NewPoker2006

POKERNETWORK THANKS
The views expressed below are those of PNW and should not be contributed to other parties This month September 2005 we broke all usage records for our Poker Downunder site www.pokernetwork.com. . I would like to convey my personal thanks to all the PNW staff, players, casino staff, readers and clients of Pokernetwork for their support over the last few years. From a modest start in October 2003 of 261,669 hits, 15,166 visits and 49,828 page views it has been an exciting and fulfilling journey which culminates this month in an all-time monthly usage record of 2,383,506 Hits and 608,446 page views. This estimates an annualised traffic of 28,602,072 hits and 7,301,352 page views. Poker Downunder has now come of age. At present all major Australasian Casinos are represented (or in the process of being represented) on Pokernetwork. Poker rooms are now open from Perth Burswood through Sky Adelaide to Crown Melbourne and Tabcorp Star Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane into New Zealand Christchurch. All are buttoned on PNW and we expect Burswood, Jupiters, Treasury and Auckland to join us soon in one-way or another. We have been involved in Casino Poker since Hobart 1985 through the heady days of Adelaide 1987, Canberra in the late nineties, and Crown Melbourne from 1999 and finally the On-line and TV boom of the current years. PNW has been fortunate in that it was able to associate with Crown Casino early and with their massive investment in poker since 1999. We tied onto the tail of the shooting star that has been the Crown Poker Room ever since. Thank you Crown. This year we thank also the Star City Tabcorp Group and Sky City Adelaide for joining with us in bringing Pokernetwork to as many Casinos and players as possible. The last two years in particular, have seen a fantastic growth in the popularity of Casino Poker in Australia and New Zealand and indeed the World. For PNW it began in the 2003 Aussie Millions when we were bombarded by a group of young North European Online players who showed us a new style of poker since enshrined in the recent publication Kill Phil (Rodman and Nelson). Their strategies and tactics grew out of their youthful approach and experience from thousands of hands online. We had a new accelerated training school. Instead of hours and hours of experience at a live table we could now play the same number of hands in a few hours and we could do it from the comfort of our homes. Such success leads, inevitably, to the live action in B&M Casino Tournaments. Thus New Poker for tournaments was born and with the aid of TV and massive online investment all roads now lead to Live Tournaments in the USA, Europe and Australasia. Poker has become a popular form of entertainment as well as a social activity worldwide. Add to this the new world champion in Aussie Joe Hachem WSOP 2005. The fact that two virtual unknown players Moneymaker 2003 and Hachem 2005 can beat the rest of the world in open competition at the WSOP has set poker players on fire world-wide. 1.5 Million players throughout the world are on line playing poker every day of the year, with $150M pot money. Throughout the world, millions watch TV Poker in its various forms. Joker Poker, Australia’s first effort at live free to air TV produced by Freehand and sponsored by Star and Wild Turkey, achieved the highest rating in their particular time slot for its premier with 370,000 viewers. There are more Aussie productions to follow soon from Crown and Speed and perhaps other independent sources. From its very modest start in Hobart 1985, Adelaide 1987, then Canberra late 90’s and Melbourne 1999, tournament Casino Poker has come of International age with the Aussie Millions bringing in hundreds of visitors each year many of whom now go on to various Poker Room locations in other State Casinos. These Australasian Casinos are unique by international standards as there is no tipping, rakes are reasonable and they are closely regulated to protect players. You just can’t get a better deal. The jewel in the Crown of Oz Poker at present is Crown Melbourne, the leader in the field, which now boasts the permanent host of the Aussie Millions, shooting for a $5 M, 500 seater in 2006 and an international Speed Poker event? They spread thirty plus tables at present with a capacity for 50, and from 100 to 250 in play on a daily basis in the Vegas Room. Their room direction is aggressive and popular. This year other major Casinos have joined the field. Tabcorp is one, with a stable of Star City Sydney, Jupiters Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane. They have made a big move in Sydney with a 12-table room plus all mod cons, a high roller poker facility, a celebrity event and a TV production Joker Poker. Tournaments may commence in November. Jupiters has started with 2 tables and awaits Casino plans for expansion. Treasury runs 4 tables. There is every indication that Poker is a serious player for Tabcorp in the future. Sky City Adelaide has reopened their popular room and has already commenced tournament satellites for play November. For many years Adelaide was the Home of Australian Poker and hosted a yearly pilgrimage of players. And in New Zealand; Christchurch has announced its Championship 1 to 8 April 2006. The Casino is a popular venue for professional dealers and Casino employees who find it difficult to get a game in Oz. It is expected that Sky Auckland will be spreading poker before the end of the year. Burswood in Perth has been opening tables all year and in spite of a relatively small player base they are moving towards a bigger Poker profile. Canberra has moved out of the tournament arena but plays cash some days and also runs a dealers competition. A world of opportunity is out there awaiting our B&M casinos in Australasia. They are grabbing with both hands. For the players it has been a boom period that we are happy to enjoy. One way or another Pokernetwork will still be there in support of “Poker Downunder”.