It’s quarter-finals time at the Rugby League World Cup and although we’re getting down to the business end of the tournament there are still some serious mismatches to get past first. This clash between Australia and the United States is...
Author - Ben Blaschke
WGM’s tip for 15 November: Portugal
By far the most intriguing of the World Cup play-offs taking place around the world this weekend, much of the talk in the lead-up has centered around whether it will be Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic packing...
Don’t c-bet blindly
Pretty much every player with half a brain knows the logic behind the continuation bet, or c-bet, these days. The concept is simple – if you are the original pre-flop raiser, it makes sense that you would continue to represent a strong hand by...
WGM’s tip for 14 November: Belgium
European competitions break this weekend for a round of internationals and first out of the blocks is Belgium hosting the unpredictable Colombians. Both sides booked their place at the 2014 World Cup last month and this will be an interesting...
WGM’s weekend preview
The sporting world will farewell of one of its all-time greats this weekend as Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar plays his 200th and last Test. Widely acknowledged as the greatest player of all time other than legendary Australian batsman...
WGM’s tip for 13 November: San Antonio
It’s only early days in the NBA but already the cream is rising to the top. San Antonio has been among the elite sides for a number of years now and they’re looking good for another championship tilt once again this season. The Spurs...
Confident or arrogant?
Last week, 23-year-old Ryan Riess from Michigan won the World Series of Poker Main Event and a first prize of well over US$8 million. Yet it turns out his stunning victory hasn’t been the main talking point in the days since. Instead, some...
Worth the wait?
This weekend, the Rugby League World Cup finally moves out of the group stages and into the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean we’re going to be privy to any of the big games just yet. Due to the relatively small scope of...
WGM’s tip for 12 November: Sri Lanka
New Zealand’s tour of the subcontinent continues when they take on Sri Lanka in the second game of their three-match One Day series. Heavily depleted with the likes of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor ruled out, the Kiwis have endured a...
WGM’s weekend wrap
The English Premier League took a dramatic twist over the weekend with Arsenal’s position at the top of the ladder looking slightly vulnerable for the first time this season and Manchester United and Liverpool the big winners. United’s...
WGM’s tip for 11 November: Samoa
It’s the final match of Group B in the Rugby League World Cup with the winner of this game earning a quarter-final berth and a real shot at the semi-finals against Fiji. France has the luxury of home ground advantage but it’s hard to see...
WGM’s tip for 10 November: New Orleans Saints
The Saints suffered a surprise loss away to the New York Jets last week but they are back on home soil this week and will be keen to make amends for that little slip-up. New Orleans is 4-0 at home so far this year, having averaged 32 points per...
No sleep till bedtime
Poker tournaments can be gruelling affairs – constantly testing the limits of your stamina and powers of concentration – but Resorts World Manila (RWM) is planning to take the pain a step further with their first ever Iron Man tournament next...
WGM’s tip for 9 November: All Blacks
All the big guns of world rugby are in action in Europe this weekend but it’s hard to go past the All Blacks when they make the trip to France on Saturday night. The reigning World Cup and Four Nations champions are a class above everyone they...
WGM’s tip for 8 November: Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have been on fire during the first few weeks of the NBA season, having gone 5-0 including a dominant 17-point win over the Chicago Bulls last start. With Paul George leading the way with an average 25.8 points per game as well as 41...
Jackpot goes off at Venetian
One lucky slots player has achieved what every player on the planet dreams of after hitting the Fa Fa Fa Grand Jackpot at the Venetian on 26 October. The unnamed winner, from Thailand, scooped a whooping HK$15.9 million while playing a Choy Sun Doa...
Riess lightning
In the end the task proved too much for JC Tran as he attempted to fly the flag for Asia, but there were celebrations aplenty for 23-year-old American Ryan Riess as he was crowned 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event champion last night. Riess...
WGM’s tip for 7 November: Tottenham
It’s Match Day 4 in the Europa League with EPL giants Tottenham playing host to Sherriff Tiraspol from Moldova. Never heard of them? That’s okay – neither had Spur’s midfielder Lewis Holtby who admitted recently he thought his...
WGM’s weekend preview
With the Formula 1 title well and truly decided, the eyes of the motor sport world turn to Valencia this weekend for the race that will determine the MotoGP championship. Spaniard Marc Marquez is poised to become the first rookie in 35 years to be...
Image is everything
Poker isn’t as simple as raising with your big hands and folding all your trash. One of the key elements of any game is being able to put your opponents on a likely range of hands and adjusting your play accordingly. If they are raising four...
WGM’s tip for 6 November: Philadelphia 76ers
They flew under the radar somewhat when the experts all made their pre-season predictions but already the Sixers have made people sit up and take notice with a strong start to the new NBA season. Their first few games saw them notch huge wins over...
WGM’s tip for 5 November: Sea Moon
It’s the first Tuesday in November which can only mean one thing – Melbourne Cup Day! One of the biggest horse races anywhere in the world, the Cup is known in Australia as “the race that stops a nation” but these days it could...
WGM’s weekend wrap
NBA fans enjoyed their first weekend of action but the early games haven’t quite gone to plan for the big guns with Miami, Chicago and Oklahoma City all falling to shock losses. The Heat has been the biggest surprise. Having downed the Bulls...
The race that stops the nation
Tomorrow represents not only the biggest race on the Australian racing calendar, but one of the biggest anywhere in the world. The Melbourne Cup – held annually on the first Tuesday of November – has become such a big event that it is a public...
It’s always Sunny in Macau
It took a day longer than expected but the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) finally came to its thrilling conclusion overnight with Korea’s Sunny Jung prevailing in the HK$100,000 Main Event to claim the title and handsome HK$4,352,000 first...
WGM’s tip for 4 November: Samoa
The Rugby League World Cup continues in England with dark horses Samoa taking on Papua New Guinea. It’s hard to see the Papua New Guineans causing too many problems in this one after David Mead’s shocking missed penalty attempt saw them...
WGM’s tip for 3 November: New Orleans Saints
The cream is rising to the top in the NFL and New Orleans will be looking to make it seven wins from eight outings today when they travel to New York to take on the Jets. The Saints accounted for the Buffalo Bills with ease last start while the Jets...
WGM’s tip for 2 November: Chelsea
It’s a potentially tricky round in the English Premier League so let’s steer clear of the danger games and go with the in-form Chelsea to prove too strong away to Newcastle. The Blues have been red-hot in recent weeks, having knocked...
WGM’s tip for 1 November: Miami Heat
Can anyone stop the Miami Heat? The two-time NBA champions kicked off the new season with a dominant 107-95 win over fellow title aspirants Chicago on Wednesday and with LeBron James and Dwayne Wade in top form they are again looking...
The life of Mervin
This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2013 issue of World Gaming magazine. This time last year, the name Mervin Chan didn’t mean a lot to the poker world, but having been given an opportunity to play in his first major live tournament at...