I played in a home poker game a while back that liked to end with a variation of poker that was guaranteed to generate a lot of action. Such a game was Black Mariah.

Black Mariah is a seemingly simple variation of 7-card stud. The winning player, however, must possess both the highest hand and the highest spade in the hole. If no player has both, the hand “goes over” – meaning that another hand commences with the pot staying in the middle.

Black Mariah falls into that category of games, like 5-draw Jacks to open, trips to win, that doesn’t necessarily end with the end of the hand. It can continue for many hands building an enormous pot along the way. As such, there is a strong inducement to continue to stay in even if you know you are beaten.

I recount for you one such game of black Mariah that ensued among a group of us over many beers and many pizzas just a short while ago – or so it seems.

“OK guys” says Jerome. “Here it is. Last hand. Aren’t you glad you stayed until now. We’re playing Black Mariah.”

“I knew I should have left earlier,” says Tyrone.

“I hate this game,” says Arty.

“You hate poker then” says Jerome. “Now shut up and let me deal”.

The game is $2/4 with a $2 dealer ante and three raise maximum. Jerome deals three cards, two down and then one up, to each of the six players. Their hands are as follows. Thanks to the genius of hidden cameras you get to see their hole cards too. Betting starts at the option of the high hand.

TEE: ( )

ART: ()

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

MOOSE: ()

JEROME: ()

MOOSE: () With only the in the hole, he figures that he can’t win the hand unless he gets a high spade on the last card. He checks.

JEROME: () He has three to a spade flush with the in the hole. This is a very good starting hand. He bets $2.

TEE: ( ) He’s a loose player in general and plans on being in all the way, hoping no one wins both halves of the hand. He calls.

ART: () He has a 3-flush but is a tight player, hates the idea of having to throw a lot of money in without being in the lead, doesn’t have a spade in the hole at all, and so he folds.

TYRONE () He’s looking to build the pot just because he can. He raises $2, making it $4.00.

LESTER: () Lester knows he can’t lose this hand – though he’s a long way from winning it. Even so, he figures that he’ll make it as expensive as possible for anyone to stay in and draw a better poker hand. So he re-raises to $6.00

MOOSE: () He figures that he’d better sit this one out rather than call a full $6.00. He folds.

JEROME: () He’s on a drawing hand for high and his isn’t a lock. So he safely calls the extra $4.00

TEE: ( ) He calls the extra $4.00 too.

ART: Already folded

TYRONE () He says, “Hey, let’s gamble it up. It’s the last hand” and caps the betting with another $2.00.

LESTER: () He’s a lock for not losing and so calls the $2.00

JEROME: () Calls the extra $2.00

TEE: ( ) He calls.

Tyrone, Lester, Jerome and Tee remain in the hand. Moose and Art have folded. The pot is $34.

FOURTH STREET

Jerome deals fourth street as follows:

TEE: ( )

ART: FOLD

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

MOOSE: FOLD

JEROME: ()

TYRONE is high with his pair of Jacks. He bets $4.00 (allowed to bet the higher tier because he has an exposed pair).

LESTER still has his in the hole, of course, and can’t lose. He hopes to drive out someone, if not on this round then perhaps if he catches another exposed diamond. So he raises to $8.00

JEROME is now even more confident in his in the hole. He also has four to a King high flush. So he raises.

TEE is working on a straight. But with all the raising he’s nervous that he’s going to have to put in a ton of money. Even so, he calls.

TYRONE, with his trips, just hoping to get a high spade on the river, raises to $12.

LESTER caps it at $16.

JEROME calls.

TEE calls.

All four players see fifth street. The pot is at $98.

FIFTH STREET

TEE: ( )

ART: FOLD

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

MOOSE: FOLD

JEROME: ()

Amazingly, Tee caught his straight in five cards, and Jerome caught his flush in five cards as well.

TYRONE, who is still high with his exposed Jacks, is praying that Jerome isn’t sitting with a spade flush. He checks.

LESTER, hoping to convince everyone that he has a flush, and knowing he can’t lose with his , bets $4.00.

JEROME, almost certain that he’s going to win this hand – there only being one spade that can beat his in the hole (the being exposed now) – wants to keep the others in and so only calls.

