March 2008, Volume 3

Welcome to another scintillating edition of The Insider, HollywoodPoker's weekly newsletter for the latest on our celebrities, online poker news and hot promotions.

Here's what's up!

• HollywoodPoker gears up for the 2008 World Series of Poker!
• Check out which celebrity got knocked out at our exciting weekly Celebrity Bounty Series round up!
• Watch out for our New First Deposit Bonuses that come exclusively with a WSOP twist
• We've got news for all you clubHOLLYWOODpoker members! and promise it’ll be worth your while.
• Catch Matthew Borlenghi as he battles the pressures of stardom
• Want to know some Smart People?
• Get started with Texas Hold'em and work your way to millions!

Hope you have a good read. We also welcome your feedback, so please send them to hollay@hollywoodpoker.com

The battle for a spot at the WSOP's began March 11, 2008 offering Live Event Qualifiers leading up to three weekly WSOP main event and satellite seats beginning March 25th thru June 15th. With a minimum of 36 WSOP packages up for grabs from HollywoodPoker, we present players with numerous opportunities via the "Live like a Hollywood Celebrity WSOP Tournament Series!" This allows you to get in on the action and in the fast lane to the 2008 World Series of Poker event in Las Vegas with less work and less money.

This year you will have the opportunity to be awarded three celebrity-class WSOP packages weekly that will include extended accommodation at the glamorous 5 Star Venetian Hotel and a generous amount of travelling & spending allowance to be used at your leisure.

With the WSOP fever burning up, we'll also be providing players with numerous opportunities to grace the WSOP through celebrity-studded qualifiers.
Here's what we have lined-up for you:

Celebrity Shootout – every Sunday at 2:00pm EDT/ 6:00pm GMT players will have the chance to battle it out with HollywoodPoker Celebrity players for knockout glory and also a chance at a $300+20 final qualifier ticket thrown in upon winning this weekly tournament. We have also included nine additional, $30+3 qualifier tickets to be given away every week.

Freeroll Your Way to Fame – every Saturday at 12:00pm EDT/4:00pm GMT, this exclusive WSOP freeroll specially crafted as a "thank you" to all HollywoodPoker depositing players requiring no fee or points to play, making it absolutely free!  And guess what?! Each week's winner will receive a $300+20 qualifier ticket! We've also included 9 additional $30+3 qualifier tickets to be given away to the rest at the table, every week!

It's all about the STAR treatment and this is our way of rewarding loyal HollywoodPoker members who do what they love with us.

Celebrity Bounty Series – our weekly celebrity exclusive just got jazzed up - WSOP style! For a limited time we have added a special promotion giving players the option their lucky winning bounties in for WSOP Qualifier tickets.

Happy Hour – 12 hours a day, 4 days a week we give you a chance to make cold hard cash OR exchange your winnings for a WSOP Qualifier ticket up to a $300+20 final qualifier ticket that will send you to the big cash out at the WSOP Main Event!

What's more, you don't even have to get your main event ticket here to take advantage of our WSOP Bubble Insurance.  Simply register for the insurance at the site and play the required amount of points. If you find yourself in the first five positions out of the money, HollywoodPoker will secure a spot for you at the 2009 WSOP Main Event.  All players have to do is register and earn 1000 Player Points at HollywoodPoker from April 1st thru June 30th. We've got your back!

For more information on the awesome WSOP promotions, head down to our HollywoodPoker WSOP Central!

With the WSOP drawing close, we've also lined-up brand new First Deposit Bonuses crafted specifically to satisfy all categories of poker players.  Easy to clear meaning speedier cash-ins, are all in the makings of these spectacular bonuses that are exclusive to our first time depositors.

Joining our reputable first deposit bonus line-up are 8 new additions including bonuses for novice players starting off with deposits as little as $25 to bonuses specially crafted for poker pros who know exactly how to work their money, having them rewarded with 1000% of their deposit, up to $5000 in cold hard cash.

