Movies, TV & More

PokerStars Reveals ‘We Are Poker’ TV Ads

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:00:00 -0800

Announced via Twitter, the slick, high-end, minute-long ads feature cameos from PokerStars pros Daniel Negreanu, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Liv Boeree, Vanessa Rousso and Jose “Nacho” Barbero.

Also making cameos in the visually stunning ads: a wolf, a rattlesnake, a bull, some wild horses and a man with a bubble around his head, among others.

One ad is called East vs. West and features Negreanu against an opponent heads-up in a crowded warehouse with the voiceover:

“We are competition. Aggression. Calculating. We are trapped. Fighting back. We are heros. We are poker."

The other, titled Nacho vs. Brazil, shows a heads-up match between Barbero and an opponent on a table under a basketball hoop with the voiceover:

“We are 10,000 people in Brazil, holding our breath.

"We are alone. Hunters. Hunted. We are committed. Blessed. Calm. We are all in. We are poker."

The ads are only available online as of today.

Watch them both here.

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Editor's Pick: How I Made My First Million from Poker by Tri Nguyen

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:00:00 -0800

Dropping on December 15th, the title is How I Made My First Million from Poker and in it Nguyen says that poker players vastly undervalue personal well-being and how it translates to success at the tables.

If there was a core message in this text it’s the idea that at the higher levels of poker, there is little difference in the technical competence of successful players and that big profits depend on how well a person can manage themselves, their tilt and their lives.

“If I had to put a percentage on it I’d say it should be 60-40 with 60 being the amount of time you spend on the mental side,” Nguyen told PokerListings.com.

“In poker, once you get past the hand reading and playing the flop and the turn and everything it takes to succeed as a small stakes player it becomes more important to spend time on your mental game.

“You play better and you learn more and you have a lot more energy to improve your game if you feel good inside,” Nguyen continued.

What To Expect from How I Made My First Million

The book reads as a collection of meditations on the many facets of professional poker, rarely examining specific hands or even specific strategy concepts. Nguyen draws a line between learning how to play poker and understanding how to be a successful poker pro.

The sections are punctuated by worksheets to help you put the key ideas into practice.

And while the book does focus on bigger concepts than how to play A-K from the blinds or balancing your river-bluff range, it would be unfair to say that it’s not strategy-specific.

But instead of giving you specific tricks to succeed in today’s game, Nguyen attempts to give you the tools needed to stay passionate in your study and effective in your execution of poker strategy as the game evolves in years to come.

Tri Nguyen has outlasted many of his peers as a consistently winning cash player.

And if this book’s connection to Ace on the River wasn’t sufficiently self-evident, Barry Greenstein actually penned the foreward for HIMMFMFP.

New Advice for a New Generation

Greenstein writes, “Tri has taken my idea and made it relevant for today's online players. He has an easy-to-read style and he speaks in the vernacular of the modern player.”

An example of what Greenstein is referring to can be found on page 70:

To draw an analogy, for me to suggest that you quit while you're on tilt is akin to someone asking you how to make good decisions when you're intoxicated in a strip club. You won't. What you should do while you're sober is leave your credit card and wallet at home. Take only your identification card and whatever cash you are willing to spend, as determined during a time when you are thinking clearly. You aren't going to remember this advice while you are drunk out of your mind and the smell of sex is flowing in the air. You just have to trust me on this.

And while this book is aimed specifically at the poker pro who wants to take his profession to the next level, it’s a provocative read for anyone interested in expanding how they think about the game.

Nguyen’s latest book will retail for $47, already marked down from its list price of $97 despite not yet having been released.

If that sounds high consider that Nguyen’s previous book, Let There Be Range, which he co-authored with Cole South, sells today for $947.

Click here to pick up a copy of Nguyen’s How I Made My First Million for yourself.

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GSN Axes High Stakes Poker

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:00:00 -0800

According to a story with buzzerblog.com, High Stakes Poker will no longer be shown on the network effective Jan. 2, 2012.

The show reportedly lost a good portion of its audience when Norm Macdonald recently took over from Gabe Kaplan.

High Stakes Poker started airing way back in 2006 and quickly built a reputation as a favorite amongst hardcore poker fans.

Following a simple No-Limit Hold’em high stakes cash game format the show showcased famous pros such as Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman as well as rich amateurs such as Cirque de Soleil CEO Guy Laliberte putting their own money on the table.

The show was originally hosted by Gabe Kaplan, who was later joined by AJ Benza and then Kara Scott in an interviewer role.

Some of the highlights over the years included Brad Booth’s memorable bluff with 4-2 versus Phil Ivey with pocket kings, Tom Dwan “posterizing” Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu’s awful luck and several pots that nearly topped the $1 million mark.

Norm Replace Gabe, Full Tilt Pros Opt Out

In 2011 comedian and poker player Norm Macdonald replaced Kaplan on the show to mixed reviews.

It didn’t help that prior to Black Friday, Full Tilt also pulled out of the show meaning Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Mike Matusow, David Benyamine and the rest of Team Full Tilt were absent from the program.

GSN mentioned this summer it was going to be scaling back its poker offerings after online poker’s Black Friday forced major players such as PokerStars out of the U.S. market.

It remains to be seen if another network expresses interest in the show but if it is indeed canceled it will be yet another shelved TV show that involved Norm Macdonald.

Since leaving Saturday Night Live, Macdonald has starred in The Norm Show, A Minute with Stan Hooper and most recently Sports Show with Norm Macdonald, which have all been canceled.

High Stakes Poker ran for a total of seven seasons.

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Brian Roberts Knocks G4 for 2M2MM Production

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:00:00 -0700

“It was hugely net-positive for me,” Roberts said of his experience on 2M2MM.

“If I have any regrets they stem from the fact that we didn’t get picked up for a second season,” he told PokerListings.com in Cannes earlier this week during the WSOPE main event final table.

“I can blame the production or I can blame my performance, I can blame the choice to go with G4 as a network and the fact that they were incredibly cheap and scared to death of doing original programming that actually cost something.

“They were so scared of making a TV show that cost anything that I think it hurt us and hurt our chances of building a fan base and securing a second season,” he added.

Ten episodes of the series aired in 2009, covering Brian Roberts and three other pro poker players living together in a house in Las Vegas. The goal was to earn $2 million between them playing online poker.

While they ultimately fell short of that number, they did post over $676,000 in profits during their time shooting. That works out to over $84,000 per person, per month.

G4 switched the show’s time slot mid-season, from Sunday night to Wednesday, and failed to renew it for a second season after the finale aired in October of 2009.

“I wanted to make a second season so much because with everything we learned shooting and putting together the first season, we would have come up with a product that was exponentially better,” Roberts said.

Roberts said that he would be happy to be involved in another 2M2MM season, but that while he does see potential, it’s not something he’s currently pushing for.

“I’m a lazy poker player,” said Roberts. “I’m not shopping it and I’m certainly not going to pay to have it made.”