TEE, always looking for an excuse to call, figures that either he’ll win high or that two other players will hold the high spade and the high hand, calls.

TYRONE calls. $16 more dollars go into the pot making it $114.

SIXTH STREET

TEE: ( )

ART: FOLD

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

MOOSE: FOLD

JEROME: ()

JEROME is high with his pair of Kings. He figures others will assume that he now has two pair and will call him. So he bets $4.00

TEE, with his straight, but afraid of the possible diamond and spade flushes, just calls.

TYRONE, still with trips and now picking up a 4-flush in clubs, also calls.

LESTER, thinking he may actually back into both ends of the hand by hitting another diamond on the river, raises to $8.00.

JEROME, with a King high flush and a in the hole, re-raises to $12.00.

TEE calls, as is his habit.

TYRONE calls, hoping for a full house or a high spade or both on the River.

LESTER, with nothing to lose, re-raises, capping the betting at $16.00.

Everyone calls. Another $64 goes into the pot. It’s now at $178.

THE RIVER (SEVENTH STREET)

The last card, dealt down, is given to each player as follows:

TEE: ( ) ()

ART: FOLD

TYRONE () ()

LESTER: () ()

MOOSE: FOLD

JEROME: () ()

The betting begins with Jerome with his exposed pair of Kings.

JEROME picked up the on the river – not that he needed it, having made a flush already and already having the powerful in the hole. Even so, it makes him feel even stronger. So he bets $4.00

TEE calls the $4.00.

TYRONE is hoping the hand goes over and just calls.

LESTER is now sure that he’s going to win both halves, with his in the hole and a diamond flush that he miraculously made on the river. He raises to $8.00.

JEROME is perplexed. Even so, he figures to win both ends so he raises again.

TEE is praying for split winners and calls.

TYRONE figures that the pot will probably go over – since the only way he figures that Jerome would continue raising would be with a flush higher than the . So he just calls.

$48 more in the pot for a total of $226.

The players reveal their hands.

JEROME has the high hand with a King high flush. LESTER has the in the hole – with his Queen high flush not being enough to win. So another hand is dealt.

SECOND DEAL

The pot starts at $226. There is no additional ante. Art and Moose don’t get cards. They folded and so are out of the hand. But the remaining players receive the following on the second deal:

TEE: ()

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

JEROME: ()

Tyrone is high with the . It doesn’t count as a high spade for him since it’s not in the hole. Still, it’s intimidating in its way. So he bets $2.00. With $226 in the pot it’s unlikely that anyone will fold. No one has a monster high hand either. They all call.

(By the way, if there is absolutely no spade in the hole when the hand concludes then the pot is awarded to just the high hand).

$8 more in the pot. It goes to $234.

FOURTH STREET

TEE: ()

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

JEROME: ()

LESTER is high now with the . He doesn’t have a pair or a spade and so just checks. Everyone else checks behind him.

Pot is still at $234.

FIFTH STREET

TEE: ()

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

JEROME: ()

TYRONE is now in the lead with a pair of fours and an Ace kicker. He bets $4.00. No one has improved but they all see the huge pot. They call.

$16.00 more in the pot that now stands at $250.

SIXTH STREET

TEE: ()

TYRONE ()

LESTER: ()

JEROME: ()

LESTER has the high hand with a pair of Queens. Still, with no spade he is a bit timid. He checks. No one can beat the Queens; and no one has a spade in the hole. So they all check behind him. Pot remains at $250.

THE RIVER

Here come the spades. The players receive:

TEE: () ()

TYRONE () ()

LESTER: () ()

JEROME: () ()

LESTER is still high with his pair of Queens. He’s also received an in the hole. He knows the Ace, King and Jack are gone, so his is actually the fourth highest spade in the deck. Still, with only a pair of Queens, both exposed, and with three other spades that can beat him, he decides to take the safer route and check. Everyone else sighs with relief, not having to call another bet. The players turn over their hands.

TEE has a in the hole and King high.

TYRONE has a in the hole and a pair of 4s for high.

LESTER has the in the hole and a pair of Qs for high.

JEROME has no spade in the hole and an Ace high hand.

LESTER wins the entire pot of $250 with both the high spade and the high hand.

“Did someone finally win that awful game?” comments Art from the corner. “Can we all go home now”?

“Shut up” says Jerome.

