Understanding the risks of COVID-19

When it comes to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, I see a lot of misinformed people in the general public and on social media. Some cite other contagions, such as the flu and previous mass outbreaks, to downplay the risks that we as a whole are currently facing. Some are simply fed up of the constant coverage that they feel is unnecessarily alarmist. These are understandable sentiments but very short-sighted. COVID-19 is a big deal.

To be clear, there is a line between panic and preparation. Armageddon isn't coming. At the same time, dismissing the risks would be a huge mistake. To illustrate why, I'll go over three points of discussion:

1. The disease will be ubiquitous, but its spread may happen quickly or slowly
2. There will be many, many deaths, but they will be highly concentrated to specific demographics
3. Active involvement by the public can mitigate the impact

How to Minimize the Costs of Changing Money

Exchanging money for international poker tournaments can be expensive. You need a large amount of foreign currency, and the rates that casinos, banks, and exchange services give you are never good. If you don't know someone willing to sell you currency, you're stuck paying a significant premium before you even buy into the tournament.

With a few big stops outside the U.S. coming up this month (i.e. Barcelona, Montreal, Monte Carlo), I thought I'd share my method of avoiding the fees associated with changing money. The good news is that there is an independent and reliable way to get large amounts of foreign currency at near-market rates almost no matter where you go, and it involves getting the money you need through ATM withdrawals.

A Carribbean Dive With A Surprise

Back in March of last year, during PokerStars' first ever EPT Malta, I tried SCUBA diving for the first time. I saw rare exotic life and impressive shipwrecks, but I had to spend much of the time demonstrating the competencies required for my certification.

I knew I wanted another chance to dive, but it wasn't until PCA in the Bahamas that I'd get the perfect opportunity.

I got in two days before the start of the tournaments and signed up for a dive with Stuart Cove's. One of their dives features a shark feed, promising contact with dozens of tiger sharks in the middle of feeding.

A Critique of the GPI Ranking System

The Global Poker Index, or GPI, is a leaderboard system that ranks the top live tournament poker players in the world according to their performance. CEO Alexander Dreyfus has stated that his goal with GPI is to define who the star players are in order to increase exposure, creative compelling narratives, and grow the industry as a whole. To this end, his efforts have already paid dividends. The rankings have not only been readily accepted in the culture and the poker media, but also in major mainstream outlets such as USA Today. However, the system as it stands today has flaws that threaten to undermine its credibility as comprehensive measure of tournament poker skill.

Recently, GPI has started to draw some criticism from players who say that the way it scores performance doesn't make sense. As a tournament player myself, I've shared this attitude, and I've done a bit of analysis on the issue.

More Chess! A Cool Endgame

Take a look at this chess game I recently played. By this point in the endgame, I (white) am down two pawns worth of material, and my only major piece is a knight versus my opponent's bishop:

A Chess Challenge In the State Library of Victoria

While exploring Melbourne central, I came upon the State Library of Victoria, from where I'm writing this post now. It's a spectacular building– by far the largest and busiest library I've ever been in. This, for example, is just one of its many, many rooms:

The area I found the most interesting, though, is the chess room: a section of the building filled with chess literature and chess players of all skill levels:

10 Differences In Poker In Australia

Poker is played a little different everywhere you go, so it's neat when you can spot some differences. Here's 10 that I've noticed since arriving in Melbourne for WSOP Asia Pacific.

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