The Untimely Demise of Farscape: Mystery Unraveled

The premiere episode of the Season 1 aired on March 1999 on Australia’s Nine Network and Canada’s YTV channels literally and aptly titled ‘Premiere’. Written by Rockne S. O’Bannon and directed by Andrew Prowse, the first episode was met by lukewarm reception by reviewers. Some reviewers couldn’t avoid from drawing comparisons to other previously aired Sci-fi TV series, especially the Star Trek.

Farscape is entirely filmed and produced in Australia with mostly Australian and New Zealand actors. The series was originally planned to run for five seasons starting with the premiere episode ‘Premiere’ in March 1999. Halfway through the fourth season, on September 20, 2000, the Sci-Fi Channel announced that it would withdraw funding of the fifth and final season. Thus, the remaining 11 episodes of the 4th season would be the last. The final episode ‘Bad Timing,’ was aired on March 10, 2003, officially wrapping up prematurely the series. The final episode of the 4th season seemed to give a hint to the fans that an ominous end is in the offing.

A lot of speculations abound as to the real reasons of the abrupt cancellation of the series. Although the Sci-Fi (now known as Syfy) officials claimed that the series was too costly to renew its contract with the producers. The sudden cancellation of Farscape’s 5th and final season came to the heels of sagging viewers rating in its third season, the network officials claimed. Many fans of the series criticized the decision and subsequently mounted a campaign in an effort to save the series, hoping the Syfy officials would reconsider its decision and air the final season as planned. The fans were even hopeful and implored that the show be transferred to another network if possible.

There had been a lot of axed series in the past before Farscape and the usual reasons given by TV networks for canceling such shows were mounting costs and declining ratings. The disappointing ratings of Farscape in the ratings board failed to convince the fans who were not appeased by the network’s decision to can the series.

The Scapers even made their own research trying to unravel the mystery of their favorite show’s untimely death. They were surprised to discover later that the network issued a conflicting report against the show’s ratings during its full four seasons. They posted their arguments on the show’s own webpage based on what they had learned from their own research. The network answered each of the questions and arguments put up by the fans on its FAQ section.

True enough, the network was not really telling the truth and admitted that there had been no rising costs between the two last seasons as they alleged earlier. The elaborate comparisons of ratings between seasons had been taken up and discussed online between fans and the network. They further found out that the network had been dishonest in their claim about the premature canning of the series as revealed by Juliet Blake, President of Jim Henson company, the producer of the show. The Syfy channel was asking for additional airing rights beyond what was agreed in the contract contrary to their previous claim, which of rising production costs.

The Benefits of Online Poker Games

Online poker are one of the most popular games online today. These games are also known as virtual poker and a large number of players enjoy playing online poker due to the various advantages offered to players by these games.

Benefits of Online Poker

There are several benefits offered by online poker, which are as listed below:

Convenience: one of the biggest benefits of playing poker online is the convenience that they offer. The traditional concept of poker along with the convenience of the internet has changed things tremendously in the last few years. The best thing about these games is that players can play them from anywhere as long as they have a computer and access to internet. They do not need anything else in order to enjoy these games.

Variety- another big benefit of playing poker online at Full Tilt is the variety offered today by online casinos. There are several different websites which provide several different types of poker games to players. At every portal there are chances of finding new poker games which have different prizes and features. This allows players a chance to find a game which is suited to their likes and dislikes.

Ease of play- most online casinos today are very easy to play and almost all poker games have the same rules, whether they are at a land based casino or online. Also, in case any player is trying out these games online, there are instructions available which can be referred to in order to understand the game. The interfaces are all user friendly and can be used even by novices.

Time- online casinos are all internet based which makes them available 24/7. Players can sit and play poker anytime they want as per their convenience. They no longer have to operate according to the timings of a land based casino.

Jackpots- quite a lot of players are attracted to online poker because the jackpots which are offered by these casinos are higher than land based casinos. Online casinos do have large operating costs to bear because of which they can afford to offer better odds and payouts along with jackpots to the players. It is possible for players to win millions of dollars playing poker online. This is a very attractive feature for players.

