Derry Brother Wants £20,000 illegal Poker Jackpot Back

A Derry man who admitted, along with his brother, organising an illegal poker night in 2009 has said he wants to get the £20,000 jackpot money back.

Paul Quinn from Amelia Court and his brother Terence from Clipper Quay were given conditional discharges at Londonderry Magistrates Court.

The jackpot will stay with police until a Proceeds of Crime application is finalised.

Paul Quinn said he wants the money to repay their punters.

The £20,000 was made up of players stakes built up in a kitty that increased over the months before the jackpot night. "We do not have the money," he said. "Some of the punters have been angry - they think we have got the money."

Mr Quinn also said he felt "vindicated" by the findings of district judge, Barney McElholm, on Wednesday, who said he accepted there was a lot of confusion at the time about the relevant legislation relating to such a poker jackpot.

Judge McElholm ordered the police to return equipment and almost £800 to the brothers, but also made the order that the stake money should stay with the police until a Proceeds of Crime application is finalised.

Texas Holdem Hand Rankings

A quick reminder on what hands in Texas holdem will win for you and what hands in Texas hold’em will lose! Texas hold’em hand rankings are worldwide, so as long as you know the Texas hold’em hand rankings you will identify what to imagine when it gets to the showdown!

Poker Blog

Texas hold’em poker hands can be delicate if you don’t know what you are doing, and may turn you off the game. Luckily hands in Texas hold’em are pretty much the same as any poker game, and it doesn’t take long to get well-known with them. Texas hold’em poker hands are all about the rankings, and if you have questions while you play you can just ask.

Texas hold’em Hand Rankings
High Card - if you don’t have at least a pair in your Texas hold’em hand you could still win if your opponent’s best card is ranked lower than yours. If you have 2, 5, 6, 10, K, for example, and your opponent has 7,9,10, J, Q, you win. A high card can also win in the case of tie with better hands- if you and an opponent both have a pair of tens, for example, the next highest card each of you have would determine the winner.

Pair- two of the same card. If you have two fives in your Texas hold’em hand then you have a pair. In the case of more than one player holding a pair, the player with the higher pair value wins- so your pair of fives would lose to a pair of sixes or better.

Two Pair- two sets of two cards, such as two fives and two kings. If your opponent’s Texas hold’em hand is also two pair, which ever of you have the highest ranked pair wins. For example if two fives and two kings versus two tens and two queens, the first wins in Texas hold’em hands.

Three of a Kind or Set or Trips- Like a pair but when your Texas hold’em hand is three of one card instead of two.

Straight- five cards in numerical sequence but of different suits. So if you have 2,3,4,5,6 that is a straight. So is 8,9,10,J,Q. In a straight tie the player with the higher straight (highest card) wins in Texas hold’em hands.

Flush- five cards of the same suit but not in numerical sequence in Texas hold’em hands. All hearts, all clubs, all spades or all diamonds. Numbers are not important unless comparing to see who wins in a flush tie.

Four of a kind - more like a Set than two pair, this is four cards that are the same, like four aces. High card is irrelevant here because two players could not have the same four of a kind hand.

Straight Flush - this is a combo of a straight and a flush in Texas hold’em hands, so it is a straight where all the cards are the same suit. The highest straight flush is called a Royal Flush because the cards are ten through ace.

So there you have it! The Texas hold’em hand rankings are the same as most poker hand rankings, as you can see. Hands in Texas hold’em may seem complex at first, but Texas hold’em poker hands are appealing immediately forward. Spend some time playing and soon you will have your Texas hold’em poker hands down pat!

Poker Heats Up

PLAINS TOWNSHIP – After a bit of a lull throughout much of January, the poker room at the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is again buzzing with activity.

The first larger buy-in event in the room’s history on Jan. 27 started the upswing.

That night, a sellout field of 120 players helped pack the poker room in a way that reminded of the first week the room was in operation and the first night of multitable tournaments Nov. 1.

The second $285 buy-in event will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, and players would be wise to prepare for a large crowd again.

The first time around, with the start set for 7 on a Thursday night, the tournament sold out more than a half hour in advance, and dozens of players interested in the tournament had to be turned away.

Most wound up playing other games – if they were willing to sit out a wait – and the room had its first $250 sit ’n go event that night for some of the players who already came planning to spend more than that on a tournament.

There was a logjam to be dealt with until enough tournament players were knocked out to open up tables and spots for others waiting to get into cash games.

The bigger event meant interest from a wider area than would be typical of most daily events. The top six finishers included three players from Luzerne County and one from Lackawanna County as well as players from Northumberland County (Mount Carmel) and Lycoming County (Williamsport). They were followed by another player from Lycoming County and two from other states, New York and Connecticut.

One of the subplots of the event was how the local regulars could stack up against newcomers who came in for the tournament.

The overcrowding could be an issue again for a while Saturday, and players who want to be certain of a tournament spot should consider stopping by to pay their entry fee in advance. Unlike the smaller daily tournaments where spots can only be purchased two hours in advance, the big tournament has been on sale throughout the month.

The increased interest has not been just on the bigger tournament days.

Although the room does not overfill at other times, there have been some signs of increased play.

After a reduction in the nightly entry fees, the average number of entrants in the twice-daily tournaments was 42 for the first half of February, compared with 26 for January.

The 1-5 stud games that get started midway through each morning now generally take up two tables instead of struggling to fill one.

That game remains far less popular than hold’em and usually dies off each afternoon, but those who come looking for it have had more options lately.

An occasional pot limit Omaha high/low poker game also has popped up some evenings.