An explanation of the term "equity" as it is used in no-limit hold'em when estimating the current value of one's hand.

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CNBC financial personality Jim Cramer, who has warned against expecting any bounceback from the recession by Las Vegas casino operators, said Macau plans may lift Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts.

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Day 1a of the Hollywood Poker Open St. Louis Regional Main Event wrapped up Friday night, and it was Bill Haner leading the way with 243,500 in chips. Ten players booked their ticket to Day 2, which will begin on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. local time.

Of the 74 Day 1a entrants, Haner had one of the biggest stacks all day, if not the biggest, and rode the wave all the way to the end. He won several hands against Cory Bogert, who finished on 203,500, including calling one hand with kings and thinking he was up against aces. He won that hand and a large pot, then seemed to always have the best of it when it came to Bogert.

Haner boasts $82,841 in live tournament earnings entering this event, with the largest score of his career being a third-place finish worth $61,021 in the 2015 Heartland Poker Tour St. Charles $1,650 Main Event. Of his six live cashes to date, Haner holds no victory, but he's in prime position to change that here in St. Louis.

Day 1a Survivors

Rank	Player	Chips
1	William Haner	243,500
2	Cory Bogert	203,500
3	Zal Irani	189,000
4	Donald McArthur	137,500
5	Ryan Tepen	131,500
6	Peter Brooks	131,000
7	Chris Moneymaker	125,000
8	Ed McPike	122,500
9	Michael Kamenjarin	119,000
10	Jeremy Scharf	77,000

The day could have ended with HPO ambassador and former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker leading the way, but after getting aces cracked in the final few hands against Peter Brooks, it wasn't meant to be. Brooks finished the day slightly ahead of Moneymaker's 125,000 in chips with 131,000.

Ryan Tepen was short stacked earlier in the day, but doubled up a couple times in quick succession and then was able to put pressure on people and work his stack up to 131,500 where he finished.

Zal Irani finished the day third in chips with 189,000, and he'll prove a formidable competitor going forward. He too doubled up late in the day, with aces versus the pocket nines of the chip leader, Haner. Irani has a long list of live tournament cashes to his name and over $750,000 in earnings.

With Day 1a in the bag, stay tuned for Day 1b on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. local time. PokerNews will be on hand once again for coverage, and this time we'll see who makes it through from Day 1b to join these 10 players on Day 2.

If you're sitting at home kicking yourself because you're missing out on this Hollywood Poker Open stop in St. Louis, don't worry because there are still more stops in Season 4 that you've got plenty of time to be a part of.

Next up on the HPO Season 4 schedule is Columbus for an 18-event series running April 28 through May 8. The HPO Columbus $1,115 Regional Main Event will take place May 6-8 and boast a $200,000 guarantee on the prize pool.

Click here to view the complete HPO Columbus schedule.

After that it will be time for the HPO Regionals to come to a close with a 32-event stop in Charles Town from May 12-22. The HPO Charles Town $1,115 Regional Main Event will take place May 20-22 with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Click here to view the complete HPO Charles Town schedule.

Just like in St. Louis, PokerNews will be at each of the HPO's remaining stops, so be sure to come out, say hello, and get your grind on.

Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!

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The Cavaliers have won 15 of the past 18 meetings with the Clippers, including a 115-102 home win on Jan. 21.

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Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers (+1.5, 208)

Power forward Kevin Love will return after a one-game absence and the Cleveland Cavaliers look for their sixth victory in seven games when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Love sat out Thursday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers due to pain in both knees and he's looking to rebound from an 11-for-42 shooting slump over his last four outings.

Love's shaky play has contributed to the Cavaliers being unable to perform at the level that forward LeBron James is seeking. Cleveland's recent surge has been fueled by point guard Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 24.9 points over the last seven games after scoring 26 during Thursday's 120-108 win over the Lakers. The Clippers have won five of their past seven games as they make a run at catching the third-place Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race. The contest with the Cavaliers is followed by a five-game road trip that begins in San Antonio and concludes by visiting the Golden State Warriors.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: The spread opened on Saturday afternoon with the Cavaliers pegged as 1.5 point favorites and has held steady. The total hit the board at 207.5 and rose slightly to 208 by Saturday evening.