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NBC Cancels Heads-Up Championship for 2012

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:00:00 -0700

According to the report from Wicked Chops Poker, NBC Sports Senior Director of Communications Adam Freifeld said that although it won’t air next year NBC will “continue to evaluate” its poker programming for the future.

Last year’s winner of the $20,000 buy-in Heads-Up Championship was Erik Seidel, who defeated 2003 WSOP Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker for the title and $750,000.

Seidel also made the finals in 2010 where he lost to Epic Poker League Commissioner Annie Duke.

Other past winners include Huck Seed (2009), Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (2008), Paul Wasicka (2007), Ted Forrest (2006) and Phil Hellmuth (2005).

The invite-only, 64-player tournament was the first poker tournament to be produced by a major American television network.

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Former Poker Pro in Cast of Survivor: South Pacific

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:00:00 -0700

James Rice III, or “Jim” as he's called on the show, has been confirmed as one of the castaways for the latest season shot in Samoa and airing beginning Sept. 14.

Rice mentions his professional poker career in his pre-interviews for the season although for the show he's identified under his newest line of work - running two medical marijuana dispensaries in Denver, Colorado.

Originally from either Michigan or Chicago according to his online poker profiles, Rice says in his official show bio that he's won over 40 poker tournaments.

Only four or five are listed in his online profiles with the biggest being a win in a $2k No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2006 WPT Festa al Lago at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Rice took home $116,525 for the win, beating Jean “Prince” Gaspard who came second, Brian Rast who finished fourth, Minh Nguyen in fifth and Chip Jett in sixth.

He also has a small cash on the Heartland Poker Tour from 2006 and a third-place finish for $66k in this year’s HTP event at the Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado.

In his interview with the HPT after his third-place finish he said he was confident he was the best player at the table and his “confidence comes from playing poker my entire life. I’m most comfortable with two cards in my hand.”

JRB: Survivor's first poker foray.

Among the 35-year-old Rice’s other Survivor bio details are that he’s “worked on Wall Street, started several successful businesses and earned his MBA at a top five school from the University of Michigan.”

He adds that he thinks “No one with my combination of character, intelligence, cunning and athleticism has ever been on Survivor."

In his video interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Dalton Ross, he tones the number down to 20 poker tournaments that he’s won.

He also says he owned a wine store in Denver which he sold for a profit, has never smoked pot before and that in his Survivor application video he had 20 lbs of medicinal marijuana behind him.

Survivor has famously gone down the poker road before with Jean-Robert Bellande, who played the “bad boy” in the cast of Survivor: China.

Early speculation among the Survivor blogs and fan forums is that Rice isn't a real contender for the title of sole survivor.

More pre-Survivor info on Rice here.

Survivor: South Pacific premieres on CBS on Wednesday, Sept. 14th with a 90-minute preview episode.

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Epic Poker League to Air on CBS, Velocity

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:00:00 -0700

All told, 20 hours of Epic Poker League programming will air with 7 hours scheduled for weekends on CBS and 13 hours on Velocity, a new network aimed at high-income males to be launched by Discovery.

Velocity will also re-air the CBS episodes. Air dates for the shows are expected to be released later in the summer.

Long-time sports anchor Pat O’Brien, of CBS Sports and Access Hollywood fame, will host with Ali Nejad of Poker After Dark as the primary analyst.

441 Productions, the company behind ESPN’s World Series of Poker telecasts from 2003-2010 (they were replaced by Poker PROductions this year), will produce the shows.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Epic Poker League is footing the bill for the airtime as well:

“Epic is paying CBS to air the show on weekends as part of a ‘time buy,’ the WSJ article says, "a deal similar to an infomercial in which the company pays the network to air the show.

"On Velocity the program will air as a 'promotional barter,' in which the poker company supplies the show without payment from the channel."

Headed by Commissioner Annie Duke, the new league features only the top 218 tournament poker players in the world based on the newly created Global Poker Index.

Among the pros who have qualified for the top 200 include Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Jason Mercier, Erik Seidel, John Juanda, Daniel Negreanu, Matt Marafioti and Phil Hellmuth.

Five exclusive tournaments in total will be played with the first set for August 9-12 at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

The first four events each have a $20,000 buy-in with $400,000 added to the prize pool.

The season is capped off with a $1 million Championship freeroll for the top 27 players in February.

According to FS+G chief exec Jeffrey Pollack, who spoke with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the shows will dig into the players' personalities and background along with the action at the table and will introduce the audience to players they may not already be familiar with.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Poker World Embraces New Poker Flick

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:00:00 -0700

The independent comedy Hitting the Nuts: The True Story of the Scott County Series of Poker has many in the poker world singing its praises after its DVD release April 15.

2006 World Series of Poker Player of the Year Jeff Madsen is a fan.

“Hitting the Nuts is without question the funniest poker movie ever made," he said. "The film is committed to making fun of poker and the crazy personalities who love this great game, and that makes it fun to watch. I enjoyed every second of it.”

Blogger James Guill of PokerJunkie.com is on board as well.

“Hitting the Nuts was a bit over the top at times, but so is our game," he wrote in his April 25 review of the film.

"The town, its people, and even the game were totally believable, and had you not known this was a 'mockumentary,' you might think it was a true story. I would recommend that anyone go online and purchase a copy of this DVD.”

And the film's Producer and Director Joe Boyd says all the hype is beginning to turn into sales.

“Since last Friday we have sold over half of our initial run of DVDs," he said. "Hundreds were pre-ordered and it hasn’t slowed down since our release on the 15th.”

The film has also garnered some critical success, winning at both the 2010 Cincinnati Film Festival and the 2011 Derby City Film Festival.

The DVD is currently only available at www.hittingthenuts.com, although Boyd says filmmakers are shopping it for wider distribution.

"We have no doubt the right company will want to partner with us on this. You can just feel the momentum building day after day. People who love comedy and poker are eating up this quirky, funny movie.”

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ESPN To Carry PCA Final Live On-Delay

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:37:00 -0800

“For the first time viewers at home will see a poker telecast from start to finish, with all the strategy of world-class poker players playing in real time and completely unedited,” said Matt Volk, ESPN manager, programming and acquisitions.

ESPN3.com will begin HD coverage with a one-hour, unedited delay at 5 p.m. ET Jan. 15 with ESPN2 HD joining in with a simulcast beginning at 10 p.m.

"This is one of the most exciting announcements ever in televised poker," said PokerStars.net North America Regional Marketing Director Joe Versaci.

"This is the first time people watching online or on TV will be able to see everything that happens at a poker table. So much happens in poker that never makes it to the final TV edit, but this will show exactly how top-level players go about winning a massive tournament.

"There’s so much money on the line – it’s going to be gripping.”

The $10,000+$300 PCA main event runs Jan. 8-15 at the Atlantis Hotel and Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and organizers are expecting a prize pool in the $20 million range with a $2 million first prize.

PokerListings.com will have live updates of the entire event from start to finish in our Live Coverage section.

