The best grinders make several thousand dollars every month, and many eventually become pros after building their bankrolls at low- to middle-limit games. Bankroll management is a vital skill: it allows you to build a cushion against variance, or the swings of good and bad luck that naturally come with the game. Even with the occasional bad hand, a grinder can avoid losing streaks by keeping an adequate bankroll for the level they are playing.

Choosing a poker site is also important to becoming a grinder poker player. The differences lie beyond basic gameplay, which is the same for most sites. They can differ in headline bonuses, promotions, and rakeback features, among other things. Proportions between low-stakes and high-stakes players can also vary, and this can affect your decision depending on your risk appetite. These two factors—the bonuses and the pool of players—must balance each other out in a poker site.

Grinders also do the math and make sure they’re earning above a certain amount per hour. One way to maximize this number is to play multiple tables. Some players don’t like spreading themselves too thin and reducing their earnings per table, but with good planning and skills, it can add up to a greater total. Multi-tabling requires some practice in concentration, so if you’re not used to it, start by adding a table or two at a time and working your way up to eight, ten, or even twelve tables.

Finally, serious players continuously analyze their games and get to know their strengths and limitations. Many players automate this process, at least partially, using poker software to analyze their hand histories and picking out spots for improvement. Some of these programs even look at your pushes and folds and map out your game behavior. This might be a bit much if you’re just starting out, but once you play larger volumes and multiple tables, it might be worth investing in.

Chips are still called jetons in some circles, especially in Europe (the term originates from French jeter, to throw). Today, jeton poker chips usually refer to European-style gaming sets made of high-quality materials, such as light wood, pearlized plastic, or even mother of pearl. Fancy packaging is also common; the pieces may come in a polished wood case and include high-grade playing cards. This explains why they tend to be more expensive, although like any other chip they have no intrinsic cash value. Poker “purists” may insist that jeton pieces must be made in Europe, although this isn’t always the case.

By contrast, casino chips tend to be compression molded—they are commonly referred to in the business as clay chips. This construction allows for easier printing and tagging, as well as easy maintenance. It also allows them to incorporate security features such as RFID tags, which isn’t common in jeton poker but pretty much standard in American establishments.

Because of regional variations in rules, jeton chips may also follow a different value scheme. Traditional poker chip sets include red, white, and blue chips, as well as the occasional high-value black ship. These range in value from $1 to $100. Larger sets can include yellow, pink, green, purple, brown, and light blue chips, whose values can go up to $5,000. In European casinos, high denominations—often starting at €1000—may be represented by plaques rather than jetons. Some places use pink chips for €2 and blue for €10, and other such specifics.

Jeton chips may also refer to individual poker pieces that are no longer in use, but are kept for their historic, symbolic, or cultural value. They may have come from defunct casinos or been created for specific occasions, such as anniversaries. Some are oversized to reflect their denomination—a chip can be worth $20,000 at some casinos. Poker aficionados can pay a premium for these pieces; some are so valuable that they are only sold at auctions, although these are rare.

The likes of Kevin MacPhee, Phil Galfond, and Olivier Busquet—elite players who have earned well over seven figures—were among the first to establish residency outside their native U.S. Several others have announced they are soon to follow, heading for Costa Rica, Malta, Panama, and neighboring Mexico and Canada.

The exodus is becoming so widespread that PocketFives, one of the sites that pioneered the online poker boom, has started offering a service to make moving easier for these “poker refugees.” Their goal is to help professional players get settled outside the U.S. and resume playing online. The site lost about 10% of its players after Black Friday.

The relocation service is currently limited to three countries (Canada, Costa Rica, and Panama), and each location has limitations. For example, one can only stay in Costa Rica as a tourist for 90 days, then leave the country for three days before renewing his visa. To make things easier, PocketFives helps clients get in touch with other poker players in the area, set up bank accounts and hire accountants, and generally plan and coordinate the move.

All this comes at a price, of course. The full relocation package costs $1,000 for a single person, $750 for those willing to live with roommates, and $1,500 for those moving their entire families.