INJURY REPORT:

Cavaliers - C T. Mozgov (Questionable Sunday, illness)

Clippers - PF L. Mbah a Moute (Questionable Sunday, eye)
                SF P. Pierce (Questionable Sunday, toe)

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Cavaliers (-8.9) - Clippers (-8.8) + home court (-3) = Clippers -2.9

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Cleveland will be playing an early daytime game on the West Coast after daylight savings time.  The Cavaliers have been in California since Wednesday, and they’ve had two days off prior to this game, but this is still a tricky scheduling spot.  Los Angeles has alternated wins and losses over their last four games; they won at home in their last game.  The Clippers’ defense has allowed 98 points or less in four of their last five home games." - Covers Expert Steve Merril

DANCE TEAM WAR:

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (46-18): Cleveland is vying to hold off Toronto for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and is 2-0 on a four-game road trip that concludes Monday against Utah. Center Tristan Thompson has posted back-to-back double-doubles during the excursion and is averaging 14 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two contests. Thompson has scored in double digits in a season-best six straight games and is averaging 12.5 points on 28-of-41 shooting during the stretch.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (42-22): Small forward Jeff Green has produced back-to-back strong efforts by averaging 20 points on 16-of-24 shooting against Oklahoma City and the New York Knicks. Consistency has been an issue for Green since he was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies as he scored in double digits in only one of the previous four games, twice going scoreless. "It's great that I'm on the floor," Green said after playing 45 minutes against the Knicks on Friday. "I don’t mind it. It's all about competing. It's 5-on-5. I’m going to push through and compete."

 

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. NBA Pacific.

* Clippers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.

* Over is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.

* Under is 7-1 in Clippers last 8 home games.

COVERS CONSENSUS: The public seems to agree with our Power Rankings and is favoring the Clippers early on. The over is getting punched at a very agressive 71 percent and we can expect the total to move up, at least, another half point by gametime Sunday afternoon. "); h = d.getElementById(tid); h.parentNode.insertBefore(s, h); })(document);

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The Global Poker League (GPL) looks set to take the poker world by storm thanks to its unique format and the bringing together some of the world's best poker talent. Previously, PokerNews took a closer look at the rosters of the Rome Emperors and the Montreal Nationals, and now the New York Rounders and San Francisco Rush go under the spotlight.

New York Rounders

Player	Live Tournament Winnings	Nationality
Jason Mercier	$16,422,563	USA
Tom Marchese	$12,653,422	USA
Kevin MacPhee	$5,444,368	USA
Jason Wheeler	$2,712,154	USA

Donnie Peters, PokerNews' award-winning Editor-in-Chief, penned his thoughts about the GPL draft and stated he believes team managers needed to not select their rosters based on a player's ability, but on the marketability and personality of the players. Bryn Kenney seems to have done a little bit of that, judging by his team being, in this writer's opinion, one of the stronger rosters with a more fun group of players.

Kenney himself is a colorful character and one who is well known on the world poker circuit. With almost $9.2 million in live tournament winnings, Kenney certainly knows his way around a poker table. Kenney cut his teeth in the online poker world, so should be able to adapt to the anticipated fast-paced format of the GPL. This is also true of his four draft picks.

Jason Mercier

Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier was Kenney’s first pick and nobody will deny that Mercier is a catch. Hugely successful both in online and live poker, and across a number of poker variants, Mercier is one of the greats of the game. Mercier is used to being in the spotlight and playing under the glare of the cameras and bright lights, so that part of things shouldn't faze him one bit.

Pick two was Tom Marchese, who may be better known to some of you as "kingsofcards," which was his online alias. Marchese is more focused on live poker these days, preferring to play in the $25,000 High Roller events at ARIA in Las Vegas instead of travelling the poker circuit. It will be interesting to see how any travelling effects Marchese because his last non-US cash, not including the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, was back in 2010 when he finished seventh in the European Poker Tour London Main Event.