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Fox to Air PokerStars High Stakes Cash Show

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 -0700

The PokerStars.net Big Game will feature a table filled with some the world's best poker pros, including Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, Jason Mercier, Barry Greenstein, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer.

Each week, top amateurs, a PokerStars SuperNova Elite player and one PokerStars.net qualifier, dubbed the Loose Cannon, will join the table.

Plus, to increase the action, the Loose Cannon will bring a $100,000 stake to the game and only be able to keep what he or she makes over that amount.

Should the qualifier turn a profit, he or she will then be given the choice to walk away or return for one more make-or-break session.

Four online qualifiers are running daily on PokerStars.net.

"This show has all the necessary bells and whistles to make it a monster success on television," said Negreanu. "It's a cash game, which all die hard poker fans prefer and it's guaranteed to be action packed with the introduction of the Loose Cannon.

"For the viewer and fan, not only will they get an inside look into how pros think about the game, but they'll also get a chance to actually appear on the show. I can't wait to play."

Blinds in the No-Limit Hold'em game will be set at $200/$400 with a $100 ante. Each session will go 150 hands.

The one-hour show, produced by M&M Productions and Hollybrook Regency, will be filmed in Las Vegas this May and begin airing on Fox June 14.

Presented by Amanda Leatherman, the show will also include player interviews and features delving into the lifestyles of the pros.

At the conclusion of 12 weeks on the air, the top Loose Cannon of the season will win a PokerStars.net NAPT Passport, giving him or her free entry into all NAPT events for the next year.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

PokerStars Introduces New Cash Game TV Show

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:00:00 -0700

The new show is a high-stakes cash game that will feature $200/$400 No-Limit Hold'em with a $100,000 buy-in.

According to PokerStars some of the top poker players in the world will be invited including Daniel Negreanu.

In a new twist PokerStars will allow select qualifiers from the site to play in the Big Game.

The site is running qualifiers for the event and players in the US and Canada can play in free Big Game Round 1 qualifiers from now until June 25.

Winners will qualify for the Big Game final where the top 200 players will be invited to send PokerStars a casting video.

The players who are selected will be flown out and staked for $100,000 in the game by PokerStars. Whatever profit they make over $100,000 they will be allowed to keep.

No stranger to TV, PokerStars introduced the Million Dollar Challenge last year and is also sponsoring the "Did You Know" segment in the current season of High Stakes Poker.

High stakes cash games have become a popular format for poker TV shows and Poker After Dark, which is usually a six-player Sit and Go, recently added a $50,000 buy-in cash game episode to its schedule.

PokerStars has yet to announce when the show will be aired but the Big Game qualifiers can already be found in the poker room's lobby.

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Mercier's High Stakes Poker Experience

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0700

"I would definitely do it again if the opportunity arose," he told PokerListings. "I feel like I play the cash games as well as any good high-stakes player.

"Obviously $400/$800 is not my normal game, but I don't feel like I was playing like scared money. I was able to shove $210,000 in on a semi-bluff."

After two episodes of the popular GSN show where he did not get involved in very many hands, Mercier's exit from the High Stakes stage came during an episode that aired this past Sunday in a hand with arguably poker's greatest player, Phil Ivey.

Gus Hansen raised to $4,200 under the gun and Eli Elezra and Ivey both made the call before Mercier tried a three-bet squeeze to $22,100 with A♥ 4♥ from the small blind.

"Normally I would probably just call in this situation," Mercier said. "We're over 250 big blinds deep and it's fine to call here. I don't really like folding, especially with how deep we are and the players in the hand. I felt like it was a really good spot to squeeze. I can put in like 10 % of my stack and there's like $16k out there that I can pick up if it works.

"I was really expecting to get re-raised or everyone to fold. My image was really tight and I figured that they would put me on a big pair, maybe ace-king, and they really wouldn't want to mess with me at this point."

Hansen and Elezra gave up, but not Ivey, who made the call before the dealer revealed a 7♥ 3♦ 2♠ flop.

"He called without even thinking about it," Mercier said. "From watching the last couple of episodes I know that he was really active, but I wasn't really aware of how active at the time. I know he did have over $800k and when he called, I really felt like he had a middle pair, like fives through tens."

Mercier continuation bet $28,700, Ivey raised it up $50k more and almost instantly, Mercier pushed in for another $110K.

"I was not necessarily expecting him to fold to one bullet, but I didn't expect him to raise ever," he said. "There's almost no hand he should be raising with on that flop. I expected him to call and depending on what came on the turn, I may double barrel.

"The thing is, I hadn't really been involved in any big pots, so I felt like he was going to give me credit for an overpair at this point. I was 100 % sure he didn't have a set and I really felt like he was just trying to see where he was at with a pair.

"As soon as he raised, I knew I was going all in."

Ivey made a reluctant looking call with pocket nines, the turn and river were no help to Mercier and with his $200k buy-in gone, he left the game.

"I knew that if I shoved it was going to look like I had aces, kings or queens and if he can't beat that, how can he call? That was my rational," Mercier said. "Plus I had an over card, the gutshot and the back-door flush draw."

Better luck next time kid.

But despite losing more than $200,000 in a single hand to the legendary Ivey, Mercier said there's not much he would do differently.

"I feel like I played my best," he said. "Hopefully I didn't say anything in the interview afterwards that was too bad. I might have said Phil Ivey played his hand badly.

"I mean, I don't think he's going to be saying, 'I owned that kid.' I don't think that's the optimal way to play nines against me, but what can I say? he's Phil Ivey.

"He's one of the best in the world, if not the best in the world. But if I had to play the hand again, I don't think I could do anything else."

In a game featuring the greatest players in the world, a 23-year-old Mercier may seem overmatched on paper.

But the World Series of Poker and European Poker Tour title holder, with more than $4 million in career live tournament earnings in just the past two years and millions of hands in online cash-game experience, doesn't seem to think so.

"I thought it was a good opportunity," he said. "I read the line-up and I felt like I could have an advantage. I feel like I would have an advantage in almost any line-up. Plus, it's also good exposure.

"When I got there, unfortunately it was a pretty tough line-up. But some of them have their leaks. I still think I would have an edge in that line-up any day of the week."

Unfortunately for Mercier, not that day of the week.

"I went in there not just trying to survive and make like $20k," he said. "I was going to take advantage of whatever circumstances I could, whatever hands I was dealt, spots I was given and just try to make some cash."

If he has one regret from his four hours in the game, it's from his first hand at the table, where he raised with deuces and folded to a Tom "durrrr" Dwan three bet.

"I probably should have shoved it down durrrr's throat," he said. "I would have been considered a legend probably. But I really didn't want to go broke on the first hand.

"I think you have to play tighter when durrrr's at the table. You definitely have to change the way you play, but I felt like I was doing a good job of that. I feel like durrrr's a little tougher to play against than Ivey because he's so crazy. You can't really put him on anything."

