What would you do with nearly $9 million dollars? Oh sure, you can probably come up with a million different ways to spend it but when you actually have it in hand it is a whole different story.

The champion became interested in poker after watching High Stakes Poker on TV; he played a few hands with some friends and decided he needed more experience and knowledge. He immersed himself in the subject and started playing poker online resulting in over $700,000.00 in winnings; as well as titles in the Full Title Poker Sunday Mulligan and PokerStars tournaments.

However, none of this prepared him for live poker, and in his words, live poker seems pretty boring and you need lots of patience. His lack of experience resulted in only one win of his first fifteen events, placing 7^th in a No Limit Hold ‘em tournament. He decided to register for the WSOP Main Event, but lacking confidence, he signed up for day 1-A stating that he could at least get in there quickly and get out quickly if he was eliminated. Obviously that was not the case; however the competition was fierce and intense, so much so that Heinz’s mother actually left the theater during the final table because it was too stressful.

So, what would you do with all that money?

Related articles

• Pius Heinz Wins The $8.72 Million Prize At The World Series Of Poker (huffingtonpost.com)
• Heinz beats Staszko in $8.72M WSOP main event (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• VIDEO: Pius Heinz of Germany wins 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table, WSoP (3news.co.nz)
• Pius Heinz Wins 2011 WSOP Main Event [Video] (inquisitr.com)
• Pius Heinz, 22, Wins over $8 Million at 2011 WSOP (blippitt.com)

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It’s all over.

No more singing the same wrong lyrics over and over.  No more beating your fake drum set with your authentic drum sticks.  No more harmonious chords produced by pushing the blue and red button at the same time.  It’s all over.

Activision Blizzard, Inc., makers of Guitar Hero, announced yesterday that they are pulling the plug on the popular video game series.  The game, which grew to enormous fame in the mid 2000′s, has been struggling to remain profitable.

One time sales of musical “accessories” were necessary to play the game when it first came out over five years ago.  However, the only revenue produced by the gaming franchise of late has been new songs that you could download to your system for a marginal fee.  These fees have not been enough to justify the future of the gaming legend.

“In retrospect it was a $3 billion or more business that everybody needed to buy, so they did, but they only needed to buy it once,” said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter. “It’s much like ‘Wii Fit.’ Once you have it, you don’t need to buy another one.”

Don’t cry too much for Activision, however.  Even though they’re cutting loose the Guitar Hero money-pit, they’ll be just fine.   The release of “Call of Duty: Black Ops” back in November made over $1 billion in the six weeks following its release.  The new game in the “World of Warcraft” franchise isn’t doing too poorly, either.

A good portion of the musical video game industry seems to be following suit.  Also last November, Viacom, Inc. sold Harmonix, the division that produced Guitar Hero’s main competition, “Rock Band.”  In an ironic twist of events, Harmonix was involved in the initial release of Guitar Hero.

Approximately 500 jobs will be lost at Activision due to the death of Guitar Hero.  The company plans to offset those losses by hiring more personnel in other areas of their business.

As for those of us left behind by the passing of Guitar Hero: We still have our gear, we still have our music, and we still will rock on.

Related articles

• Activision ends Guitar Hero and True Crime franchises(slashgear.com)
• Guitar Hero Franchise Finished?(wiigalaxy.com)
• Parent Company Disbands ‘Guitar Hero’ (npr.org)
• Activision Cancels Guitar Hero & DJ Hero Series; Layoffs at Vicarious Visions & Freestyle Games(gamerant.com)
• Guitar Hero and DJ Hero discontinued, your pile of plastic instruments weep(dvice.com)

The casual flash game has become a favorite on the web as it is a form of entertainment that does not require committing a lot of time or spending money; you just sit back, relax and play games. There are many of these games available already and it seems like more a being added every day. Here are a few sites the have some really great games and some even have them available as downloads as well.

RuneScape is works like a multiplayer RPG (role playing game) but it works in a Java enabled web browser as well and it is free. This flash game graphics are a little primitive but that has not kept it from becoming extremely popular.

Gumshoe Online allows you to play games where you are the detective and you find the guilty party and then put together an airtight case to put them away. The key to success is to solve puzzles, uncover clues and interview suspects; there are enough different items and locations to keep you busy for quite some time.

