It’s a battle between the young up-and-coming math geniuses who’ve been taking over the poker field online and off and the “old timers”, aka the poker pros we all love to watch and study and hope to emulate. And the prime battleground, pretty much ever since Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Main Event after qualifying on PokerStars, opening the doors to online qualifiers and other unknown braniacs turned amateur poker pros (a contradiction in terms, I know) stepping up to poker’s plate. At this year’s 2010 World Series of Poker many of poker’s finest pros (with the notable exception of Doyle Brunson) are performing excellently, some even winning gold bracelets, taking back poker from the ranks of young amateurs.

Full Tilt Poker pro Scott Montgomery won Event #36, the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event. Fellow Full Tilt Poker pro, and one of poker’s best, Phil Ivey won event #37, the HORSE event. The legendary Sammy Farha won event #25, Omaha 8 or Better.

Ultimate Bet pro Frank Kassela, who won his second gold bracelet of the 2010 WSOP with Event #40, the $2,500 7-Card Razz event, has also made four World Series of Poker final tables in this year’s series, tying him at one point with John Juanda for Player of the Year. Kassela’s other win this season was Event #15, the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship.

But then are players like 21-year-old Carter Phillips who won the $1,500 6-handed No Limit Hold’em event still keeping things interesting. Or like 25-year-old Law Student Jeffrey Papola who beat Men “the Master” Nguyen for the gold in Event #32, the $5,000 6-handed No Limit Hold’em event.

Poker sites keep upgrading the features they offer to their players, and it’s not just window dressing. The players who actually take advantage of these features are the ones that tend to do the greatest and improve the fastest.

To get an idea of what kinds of online poker site features that are out there, let’s take a look at those offered just by one site–Carbon Poker.

• Time Bank – like rollover minutes for more time to think about your playing action when you need that time the most
• Deal It Twice – allows players who are heads-up and all-in to agree to have two turn and/or river cards dealt
• Quick Start – enter your precise gaming preferences (i.e. style, table stakes, etc.) and instantly be taken to an appropriate table where cards are just being dealt
• Rabbit Hunt – learn from your mistakes (and successes) by seeing what that card you would have been dealt would have been had you not folded
• Multiple Windows – view all tables (cash and tournament) that you’re playing in at once on your screen
• Expose One Card – or two! If you think it’ll throw your opponent off (or on tilt) you can choose to reveal one or both of your hole cards

Player Tags – keep track of your observations on your various opponents by tagging them so you’ll remember the next time you sit down at a table with them