Kevin MacPhee

Kevin MacPhee is another player who could be entertaining during GPL broadcasts. While he is usually focused on playing when playing, MacPhee is willing to participate in interviews and always comes across as a player who likes to have fun away from the tables. MacPhee has almost $5.45 million in live tournament cashes, including an EPT title and two World Series of Poker bracelets, and more than $7.1 million in earnings from the online arena, according to PocketFives.

Jason Wheeler was Kenney’s fourth pick and another player who travels the world playing the circuit when he is not busy grinding out the hours at the virtual felt. Wheeler, 38, was ranked as a high as second in the world for online tournaments in 2013 and has almost $7.15 million in online cashes. In the live arena, Wheeler has amassed $2.712 million in cashes, including a recent WSOP Circuit win in Las Vegas worth $323,236.

Kenney is very likely going to pick himself as one of the wildcards, leaving one spot to fill. One thing is for certain, Kenney will not shy away from picking another colorful character for his roster, perhaps one of the players that Peters described as one of the "bad boys" like Justin "stealthmunk" Schwartz.

San Francisco Rush

San Francisco Rush

Player	Live Tournament Winnings	Nationality
Phil Galfond	$2,339,619	USA
Tony Gregg	$10,854,878	USA
Kitty Kuo	$1,092,510	Hong Kong
Anton Wigg	$2,016,044	Sweden

Faraz Jaka seems to have taken the approach of selecting players who are both skilled at online and live poker, mirroring himself, the team's manager. With just shy of $4 million in online winnings and almost $5.1 million in live tournament winnings, Jaka is one of the most successful players in the world today.

Phil Galfond was the first pick for Jaka and it's no wonder when you consider his poker prowess. Galfond is predominately an online cash-game player and has a very analytical approach to the game. He will be a key team member away from the tables when it comes to breaking things down, that is for sure.

Kitty Kuo

Jaka selected Tony Gregg as his second pick, and, like Galfond, it is easy to see why. Gregg may not be the most prolific of poker players when it comes to volume, but he has an almost unnatural ability to go deep in a large percentages of tournaments that he graces his presence with. You may recall that Gregg won the $111,111 One Drop High Roller at the 2013 WSOP for over $4.8 million. That result that makes up around half of his live tournament winnings, but Gregg also has a World Poker Tour title and has made the final table of the PCA Main Event three times, so he's no one-hit wonder.

Online, Gregg has $1.7 million in winnings, showing he can adapt to the different formats of poker, and he's also known as a top-level live cash-game player.

Kitty Kuo may not have been the name every manager scrambled to secure, but Jaka made her his No. 3 pick. Kuo has been a regular on the EPT for some while now and although she may only have two six-figure scores to her name so far, she is completely fearless on the felt and will be a formidable opponent for anyone facing her in the GPL. Kuo’s flamboyant style and willingness to chat at the tables is sure to be a hit with viewers when the GPL hits the airwaves.

Anton Wigg

Anton Wigg was the fourth pick for Jaka and could be an absolute steal because the dashing Swede is a superb poker player. The former EPT Copenhagen champion has cashed for more than $2 million in live poker tournaments and an additional $6.24 million in the online world, where he is better-known as "antesvante."

Of all of the franchises, the wildcard slot of the San Francisco Rush is the hardest to guess. Jaka has thought outside of the box when picking his team, but I'm going to say he selects Mohsin Charania, who went undrafted and is a top player. Not only that, but he and Jaka are good friends.

Stay tuned to PokerNews in the coming weeks as we preview the rest of the 2016 GPL franchises.

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Nick Petrangelo had a breakout year on the tournament circuit in 2015. He ended up finishing third in the Card Player Player of the year race, making 11 final tables and winning his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet along the way. The young poker pro now has more than $4.1 million in lifetime live tournament earnings.

In a recent edition of Card Player TV’s Poker Strategy series we caught up with Petrangelo to discuss the hand that eliminated him from the 2016 European Poker Tour Dublin $25,000 high roller final table.

In the hand in question it folded around Petrangelo in the small blind and he moved all-in for eight big blinds with AJ. Jeff Rossiter called from the big blind for roughly 40 percent of his stack with the Q8 and hit the Q on the flop and held, busting Petrangelo in seventh place.