Whizzball is similar to the game Mousetrap and is a good example of just how non-violent, yet still innovative a flash game can be. You have to use several different gutters, gizmos and gadgets in order to guide the ball to a target. Not only can you solve the existing puzzles you can create new ones for other players to solve.

Samorost is an interesting point and click type flash game where the idea is to find all of the items that are clickable and then be able to click them in the right order to get to your next level. It sounds easy but if you like to play games with a little thought involved you will really enjoy this one.

Sunday League can be a rather addictive flash game that gives you your own soccer team who will then play against teams that have been created by other different players. There is quite a bit of detail with this game and it actually has a sense of humor.

Bejeweled 2 deluxe is another great one if you like to play games that are similar to the classic type of matching games, it is easy to learn and can be quite addictive. This particular version of the flash game has different modes and even a puzzle mode that requires more thought as you make it to the higher levels.

It is obvious that the rhythm/music games genre is getting bigger all the time and selecting the best ones from the increasing number is getting more difficult. The same holds true for the different movie games that are available to those that have seen the movie a thousand times and are ready to be “in it”. To follow is lists of both that people really seem to enjoy.

When it comes to music games Rock Band 2, played on Xbox 360, is considered one of the best games of this genre because of its longevity, game play and value. It has a great playlist of it’s own but you can also import the list from game 1 and from LEGO Rock band. It offers great features and lots of different modes at various levels so that everyone, no matter what their skill level may be, can play and enjoy it.

In the movie games genre one of the all time favorites is Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay; it received numerous game of the year awards and many feel that it should be what all other movie video games should be modeled after. As Riddick you manage a dramatic escape out of Butcher Bay which just happens to be the deadliest prison in the galaxy.

Guitar Hero: Metallica is one of the best music games as it has something that many people think the others lack and that is a challenge and what they consider real heavy metal. If you like the old-school type of metal then this is the game for you as it has an amazing song list that has lots of notes. It can be a little hard to play, but the rewards are definitely worth it.

Lord of the Rings Return of the King is one of those movie games that everyone can enjoy playing. You will track the fellowship of the ring into the final quest in order to take care of Mordor’s evil forces. The game actually follows the movie line very closely and the graphics are considered excellent.

For music games that the whole family can enjoy then you should check out The Beatles Rock Band. It seems that no matter what type of music genre people say they prefer the Beatles game gives you fun, clean sounding and catch music that everyone recognizes and seems to enjoy.

And, for the last of the movie games it seems that Enter the Matrix is a game that many enjoy as a fairly decent type of action game based on the second movie, Matrix Reloaded. It also offers some great footage that was not used in the movie.

Great site with all the latest gaming news.

gameinformer news

The story goes that sometime during 1981 a global phenomenon began where children started daring one another to run out into traffic and try to avoid being hit. While this may or may not be true it may be no coincidence that a company in Japan produced a video game called Frogger; while based similarly to road kill it was a little frog trying to dodge traffic rather than kids.

This game caught on quickly and you can now play Frogger online where you have to safely get 5 little frogs across roads and rivers so that they each make it to their own little lily pad homes. Lots of obstacles will appear; you could be hit by a car, eaten by one of the crocodiles or drown in the river. So, if you are looking for a play to play a Frogger online game listed below are some sites that you may want to check out.

You can find Frogger online at Neave games, they will make you state that you understand it is actually an unofficial clone of the original game but it is a fun game just the same as you are still given 5 frogs to get across the road and river.

DFG (Download Free Games) is another site where you can play the Frogger online game; the graphics are a little outdated, but the road appears easier to cross than most. You are still given 5 frogs to get across and if you review the game they will enter you in a chance to win full version games.

You can also play Frogger online at Online Games Zone (they have tons of other games also); where you do not have to download anything you just play it in your Internet browser. It works basically the same as the others, use left and right arrow keys to make him turn and the down and up keys to make him jump.

Now for a different twist try playing Frogger online in 3D; check out freeonlinegames.com and try to avoid hitting any cars and don’t fall into the water. Stay away from the snakes and crocodiles as you try to get your five frogs safely to their caves before your time runs out. This is a really great way to play the classic game.