All new bonuses will provide players with tournament tickets to HollywoodPoker's RedCarpet Welcome Freeroll - exclusive to new players, HollywoodPoker Girls Calendar or Playing cards, access to clubHOLLYWOODpoker Rewards Program, an Apple iPod Nano or iPod Shuffle with selected bonuses.

But that's not all, with the race to get to the World Series of Poker feverishly on; new depositors will also be given a head start with WSOP Live Event qualifier tickets when they clear their bonus and trade in points, paving the way to millions of dollars starting here!

How about getting in on some Real Money action or get a friend to sign-up, they won't regret it!

HollywoodPoker brings members brand new reload bonuses!

Calling all clubHOLLYWOODpoker members! We've got new reload bonuses that are just right for you! No matter what level player or bankroll you're at, you don't have to make additional deposits just to take advantage of our special bonus offers.

These super low cost bonuses that we've crafted specially for you and your playing needs, guarantee that there'll always be a bonus waiting for you in your account to play. What's more is we've made it easier for you to trade points for them, so you can keep on rolling!

What you waiting for folks!  These fast and easy to clear big bonuses have to be the best bet for any player at any level on any site! And we dare say so ourselves!

Check them out soon at your clubHOLLYWOODpoker Store's Cash & Bonuses section.

The Big Deal $150,000 Guaranteed, recorded its highest prize pool at $172,500 on the 9th of March which is to date the best ever for this high rolling tournament.  Happening every Sunday at 12:00pm EDT / 4:00pm GMT with a buy-in of $300+20, you can enter one of the daily satellites or sit & go qualifiers and play your way to the money!

To learn more on the Big Deal and other exciting tournaments, head over to our Featured Tournaments section.

Our weekly exciting celebrity bounty tournaments saw HollywoodPoker's stars battle it out with players at the tables.

March 11th's Canadian Poker Night saw skilled players hiytimesOO, ValleyRaised, steaveAustin, KaneLives27, randy2019x, quality49 take home $100 each in celebrity bounties for taking out 2 celebrities each. Way to go guys!

pokerglen cashed in on $250 in bounties for taking out three celebrities, including Kirk Acevedo (The Black Donnelly's) who didn't have much help from the board's 4-Q-7-8-J, mucking his 2-A pocket cards and allowing pokerglen to take it all with A-8 in the pocket.

The Michael Woods Celebrity Invitational on March 15th saw our players on a roll with keithkool taking home $250 for busting out three celebrities. The tourney also caught our loyal Celebrity Bounty Series player WiseOne0x taking home $500 for knocking out 4 celebrities. Let's just say we're proud to have you with us WiseOne0x!

WiseOne0x's winning Ace high hand with a Q kicker against celebrity player Rocky Carroll (Yes Man) proved good enough for the knock out even though there was an opportunity for an open-ended straight draw with the community cards showing 9-10-7-A-8. Rocky had gone all in with a bluff revealing his 2-3 hole cards at showdown. Good call by WiseOneOx ,buoyed no doubt by his good run in the tournament.

Some of the many celebrities spotted at the table on Saturday were Andrew Hill Newman (The Grand), Vince Lozano (ER), Stephen Rannazzisi (Big Day) and Josh Malina (Big Shots).

At the March 16th HollywoodPoker Celebrity Classic, players' ValleyRaised, LuhankaDonk, icefloe95, each received a bounty of $100 knocking out two celebrities each.

Our star of the day SHARPEIENx took out 4 celebrities and celebrated with $500 worth of bounties after catching a narrow win on the river with Q-7 in the pocket for two pairs with A-7-3-9-Q on the board, knocking out Nicholas Gonzales (The O.C) who revealed 9-5 pocket cards at showdown for 9 pair. Nice one, SHARPEIENx!

