September 2009 Archives

Computer Security, Part 1: Secure Your Passwords

Here's something most people in the poker community don't know about me: I used to be a hacker. I was suspended from high school in 9th grade when I found a vulnerability on the library computers that let me access a bunch of people's logins and passwords, including teachers and administrators. I printed out this list of passwords to the administrator's printer. I was suspended, he was fired, and I hope the hole was patched by the next guy. See, I believe that computer security is something that most people ignore until it slaps them in the face. Luckily for the school, I was being a white-hat and I didn't cause damage with my information. Do you think the person who hacks your poker account will be that nice?

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Part Time to Full Time

Before you decide that heads-up poker is your ticket to paradise, it's important to get your ducks in a row. So, don't quit your job until after you've read this post.

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Bankrolling Finally Makes Sense

Thumbnail image for scopegraph.pngWhile poker theory is a relatively new field, modern economic theory has been around for decades. The question "How do I maximize my long-term profits in risky ventures?" has been answered with finality. The Kelly Criterion, according to Chapter 24 of Chen and Ankenman's Mathematics of Poker, will do better than any essentially different strategy in the long run. Why choose a Kelly strategy? For starters, it completely negates the concept of risk-of-ruin. The kelly involves fluidly moving up and down between limits, as dictated by your bankroll. If you go on a tear, you will move up in limits. If you run bad, you are able to drop down. Risk-of-ruin calculations use the premise, "Assuming I will play $20 games until I am broke or robusto, what is the likelyhood that I will one day be broke?" I would contend that this assumption is complete horse shit on all counts, and kelly simply outperforms it on every level.

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Kahnawake's Final Decision in UB Scandal

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission's investigation into the superusing scandal at UltimateBet has completed.

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Recovering from Tilt

Why do we tilt, and what can we do to fix it? Tilt is obviously a highly incongruous phenomenon, so while this works for me, it may not work for everyone's kind of tilt. Additionally, there are several books out there on this topic, and I've never read any of them, so I may just be repeating something that's already been said elsewhere. Let me know if this is the case.

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Protectionism Threatens International Online Poker

A strong recent trend threatens internet poker. Italy has limited its citizens to Italian-only networks; Austria limits its citizens to Austrian networks. France and Switzerland have similar plans. Canada seems to be joining the party as well. Additionally, state monopolies have official support from the EU. If the US legalizes online poker, they will likely choose a similar route.

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Judge Clarifies UIGEA

According to Gambling911, a 3rd Circuit Court upheld the UIGEA but made its language a little more clear. Imega submitted a press release, stating

"The 3rd Circuit decision on our UIGEA challenge came back this morning. They upheld the law, but as indicated by questions during oral arguments, they seem to be saying - 'if the state where the bet is placed says internet gambling is illegal, then processing that payment is illegal'...meaning that it is not illegal if the state doesn't have a law saying internet gambling is illegal."

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Testosterone #1 Factor in Risk Orientation

It is well-established that women are more risk averse than men. Now, we know the reason why. According to new research published in the Proceedings for the National Academy Sciences, men and women with similar levels of testosterone have similar risk aversion.

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