“I love this game,” says Lester

Another raid on a private poker game in America’s traditional South has seen 24 poker enthusiasts arrested and cited with varying gambling charges in connection to the game.

The recent raid in suburban Gainesville, Georgia targeted a home where authorities had reports of an ongoing poker game running as often as twice a week, and after an extended stakeout, the 11 p.m. raid found 26 people in the house, 24 of whom were arrested. The raid involved at least four different agencies from the local, state and federal levels, including the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms). The game’s operators and dealers were charged with commercial gambling, while the players themselves were charged either with gambling or criminal intent to gamble.

Approximately $13,000 was seized in the raid, reportedly all the money in possession of all people in the building, while two firearms were among the other items seized. Besides the tables, cards and other gaming equipment, additional seized property included two computers, several flat-screen TVs and a currency-counting machine.

The 24 players, dealers and game operators arrested ranged in age from 20 to 56 and included 21 men and three women. Unofficial reports on a smaller Atlanta-area poker forum suggested that a couple of the arrested players lost larger-than-expected bankrolls, having arrived with extra cash earmarked for a pending trip to the not-distant Tunica, MS WSOP Circuit event. As with a similar case moving forward in South Carolina where one of 18 defendants accepted a misdemeanor plea and fine last week, the Georgia raid again demonstrates that overgrown home games are very seldom secret and often less than secure, whether from the threat of robbery or arrest

Australia has given the world many great cultural gifts. Good beer, the hard rock band AC/DC and the “Mad Max” trilogy of movies are just a few of the things that have become important parts of the world outside of the land Down Under. One of the favorite sons of Australia, however, was given to the poker world in the form of Joseph Hachem.

Hachem was originally born in Lebanon and immigrated to the island nation in the early 1970s. He was a chiropractor by trade, but a degenerative arthritic condition forced him away from that profession. After much deliberation, Joseph decided to take up one of his great passions, poker, as a way to support his wife and four children. It was a decision that would change his life forever.

For the better part of a decade, Joe became a fixture on the Australian poker scene. His first significant poker achievement was during the 2000 Australian Poker Championship when he finished fourth in the $300 rebuy Pot Limit Omaha competition. Over the next five years, his tournament game rounded into form during other competitions mostly at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, which became his home base. When 2005 came around, even Hachem wasn’t ready for what was about to happen.

On a whim (and with his wife’s blessing), Joseph headed to Las Vegas for the 2005 World Series of Poker. He cracked onto the scene there with a 10th place finish on July 4th in the $1000 No-Limit Hold ‘Em event, outlasting over 800 players that included Howard Lederer, David “The DevilFish” Ulliot and Rob Hollink. This gave him the confidence (and the bankroll) to take a shot at the greatest championship of all…the $10,000 No-Limit Championship Event, considered to be the World Championship of Poker.

Hachem battled through the 5,619 player field to be in the mix at the final table of the Championship Event, but it took him some time to work his way through the final nine. “I was very aggressive throughout the tournament and once I reached the Final Table, I tried to keep up that aggressive play,” Joseph said to this writer in 2005. “Once I found myself short stacked, though, I had to make a big adjustment to my game and became a little more conservative. When I rebuilt my stack, then I could go on with the aggressive attack.” That controlled aggressive attack allowed him to outlast the table until, in one of the longest final tables in the history of the World Series, he was able to defeat Steve Dannenman and capture the $7.5 million first prize, at that time the largest in the history of poker.

After winning the World Championship, Joseph has been quite active in the poker community. Later in 2005, he showed his WSOP victory wasn’t a fluke by making the final table of a WSOP Circuit event in Las Vegas, only finishing fifth due to a devastating bad beat when his Kings failed to hold up against Kido Pham’s J-10 (Kido flopped two Jacks to take the hand and virtually eliminate Hachem). He has also done well on the European Poker Tour and, in 2006, returned to the World Series, where he final tabled twice in preliminary tournaments and finished a highly respectable 238th in defending his Championship Event title.