But regardless of how things turned out, Mercier said the experience was definitely worth it.

"I was kind of nervous at first," he said. "But it was definitely fun."

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NBC Releases 2010 Heads-Up Bracket

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:30:00 -0800

The two PokerStars pros have both been hot over the last 12 months with millions of dollars in combined tournament earnings.

Some of the other marquee first round matches include Phil Hellmuth vs. Howard Lederer, Peter Eastgate vs. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Brock Parker vs. Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey vs. Gavin Smith.

In total there will be 32 heads-up matches played in the first round.

NBC once again separated the players into four brackets – Hearts, Clubs, Spades and Diamonds – with the winner of each bracket booking a seat in the semifinals.

The tournament begins today at 1 p.m. PT. Be sure to check out our live updates of the event.

Here is the complete line-up for the first round of the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship:

Clubs:

Patrik Antonius vs. Chris Moneymaker
Leo Wolpert vs. Eric Baldwin
David Williams vs. Joe Cada
Erik Seidel vs. Huck Seed
Dan Ramirez vs. Erick Lindgren
Peter Eastgate vs. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
Stephen Quinn vs. Ted Forrest
Dario Minieri vs. Jamie Gold

Spades:

Gavin Smith vs. Phil Ivey
Richard Edwards vs. Scotty Nguyen
Shawn Rice vs. Joe Hachem
Gabe Kaplan vs. Johnny Chan
Daniel Negreanu vs. Jason Mercier
Pieter de Korver vs. Mike Sexton
Phil Gordon vs. Tom Dwan
Phil Laak vs. John Juanda

Hearts:

Jesper Hougaard vs. Allen Cunningham
Eli Elezra vs. Greg Mueller
Annette Dworski vs. Craig Ferguson
Kara Scott vs. Dennis Phillips
Doyle Brunson vs. Brock Parker
JP Kelly vs. Don Cheadle
Howard Lederer vs. Phil Hellmuth
Annette Obrestad vs. Orel Hershiser

Diamonds:

Barry Greenstein vs. Vanessa Rousso
Sam Farha vs. Antonio Esfandiari
Jennifer Harman vs. Jennifer Tilly
Jerry Yang vs. Mike Matusow
Darvin Moon vs. Bill Huntress
Andy Bloch vs. Annie Duke
Andrew Wilson vs. Paul Wasicka
Gus Hansen vs. Greg Raymer

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Høivold's High Stakes Poker Experience

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0800

"I had the honor of playing in what probably is the best poker game ever assembled," he told PokerListings. "I don't regret anything."

The Ladbrokes sponsored pro lasted just two episodes of the increasingly popular cash game show, dumping the last of the $200,000 he bought in for when he called all in on the turn holding A♥ Q♣ on a queen-high board against Full Tilt's Gus Hansen.

Unfortunately for Høivold, Hansen held a raggedy two pair and despite running the river twice, it held.

Outside of that hand, Høivold said he simply couldn't catch anything. Looking back now he is at least a little disappointed he didn't try to mix it up more.

"I was completely card dead and didn't flop a pair during the 4-5 hours I played," he said. "But I should have played better and more aggressively."

Like Phil Hellmuth on this season of HSP, Hoivold left his seat after losing a single $200k buy-in, choosing not to rebuy.

But that doesn't necessarily mean he won't be back for more.

"I will probably have the chance if I want to," he said. "Time will tell if I take it or not. It all depends on what happens with poker in the future, not the least financially."

High Stakes Poker airs Sunday's at 8 p.m. on GSN.

- With files from Erik Pedersen

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NBC Heads-Up Field Released

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0800

Familiar faces like Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson will be back to compete in the bracket-style head-to-head format for $1.5 million in combined prize money Mar. 5-7.

Plus, several newcomers including PokerListings Blogger and Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, 2009 World Series of Poker champion Joe Cada, 2009 WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon, and High Stakes Poker host Kara Scott will be in the field of 64 trying to take down last year's champ Huck Seed.

"The lineup of competitors for this year's event is the best yet," said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports.

"Continually bringing together the best of the best to compete in this unique format has made the National Heads-Up Poker Championship one of the most anticipated poker events of the year."

The event will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May.

The first round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the GoDaddy.com Draw Party held at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace Mar. 4.

Below is a list of the entire 64-player field less seven spaces for online qualifiers.

Patrick Antonius               Eric Baldwin           Andy Bloch           Doyle Brunson
Joe Cada                         Johnny Chan          Don Cheadle          Allen Cunningham
Pieter De-Korver              Annie Duke            Tom Dwan         Peter Eastgate
Eli Elezra             Antonio Esfandiari       Sam Farha               Chris Ferguson
Ted Forrest                      Jamie Gold                 Phil Gordon              Barry Greenstein
Bertrand Grospellier Joe Hachem    Gus Hansen Jennifer Harman
Phil Hellmuth                    Orel Hershiser            Jesper Hougaard       Phil Ivey
John Juanda                     Gabe Kaplan              J.P. Kelly                  Phil Laak
Howard Lederer                Erick Lindgren    Mike Matusow           Jason Mercier
Dario Minieri                     Chris Moneymaker     Darvin Moon             Greg Mueller
Daniel Negreanu               Scotty Nguyen           Annette Obrestad      Brock Parker
Dennis Phillips                  Greg Raymer             Vanessa Rousso        Kara Scott
Huck Seed    Erik Seidel                 Mike Sexton             Gavin Smith
Jennifer Tilly                     Paul Wasicka             David Williams          Leo Wolpert
Jerry Yang

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Titan Poker Featured in New Travolta-Rhys Myers Flick

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:00:00 -0800

Co-written and produced by critically acclaimed French Director Luc Besson, whose production company partnered with Titan Poker to feature the online poker room on screen, the film follows Rhys Myers as a low-level CIA operative who dreams of becoming a bona fide agent and seeing some real action.

His first senior-level assignment has him partnered with a trigger-happy, wisecracking, loose cannon, played by Travolta, who's been sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack.

Titan Poker makes its Hollywood debut during a scene in which one of the film's characters is playing online poker.

As a promotion for the release of the film, Titan Poker's French site will be holding an exclusive From Paris with Love Tournament in which players can win up to $5,000.

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NBC Heads-Up Headed Back to Caesars

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:30:00 -0800

The 6th annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship presented by GoDaddy.com will go off March 4-7 with 64 of the world's best poker players in squaring off and $1.5 million in prize money on the line.

Scheduled to play are familiar faces like Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and last year's Heads-Up finalists Vanessa Rousso and Huck Seed.

"It takes a lot of skill and mental toughness to get through a field of such exceptional players," said Seed, who won it last year and is the only player in the history of the event to cash in all five years. "I look forward to defending my title and trying to win it again."

New faces in this year's line-up will include 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Cada.

As always the tournament will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May.

"We're excited to bring this annual tradition back to Caesars Palace," said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports. "The National Heads-Up Poker Championship's compelling poker action has become a must-see for the casual and hardcore poker fan alike."

