Keith

Hey guys,

At the behest of my editor, I wrote one last article to sort of put a bow on the series.

And here it is.

This one is kinda sappy and hopeful and cheesy, so feel free to smile at all its cheesiness.

And that's it. Thanks for reading, everyone. I will continue to write for PartTimePoker, but not this series and likely only an article a week or so or when the inspiration comes to me.

It took a long time to write all these, but I'm very glad I did and that I got to share them with you all. So until next time: thanks for reading and good luck out there.

Keith

@WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Here is Part 9 of the Thoughts on Poker series. Just click here

This last one is about online poker, and why it's absolutely vital towards the growth of the game.

I will probably write one last article recapping everything, but this is the final article of real substance.

Thank you for reading those that have. Like, comment, share, all that.

Until next time - thanks and good luck

Keith

@WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Part 8 in the series is up - you can read it by clicking here.

This entry talks about the world of coaching. I try not to paint it as either necessarily good or bad. Instead, I try more to take a look at the business as a whole and outline some positive and detrimental things it does to the economy.

Thanks for reading those who do. Like, share, comment, etc.

Part 9 is the last one, so brace yourselves.

Thanks as always,
Keith

@WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Click here for Part B from the Thoughts on Poker series article 7

Again, this is a tricky subject matter where I measure short-term vs. long-term EV of some of these tools. Obviously, they help us all during sessions at the table. But what effect do they have on the long term economy? What do you guys think?

Let me know. Thanks for reading as always.

Keith
Twitter: @WoernlePoker

(Repeat note from last post): I've always used Hold 'Em Manager when I play on sites that allow it. I don't want to come across as hypocritical.
I am simply pointing out some of the unintended consequences of online poker tools.

Hey guys,

For this next one I thought I would tackle a debate that has been generating a lot of back and forth lately - and that's whether to use tracking sites like Poker Tracker or Hold 'Em Manager.

It's a tricky debate because, like coaching, these tools are great in that they are obviously +EV in the short term, but they may have lasting negative economical effects long term in their ability to abuse amateurs too quickly.

It's a debate that I imagine will rage on for a while.

Here are my two cents on it: click here

Thanks for reading as always. I'll post Part B in a few days.
Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Note: I've always used Poker Tracker when I play on sites that allow it. I don't want to come across as hypocritical. I am more so simply pointing out some unintended consequences of online poker tools.

OK guys that happen to be reading these, hopefully you enjoyed the Hand History article.

But the next article in the regular series is up, so click here to read it.

This one is about 'covering up' at the poker table. Obviously, wearing sunglasses and headphones isn't wrong or bad in and of itself. I have worn headphones at the table a million times. Namely I wanted to highlight the potential these hold in intimidating new players away from the game. And maybe more importantly, how it can eliminate the human element in televised poker, thus making a worse product. And that of course has several ripple effects. This article is short and sweet (short for me, anyway). Let me know your thoughts and opinions, if any.

Thanks and good luck out there,
Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

I took a little break from writing serious boring poker op-eds to pen something very dumb and light.

This article has been pretty popular, so hopefully the RIU people will enjoy it. So click here for the nonsense. A little sample:

1. Rounders

KGB’s Game: Hold’em No Limit ($50/$100 USD) – 1998/09/11 1:02:27 ET
Table ‘PipeDreams IV’ 6-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Mike McD ($50,800 in chips)
Seat 2: Empty
Seat 3: HenryLin ($9,200 in chips)
Seat 4: Teddy KGB ($59,100 in chips)
Seat 5: Empty
Seat 6: Savino ($32,150 in chips)
HenryLin: posts small blind $50
Teddy KGB: posts big blind $100

* HOLE CARDS *
Dealt to Mike McD [Ac 9c]
Savino: folds
Mike McD: raises $500 to $600
HenryLin: folds
Teddy KGB: calls $500

Click the link for the rest. Good luck out there,
Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Click here for the latest article on PartTimePoker. This one talking about the importance of being the WSOP Main Event Champion. A lot of talk gets thrown around about being an ambassador, but more so I think the WSOP ME champion can help bring so many new players into the game.

Enjoy, thanks for reading, etc.
Keith

@WoernlePoker

Hey guys, Part 4 of the Thoughts on Poker Series is up. This one is about the November Nine, which I know a lot of people have mixed feelings towards, myself included. Read, enjoy, lemme know what u think.