Cal Spears, co-founder of the site, believes that at least a few hundred players have already made the move, and more are considering it. His time made sure to launch the service not long after the World Series of Poker tournament, which left a lot of pro players wondering what to do next. It’s a serious question for the grinders who treat online poker almost like a full-time job, and indeed earn most of their living from it.

Packing up and moving isn’t easy, even for the wealthiest of players. It’s definitely not a move for the casual or even semi-serious player. But the new rules make it hard for the considerable majority who have put in hours and worked to get where they are. Until things change, according to experts, setting up camp elsewhere may be their best bet.

On April 15, a day the poker world has dubbed “Black Friday,” the U.S. Department of Justice formally accused the founders of Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, and PokerStars with money laundering, bank fraud, and illegal gambling, and forced them to stop hosting games in American jurisdictions. The events dealt a heavy blow to the WSOP’s following and threatened to close this year’s tournament.

As it turns out, the effect was the opposite. Only two previous tournaments—2006 with 8,773 players and 2010 with 7,319—had a bigger turnout. This year’s prize pot? Just a little over $8.7 million.

The event’s biggest year so far, in 2006, took place not long before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed. The following year the WSOP was forced to remove the widely used third-party registration system, resulting in a 30% drop in registrations to 6,358. Little change was observed in the next two years, thanks to the recession. The numbers only broke the 7,000 mark in 2010, when 7,319 players joined in.

This year’s tournament drew only 400 or so fewer players, which is encouraging considering the bankrolls at Absolute Poker and Full Tilt remain inaccessible. Only PokerStars has so far refunded its American players, sparking ire both among the general playing public and a few high-profile players, such as Phil Ivey.

Experts pin the game’s remarkable resilience on the rising popularity of online poker, particularly across generations. The crackdowns themselves also helped fuel the popularity of the game, but that was more of a short-term spark. Over the years, online poker players have been getting younger, and some of the top earners are barely out of their teens.

The WSOP has proven that it can weather tough legislation, recessions, and all manner of controversy.  If online poker becomes legal, then the tournament has nowhere to go but up and bigger. Otherwise, it will depend largely on how determined its young market is—and while 2011 was a promising year, the real effects of Black Friday may not be clear until the 2012 event.

Ivey, a longtime supporter of Full Tilt Poker and one of its main endorsers, said he was “deeply disappointed” at the company’s refusal to give players back their money. The fact that many players are unable to join the tournaments because of the financial blow also embarrassed him, he added in an official statement published on his website.

According to Ivey, it was highly unfair that he and other star players can compete while others cannot, given that the point of online play was to give everyone a fair chance. He said he is doing everything he can to solve the issue as soon as possible.

Full Tilt Poker was shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in April, along with two other poker sites, Absolute Poker and PokerStars, after a nationwide bust on online gambling. The events are jokingly referred to now as “Black Friday.”

Eleven people were charged of bribery, fraud, and money laundering, after having allegedly tricked banks into processing funds earned through illegal gambling. Their accounts were also frozen in the crackdown.

PokerStars later announced it has reimbursed its players after the government allowed it to reopen its domain name. Full Tilt Poker was given the same permit, but the site says it’s still working on the reimbursements.  A notice on the site says they “do not have a specific time frame,” but reassures players that their money is safe.

Ivey, however, is tired of waiting. He said enough damage had been wrought on his reputation by the site owners’ lack of activity and initiative. He filed a lawsuit online against Tiltware, Full Tilt Poker’s software company and marketing manager, on behalf of the players who remain unpaid and unable to play.

One thing that does seem to be going for Full Tilt is its TV series The Poker Lounge, which is expected to make a comeback after being cancelled in light of the April events. The series, which features both Internet players and real-life poker pros, stopped airing after organizers were unable to afford production. A joint statement from Full Tilt and its production arm Presentable recently announced that filming would pick up again soon.

Harder than you think, if you ask the pros. International travel is no walk in the park, and when you factor in the stakes of poker tours and the rigorous game schedules, the game may feel like more work than play. If you’re just beginning to travel for poker, here are some handy tips from Poker News.

Pack light: Try to plan it so that all your possessions can fit into a small suitcase (small enough to fit in the overhead bin) and a carry-on that you can shove under your seat. This will ease up the pressure of delayed flights and lost luggage.