Perhaps Hachem’s finest moment came at the end of 2006, however. At the Five Diamond $15,000 World Poker Tour event in December 2006, he was able to defeat one of Canada’s finest players, Daniel Negreanu, and one of Denmark’s best in Mads Andersen to capture his first WPT championship, joining a very elite group of players who have won both the WSOP Main Event and a WPT title (the other three men are legendary…Doyle Brunson, Scotty Nguyen and Carlos Mortensen). With that win, Joseph said he had finally achieved “validation”. Along with that “validation” (as if it were needed), he also became only the second tournament poker player to have cracked the $10 million mark in career earnings with $10,274,627.

At the tables, Joseph is a consummate professional. He has been able to harness the aggressive style that is necessary in today’s game to be a lethal force. He also is adept at changing his game style which, added in with his expressionless concentration at the tables, makes reading him close to impossible. Away from the tables, Joseph is a dedicated family man who looks to take care of his own before venturing to the tables. He partakes in no other gaming other than poker and, along with 2004 World Champion Greg Raymer, has been two of the greatest ambassadors that the game has seen in recent history.

As 2007 begins, it is a given that we will see more of Joseph Hachem. He will be heading back to his old stomping grounds of the Crown Casino in Melbourne for the 2007 Aussie Millions and should also be seen in many other WSOP and WPT events. He has been one of the great things that Australia has given the world and, with hope, we will see Joseph Hachem continue to be at the forefront of the poker world for many years to come.

My friend and I were in the office late, having each had a lot of paper work to get caught up on. We were in the mood for some diversion. I asked him if he wanted to play some poker. He heartily agreed.

This time it was just he and I. To spice things up a bit I suggested that we play a game that works well with only two or three players – since so much of the deck is used up. It’s called 7-card draw roll your own.

He agreed.

The game is simple – and great for building drama and pots.

Each player is dealt seven cards. There is a round of betting. There is a draw. Players may draw as many cards as they like. There is another round of betting.

Each player then arranges his hand in the order in which he’d like to reveal each card in turn. He places it down in a stack in front of him. The order of the cards cannot change from this point. Each player then reveals his first card. The high exposed card has the option of betting, as in any stud game.

The game continues as each card is exposed in turn, with a betting interval in between each exposed card. Finally, when six cards are exposed, there is a declare of high or low. If two or more players are competing for either half of the pot there is a final betting round. The last card is then revealed and the pot awarded.

If you’ve been counting along you would have tabulated nine betting rounds for this game: one before the draw, one after the draw, one for each of six exposed cards, and one after the declare. There’s the potential for a huge pot.

Mike and I had the following hands before the draw. We were playing $1/2 with a $1 dealer ante.

Mike:

Ashley:

I had dealt. So pre-flop Mike had the first action. He had three perfect low cards, but needed a strong draw to hit a decent low or high. So he checked.

I had trips; a good pre-draw hand. So I bet.

Mike called. I’ve never seen anyone fold pre-draw in this game – there are just too many possibilities.

Mike drew two cards, discarding the and the . Frankly, I would have thrown all four high cards – looking for the perfect wheel. But hey, that’s strategy. And after-hours office poker is mainly about killing time and having fun.

I drew four cards, throwing away the , , , and . I was going for the full house or quads.

Mike picked up the and – hitting a wheel! The lucky SOB.

I also picked up low cards – the , , , and . No full house.

We each arranged our hands and then flipped over the first one.

Mike flipped over the .

I turned the . Betting began with Mike.

He bet $1. I raised. He called.

He turned over the , showing

I turned over the , showing

He was high and checked. I bet $1. He called.

On the next card he showed: .

I showed: .

He checked. I bet $1.00. He called.

On the next up card the limits doubled to $2.00 where they would remain throughout the rest of the game.

He showed: .

I showed: .

I bet $2.00. He raised $2.00. I re-raised $2.00. He called.

On the next card he showed: .

I showed: .

I bet $2.00. He called.

On the next card he showed: .

I showed .

I was high with my trip 8s. I wanted very badly to convince him I had a full house – which would be higher than any hand he could have for high. So I checked, hoping for a check raise. He bet $2.00. I raised. He re-raised me. I re-raised him. And he called.

We then declared.

He declared low. I declared high. We split the pot. He and I revealed our last cards.

He showed the for the wheel. I showed the for trip 8s. My betting had convinced him that I had the full house. Otherwise he would have declared both ways and scooped a monster. I felt that I had won even though I had just broken even. Hey, sometimes breaking even is the best you can hope for.