Good luck out there,
Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hello gentlemen and gentlewomen,

Here is the second half of the television coverage article that I know you've all been waiting for.

This one is about the television producer and why the current landscape makes televised poker a little different now than it was in the Golden Age. Let me know what you think.

Good luck out there,
Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Here's the link to the fourth article. Let me know what you all think. I probably feel the most passionately about this article - hence its length.

Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Here's the link to the third article. Let me know what you think.

Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Click here for article #2 in this series. It's about how I feel a little chatter at the table can go a long way. Let me know what you think!

Keith

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

Click here the first article in my series. This one is about required-entry satellites. Let me know what you think.

Keith Woernle

Twitter: @WoernlePoker

Hey guys,

I don't actively post on RIO, but I recently sold some poker articles to PartTimePoker.com, and I wanted you all to read them if you had time. For a little back story on me, I'll paste the sign-off that they include on each of my articles: "Keith Woernle is a writer, comedian, and semi-pro poker player based out of New Jersey. He was a producer for season 10 of the World Poker Tour. He won a WSOP circuit ring in 2011. He likes poker a lot. Follow or contact him on twitter @WoernlePoker."

So, that is me more or less. I was basically an online pro from 2008-2011 and have been essentially a semi-pro live since then. But I've been hanging around the poker world a lot for essentially the past decade. And now I guess I'm a writer for PartTimePoker. I'm hoping that linking to my articles here will get some more eyes on them and trigger more discussions.

Also, the comments section on PTP doesn't seem to post every comment, so posting here allows me to actually talk to anyone who happens to want to comment (which may be no one). Anyway, that's all guys. Tweet or comment here, or e-mail me (keithwoernle@gmail.com) and let me know what you think. I will also likely be writing several more articles for the site as well as possibly doing some other work, so let me know what else you'd like to see. Thanks and good luck. I'll post the links to the articles as they come out.

Keith

PS - Originally, I wrote this intro for the site, but I don't think it's ever going to run, so I'll just paste it here to give you guys more cheesy backstory.

"If you’re a poker player, you usually have your core group of friends and fellow players that you compete with, discuss strategy amongst, and complain to about bad beats. I’m no different.
But one afternoon as my friends and I sat around reminiscing about our favorite Main Event final tables, we began discussing why poker has lost some of its allure. We called our friends who used to play with us and asked why they don’t play anymore. We theorized. We speculated. And we argued.
As a writer I wanted to put some of those ideas to paper - pieces outlining why I feel poker has lost some of its global appeal and certainly national appeal. And what we, as players, can do to bring back some of its luster. For the last two years, the six or so people in my group have been discussing the concepts I am about to lay out, concepts that I expanded into several articles.
They’re called “Thoughts on Poker: How to Grow Poker’s Popularity and Global Appeal.”
In total I wrote ten articles covering an array of topics from table talk and sunglasses to script seating and HUDs.
So who am I to voice these ideas? Just a writer and semi-pro who has been passionate about the game for quite some time. I have worked in front of and behind the camera promoting poker. I’ve played for low to medium stakes my whole life. I’ve never played for high stakes. I’m a winning player at No Limit Hold 'em and probably a break-even or losing player at the other poker variants.
So will anyone read any of these? I’m sure a few will. Will people forward and share these articles amongst their friends? I certainly hope so. Will people disagree with some of these concepts? I have no doubt.
But know that I, probably like you, for better or worse, absolutely love the game of poker. And for reasons I don’t even fully understand, it fascinates me. I want poker to grow and blossom and become the national and global craze it once was. I want it to be accepted, respected, and appreciated the way so many sports are.
I want poker to become one of America’s pastimes again.
And while I readily admit that I may be mistaken with a lot of these viewpoints, the sole intention of these articles is to achieve what the title says: to spread poker far and wide so that as many people can get as much enjoyment out of it as I have.
Some of the topics are simple to tackle and easy to agree upon - like how a return of online poker in America would strengthen the poker economy. Others are more complex - like the nuances of tournament poker’s virtuous cycle. And some topics will just be flat out disagreed with - like how I think some online third party software could have a long term negative effect on the game. But all of the topics are about aspects of poker that I feel have overarching themes. As such, I leave out current hot topics. I certainly have my own opinions about re-entry events, the Main Event payout structure, online rake increases, and the like, but I won’t address those here. These topics, I feel, are more important.
So if you have the time (and it will take some time), please read and think over some of these ideas. It was a pleasure writing them. Thanks and good luck out there.

Keith