Other celebrities spotted at the table were Donnie Walhberg (Saw IV), Seth Meyers (Saturday Night Live), Tony Griffin (Drop Zone) and Mimi Rogers (Austin Powers)

With over $300,000 won so far, get in on the celebrity bounty action to win big dollar bounties by visiting our Celebrity Tournament Schedule.

HollywoodPoker's celebrity player Matthew Borlenghi will be setting the screens ablaze in his latest movie, Jack Rio. He portrays famous actor Tommy Jamison playing the role of Jack in famed television series 'The Incredible Jack Rio'.  Tommy crashes with the pressures of fame; after 4 years of playing 'Jack' and realizes that he has lost his identity with no one remember him by his real name. Unable to cope he chooses to quit his role as 'Jack'. It soon proves to be his worst mistake as a string of murders soon entail, mysteriously coinciding with his scheduled public appearances.

 "Jack Rio is a controversial film, with scenes that will polarize audiences. Be prepared."  Matthew commented, speaking to HollywoodPoker on his latest offering, set to be released in June.

Matthew stars alongside fellow HollywoodPoker celebrity Sean Kanan (Hack!), Jonathan LaPaglia (The Sopranos), Meadow Williams (Apollo13) and James Patrick Stuart (The Closer) in this twisted tale of obsession.

Find out more on Matthew and other celebrities at the Famous Faces section of HollywoodPoker's online magazine The Green Room.

HollywoodPoker celebrity player Dennis Quaid plays Lawrence Wetherhold in golden screen comedy, Smart People. Ever since Lawrences' wife passed away, he has become very withdrawn and self-absorbed. He has however managed to work wonders with his son, who's now a socially inept over achiever. Now, at the precise moment Lawrence thought he had finally figured it all out; his life comes crashing down all around him as he falls for a former student. Though he always relied on his intelligence to get him out of life's trials in the past, it look like he's going to need way more to get out this, what seems to him, a very chaotic period in his life.

Directed by Noam Murro and set to be released on April 11, 2008, this hilarious comedy sees Dennis cast alongside Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope), Ellen Page (X-Men: The Last Stand) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City).

To find out more on Dennis and a host of other celebrities head on over to the Famous Faces section of HollywoodPoker's online magazine The Green Room. Or chance bumping into them at our Celebrity Exclusives.

Texas Hold'em reigns as the most famous genre of poker, played by millions across the globe and a favorite amongst HollywoodPoker's players. We offer you a large range of Texas Hold'em tournaments that will keep you coming back for more!

If your new at this, here's a little run through of the game before you hit the tables:

The Start - two "Blind" bets are put up or "Posted." The player immediately to the left of the dealer posts the small blind which half the minimum and the player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind. The rest of the players do not provide any money to start the hand just yet because the dealer travels around the table having each player eventually act as the big blind, small blind and dealer.

The Opening - each player is dealt two cards face down with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind to "Call" the blind bet or add to the bet and "raise" the big blind; alternatively the player can also fold his hand seeing that his chances aren't good. The last person to act is the big blind. If no one has raised, the dealer will ask if they would like the option. This means the big blind has the option to raise or just "check." By checking the player does not put in any more money.

The Flop – after the first betting round is completed, three cards are dealt and turned face up in the middle of the table. This is known as the "Flop." These are community cards used by all the players. Another betting round begins with the first player to the left of the dealer button.

The Turn - when the betting round after the flop is completed, the dealer turns a fourth card face up in the middle of the table. This is called the "Turn" and begins again with the first player to the left of the dealer.

The River - following the betting round for the turn, the dealer will turn a fifth and final card face up. This is called the "River," and the final betting round begins.

The Showdown - to determine the winner, the players may use any combination of their two pocket cards and the five cards on the "Board" to form the highest five-card hand.

Start practicing now and work your way to the WSOP, it's not too late! Get more tips on how to play good ol' Texas Hold'em at our Poker Help section and you'll be making money in no time! Also, you could check out our featured Tournaments to get started on some practical training.

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