Robbie Strazynski

The Middle East often makes headlines as a hotbed of global activity. It also happens to be a region from which many exceptionally successful poker players trace their roots – some were even born there. Here then is our list of the top 10 poker players with Middle Eastern roots. Some of the names and faces are probably familiar to you while others may surprise you.

If Daniel Negreanu were to ever become Jewish for the jokes that would give him even more great material with which to make us poker fans smile and laugh every time he made an appearance. Though his recent Tweets seem to indicate Negreanu would never “go under the knife” and join the Jewish people, Cardplayer Lifestyle decided to do an in-depth examination of the possibility…

There’s a wide variety of poker collectibles that players and fans alike can amass. These collectibles range from concrete items like signed poker paraphernalia to more “virtual” items like poker notes and Twitter followers. For the full list, check out our latest poker blog post.

WSOP.com is about to become the next legal online poker room to operate in the United States. In advance of their launch, Caesars Interactive Entertainment officials have stated that they will not be sponsoring poker players or hiring brand ambassadors. We think they’re making an error and humbly suggest 5 celebrities who could be excellent ambassadors for their brand.

There’s lots of helpful poker software out there these days, but a select few poker tools and apps take the case as the preeminent programs you should be using to help improve your poker game. Want to know which ones we picked? Read on for details – your live and online poker game with thank you!

Sitting at one of those poker tables where silence is just a bit too golden? Get your fellow live poker players to put away their headphones and open up a bit by stirring up some engaging conversation with your tablemates. We’re happy to provide you with a laundry list of possible topics to talk about that’ll ensure you’ll all have a blast socializing with one another while playing live poker. Read on for the specifics.

In this blog post I open up a bit about the time commitment required to blog about poker. I’ve got a tremendous passion to try and make this poker blog a go-to source for recreational poker players and fans, and it’s taken lots of time and effort to get this blog to where it currently is. I wish I could write more often for you guys, but it’s just not always possible. That said, I’m quite happy with what this poker blog has achieved so far.

Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do to prevent bad poker results. Regardless of how much you work on your game, the cards may simply just not fall your way. Rest assured, plenty of luck is always involved in poker – even for the greatest of players. You just stick to your plan, keep on working on your game, and doing everything in your power to minimize the effect luck has on you so that you’re giving yourself the best shot of turning things around.

Can you believe it’s been 2.5 years since Black Friday and we’ve STILL not heard from Chris Ferguson?! Once one of poker’s hottest commodities and best-known names, the former professional poker player and part owner of Full Tilt Poker remains off the grid until this very day. This is a call for the man who had lovingly and reverently been referred to as “Jesus” to finally come forward and speak to the poker world.

Whether you’re a recreational poker player or a seasoned pro, you’re likely to prefer sitting at a fun poker table. Animated conversation always complements poker action well. But if the conversation at the poker table turns to any of these 9 topics, chances are the atmosphere will turn sour quickly. Here’s a list of topics you should never talk about at the poker table along with the reasons those topics should remain taboo.

Poker has gotten tougher than ever in the last decade since the Moneymaker boom. That makes it that much more difficult for new players to the game of poker to break through and become winners. Here’s a brief but important guide for beginning poker players to follow in order to start out on the right path to becoming winners in the poker room.

Amir Lehavot, of the 2013 November Nine, sat down with Cardplayer Lifestyle for an exclusive interview. The 38-year-old 2011 WSOP bracelet winner shares the story of his start in poker, talks about his connection to Israel, his feelings about Carlos Mortenson bubbling the Main Event final table, and much more.