Just then, a third guy from the office, Brian, stopped by. “Poker?” I asked. He smiled and said that he was really busy – but that he’d love to play. We dealt him in. We played a few hands that weren’t contested after the draw. And then this hand came up that really had us shaking our heads and laughing.

I started the betting at $1.00. Mike and Brian each called.

I drew two cards.

Mike drew four cards.

Brian drew five cards.

I bet $1.00 after the draw. Mike raised $1.00, Brian re-raised, and I capped it. $16.00 in the pot after the draw.

We arranged our cards. They each laughed as they did this. I tried to keep a poker face. It was tough. I had been dealt a full house, Jacks full of Kings. I didn’t improve on the draw – getting a 5 and a 7. I figured that I couldn’t pretend to be low for very long so I’d just try to keep it looking like two pair as long as possible and hope that one of them caught a flush or a straight or a flush and was going for high.

I turned the
Mike turned the
Brian turned the

I was high and bet $1.00. Mike called and Brian raised. I re-raised and Mike and Brian called. $28 in the pot.

I showed:
Mike showed:
Brian showed:

I was high and checked (hoping to get them to think that I respected their lows and might be trying to sneak in for high – normally a dangerous game). Mike bet. Brian called. I called. $31 in the pot.

I showed:
Mike showed:
Brian showed:

I was still high and checked. Mike bet $1.00, Brian raised. I called. Mike re-raised. Brian capped it. I called and Mike called. $43 in the pot.

Bets double.

I showed:
Mike showed:
Brian showed:

I checked. Mike bet $2.00. Brian just called – apparently now concerned that I might have what looked like his flush beaten. I raised $2.00. Mike raised me. Brian just called. I capped the betting and Mike and Brian called. Pot is $67.

I showed:
Mike showed:
Brian showed:

I bet $2.00, Mike, who was now showing both a 6 high straight and a very good 65 low raised, Brian – looking like he might have a flush or maybe 3 nines or nines full called. Neither posed any threat to my Jacks full house. So I re-raised and Mike capped it. Brian and I called $91 in the pot.

I was just hoping that they’d both stay in the pot until the end so I could maximize what I figured would be a terrific half pot win.

On the last up card before the showdown we showed the following exposed hands:

I showed:
Mike showed:
Brian showed:

Master poker player that I am, this was how I figured out their hands – with 6/7th’s revealed.

Mike, who was a pretty tight player, I figured for the Ace high flush and the wheel. Brian, who was not very tight and really didn’t understand this game and the high values winning hands could have, I figured for a flush that he initially thought would be good, but then got scared might be against a better hand. I also thought he might have some awful middling hand. Maybe he was just hoping that we’d each go in the same direction and he could sneak in for half. But as the hands were developing I figured he was just calling because he had already put in so much.

Anyway, back to the action. I was high with Kings up showing. I bet $2.00. Mike raised. Brian re-raised! This surprised me. He only had a few bucks more. I figured he was making some last ditch dramatic attempt to win. I capped it and they both called. $115 in the pot.

We each declared at the same time using the one chip for low, two chips for high, and three chips for both. (We played that if you declared “both” and tied for one direction you would split the pot with the other person you tied with (some people played that you have to win outright in both directions to win a hand “both ways”)

I declared high. Mike paused a long time. And then he finally declared low. Brian declared high. I once again tried to figure out what they had. It seemed obvious that I would win for high, Brian had a flush and Mike had low locked up.

So I bet $2.00. By our rules, since Mike was the only player going in his direction, he could not accelerate the betting. He could only call – which he did. Brian raised. I didn’t understand this. But as it was it was his last $2.00. So I called. And Mike called. $127 in the pot.

We revealed the following hands:

I showed:
Mike showed:
Brian showed:

I had Jacks Full.
Mike had the wheel (and an Ace high flush – but he only had declared low so the high hand was irrelevant).
Brian had a straight flush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike took down $63 and Brian, with the winning high hand, took down $64 (extra chips go to the high hand).

Great card shark I am, I lost over $40 in a little office $1/2 hand! Next time I’m sticking to 7 stud.

