wins over the past several weeks. In August, Taylor won the Party Poker Super Thursday for over 31K. On Sept. 23, he finished eighth in Event No. 6 of the 2006 World Championship of Online Poker ($500 Pot-Limit Hold'em) for over 12K.

ITH would like to express its excitement over the addition of Taylor to the columnist team! The community looks forward to the insight Taylor is sure to bring to to his fellow ITHers, who will enjoy Tall Paul's monthly strategy/opinion columns from this point forward.

Congratulations go out to Paul "Tall Paul" Taylor! ITH is eager to learn from one of its blossoming online poker authorities!