Don’t go alone: Find a friend or fellow player to take the trip with you. Besides having someone to talk to on that 15-hour flight, you’ll also get considerable cuts on meals, hotel rooms, and cab fare.

Wire your money: Amounts exceeding $10,000 can be tricky at international borders, so don’t bring large wads of cash with you. Instead, have it wired to the casino. It’s safer and easier, and you’ll breeze by the customs counter.

Use your loyalty points: If you have a frequent flyer credit card, take advantage of your free miles. Call your issuer to see if there are other benefits—if you’re lucky, you may be able to get a free bump to first class or at least access the airport’s VIP lounge.

Change your money locally: Local currency exchanges often charge better rates than the ones in American airports. Banks and money changers usually give the best rates; some may even give you a lower rate if you exchange more than $1,000.

Get to know the city: Days or weeks before your flight, pick up a travel guide and learn as much as you can about the city, particularly its main arteries and landmarks. This will save you at least two hours on the road, as you’ll know exactly where to go.

Stay longer: Finally, don’t just stay for the duration of the tournament—make the trip worth it and give yourself time to see the sights. Don’t worry if you’re on a budget; most destinations have a load of free or cheap activities that are just as fun.

Developer Galaxy Entertainment, owned by a lucrative cement company in Hong Kong, says the casino boasts enough gold leaf to carpet 87 football pitches. The total investment was just under $2 billion, the Economist reported.

Macau is a popular destination for poker and casino games enthusiasts, largely because it’s the only place in China (it was given back to the People’s Republic by Portugal in 1999) that legally permits casinos. The gambling business was once controlled by tycoon Stanley Ho, but has evened out as Western competition crept in. Although Ho still has stakes in about half of the industry, big-name casinos have made their presence known: The Sands, the Wynn, and the Venetian, to name a few, each new one grander than the last.

The Galaxy is the obvious scene stealer, however, and if recent trends are any indication, the luxury race may stop there, at least for the time being. Although a satellite of The Sands is under way and four other companies have laid out even bigger plans, the Macau government, believed to be acting on Chinese pressure, recently imposed limits on the number of gambling tables the state can hold.

The initial cap of 5,500 has almost been reached; the Galaxy jacked the numbers up by some 450 tables. Under the law, the limit will be increased by up to 4% every year, divvied up between the major operators. This may render large developments like the Galaxy fewer and farther between.

The good news is that Macau’s popularity among poker players continues to hold—and may even be spurred on by other developments. Asian gamblers can now reach the poker hub in 47 minutes from Guangzhou, China, instead of the three hours it normally takes, thanks to a new high-speed train. Economist Aaron Fischer expects this alone will increase profits by 35%, even as fewer tables are being added.

If anything, developments like the Galaxy will further designate Asia as a poker and gambling hub to reckon with. Experts believe it may push mainland China to legalize gambling in some areas to cash in on the growing popularity, even (or especially) among Western poker enthusiasts. If you’re looking for a unique poker experience, splurge on an oriental treat—you just might play the game of a lifetime!

The awards were created by Maryann Morrison, editor at WomanPokerPlayer.com. Her goal was to get the poker industry to recognize female players more, and to support their potential and advancement in the game.

Maven Awards nominees are selected by public vote, a move designed to avoid issues on sponsorship and allow poker fans to set their own criteria. There are over a dozen awards up for grabs, including the Inspirational Award, Most Female-Friendly Poker Site and Poker Room, Humanitarian Award, and Player of the Year.

The top three nominations in each category are put up for voting, which is also public. On its first run, the awards garnered some 12,000 votes, a large portion of which were for the Player of the Year winner Vanessa Rousso.

Rousso, long regarded as one of the world’s top female poker players, is known as much for her game as for her sponsorships. Her total winnings, not counting sponsorships, have amounted to over $3.5 million since 2006, when she began playing professionally.

