If in a game of No Limit Holdem you encounter a player in an early position who puts in a small to medium sized bet on the river, what is probably going on here is that they are putting in a blocking bet. The player would prefer that you respond to them by calling their small bet, than checking and leaving the next action up to you. Left to your own devices, you might put in a bet bigger than the one they would enter. A player who is trying to get to the showdown as cheaply as possible will want to avoid investing heavily in that last betting round.

Online poker room Poker Room.com has put out a new Facebook application that will leverage the power of the social networking site to raise awareness of their poker room. The application is called DareDevil and awards points for players completing the best poker hands in a given time frame. The social aspect comes into play by displaying the score of friends on a user's homepage, allowing for competition. Related Articles: Online poker player youngest to win signature event iPods available at online poker room...

Congressman James McDermott (D-WA) has taken a second stab at creating a federal revenue/tax-generating mechanism for online gambling with the introduction of his 'Investing in our Human Resources Act of 2008.' Formally designated as HR 6061...

While technically the 39th annual World Series of Poker won't end until November, when the final table of the main event is held, the last event on the roster was completed Tuesday when 930 players came together to play the Casino Employees No Limit Holdem tournament. The $500 buy in event was open only to casino employees, such as dealers and poker room managers. The event was won by Jonathan Kotula, who won $87,929...

There is a bill moving through the California legal system that would legalize intrastate online poker, and it is taking a few more steps towards becoming a reality. The bill, put forth by California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) has passed all steps but one in its journey to become law. It is now before the Senate Appropriations Committee, where the final vote will be taken before it comes before the Governor to be signed into law...

Officials closed down a central Indiana business where patrons are alleged to have played poker for money, contrary to that state's law. Authorities targeted the Hold 'Em House, in Tipton, 30 miles north of Indianapolis, stating that...