To compare which is the better poker player between Josh Arieh  and David Williams we would first have to look at their playing records. These records show the differences in their results over the last eight years, which is how long both have been around the poker scene:
Josh Arieh                  David Williams
Cashes                                              36                                  41
Winnings                                       $3,977,014                $5,773,676
WSOP Bracelets                                2                                    1
First-place finishes                            2                                    4

The two are close in their careers but David Williams has a sizable lead in the prize-money department, and that’s because of his second-place finish in the WSOP main event in 2004 ($3.5M). Arieh has more WSOP bracelets, but those are the only tournaments he has won outright.

I would give the edge to Williams, but both players are highly effective. Josh Arieh is underrated in my opinion, but I’m sure his reputation will grow if he can add more wins to his stats.

The Executive Poker Tour is a new tour that takes a different approach to the usual competitive tournament structure. With a portion of the prize pool going to The Project Lifesaver Foundation, the events mix charity poker with competitive poker. The cost of entry into the events is lower than the average tour events; as low as $500 in preliminary events and $2,500 for the main event. This makes it more accessible to amateur players and business executives.

The events will all be televised so the executives can display their brands if they make it deep into the tournament. There will be a few poker celebrities at these events. They come for the high-stakes cash game that has a $100,000 buy-in and lots of camera coverage. Expected at the next event at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City are Steve Dannenmann, Rhett Butler, Victor Ramdin and Lee Charles.

1. Annette Obrestad wins WSOP Europe at the age of 18. She is already an online star and has earned over $2.5 million. She will be an anticipated addition to Vegas when she’s old enough.

2. Tom Schneider wins two WSOP bracelets at the 2007 WSOP in Omaha and Stud Hi/Low and the 7-card Stud Hi/Low $1000 event. He won over $800,000 combined this year and was named WSOP 2007 player of the year.

3. Rep. Barney Frank enters bill to legalize online gaming. Frank’s bill H.R. 2046 was introduced in April and seeks to legalize and regulate internet gaming.

4. David “The Dragon” Pham wins the Cardplayer Player of The Year award for the second time after Jonathan Little was unable to catch him at the last event of the year.

5. Legendary player Chip Reese dies at home at the age of 56 after having pneumonia symptoms.

I think we’ve all had that moment one time or another where someone has told us that we look like so and so. Here’s a list of some of some poker pros and their secret twins. Could they have been separated at birth?

Andy Black and Paul Giammati

Chad Brown and Bill Paxton

Jerry Buss and Pip Taylor

Mike Caro and Steven Wright

Adam Schoefeld and Cameron Frye

David “Chip” Reese, the high-stakes poker player in Las Vegas died in his sleep on Tuesday at his home after suffering symptoms of pneumonia. He was 56.

“I knew him for 35 years, I never saw him get mad or raise his voice,” Poker great Doyle Brunson said. “He had the most even disposition of anyone I’ve ever met. He’s certainly the best poker player that ever lived.”

The immediate success at cash games and his low-key persona won him friends, even among those who wound up passing him their chips.

Reese won three World Series champion’s bracelets over the last four decades, including a $1.8 million HORSE event in 2006 that combines five poker disciplines, Reese focused on high-stakes cash games away from the limelight.

Over the years Brunson and Reese eventually became business partners, investing in everything from oil wells and mining to TV stations and racehorses and becoming sports betting consultants.

“Many consider Chip the greatest cash-game player who ever lived,” said Jeffery Pollack, World Series of Poker Commissioner. “His victory in the inaugural $50,000 buy-in HORSE championship … made him a part of WSOP lore forever.”

Reese is survived by his son, daughter and a stepdaughter, Brunson said. He was recently divorced from his wife.

Joe Hachem was born in Lebanon but grew up in Melbourne Australia. After spending years in a successful chiropractic practice he developed a rare condition that prevented him from using his hands. Lucky for him it gave him the opportunity to take cards more seriously. Now this guy is a top notch pro poker player. Dreams do come true. Joe is most noted for being the 2005 WSOP champion which handed him the prize of $7.5 million. Watch the interview with Joe Hachem here.

Trying to deal with college when all you want to do is play professional poker is a simple situation for anyone to resolve. It’s the same as a guy that has a job and wants to quit to “go pro”. My opinion on this issue remains the same: Your bankroll will dictate whether you can be a professional or not. If you’re in school and you win a large sum of money in a tournament, then you have the option to take some time off and play fulltime.

If that doesn’t happen, you have to continue to build a life for yourself. Turning pro is done when one can afford to make that leap, not a choice of vocation with no bankroll. If you think you can build a large bankroll grinding in limit games if you had more time, wait for your summer vacation and give it your best shot.

One of the world’s top professional tournament players and self-help gurus, Charlie Shoten, has started to run his own poker workshops. Classes will start in just under three weeks. Charlie is a leader in poker-related positive thinking, and teaches players to deal with the emotional aspects to the game of poker. His award-nominated book, “No Limit Life”, teaches that patience and understanding can make you a winner both at and away from the poker table.

You can attend one of Shoten’s workshops in Orlando at the DeepStacks poker school Oct. 13-14, or in Los Angeles at the California Poker Players Conference Hollywood Park Casino Oct. 20-21. Charlie is “poker meets the Secret” in his philosophy, and teaches people to plan out the future of their lives through pure positive thought by plugging the leaks in our game and our personalities that we’ve all collected over the years in our lives.