Model and television personality Leeann Tweeden will host with Craig Hummer and Ali Nejad providing commentary.

The single-elimination bracket-style tournament, with a best of three final, features a $500,000 first-place prize.

First round opponents will be chosen randomly during the tournament's Draw Party at Caesars' PURE Nightclub Thursday, March 4 with the matches beginning at 12 p.m. PT the next day.

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High Stakes Poker 6 Set For Valentine's Day Premier

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:00:00 -0800

The sixth season of the popular show will premier on the Network Sunday Feb. 14, featuring a familiar line-up of renowned poker champions, cash game specialists and promising up-and-comers.

Producers are also promising a brand-new look and feel for the show that puts viewers in the thick of the poker action.

Poker player and former European Poker Tour presenter Kara Scott will join Gabe Kaplan as co-host this season, but not before GSN airs an eight-hour "I LOVE POKER" marathon featuring highlights from past seasons of the show prior to the premier Sunday.

In addition to the usual cash-game action, Scott will report from the High Stakes Poker suite this season, interviewing players about strategy, table dynamics and giving viewers first-hand feedback after significant hands.

Featuring $200,000 minimum buy-in, the new season is promising the toughest line-up ever, including pros Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Andreas Hoivold, Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Dennis Phillips and Lex Veldhuis.

The premier episode will air Feb. 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET and subsequent episodes will air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET with encore airings at 11 p.m. ET and 2 a.m. ET on GSN.

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Poker Channel Airing PCA Live

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:30:00 -0800

The Poker Channel Europe has decided to air live coverage of the final events at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure over the next two days.

The World Cup of Poker final will air tonight (Jan. 13) and the final of the $25k High Roller will air on Thursday Jan. 14.

Coverage of both events will start at 9 p.m. GMT and continue for up to 8 hours until the events finish.

The Poker Channel reaches over 18 million homes in 25 European countries.

“We're delighted to bring live poker back to the Poker Channel with some of the most prestigious events in the poker calendar,” Poker Channel Managing Director Chris White. “We were the first channel to show a full live poker event on TV - the British Poker Open – back in 2005. We know our European viewers want more live TV coverage so we're working with world-class production teams and sponsors to offer this on a regular basis."

Full broadcast details can be found on The Poker Channel’s website.

Comprehensive coverage of the $25k High Roller event can also be found on PokerListings' Live Updates.

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Poker Draws A-Listers to PCA

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 -0800

The game of poker did.

“I’m not going to quit my day job, but I really love poker and I think I’m getting better at it,” said guitar legend Slash, who joined a host of big name celebrities, sports stars and Team PokerStars Pros playing in the amfAR and PokerStars charity event at the PCA this week.

“It’s just such an amazing game. So many different things can happen. With all the different people involved and all the different possibilities with the cards, it’s just a fantastic game.”

R&B star Kelly Rowland just picked up poker, but spent the entire day before her performance at an exclusive PokerStars party held at Atlantis Saturday night playing the game.

“I’m getting more and more used to it,” she said. “And I’ll tell you one thing, after playing last night, I definitely want to have a girls’ night when I get back home.

“I’m going to watch these pros like hawks so I can go back to Houston and take my friends' money.”

Model and actress Joanna Krupa appeared on the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge this season and was named the TV hostess for the new PokerStars North American Poker Tour this week.

She also anted up for AIDS research and is apparently really taking to the game.

“It’s so funny because it’s so unexpected, you never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “You might have the most amazing cards and still lose the hand or you might have crappy cards and still win. It’s definitely interesting, challenging and fun.

“I’m waiting for the time I’m actually going to play in a tournament with Joe (Cada) and Daniel (Negreanu). It’ll be fun and maybe I’ll learn their tricks of the trade and become a pro one day.”

'I’m going to watch these pros like hawks so I can go back to Houston and take my friends' money.'

2008 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole played in the main event at the PCA, sharing the felt with 2009 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada on Day 1.

She said she started playing about four months ago and found the competition in the Bahamas a little daunting.

“It was very nerve racking at the beginning,” she said. “But I love poker. It’s fun, especially for me because there aren’t a lot of girls in poker and there aren’t a lot of Playboy models in poker, so I get a funny reaction from people. The truth is I really like meeting all the boys.”

Both Nicole and Krupa said the poker pros they’ve met this week have been quick to offer a few tips, but Slash’s experience has been quite different.

“They don’t talk to me,” he laughed. “But it’s OK. We have a couple of home games that are mostly rock people and I’ve cleaned up there a couple of times already.”

However, the men aren’t being ignored completely as Carlos Bernard, from TV’s 24, said he was lucky enough to have the opportunity to pick a few PokerStars pros brains this week.

“I’m not hustling anybody right now,” he said. “So it’s been good to play with the pros and learn a few tricks.”

<div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="/assets/photos/IMG6201.JPG"><img width="180" height="320" class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-IMG6201.JPG" alt="Kelly Rowland" /></a><div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"><div class="image-osd-content">'I’m going to watch these pros like hawks so I can go back to Houston and take my friend’s money.'</div><div class="image-osd-background"> </div></div></div>

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The Luckiest Man Alive

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0800

But his reasons extend beyond the fact he beat Daniel Negreanu heads-up in the season finale of the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge on Fox to win $1 million.

In fact, that’s just the icing on the cake.

A former Detective Sergeant with the New York Police Department, Kosowski was on the job on Sept. 11, 2001 when the World Trade Center’s twin towers came down.

These days he considers himself lucky just to be alive.

“There’s no way I should have survived that day,” he told PokerListings from Nassau, Bahamas this week where he came to play in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. “You are talking about one lucky guy. That’s the way I look at it. I’m blessed.”

The sheer force created when the South Tower came down knocked Kosowski ten feet in the air. He went missing for the next three hours.

But despite suffering numerous injuries, he picked himself up off the ground and continued to work at Ground Zero for the next three weeks.

“We knew it was going to be a bad day, a lot of identification of bodies and that kind of stuff,” he said. “But we never thought the buildings would come down.”

Suffering from Induced Asthma and various other injuries, he was forced to give up his job with the NYPD in 2004.

By 2005, online poker had become his favorite pastime.

Kosowski sat with his wife one evening watching a World Series of Poker broadcast featuring Negreanu. When he explained his desire to play against the best of the best at the WSOP, she implored him to take the game more seriously, read more books and play live more often.

She also bought him tickets to see Tony Bennett perform in Atlantic City as an anniversary gift.

On that trip, he managed to chop his first real live tournament and within days of returning home, Kosowski had a prophetic dream.

“I had a dream that I played Daniel face to face and I beat him,” he said. “I woke up and I told my wife right there I’m going to play him face to face and I’m going to beat him.

“My wife was going to take me to a psychiatrist. She thought I was losing it.”

Kosowski started playing exclusively on PokerStars in 2006 and last year, when freerolls began running for a spot in the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge, he jumped at the chance to make his dream come true.

