Harvard Law School 18june12

Harvard

As we reported last week on the IFP website, Harvard Law School was the venue for a day-long conference about the benefits mind sports could have on school curriculums for millions of children around the world.

With Masters of Chess, bridge, Go, draughts and poker all in attendance, the conference, entitled “Bringing Mind Sports into the Classroom and Beyond”, was hosted by Weld professor Charlie Nesson who outlined the central concepts of mind sports as an educational tool, and one that could prove to be of immense benefit to learning.

An article about the day published by Harvard Magazine detailed Professor Nesson’s vision for mind sports in education.

“Education must strike a balance between physical and mental sports,” said Nesson. “Teaching kids, we can use the notion of starting with play—which is where they are. Schools tend to turn them off at certain points: fractions and algebra are just death on math for so many kids. But in a game, they aren’t just abstract symbols, but tools.”

Also in attendance was Anthony Holden, author and President of the International Federation of Poker, who was unequivocal in his belief in the merits of poker in classrooms.

“Things that can go wrong in poker have parallels in things that can go wrong in life,” he declared. “You are caught out in a bluff in poker—maybe you are caught out in a lie in life. And in both cases, one big challenge is keeping your ego under control.”

The IFP will be among those keeping close eye on the outcomes of the conference, enhancing the role poker can play in mind sports development, particularly in the digital age.

“All five mind sports work online,” said Holden. “There is huge potential for expansion.”

You can read the entire article on the Harvard Magazine website.

Ifp Imagelogo Bluegreen 700pxThe moment that IFP has been working towards has finally arrived with the launch of the beta version of the global membership programme in partnership with the international sports newspaper Vavel.

It marks the start of what we believe is a new era for online poker and we’d like to invite you to take part.As well as catching up with news and blogs on the IFP website, you can now register to play on our Beta software, in partnership with Vavel. We think you’ll agree it is an innovative and elegant looking platform. Sign up, play and let us know what you think.

“Our partnership with Vavel is a hugely significant step for the International Federation of Poker and the promotion of our sport,” said IFP President Anthony Holden.

“It is a vibrant and engaging platform which attracts a largely young, technology savvy, knowledgeable and sports focused audience. That profile is a great match for the aspirations of the IFP.”

The Beta version is free to play with an annual membership fee of US $52 when the full site goes live. As one of the membership benefits you can play as much as you like, as often as you like, obtaining a national and international ranking as you progress as well as taking advantage of various other resources and training tools.

Crucially, members will be eligible to complete for the world title at “The Table,” the official World Poker Championship in 2013.

It’s the first announcement of its kind, with further partners to be announced in the coming weeks and months. It’s an exciting time for everyone involved. We hope you want to be involved too.

To sign up go to vavel.www.pokerfed.org.

Rafael Nadal Ps

Rafael Nadal

Olympic gold medalist and multiple Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal has joined the biggest online poker company PokerStars, as one of its ambassadors.

Announced on the PokerStars Blog today, Nadal, 26, is keen to learn the game of poker and will be mentored by various Team PokerStars Pros in the coming months, attempting to draw on many of the skills he uses to such great effect on the tennis court to improve his game one step at a time.

“It’s no secret that I love to compete and try my very best in everything, whether that’s tennis, golf or video games,” said Nadal. “When I discovered the game of poker, I chose to join PokerStars because they understand what it takes to be the best and associate themselves with the qualities of champions. I’m very happy to be working with them.”

Nadal will play poker in spare moments while concentrating on tennis, with the Wimbledon Tennis Championship only days away. According to the press release, Nadal will be devoting time over the summer, representing PokerStars in online tournaments, in advertising campaigns and at charity events.

“Rafa Nadal represents all that is great about competition – the mix of talent, intellect, dedication and mental strength that you find in champions in every sport,” said Mark Scheinberg, PokerStars Chairman of the Board. “We are proud to have Rafa as an ambassador for the brand and excited at the opportunity to help him enjoy and improve his game.”

Nadal joins a stable of elite athletes who have made poker their “other game”, and who play with PokerStars. They include other Olympic medallists such as Fatima Moreira de Melo, as well as former Tennis champion Boris Becker.

Ylon Schwartz 18june12

Ylon Schwartz

Flicking through results from the World Series of Poker this week, Ylon Schwartz’s win in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event stands out.

H.O.R.S.E. combines forms of hold’em, Omaha, and Stud into one event requiring multiple talents. But when it comes to such ability Schwartz has the lot, and not just in poker. Schwartz is a true Mind Sport athlete, excelling in both poker and chess.

Schwartz broke through to the upper echelon of the game finishing fourth in the 2008 WSOP Main Event behind eventual winner Peter Eastgate. Having been a reluctant target of the media spotlight for several intense weeks, Schwartz escaped the attention after the November finale but not before his story, that of a talented Mind Sport competitor emerged.

Schwartz’s took to chess from a young age, playing in both organised competitions and in street games growing up in Manhattan. He excelled in both arenas; making a living from impromptu games in Washington Square Park and obtaining a FIDE rating of more than 2,300.

Then in 2000 Schwartz was introduced to poker by a friend and found within him a natural ability that ultimately led to bigger tournaments and the World Series.

As an article in the New York Times reported at the time, Schwartz put his success down to his chess background, although interestingly Schwartz, whose upbringing was marred by an absentee father and whose mother died in 2003 after a long illness, credited something else:
“Empathy is the most important thing in poker,” he said. “You have to really be aware of what your opponents think. The best thing about poker is that it exposes all your weaknesses.”

Reading the article, it’s easy to see how that might apply to Schwartz both on and off the table.

Now he has the prize he has chased for so long. In a poker career that started a decade ago Schwartz had reached four WSOP final tables and the penultimate table of six other events. Up to now a bracelet had eluded him, but no longer.

After that significant payday four years ago Schwartz fled the media glare. His win last week will not come with quite the same attention, which Schwartz will welcome gladly. Nevertheless, spotlight or not, Schwartz’s performances at the poker table and across the chess board are an inspiring sight.

Beta SOn Monday the IFP, in partnership with Vavel, launched the beta version of its global membership programme, the culmination of more than two years of work since the IFP was launched in 2009.

It’s the first of what will be several partnerships with major media platforms around the world and it’s so far so good for the beta testing.

If you haven’t already signed up it’s open to everyone and is as easy as visiting vavel.www.pokerfed.org and opening an account. The beta version is free of charge and allows you to play as often as you like in hourly Vavel League tournaments as well as your own national tournaments. Put simply it’s about the love of playing poker against people who feel the same.

What’s more every result you record is counted towards your official ranking. On your personal homepage you’ll find your ranking compared to players from your own country as well as other Vavel League players. You are also ranked internationally, allowing you to track your progress against players from around the world.

It’s not long before you feel compelled to keep playing in order to improve your ranking. Who said poker was all about money?