joe

HOLDEN HAILS “PUREST” VERSION OF POKER

International Federation of Poker president Anthony Holden has hailed Duplicate Poker as the “purest” version of the game.
Duplicate Poker borrows concepts from Duplicate Bridge and is, considered the perfect way for Poker players to highlight individual skill rather than good fortune”. Details of this version of the game have been published on the IFP website’s library page.

Poker has been classified as a Mind Sport since the IFP, led by Holden, succeeded in gaining the backing of the International Mind Sports Association in April 2010.

“Poker is played by millions around the world and Duplicate Poker is the game in its purest form,” Holden said. “Players compete against each other based on skill, without any fluctuation in chance. I believe that it’s the best way to highlight Poker as a game of strategic skill and as a Mind Sport.”
The IFP’s ambassador for Duplicate Poker, author and Poker player James McManus, added: “By draining as much luck from the game as possible, Duplicate Poker comes close to guaranteeing that the best players will win in the short run as well as the long run. Like its fellow mind sports Chess, Go, and Duplicate Bridge, it’s a game of pure skill.”

joe

ALL EYES ON SPORTACCORD WORLD MIND GAMES

World Mind Games Logo 300x226Mind Sports enthusiasts have been tuning in to follow all the action from Beijing, China this week, where the first SportAccord World Mind Games are now underway in the Chinese capital, featuring Bridge, Go, Draughts, Chess and Xiangqi.

It’s the type of environment in which poker players would thrive – intense competition in Mind Sports that appeal to a devoted following, travelling from all corners of the world to compete against the very best.So far the competition has been fierce with the Netherlands and the United States took top honours in the most recent events, winning the Bridge Teams Series.

The Netherlands won the men’s category with a 178-76 IMP victory over USA in Monday’s final. USA took the silver medals while Norway, which defeated China by 129-100 in the third place play-off, took the bronze.

In the women’s event the United States topped the qualifying stage and won the final 166-77 against Great Britain, who settled for silver. The home nation China took the bronze by defeating France by 91-67 in the third place play-off match.

Away from Bridge the SportAccord World Mind Games’ Cultural and Social Programme featured a simultaneous match between Draughts masters Alexander Schwartzman and Alexander Presman. The pair were watched intently by visiting primary school students, who were also among the eager crowds watching the Xiangqi competition earlier in the week.

The first World Mind Games seem to have been a great success and the International Federation of Poker, which has been observing events in Beijing, hopes to be a part of any future Games.

Since its formation in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2009, the IFP has worked towards obtaining Mind Sport status for poker. The past two years have been spent working closely with the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), earning observer status along with Xiangqi.

Fans of Mind Sports can follow the action on the SportAccord World Mind Games website which also hosts a live stream of events in Beijing, full details of which can be found at: http://www.worldmindgames.net/en/.

joe

SO LONG 2011, HELLO 2012

Platform IiLooking ahead at the New Year it should be another intriguing 12 months for the International Federation of Poker. While 2011 put the IFP on the map, with events of the IFP World Championship capturing the imagination, 2012 promises even more.

The major development will be the 2012 World Championships, which this year will be open to every poker player around the world, with a seat at The Table coming via live finals and online qualification which will be open to all on the new IFP software.

This leads us nicely on to our next development.

Currently in the final stage before its launch, the new IFP software will look and feel like no other online poker platform, with a unique design not to mention a unique prize, at its heart.

As the final touches are made invitations will soon be made to select players who have expressed an interest in being part of the IFP trials, to take place over the coming months. The software will then be launched later this year.

The next 12 months is also expected to see an expansion of National members, with more federations becoming part of the IFP community, adding their voice to the promotion of poker as a Mind Sport, and securing both Mind Sport status and membership of SportAccord in the process.

This year could mark a turning point for the game in other aspects also.

The New Year may have brought a fuzzy feeling for some, but the news from the United States was enough to clear the head. News emerged of the first rumblings along the corridors of power that suggested there might be a possible change of policy ahead, one that could ultimately lead to the legalisation of online poker, a long sought after breakthrough for players across the Atlantic.

There shouldn’t be a dull moment. Check back on the IFP Blog for more announcements in the coming weeks. At the same time you can register your interest in the work of the IFP on the home page.

joe

SIGNING OFF A MEMORABLE 2011

The International Federation of Poker was founded in 2009, rapidly increased its membership and obtained observer status with the International Mind Sports Association in 2010, and now is on course to reach new landmarks as 2011 comes to a close.

The past 12 months have been the best yet for the IFP, culminating in November with the first IFP World Championships in London. That started with the Nations Cup, a unique duplicate poker content which was won in emphatic style by Team Germany led by Stephan Kalhamer.It was an event also notable for the participation of Team Zynga, a group of amateurs that would go on to finish in fourth place, defeating numerous professional players along the way. Zynga’s performance was also noteworthy for the ground-breaking announcement that Zynga would be the first digital federation of the IFP, a first for Mind Sports and indeed for sport everywhere.

Following Zynga and the Nations Cup was The Table, the first world championship ever held, which took place at County Hall on the banks of the river Thames. It was in the famous Rotunda of County Hall that Spanish pro Raul Mestre defeated Victoria Coren in a thrilling heads-up clash to become the first official world champion.

That was 2011. Now it’s time to look forward to 2012, which we’ll be doing in the coming weeks. For now we’d like to wish all our supporters a very happy new year.

joe

THE SOCIAL SIDE OF POKER

Poker Night 1We can’t all be imbued with natural poker talent, although some will spend a lifetime saying that they are. But one thing every player can count on at the table is some degree of social interaction, often the very thing that attracts people to the game in the first place.

For generations poker has been a social game. A look through the profiles of the Nations Cup players reveals men and women who learned the game as children, taught by a parent or a grandparent. Or, the familiar route through someone’s home game before the leap to a card room or casino.

Take Barny Boatman of the UK team, who learned to play at home before teaching his younger brother Ross. Frenchman David Benyamine learned to play as a boy of 12. Andy Black was taught to play by his mother; the 14-year-old Mel Judah was taught by his father. Juan Manuel Pastor goes a generation further, taught to play by his grandfather.

Home games are the popular alternative to formal casinos poker, often involving odd variations of the game to keep things interesting. One particular game reached legendary status; that of IFP President Anthony Holden, as detailed in his cult book Big Deal: One Year as a Professional Poker Player. In it Holden wrote eloquently about the various characters who joined his weekly game, not least his brother in arms Al Alvarez, and how a weekly Tuesday night game quickly became the highlight of the week.

Then away from the kitchen table, there are the stories of poker games in unlikely circumstances, between say, political meetings or even international sporting contests.

Jim McManus, author and poker player, writes in Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker, how US Presidents have for many years used poker as a way to unwind. Former Tennis ace turned poker player Boris Becker even played poker during rain delays at Wimbledon.

But as times change and the internet takes over our lives, will the home game soon become a thing of the past? Gone will be the days of chipping in to buy beer and dip? No weekly highlight with friends to break the monotony of the working week?

Not if the players of Zynga Poker have anything to say about it, who, since their details were published on the IFP Facebook page, have been inundated with good luck messages, from players they’ve met on Zynga.

They may not be the most experienced team, but they are perhaps the most social. After all, Margaret Hailey of the Zynga team met her husband while playing poker. You can’t get more social than that.