He won an opportunity to audition for the show and was eventually flown out to Los Angeles as an alternate.

In yet another stroke of luck, he got on the set, managed to win the elimination match and before he knew it, he was playing Negreanu heads-up with $1 million on the line.

“I just put my mind to it, got some good cards and I rolled over everybody at the table,” he explained. “Then when it came to Daniel, I just out-powered him in the final match. I got lucky and I beat him.”

With a million dollar bankroll now at his disposal, Kosowski says he has a new dream.

“My dream is to play in the World Series of Poker and I think I’m going to do that this year,” he said.

Lucky to have survived one of the greatest tragedies in American history only to go on and win $1 million on what is now the highest rated poker TV show of all time, the odds on a deep finish this summer have to be through the roof.

But Kosowski doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’m a lucky guy,” he said with a smile. “I really feel blessed.”

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WPT Season VIII Debuts This Month

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:00:00 -0800

The season will include 26 episodes with stops in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Los Angeles, San Jose, Biloxi, Lawrenceburg and Foxwoods.

“We’re excited to bring a new season of WPT events to our regional sports network,” said David Sussin, vice president of programming at FSN. “The drama of high stakes poker continues to connect to our audience of sports fan.”

Hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will be returning to call the action in a memorable season of the WPT, which has already seen big wins recorded by Prahlad Friedman, Alexandre Gomes, Tommy Vedes and Daniel Alaei.

All 26 episodes will be sponsored by FullTiltPoker.net and every episode will be shown in high definition for the first time ever.

Viewers will see each final table unfold over two one-hour episodes, which will be shown at 11 p.m. every Sunday after Jan. 24.

Check your local listings for more information.

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Poker After Dark Returns

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Filming of 13 different shows concluded in October at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas featuring a mixture of well-known regulars from previous seasons and thirteen players making their Poker After Dark debut.

Ali Nejad, returns to provide commentary and Leeann Tweeden is back for her third season as the show’s host.

Seven of the new shows will follow the traditional Poker After Dark week-long six-handed winner-take-all freezeout format while the remaining six will feature cash games of varying buy-ins that will each air over a two-week period.

Producers say there are first-time winners, matches that end in dramatic fashion, huge swings, plenty of laughs and many other memorable moments.

The season will kick-off Jan. 4 with a Poker After Dark staple: The “Commentators” episode, featuring Nejad and High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan along with newcomer Joe Sebok from Poker2Nite and Kaplan’s new co-host Kara Scott.

A “Nicknames” episode will follow that includes Annette “The Huntress” Obrestad’s Poker After Dark debut and great names like Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth.

The first cash game episodes to air will feature a $50,000 minimum buy-in and players including, Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Matusow, Esfandiari, and Hellmuth.

In what could be the first win for an amateur on Poker After Dark a “My Favorite Pro” episode will air including online qualifiers Craig Ivey from Australia, James Ashby from Alabama, Jens Voertmann from Germany, and 2009 Howard Lederer Charity Event winner Steve Bartlett playing alongside Hellmuth and Ferguson.

In a match similar to the “Battle of the Sexes” theme of Season 2, a “He Said, She Said” episode will include Erica Schoenberg, Jean-Robert Bellande, David Grey, Matusow, Annie Duke and Karina Jett, making her Poker After Dark debut.

The next cash game show has a $100,000 minimum buy-in and includes some of the biggest cash players in the world. Here Hellmuth will take on Eli Elezra, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Gus Hansen, and Laak.

A “Lonesome Shark” show will feature bachelors Lindgren, James Akenhead, Esfandiari, Matusow, David Williams, and Brad Booth and there is a “Mixed Martial Arts” show featuring Bruce Buffer, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture and Patrik Antonius.

The third and final cash game has a $150,000 minimum buy-in and includes Dwan, Antonius, David Peat, Elezra, Kaplan, and Alan Meltzer.

Finally, the season wraps up with a “Charity in Mind” show, highlighting the charity work of players including Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Andy Bloch, Duke, Lederer and Ferguson.

Season 6 begins Jan. 4 in Poker After Dark’s regular 2:05 a.m. timeslot on NBC.

For more information and the entire schedule, check out the Poker After Dark page on NBC’s website.

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Krupa, Cada Join Million Dollar Challenge

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:30:00 -0800

Both Joanna Krupa, who recently starred in TV’s Dancing with the Stars, and 2009 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada, will appear on the program, which has quickly become the most-watched poker show in television history over its first two episodes.

Krupa will join MMA star Tito Ortiz as one of the show’s celebrity defenders, which form the first line of defense against contestants.

A Polish-born model and actress, she has appeared in magazine spreads around the globe including FHM, Maxim and Playboy as well as starring in the TV show Superstars this summer.

Meanwhile, Cada will attempt to keep contestants from getting all the way to heads-up against Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.

In early November, 21-year-old Cada became the youngest player ever to win the WSOP Main Event, taking home $8.5 million for his efforts.

Cada joins Chris Moneymaker and Vanessa Rousso as second round opponents.

The contestants will have Negreanu’s assistance through the first two rounds, but will then have to decide if they want to take $25,000 and walk away or risk it all for the chance to win $100,000 and have a shot at $1 million by playing Negreanu in back-to-back heads-up matches.

In the first episode more than four million viewers tuned in to see a priest from North Carolina win $100,000, while millions more tuned in to see an Army National Guard sergeant and a Boston liquor salesman each take home large cash sums last week.

The third episode of the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge will air this Sunday on Fox Sports. Check your local listings for air time.

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Poker goes indie short

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:59:00 -0800

"The film shows a glimpse into the lives of two young men struggling to come to terms with their addictions to the game of poker" explained Juan Riedlinger.

"It explores both sides of the game so often misrepresented in film - the bliss and the bleakness. I felt that the demand for a good story about poker was so high in comparison to what's out there, so I wanted to jump on that while I could."

Along with its dark and moody look and feel - thanks in part to it being shot on a state-of-the-art RED digital camera - Shark Out of Water sports cameos from "Yukon" Brad Booth and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Riedinger said getting such a recognizable poker figure as Hellmuth to appear in the short was relatively simple.

"I called him up and told him what we were doing and after reading our script, he was interested in coming on board so we scheduled our entire shoot around him," he said.

The film recieved rave reviews after being screened at film festivals around North America, and Reidlinger believes that part of its appeal comes from the film's ability to capture and relate some of the more subtle aspects of poker while remaining entertaining.

"I'm so sick of seeing straight flushes beat four of a kind in poker movies," he said. "It's such an unrealistic scenario and has no place in a poker film that wants to be taken seriously."

You can see the trailer for the film in our blog section.

The film itself is available for purchase on the Shark Out of Water website.

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Two more take Pokerstars' Million Dollar Challenge

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:05:46 -0800

The show's debut, which saw a poker-playing-priest win $100,000 and U.S. Army National Guard sergeant walk away with $25,000, drew four million viewers, making it the most successful poker show in television history.