Free Bonuses: After you download full tilt, free bonuses are given out to new players who sign up at online casinos for playing poker are very attractive. These bonuses could be signing up bonuses, free spins or in any other form. The amount which is deposited by the player would be matched up by the online casino in the form of bonus.

There are plenty of benefits of playing poker online. However, if you plan to sign up at a casino, you would have to be careful and ensure that you are protected from frauds and scams. Always select a casino which is reputable and do not provide any personal information unless you are sure that it would not be misused by the casino.

The November Nine of 2009

The 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event is finally down to the final table. These 9 final table members outlasted a field of over 6400 poker players – many of which among the best poker players in the world to make it to this final table. As was the case last year, the World Series of Poker Main Event pauses upon formation of the final table, reconvening in early November to play it out for the most prestigious championship in poker. Introducing the 2009 World Series of Poker November 9.

The November Nine

1. Darvin Moon – 58,930,000
2. Eric Buchman – 34,800,000
3. Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000
4. Jeff Shulman – 19,580,000
5. Joseph Cada – 13,215,000
6. Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000
7. Phil Ivey – 9,765,000
8. Antoine Saout – 9,500,000
9. James Akenhead – 6,800,000

Among the November nine sit some familiar faces as well as some new names in the WSOP history books. Among the notables is Phil Ivey – one of the most recognizable and feared names in the poker world. Phil Ivey has made a great deal of noise at the World Series of Poker in 2009 by capturing two bracelets and cashing five times in this year’s WSOP.

Another familiar face in this final table field is Jeff Shulman, the editor of CardPlayer Magazine. Mr. Shulman is best known for his regular appearance on the Poker Star television show, as well as for being the man behind the magazine.

Darvin Moon, the chip leader going into the final table. Darvin is a logger from Maryland who plans on going back to his day job between now and the reconvening of the WSOP Main Event.

Second in chips, Eric Buchman is not a stranger to the final table at the WSOP, as he placed sixth in this year’s event 25 – the Omaha and Stud Hi/Lo event.

From Chappaqua, New York, Steven Begleiter hails enters the final table of this year’s Main Event third in chips with 29,885,000. Steve won his way into the main event via a local poker league.

Joseph Cada is a 21-year-old online poker professional from Shelby Township, Michigan who has taken down over $500,000 in profit prior to his final table appearance at the WSOP.

As no stranger to being in the money at the WSOP, Kevin Schaffel has cashed in the WSOP a total of two times prior to his final table appearance. Kevin first cashed in 2004 and again last year, taking 42nd and 324th respectively. Additionally, Kevin finished fifth in the Legends of Poker No Limit Holdem Championships in 2007.

Hailing from France, Antoine Saout is relatively new to the game of poker, but has been tearing it up on Everest Poker – where he qualified for this year’s main event.

Finally, the short stack – James Akenhead from London England. James finished second in 2008, grossing over $500K in tournament earnings. While James comes in as the short stack, there are surely many a player from the London area who would claim that he might be down but not out.

How to play mid Pocket Pairs

In Texas Hold’em, playing most pocket pairs is not something difficult: the high pocket pairs are a great asset and you would like to get to the flop even at a big cost. The low pocket pairs are usually acceptable only if you get to see the flop cheaply, being in late position helping this.

However, a pair of middle level cards, such as a pair of sevens, is something that is more complicated to play. Some players say that it’s a risk and it’s better to fold them outright, but this advice is valid only if the alternative is playing them wrongly.

Playing well the mid-level pocket pairs can bring you a bit of profit, because there is a chance you might get three of a kind. While the odds aren’t great, when you hit the right set of cards, it will pay off. Pocket pairs generate a great deal of enthusiasm for the poker players, but you should know that they’re not solid enough to reraise another player before the flop.

It’s essential in order to win at UltimateBet Rakeback with your pocket pair that you get a third card like them, this should be the only goal, due of which you went to see the flop. After the flop, following many folds of the other players, most players will have a better hand than your pair of sevens, so it’s very unlikely you will win with it alone.

However, you must remember that this is a risky bet to take. If, in order to call the bet, you need to go all-in, then it’s better that you wait a bit more time. It’s not worth such a risk.