So, you love to play games on the Internet, or just gaming in general, well you are not alone; here are a few little known facts about playing online games that may help you win a bar bet or something along the lines of the best useless information.

1.  The average age of the game player is 33 and they have been playing for about 12 years.

2.  In 2008 the sales of US video and computer software increased by 10% to $9.5 billion which is almost triple the amount of industry sales since 1996.

3.  Over 70% of the heads of the household in the United States play video and computer online games.

4.   86% of the game players that are under 18 years old state that they do have their parent’s permission when buying or renting games and almost 90% state that their parents are there when they purchase the game.

5.  40% of all players are women; as a matter of fact women over 18 represent a bigger portion of game players, about 35%, than boys that are 17 and younger, about 26%.

6.  Forty percent of parents admit to playing online games and video games and eight five percent of these gaming parents say that they play the games with their kids and sixty eight percent of those feel that it has brought the family closer together.

7. The most frequent game buyer and online games player is about 40 years old; in 2008 94% of computer game buyers and 85% of online games players were over 18 years old.

8.  In 2008 thirty five percent of Americans, over the age of fifty, played video games, an increase from twenty five percent in 2005 and nine percent in 1999.

9.  In 2002 approximately 20% of the heads of households would play games on wireless devices such as PDA’s or cell phones; in 2008 that increased to 40%.

10.  At least 45% of the game players claim that they play online games for 5 hours a week; however, many experts feel that the number of playing hours is likely closer to about 8 hours or more per week.

Curious about what kind of online games are played the most? Here are the results:
53% Board games, puzzles, cards
21% Action, Sports games, strategy
8% Shockwave/Flash games
6% Multiplayer games
12% Other

Throwing balls toward a target is as old as dirt. Egyptians in 5000 B.C. played with polished rocks in a game that quickly evolved to bocce or lawn bowling. As long as there have been back yards, there have been libation-friendly convivial contests. Monks in 12th century France played a game swatting a ball back and forth across a rope strung in their gardens. Tenez! The French word meaning something like “take this” is the root of the word, “tennis”. A 13th-century game called pall – mall is perhaps an ancestor of modern golf. Popular with aristocrats, the game involved knocking balls through wickets. Another alleged off-shoot of pall – mall is croquet, which arrived in England from Ireland in 1851 and consumed the nation as its most popular sport.
Croquet may have been the first mixed-sex sport, as advice books addressed the fact that girls and women often cheated, aided by long skirts that camouflaged their kicking opponent’s balls under cover. The main sport was often above the grass, as knocking an opponent’s ball into the shrubs meant a chance to help one’s opponent retrieve it. Victorian teenagers loved croquet!

As it gained popularity and spread to the U.S., the advances in production of rubber balls by Charles Goodyear set Americans to bouncing balls over nets on their croquet lawns. Shrubbery shielded the surge in popularity of women playing with men. A lighter form of “lawn tennis,” followed, called badminton, because it required less space and ball-catching shrubbery or fences.
Today, with all the online and techno temptations for families to dive into, taking it outside means connecting more than competing.

Take a look at these links for the latest in the evolution of backyard games:

HORSESHOES
Halex Premier  www.amazon.com

BADMINTON www.restorationhardware.com

COPTER DARTS www.ogosport.com

BOCCE www.bocceballsets.com

SKITTLES www.jaqueslondon.com

CROQUET www.dwr.com

GIANT CHESS/CHECKERS www.frontgate.com

What’s the best indoor game to play when entertaining?

What’s a game equally enjoyed by men women and children?

What game doesn’t take to long to understand, play, or enjoy?

Although billiards, bumper pool, fooseball and air hockey all have their proponents, The best game is Indoor Shuffleboard.

WARNING

This is not a $3000.00 game made with the finest maples, levelers, and fine oak trim.

This is an affordable alternative that will give you ,your family, and your guests hours of enjoyment and relaxation, and give you the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself.  This game can be built for under $300.00

Bored with another Illinois winter, I set out to make time fly with something other than the clicker and the Andy Griffith show. I went to the local Home Depot, bought some 2X4’s, laminated flooring, wood grained shelving, carpeting, numerical decals, etc. More on the material later. Within two weekends (approx 8 hrs. ) I had made a 12’ shuffleboard table. You don’t have to be a craftsman to build this project, just have a little extra time, a few power tools, and the normal household assortment of hand tools.