This week, Oluwasegun "Big Mike" Odumuyiwa, a 35-year-old music manager from Northville, Michigan, is hoping to get a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

Odumuyiwa, who played basketball and football at Eastern Illinois University says he will use the money to take care of his late brother's family.

Also taking his shot at the cash will be Brian Barboza, a 31-year-old wine and liquor salesman from Raynham, Massachusetts.

Barboza says he's hoping to win enough money to buy his way into the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.

But to get to the cash, both Barboza and Odumuyiwa will have to first beat one of the show's celebrity defenders, including Super Bowl Champion Jerome Bettis, four-time NBA Champion John Salley, UFC champion Tito Ortiz or Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole.

Round two will then see them take on a Team PokerStars Pro, either WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker, Barry Greenstein or Vanessa Rousso.

The contestants will have Daniel Negreanu's help the whole way, but then they will have to decide whether to take $25,000 and walk away or take on Negreanu heads-up for $100,000 and a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

The show will air on FOX Sunday, Nov. 22, immediately following the network's NFL coverage.

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Michelle, Ho bust out of The Amazing Race

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:59:35 -0800

The pair lasted a total of seven weeks on the hit CBS reality show and traveled half-way around the globe before running into two obstacles they simply couldn't overcome.

Despite their elimination the pair was upbeat when they talked to PokerListings this week.

"I'm incredibly pleased with how we did," said Ho. "We aren't the most physical people and we were totally out of our element."

"Amazing is the perfect way to describe our experience," said Michelle. "It was the most challenging thing I have done and it was perspective and life changing."

Despite their deep run on the show, the pair might be best remembered for a controversial move in the very first episode. Michelle and Ho decided to inform the teams they were competing against that they were non-profit workers instead of poker players.

The ruse didn't work as they were quickly identified by a poker fan at an airport later in the first episode. Several teams were miffed at the misrepresentation.

Both Michelle and Ho insisted they weren't doing it for sympathy, but were instead trying to hide the fact they were successful poker players.

"We were coming from a strategic point of view and we just wanted to highlight another part of our lives," said Michelle. "It wasn't anything that wasn't truthful."

Tiffany Michelle is headed back to the poker tables.

"Nobody wants to help people that do alright for themselves," added Ho.

Michelle mentioned she does work with the L.A. Youth Network and both have played numerous charity tournaments including Ante Up for Africa.

Ho and Michelle were the only all-female team competing in this season of The Amazing Race and it proved to be a serious challenge.

"It was 10 million times harder than I thought it would be," said Michelle. "Just from a muscle point of view we were at a disadvantage."

No female team has ever won the race.

In their final episode, Michelle and Ho couldn't perform either one of the detour challenges they attempted and were forced to eventually take a 24-hour penalty, thus eliminating them from the show. Both challenges were physical in nature.

"I have no regrets about how we went out," said Ho. "We gave it all we had, but at a certain point you just have to accept there are things you just can't do."

With the show behind them both, Ho and Michelle have plans to return to the poker circuit at the British Columbia Poker Championship in Vancouver and then the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond at Bellagio in Las Vegas.

"I think for the first time we just want to go play poker," said Michelle. "It will be exciting to get back out there and see all the faces."

The mainstream exposure they received on The Amazing Race seems here to stay and Ho appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 this week in a panel on women breaking into the male-dominated world of business.

Meanwhile, Michelle recently launched a clothing line and plans on continuing her acting career by auditioning for roles in both television and film.

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The Best Damn Poker Show crosses the Atlantic

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:36:28 -0700

Season 2 of the popular Fox Sports Network show, which pits Phil Hellmuth against Annie Duke to see who is the better Texas Hold'em teacher, will debut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on The Poker Channel Europe beginning Oct. 20 at 22:00 CET.

After auditioning or qualifying for the show on UltimateBet, contestants join Team Hellmuth or Team Duke to train and compete against one another throughout the seven-episode series.

Players are eliminated each episode as Duke and Hellmuth highlight card play and analyze the competition leading up to a final showdown where a champion is crowned.

The series will also be repeated on Thursdays and Saturdays at 16:00 CET.

The Poker Channel Europe is Europe's largest dedicated gaming TV network, available online to a global audience and to more than 18 million cable and satellite homes in Europe.

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New Fox show gains NFL, MMA, Playboy stars

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:34:58 -0700

Former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis, MMA star Tito Ortiz and Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, will act as the first round of Celebrity Defenders on the Fox Sports show set to air Oct. 11.

Contestants will take on the in the stars in heads-up No Limit Hold'em matches in the first of four rounds with a little help from Canadian Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.

The second round will feature a heads-up match against another member of Team PokerStars Pro and in the final two, the would-be students will take on teacher Negreanu with $1 million on the line.

"I'm thrilled to be part of this show," Negreanu said. "I love the concept and I know that it will be packed with great poker and all the bells and whistles, hip graphics and drama that FOX is known for."

Prizes also escalate with each round, starting with a trip to the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the first round, $25,000 in the second round, $100k in the first of two matches against Negreanu and $1 million for the final.

Should a celebrity guest prevail in the first round, $5,000 will be donated to the charity of their choice.

Negrenau and the other Team PokerStars Pros will be playing for $10,000 for charity.

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Ivey, durrrr play largest pot in TV history

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:33:08 -0700

The game featured some of the biggest names in poker including Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Gus Hansen, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, Patrik Antonius and Tom "durrrr" Dwan.

Early highlights included Antonius flopping a set of kings to crack Dwan's pocket aces and drag a $500k pot.

However, the real action began after 20 hours on the felt when all the other players had walked away from the game leaving just Ivey, Antonius and Dwan to play three-handed.

With blinds at $1,000/$2,000 with a $200 ante and more than $2.2 million on the table between the three, Dwan raised.

Ivey re-raised from the small blind and after Antonius folded the big blind, Dwan made the call.

Ivey fired $40k into the Q♣ 5♣ 3♦ flop and Dwan flatted. However, when the 4♥ fell on the turn and Ivey bet again, Dwan raised it up to a whopping $240K.

Ivey tanked, but emerged shoving. Dwan insta-called with 6♥ 7♥ for the nut straight and Ivey's A♣ 2♥ for the smaller straight was drawing dead, leaving Dwan to collect the massive $1.1 million pot.

Dwan also won the previous largest pot in televised poker history during Season 5 of High Stakes Poker when he flopped top pair and a flush draw against Barry Greenstein's pocket aces and turned trips to collect an amazing $919,600.

Full Tilt Poker's Million Dollar Cash Game will air on Sky Sports in the UK in January 2010 featuring commentary from Full Tilt Poker pro Robert Williamson III.

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CBS to air Ante Up For Africa Monte Carlo

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:03:18 -0700

Two one-hour shows featuring action from the star-studded event to benefit Darfur are set to air on the US network Today [Sept. 19] at 1:30 p.m. EST and Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. EST, leading into its popular college football coverage.