The odds of hitting a set are 7:1, but despite of this, it’s still worth to call 4 or 5 big blind bets to see the flop, because having a three of a kind will gets you a lot a profits when you win, making up for the lost bets when you missed the flop.

The reason why you will make up in profits when you have three of a kind is because your opponent will not expect you to have such a hand and he’ll be more generous with the pot than he would be when he suspects you have a premium hand.

When you hit the three-card set, you need to raise. Slow-playing with checks and calls is not the best strategy here, as it will not earn you the most money in the end.

How to play the flop at PKR Poker

The flop is a decisive moment in Hold’Em poker. You get to see most of the cards of your hand, all at a really small cost, of just one round of betting.

Because your investment in the pot is relatively small, you should consider folding your hand if you don’t have a good hand. By a good hand we mean that you have at least one of the following: a big pair from before the flop, an improvement of your hand after the flop, or the chance to get in the future a straight or a flush.

Sometimes, a good pkr download pre-flop hand (like AK) might not improve after the flop and this might lead to a dangerous situation. Many players will simply fall in love with that hand and will not see the truth, which is that they have absolutely no card at hand and calling any raise is a big risk.

Another dangerous flop is when you get in the flop a match for your kicker. You have one pair, but not good enough and it’s difficult to decide whether to fold or not. This decision can be taken considering the circumstances of the game: if you are in late position and someone raised just a bit, you can call it, but if you are in early position, you might be better off by folding.

A suited or sequenced flop is also dangerous, because someone might have made a straight or a flush. Things get more difficult when some players also try to seize the opportunity and bluff.

Rather good flops for you are two pairs, the top pair on the board, or, even better than these, you have a pocket pair that is higher than any of the community card.

However, the best possible pokerrockets.com hand you can have is the straight flush, which makes it almost to lose. This hand is particularly good when your opponent’s two cards have the same suite as your straight flush. He will think he’s got a good hand and he’ll risk a lot of his money on this.

Quads and full houses are also hands with which it’s very unlikely to lose, and also good are nut flushes and nut straights, that is the cards on the table that allow flushes and straights will not allow a full house or four of a kind. For such hands, it’s time to bet as much as you can.

How to control the pot in Texas Hold’em

Being able to control the size of the pot is a skill that is very important in Texas Hold’em. In order to maximize your profit and minimize your losses, you want to play big pots when you have great hands and keep the pot smaller when you have only slightly good hands.

In the case you have a marginal hand (for instance, just a pair), you can deduce, based on how the betting went so far, that your hand is good enough to win the PokerStar pot. You could be right and win the small pot with your hand and that’s okay, but you could be wrong and that’s why, you should risk much when you have such a mediocre hand.

If you have an excellent hand, for instance a full house, you might want to bet your whole chip stack right away, because it’s very likely you would win this game. Even with such a great hand, you can still lose, but happens so rarely, that the best strategy is to play it and have confidence in it. More often than not, you’ll win against another full, a flush or even a bad hand that was played foolishly.

Keeping the pot small is easier if you are in late position. The main trick for this is to skip a betting round. Usually, the pot tends to grow exponentially on each betting round. So, you could bet 2BB at pre-flop, 4BB at the flop, 20BB at the turn and 50BB on the river. As you can see, the bulk of the bet is on the river, so if you are able to avoid it, it’s in your best interest.

So, if you are in late position and you raised the bet pre-flop, the opponents will tend to wait for you, and they’ll check whatever you raised. They’ll do this at the PokerStar.com flop and on the turn, but they won’t be able to do this when you’ll simply check.

However, if you have a premium hand, then you want to have as big as possible. If you are in early position, it’s a bit more difficult, because you don’t know how your adversaries will play, and that’s why you shouldn’t slow-play it. If you check, the opponents might check too, and no chips will be added up to the pot.

In late position,  it depends on what the opponents behind you did. If they checked, it’s time to raise, but if they raised already, you might think about what’s the best strategy: you could simply call if you are afraid that the opponent will simply fold. This call will make you appear weak, which will encourage the opponent to raise the next time he has the opportunity.

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