White Hot

Professional Poker Players: Today’s New Celebrities

If you believe what Celebrity Apprentice Joan Rivers says, professional poker players are “beyond white trash.” But I think there are millions of people who would beg to differ. As a matter of fact, poker is incredibly popular at the moment and so are its practitioners. This is evidenced by the fact that professional poker stars such as Doyle Brunson, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Phil Gordon and many others have achieved enormous celebrity status in the last decade.

This surge in popularity has caused many to try their hand, so to speak, at making a living playing Internet poker Web sites. Some have actually been very successful and as a result, poker has created a whole new wave of online millionaires. These successful poker players are sometimes surprising, because they’re often quite young and not seasoned pros. Unfortunately, for every new batch of successful poker players, there are also plenty of people who are victims of Internet poker scams. Mostly new players fall into this trap, because they don’t know how to verify a poker site’s bona fides.

To make sure you don’t fall into this same trap, the following tips can help you assess whether a site has the potential to be a scam:

• If the site doesn’t have professional-looking graphics and technology, play somewhere else. Low-quality construction could be the sign of a quick-buck artist at work or at the very least, a cash-strapped operator.
• Check if the site or its owners are members of the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). IGC members agree to adhere to a code of ethics.
• Don’t register with a site that doesn’t have 24-hour support with both a toll-free phone number and e-mail addresses.
• If a site passes the first three requirements, do several small test transactions before you put up any major money. These should tell you a lot about the integrity of the site.

Every poker player got his or her start somewhere, so there’s no reason why with a little luck and a lot of practice you couldn’t become one of online poker’s stars. Just be sure to do your due diligence first, so any success you achieve won’t be spoiled by regret.

Red Rider – White Hot

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The White Album $14.19 Better known as the “White Album,” this was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock’s towering figures. But even McCartney could still ro…

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