An Asian casino running on losses, the Queenco Casino and Hotel is hoping to get back on track and enhance its international repute with the help of poker. The Cambodian casino’s first step in its attempt was hosting the Asia Poker Tour or the APT, which is a prominent poker competition that takes place every year. The APT has been entertaining poker enthusiasts in Cambodia since 2012. This year, the event was held in Queenco, mostly to promote the city of Sihanoukville (where the casino and hotel is situated) as a gambling hub.

Queenco to host more international events

Queenco Casino and Hotel had losses amounting to 1.5 million Euros or $2 million as of the end of 2013. The casino, which is owned by the Israeli Queenco Leisure International Ltd., has entered into an agreement with the organizers of APT to host the yearly tournament and at least two other major poker tournaments, said Meni Akunis, the chief operations manager of the casino. There are major doubts about the capability of the Queenco casino to sustain those losses and come back to compete with other players in the market, according to a report submitted by its parent company in 2013.

Hoping to turn tables with poker

Cambodia is the biggest gambling jurisdiction in Asia, with around 56 casinos that have more than 7500 slot machines and 2500 table games. Cambodian law does not allow its citizens to gamble in their country. However, outsiders are more than welcome to enjoy a game of poker or other games at their casinos. Mr. Akunis said that the management hopes that the tables will turn once the Sihanoukville International Airport starts receiving international flights. Only recently, the airport welcomed its first international flight from South Korea.

Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world, and while it’s always been and will continue to be an exciting game, sometimes it’s good to try one of the numerous poker variations that are available. Not only are these intriguing games in their own right, but it’ll keep your card playing skills sharp instead of having them stagnate by playing the same type of game over and over again. Let’s take a look at two of these popular variants and see exactly how to play them.

Badugi

There is some controversy over the origin of Badugi, but what we know for certain is that’s it’s been played since at least the 1980s. Suits play a critical role in this game, and it’s very similar to lowball. The goal is to be the player with the best four card low hand. However, it’s important to remember that in this game, there are three draws and similar suits and pairs will count against you.

Four cards are dealt to each player at the beginning of the game. The greatest hand possible is 4-3-2-A, with each card having its own suit. Try to avoid pairs and the same suits. Having a ‘badugi’ refers to four different cards of different suits, and having that will win you the game. If two players have ‘badugi,’ then whoever’s hand is lowest wins. If no one has it, then it’s whoever has the lowest three non-pair and different suited cards wins, or the lowest two. There are three bets and three draws after each round, the lowest wins. Additional information on how to play Badugi can be found here.

Guts

This is a classic variant, and it’s like having a game of chicken and features lots of opportunities for bluffs and big showdowns. There are several ways to play the game, but the most popular is to have players ante up and then be dealt three cards a piece. At this point, players can determine for themselves if they want to play the hand, which depends on its strength or their ability to bluff. Afterwards, players hold their cards near the center and the countdown begins – 1, 2, 3, ‘guts.’ On guts, players will either fold or hold up their cards to advance. The highest three cards win the whole pot. The game lasts until there is only one player left holding up their hand. Here is some more info about how to play Guts.

Tom Hall, a successful professional poker player, provides intimate details of Macau’s Poker King Club in an interview with Poker News. Here is a summary of the most interesting things that he had to say.

How many players participate in the games?

Since the event began, there must have been 100-200 different players who have taken part. However, there is always a core of 20-30 players that are playing at least once a month. In fact, there are five or six players who get to a game every time they are in Macau, which is very often. Line ups are always changing, but unless a newcomer is added to the list, most of the players know each other quite well by now.

Are there ever limit games?

Some of the smaller games have limits, but the big game is always a no-limit hold’em style.

How hard is it for players to get an invite?

I would imagine that it is very difficult, because there are only a certain amount of players that can get access to each game. Even among the regulars who have played a few times, there is a large waiting list. If a newcomer is going to get in, it is because they have impressed people at other tournaments or they are very well connected.

Do language barriers create issues?

No. When we are playing a game, everyone knows enough about poker to be able to let the game flow without having to talk to each other. There can be awkward moments where several groups of people are talking amongst themselves in different languages, but I suppose that happens everywhere.

What are the wins/losses in numbers?

The most someone has lost (or won) at a table in a single session would be around $13 million. Just remember that these are very long sessions, sometimes lasting 30 or 40 hours. We will have a break where everyone grabs a quick nap, watches the live soccer games, or goes for a meal.

For more information about Tom Hall and the Macau poker scene, click here.

Despite having a very low buy in compared to other major tournaments, the Sunday Prime at iPoker Network is very popular among major players. This week’s event saw 1,298 players taking part, with a prize pool of close to 50,000 euros. This day belonged to the British contingent, and a majority of that prize money is now in their bank accounts.

Ally Squire, better known by his screen name of ownerfunkyt0wn, got the biggest win of his online career. He won 8,000 euros and is going to be a lot higher in next week’s online poker rankings. This was a big event for Squire, who has shown promise but never delivered a consistent level of performance when it mattered.

Another British man who had a great day was Paul Senter, or Senta999, who got through in second place and won 6,000 euros. His day was just as impressive, and he presented a very difficult challenge for squire to overcome.

Keith Cummins, or Whassup999, had a great Sunday. He finished in a respectable ninth position at the Sunday Prime, winning 500 euros. However, his real success came at the Sunday Masters event (150 euro buy in) where he won close to 4,000 euros.

Another Brit who enjoyed his afternoon’s poker work was Nelius Foley (TheLAstCook) who took home a little more than 3,000 euros at the Sunday Warm-Up event (50 euro buy in).

PokerStars: Plenty of Near Misses

Unfortunately, this week was not a great time for British players at the PokerStars event. We are usually used to seeing big wins from Brits, but most of them fell short of their expectations at the Sunday 500 and Sunday Million events. “Chaz D 87” managed to win $24,000 with fifth place at the Sunday 500, while “easylimp” came in sixth place and won $18,000.

“OJLimpsinn” got to within the final table for the $260,000 first prize at the Sunday Million event, but he had to settle for $12,000 and ninth place. He will be hoping to do better at future events.

For more details about the exploits of British players this week, click here.

Conor Murphy was just another stable hand working for a man who trained and raced horses. After watching his boss work with a number of different horses, he realized that one of those creatures stood out amongst the rest.

When he heard that his boss entered the horse in an upcoming race, he sat down and decided how much he could afford to bet. Just a few months before the race, he put down $75 on the animal and hoped for the best. His bet also covered the other four horses owned by his boss, which led some to question if he even looked at the odds. The odds of all five horses finishing in the top spots was slim to none.

Many people don’t realize that betting in advance can increase the odds of winning. With three months to go before that race, Murphy didn’t know if the track would disqualify the horse based on any issues or if the horse would even be healthy enough to run the race. When race day finally arrived, Murphy walked away with a check for $1.5 million, proving that betting on his boss’s horses was a smart idea.