In the video we asked Petrangelo for his thoughts on the hand and what he thinks informed Rossiter’s decision to make the call. He also gives some advice if you find yourself facing a short-stack shove from late position and the type of hands should you be calling with.

Check out the full video below:

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San Antonio's 31-0 start at home is two shy of Orlando's run of 33 home wins in a row to begin the 1995-96 campaign.

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Oklahoma City Thunder At San Antonio Spurs (-8.5, 210.5)

The San Antonio Spurs opened the season with a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it has been a dominant run ever since. The Spurs will look to exact a measure of revenge and extend their lengthy home winning streak when they host the Thunder on Saturday in the first meeting since the season-opening encounter in Oklahoma.

San Antonio opened its five-game homestand with a 109-101 victory over Chicago on Thursday to improve to 31-0 at AT&T Center this season and extend its home winning streak to 40 games dating to last season. One more victory at home will give the Spurs sole possession of the third-longest run in NBA history as they enter this one tied with the Orlando Magic of the mid-1990s and four behind the Chicago Bulls of the same era. A meeting on the back end of the homestand with the Golden State Warriors - who pulled into Friday with an NBA-record 46 straight home wins and a three-game lead on San Antonio in the Western Conference - is looming, but the Spurs must first contend with what could be an angry Thunder squad. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 54 points but their teammates provided little support in a home loss to Minnesota on Friday, Oklahoma City's seventh defeat in 11 games.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as eight point favorites at home and by early Saturday morning that line was already adjusted to -8.5. The total opened at 213 on Friday afternoon, wobbled throughout the evening, began falling overnight, and settled in at 210.5 near mid-morning on Saturday.

INJURY REPORT:

Thunder - SG D. Waiters (Questionable Saturday, personal)
               SG A. Robinson (Questionable Saturday, ankle)

Spurs - No injuries to report.

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Thunder (-9.7) - Spurs (-16.4) + home court (-3) = Spurs -9.7

DANCE TEAM WAR:

ABOUT THE THUNDER (44-21): Starting guard Andre Roberson lasted 14 minutes before a left ankle injury knocked him out of Friday's loss. Anthony Morrow, who could pick up some of the minutes if Roberson is absent, was 1-of-8 from the floor against Minnesota and missed all six of his 3-point tries, falling to 1-of-11 from long distance over the last two games. Westbrook had 33 points and 10 assists against the Spurs in the season opener.

ABOUT THE SPURS (55-10): Only three players reached double figures in the win over the Bulls but all three - Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker - hit the 20-point mark. Parker, who also had a season-high 12 assists, was 10-of-16 from the floor after going 4-of-17 over his previous three games combined as he made a solid return from a toe injury. Thursday's high-scoring trio will hope for more support from the rest of the Spurs, who combined to shoot 14-for-43.

TWEET BEAT:

 

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.

* Spurs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 vs. NBA Northwest.

* Under is 4-0 in Thunder last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.

* Under is 7-1 in Spurs last 8 games following a straight up win.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Surprisingly, the public is betting against the top team on the Covers.com Power Rankings despite the numbers above indicating that the point spread is too low. 66 percent of the bettors are picking the Thunder to cover and 64 percent of them are betting on this game to go over the number. "); h = d.getElementById(tid); h.parentNode.insertBefore(s, h); })(document);

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^The latest chapter in the online gambling debate began on Wednesday when Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Jason Chaffetz introduced a bill to ban most forms of Internet betting.

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Cannery Casino Resorts (CCR) has named Ryan Paulos as vice president and general manager of Cannery Casino & Hotel, located at 2121 East Craig Road, in North Las Vegas, Nev.

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These are heady times for San Diego, Calif.-based VizExplorer, which has grown its business through the tough economy and now, along with the rest of the industry, is looking forward to realizing the possibilities offered by a better gaming business climate.

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The American Gaming Association (AGA) released a series of reports on the legal and illegal betting surrounding the Super Bowl as part of its ongoing campaign to legalize and regulate sports wagering.

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