In an interview with Woman Poker Player, Rousso says she holds the role of women in poker close to her heart, and is proud to be able to show others what can be achieved with dedication and hard work.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) was also awarded Best Ladies’ Event and Best Tournament Series, and for good reason: it hosted the first ladies’ event in May 1977, a Seven-Card Stud Game with a $100 buy-in. Today, the event is a No Limit Hold’em Game with a $1,000 buy-in, and is one of the largest women’s events in poker.

Jennifer Harman Traniello won the Best Role Model award, a tribute to her efforts at recognizing donor awareness. After undergoing a second kidney transplant in 2004, she launched the non-profit Creating Organ Donor Awareness (CODA) and has participated in charity tournaments for the National Kidney Foundation.

Although just in its first year, the Maven Awards are set to become one an important yearly event in poker, for male and female players alike. The full list of winners can be seen on the Woman Poker Player website.

Spring Millions, dubbed a “monster tournament” by Tight Poker, will follow a championship blind structure starting at 25/50. The structure will be similar to that of the Party Poker Monthly Million. Antes are expected to come in at 250/500, or level six. All players enter the game with a 20,000 chip stack, with breaks scheduled at every three of the blind levels. Blinds go up every 20 minutes.

Qualifications began on March 7th and will be held in a number of satellite games, which will be open throughout the month leading up to the tournament. The rules allow for players to qualify for as little as $1. The games are expected to draw lots of traffic, as players from around the world try their luck at the jackpot. The tournament takes place on May 1st at 1:30pm EDT.

Players can also enter through country-specific freerolls and points qualifiers, which are held daily. Both offer the opportunity to make the Spring Million special of the week, which guarantees 10 seats into the tournament.

Another way to get in is the Spring Million Extra, which has a $160+$12 buy-in. Those with more cash to spare can join directly for a $600+$40 buy-in, which Tight Poker says is a reasonable investment for serious players considering the amount at stake.

Expert player Scott O’Reilly—“M0NGY” to Party Poker veterans—offered a few tips for those trying their luck at the tournament. He said it’s more important to the final six seats than hold on to one’s chips, as those don’t matter much in the finals. He also advises not putting too many chips at stake in one hand, while keeping in mind that other players, especially chip leaders, will also be wanting to fold. More tips can be found on his Party Poker-hosted blog.

Party Poker is no stranger to big-money tournaments, having been in the business since 2001. The site also hosts tournaments every Sunday with a guaranteed prize of $250,000, as well as several other guaranteed games. Players have to sign up to the site to take part in the qualifiers and tournaments. To obtain a real money account, one simply has to register and make a deposit. New members are given a $100 welcome bonus upon signing up.

There’s no word on whether the Spring Million will become a yearly gig, but poker fans are no doubt counting on it!

Party Poker: With some 10,000 players logged on at peak hours, Party Poker is no doubt one of the biggest online poker sites—and for good reason. It’s particularly famous for its scheduled tournaments, especially the monthly $1 million tournament with buy-in costs around $600. Its sheer size also allows it to offer interesting promotions year-round, although some of them are decidedly too complicated to interest new members.

888 Poker: If you’re just starting out, you’ll like the relatively lenient competition at 888 Poker. With practice you can earn a fair bit of profit, although the rake structure, far from being the best on the Web, can eat away at your earnings if you’re not careful. That being said, the site has a lot more to offer, from a generous first-time deposit bonus to an attractive bad beat jackpot. The software’s also come a long way—they’ve gotten rid of the initial bugs and now offer 3D icons, webcam support, and multi-language translation.

Poker770: Part of the huge iPoker network, Poker770 is the go-to place for promotions. Not all of them are worth your time, but once in a while you’ll come across something interesting. The general skill level is average, with the small- to medium-stake games offering pretty soft competition. Larger games present more of a challenge for those who like a little more risk. Their tournaments can sometimes send you off to live events such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP), so it’s great for serious players as well.

Betfair Poker: UK-based website Betfair Poker runs on the Ongame Network, after separating from Cryptologic and a brief stint as a standalone site. The change means that players have a lot more choice and flexibility. If you’ve played on Ongame before, you may have come across a few bad players, but the overall skill level is average. Small-stakes tournaments seem to be its strong suit; like Poker770, the competition isn’t very tough and the guaranteed prize pool of $10,000 allows you to build a decent bankroll.