If you live in the greater Washington DC area and host a home poker game, The Washington Post wants to put the fear of god into you:

"On Sunday, a pair of masked men — one wielding a shotgun and the other, a pistol — forced their way into a house in the Fair Oaks area where a tournament was being held, police said. Police said they have not had any other reports of Hold ‘Em holdups."

So how did the robbers find the game they burgled? The idiot host passed word of his game beyond his inner circle using the Internet. Always a good idea to advertise the thousands of dollars you’ll be passing around the room with no security present.

It goes without saying that money makes the world go ’round. Greasing palms can be a tremendous advantage in Vegas, so says Dr. Pauly:

"Do you wanna get shit done in Vegas? Tip the hell out of every person you see. I’m from New York City and we tip everyone. In a town like Vegas, most of the people working in the service industry are not paid extravagantly. They rely on tips to supplement their wages. You would be surprised how much attention you can get with a simple $20 tip. Heck that’s like one big bet for some of you.

Opening Thursday, the Sioux Nation’s Manhattan Club off 51st and Amsterdam:

"The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday in effect gave the green light for more legal gambling in New York. Thwarting a group of anti-gambling organizations, the high court refused to hear their case aimed at overturning a 2001 state law that authorized the broad expansion of gambling in New York.

The refusal appears to remove the last roadblock preventing more Indian tribes from opening casinos in the state.

"There’s nowhere else to go," said Cornelius Murray, attorney for the anti-gambling interests."

Poker players, even at the low limits, depend on psychology to help them make decisions. Should I chase my flush at a bad price against the rhubarb who just bluffed at a pot with nothing? Or do I steer clear of giving the guy who looks like Chris Moneymaker my chips? Dr. Pauly says you should embrace your inner donkey:

A lot of us play the majority of our poker online. Some of you haven’t played extensively in casinos, so here’s my quick tip… image is important.

· Dan from Pokerati finds an article about a British poker bot currently in play. It’s just like any other bot, except that it’s unflappably polite and mildly self-deprecating. [Pokerati]
· LiveStraddle launches, and reviews online poker rooms across a variety of categories. Always always take any advice about online poker rooms you […]

Vegas is probably the one place on the planet where you absolutely shouldn’t say "Charge It." Unless, of course, you’re taking a tip from Dr. Pauly:

"Since you will be staying up from anywhere from 20-36 hours straight, you might want to make sure your cell is charged before you begin your gambling session. With bloggers in town, having a phone will be necessary to arrange meetings or if you need someone to post bail money. Besides, you should throw your loved ones at home a bone every 12 hours and send them a drunken text message or get someone on the horn for a Dial-a-Shot.

So poker tournaments are allowed again in Florida? Well, kinda. We’ll let Online Poker News explain:

"Currently, Derby Lane offers almost the same tournament rules, as he did before. The track has reportedly invented a rather original way to bypass the law. Currently, racetrack management produces tournament chips that are worth a fraction of a penny. This move creates the illusion of playing in a high stakes game, without exceeding the state’s betting limit."

We like illusions, particularly if they involve grown men in sequins with white tigers. This is just ridiculous though. It’s purely semantics to say "I raise five-sixteenths of a cent" versus "I raise five dollars.

Dr. Pauly is a Vegas veteran, and has seen better men than you try to take a bender through the wee hours of the morning. Want to handle your liquor like a Hilton sister? Drink up on the agua, your body will thank you:

"Las Vegas is in the middle of the fuckin’ desert. Drink water. Lots of it. I used to try to drink one glass of water per alcoholic beverage consumed. In Vegas I do my best to double that amount. Sure, I’m pissing every eight minutes, but you’re head will thank you the next day when you’re experiencing a hangover-free morning.

The oh so untimely death of Pat Morita last week has hit no city harder than Las Vegas. Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports on an email from Vegas tourist Steve Snider, who had an encounter with the Morita clan recently at the MGM Grand:

""But what I recall most about our conversation was his relationship with Redd Foxx. He teared up several times when speaking about Mr. Foxx and the day he had died. Pat told me that he was the first to receive the call about Mr. Foxx’s passing."

If you’re anything like we are, your dog takes a severe beating every time yet another three-outer spikes to take your hard-earned dough off the table. But does emotion have any place at all in poker? Suspected android Hank from Cards Speak examines:

"In answer to the question, "Do emotional poker players have an advantage in tournament poker?" I think the jury is still out. Plenty of players who don’t outwardly display emotion (Lederer, Greenstein, Ivey) have had better results than anyone, but "emotional players" have had their share of victories as well.