A recent study showed that approximately 50% of the players in the online poker world are female. The number of women coming to the brick and mortar casino poker rooms seems to be on the increase as well. Whereas a few years ago you could count popular and successful female players on one hand, now there are at least twenty five that are a serious threat to win any poker tournament around (or take over a cash game table, for that matter). So what is it that makes women successful in what was once considered a “man’s game”? A new book attempts to answer that question.

“Women’s Poker Night”, published by Kensington Press and available now in all bookstores and online for $15.95 ($20.95 Canadian) is a book expertly put together by the publisher of Woman Poker Player Magazine, Maryann Morrison. By bringing together the best of the women players in the game (Barbara Enright and Cyndy Violette), the best poker writers around (Amy Calistri, Jennifer Leo and Kathleen Watterson) and some newcomers that provide excellent insight (Jo Ransom and Dawn Dineen), Morrison has provided a compilation that ably demonstrates why women are coming to the world of poker and also shows how they have become so successful at it. The book also demonstrates that women will continue to be a force in the game and that some of the more close-minded men in the poker world better get used to it.

It may sound strange for a male to state that he drew some interesting information from a book written by women (and, in truth, for women as well), but there were tidbits of information that any poker player could pull from the pages of “Women’s Poker Night”. It seemed every contributor to the book was able to cast at least one excellent piece of poker information into the pool, whether it was in controlling emotion at the tables, learning the skills of maintaining a bankroll, or combating highly aggressive opponents (among other things). The writers also looked at overcoming obstacles either at the tables, because of the game of poker or in dealing with life, which is something that every player has to deal with at one point or another.

One point that I found interesting was that, even in this day and age of a supposedly “enlightened” world, women still face a tremendous uphill fight in gaining respect at the tables. Barbara Enright talks about her “early years” in the poker community and relates that, at many points, she was the only female around and heard about it from her male opponents. Fast forward roughly 25 years later and the same fate seems to fall at the feet of Michele Lewis, who cashed in three events at last year’s World Series of Poker and finished fourth in one of those efforts. She details out how she was excluded from home cash games based solely on the fact that she wasn’t male. I was quite surprised that this bias still exists and perhaps it is something we can eliminate (although I am sure that may still take some time).

There were two sections of the book that I found to be excellent. Barbara Connors contributes quite an analysis of why the differences at the poker table exist between men and women and offers tremendous suggestions for women to adapt their styles to combat those differences and lead to success at the tables. Maryann Morrison herself tells her tale of how she came to the game (which is a running theme of many of the stories of the book) and how the skills that she learned from poker have enriched her life and profession. Both of these chapters are well worth the read, even if it is to how to combat the ladies at the tables!

“Women’s Poker Night” is a book definitely aimed at women, but anyone who reads it will come away with some fruit for their efforts. Morrison and the rest of the contributors to the book must be commended for their conglomerated work and having provided such a thought provoking and, yes, even poker style changing effort. If you have a female partner who is a part of the poker world, she will definitely enjoy “Women’s Poker Night” and it would be well worth the time for the male gender to give it a read as well…after all, poker isn’t just a “man’s game” anymore.

Another blow was dealt to the online poker world late on Monday night as the Doyle Brunson Poker Network, the home of the very popular Doyle’s Room (among other sites), decided to close its doors to American players.

Upon logging into Doyle’s Room on Monday night, a message popped up for American IP addresses which stated the following: “As you may be aware, the management of the Doyle Brunson Poker Network has decided not to permit online real money play by U. S. based players.”

“U. S. online poker players are not permitted to sign up for real money play or deposit funds into existing accounts. Commencing March 1, 2007, all U. S. players on DoyleRoom.com will be blocked and…will be able to access only the withdrawals page.”

An e-mail was sent to all players affected by the shutdown, with a rather interesting proposition given to the American customers. Doyle’s Room players will be able to transfer their accounts to Full Tilt, with all action points accrued going along as well.

A spokesman for Doyle’s Room confirmed this news to PokerNews.com this morning with the following comment. “In view of the passage of the UIGEA and the cessation of operations by Neteller and other payment processors, the management of DoylesRoom.com has reluctantly decided not to permit online real money play by US-based players at DoylesRoom.com”.

With the departure of Doyle’s Room and the Doyle Brunson Poker Network, this leaves only a handful of major online poker rooms still actively engaging the American poker player. For a complete list of the rooms still accepting American players,