The beauty of this project is that you can customize the size of the table to conform with the size of your game room. (Tables can range in size from 9 to 24 feet)  In my case it was the basement. The table will be a selling point when I sell the house as I won’t be able to get it up the stairs, without a chainsaw, but who cares? The cost was minimal considering the entertainment value we get from the table. Where else can you get your brother in laws to hang out and be out of the way when they visit for the Holidays. The table itself has a total length of 13’ with the actual playing surface measuring 12’X 20”x3“.. The height of the playing surface is 30”.

I buy most of my material at Home Depot because they will cut the larger pieces down to size for me on their big rip saws. This helps a lot in the transportation and lugging depts., and makes for a cleaner fit when assembling the final product. Some of the material is also purchased at Menards and Sams Clubs. There are seven components that go into the table. They are the frame, legs, playing surface, cradle, sides, scoring apparatus, and  trim. The table below is an example of what can be accomplished with a little time, energy, and a small investment. For detailed plans bla bla bla

I start with a piece of  ¾  plywood, mdf, or particle board (your choice) and have it cut to the desired measurements I will need for both the playing surface and the bed of the table itself. ¾  measurements

The Frame of The Playing Surface

I find 2X3’s  work the best, they are a bit lighter than 2×4’s  and plenty strong enough for the use the table will receive. (I’ve even used metal studs, they work fine) Cut your frame pieces to conform with the desired length of the playing surface. The upright pieces of your frame will be cut in 11/2” pieces. Cut the desired amount to support the playing surface. Your not building a house so use your own judgment.. Cover the frame with the ¾” material previously purchased.

The Actual Playing Surface

This is the most expensive part of the project. Laminate flooring can be purchased at all home centers. I’ve had good luck at Sams club, and Home Depot. Occasionally they have a closeout, just keep your eyes open and you’ll be able to pick it up, usually in an assortment of colors, at a great price I like the Maple tones, it looks the real thing. Attach the laminate to the frame of the playing surface. Dry fit the laminate, cut to size and attach to the frame.

The Cradle of The Table

The cradle should measure 32” wide by the length you choose your table to be. I’m building a twelve footer, so my cradle should be at least thirteen foot long . Start with your support pieces. I use 2×4’s, cut to 13 feet, space them 32” apart (outside measurements) and attach the precut 32” material to the studs. I do the same on the ends, usually 301/2 “ to fit inside the 13’pieces.  Drywall screws work fine or if you have a nail gun, use it.. Attach the precut side pieces to the cradle in the same manner.  I’ll usually attach a 1×4  at he seam of the ¾  material for extra support. Remember the ¾ material comes in eight foot sections so you’ll need two pieces to achieve your length.

The Legs

Two sets of legs or three depending on you preference.The legs for the table are made from 4×4’s, 2×10’s, and 2×4’s. Cut the 4×4 to size, remember to account for the total height of the table. Center the legs on the 2×10 and space them equidistant. Cut the 2×4’s to encase the 4×4 leg . There will be four  Use construction adhesive and drywall screws to secure the legs to the 2×10.

The Sides

I’ve found that standard laminated shelves work fine. I use the wood grain finish. The shelves come in standard sizes of 113/4” x8’ . In my area Menards has the best selection and usually runs sales periodically on these. Once you cut the sides to fit your length attach to the cradle with wood screws (use brass finishing washers for a cleaner look) to the 2×4’s on the cradle frame. Do the same with your end pieces. You should be able to get away with four pieces of shelving for the sides on a 13‘cradle.

The Trim

The most important piece of trim is the carpeting inside the cradle this not only makes the table look sharp, but also muffles the noise of the puck falling into the gutter. Any carpeting can be used, I usually go for discontinued or closeout styles. After a lot of trial and error (cutting a 4” wide by 13’ long  piece of carpeting with a dull razor knife on your knees is a pain) I got my local Home depot associate to cut pieces to size for me on their carpet cutting machine. This saved a lot of time, aggravation, and penance. As far as the top and side trim, it’s your preference play with it a little bit. You’ll be surprised how good it can look.