Modelled on the World Series of Poker's Ante Up For Africa event created by Don Cheadle, Annie Duke and Norman Epstein, the $6,000 buy-in event saw stars from the worlds of television, sports and music take on a host top poker professionals.

Celebrities including Christina Milian, Nelly, Joel Madden, Jason Lewis, James Lee, and Boris Becker were joined by Team PokerStars Pros Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem and Vanessa Rousso on the felt.

Former Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier actually won the tournament defeating English football legend Teddy Sheringham heads-up.

All of the prize money was donated to help fund the work of charities that provide aid and assistance to the humanitarian efforts in Darfur.

"Each year at the World Series of Poker, I make a point to play in Ante Up for Africa," said Rousso.

"It's amazing that PokerStars hosted the event in Monte Carlo to help a worthy cause and bring some fun to the table during one of their biggest events of the year."

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Dates set, Barry calling for fish on HSP 6

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:59:58 -0700

In London for the World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair, Mori Eskandani, president of POKER PROductions, producers of the highly successful cash-game show, confirmed the company will begin filming 13 episodes for Season 6 of High Stakes Poker at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Nov. 11.

"High Stakes is always fun," Eskandani told PokerListings. "You mix the money with the emotions and all those characters and it's going to be good TV."

The full line-up is not yet confirmed, although Eskandani said the show is looking for its usual mix of veteran pros, Internet upstarts and whales from other walks of life.

As has become the norm, the game will feature $400/$800 blinds with a $200,000 minimum/$500,000 maximum buy-in, although Eskandani said players can add another $500,000 as soon as they fall below that mark.

The major difference this year is that prop games will not be allowed.

"It really distracted from the game for the viewers," Eskandani explained.

A veteran of High Stakes Poker, Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein said he will definitely be playing, and he's hoping there will be a few well-bankrolled fish in the mix this season.

"I hope they can get a good line-up," Greenstein said. "They always promise there will be good games. I was happy with the line-up I played in last year, but it wasn't as good as the line-ups they had in the earlier days when there were more recreational players.

"At this point I don't play just to be on television. I play if it's a good game where I can make some money."

Online high-stakes superstar Tom "durrrr" Dwan dominated play in Season 5, winning a High Stakes Poker record $919,600 pot flopping top pair and a flush draw against Greenstein's pocket aces, getting the money in and turning trips.

The most talked about hand of the season saw Dwan push 2008 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate of trip deuces and Greenstein off pocket aces with top pair, betting $104,300 into a $133,500 pot.

"It's kind of funny," Greenstein explained. "If I'd have made the call there, and I was on the edge one way or the other, I think the perception would have been very different. It would have been like 'what was he doing?'

"He kind of got lucky that Peter and I got in the way of each other. Because we both folded he's kind of the poker hero and dominated the table. It's funny how things can go like that."

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Michelle, Ho discuss The Amazing Race

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:55:50 -0700

Neither won the WSOP Main Event, nor did they repeat as last woman standing.

Instead, the pair was cast on the 15th season of the award-winning CBS reality show The Amazing Race.

"Poker is something we do, but we don't want our lives to be driven by it," Michelle said. "When we first heard about it, it didn't take us long to say 'Heck yes, we want to do this.' Poker is always going to be around but The Amazing Race doesn't come around quite so often."

In the poker world, Ho and Michelle are famous for being the last female player surviving in poker's biggest event in consecutive years. Ho managed the feat in 2007 while Michelle made it even deeper in 2008.

When they got the call for The Amazing Race this summer, it quickly became apparent they would both have to miss the 2009 Main Event.

The decision was easy, according to Ho.

"I didn't give it a second thought," said Ho. "It was a little different for Tiffany, who was actually defending her title as last woman standing, but I hands-down wanted to be on the show. I'm glad we saw the big picture."

2008 WSOP Main Event last woman standing Tiffany Michelle.

It wasn't the first time that Michelle had been approached to do reality TV, but it was by far the best offer.

"After my run at the Main Event there were a lot of opportunities," said Michelle. "Obviously there are a lot of crummy reality shows, but getting to star in a multiple-Emmy winning show is an amazing opportunity."

As soon as Michelle and Ho received word they would appear on the show, they set about preparing for the journey by watching a number of the previous seasons and going over possible scenarios from a strategic point of view.

In other words, they approached the game as poker players.

"I watched the very first season and I was completely intrigued," said Ho. "It's kind of the purest form of reality show. It's not a popularity contest and you don't get voted off. You compete hard or you go home."

In an ironic twist, Ho and Michelle were cast as the only all-female team for Season 15 of The Amazing Race. No all-female team has ever won the show.

"Once again we were living the whole male-dominated dynamic of the poker world, but we were really excited to take this on together," said Michelle.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the show was the timing. Since filming began in the middle of the WSOP Main Event, both Ho and Michelle were required to be vague when talking to fellow poker players about their plans.

'Compete hard or go home.'

"You understand why they don't want people to ruin the surprise," said Ho. "We see it all the time in poker when everyone knows the result of the Main Event before it's shown on television."

Despite the distraction, Ho managed to put on an impressive poker performance in one of the last events she played this summer. She finished 11th for $41,040 in the prestigious $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em event.

"I was getting a lot of questions," Ho said. "It was hard because I didn't want to lie to anyone when they asked if I was playing the Main Event."

Now that their appearance is public knowledge, both Ho and Michelle say they knew all along there was more on the line then just their individual reputations.

"We really wanted to go out there and represent poker in the best way possible," said Ho. "Sometimes poker is shown in a negative light because of the gambling aspect and we wanted to change that."

Michelle went so far as to say they had something to prove and Ho agreed.

"We're pretty unique in the poker world because it's a male-dominated game and we wanted to prove that we are some kickass girls who are nice, but also really competitive," said Ho.

"We wanted to get away from the whole pretty girls playing poker thing and prove that we are gamers," added Michelle.

'Tiff is a badass chick.'

Although the pair weren't able to disclose any information on the actual Amazing Race experience, it's obvious the bond between them remains tight.

"Tiff is a badass chick," laughed Ho. "I got to see how that translated into the race first hand. She's a competitive person and I love her."

Michelle went on to say that whatever happened on the show they agreed to be very forgiving of each other.

"Our relationship is probably stronger now," added Ho.

With the show completed both girls suddenly have a plethora of new career options, but the siren call of the good old poker game seems to be strong.

"I miss being able to play poker," said Ho. "I'm not going to say that I'll play every tournament, but I obviously love it. I'm going to make my best efforts to play the Aruba Poker Classic and WPT Festa al Lago."

Michelle, having recently re-signed with sponsor Ultimate Bet, was a bit coy about her future prospects.

"At this point I think we have to go for either a presidential campaign or world domination," she joked.

The 15th season of The Amazing Race begins airing on CBS Sept. 27.

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PokerStars show planned for FOX this fall

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:58:08 -0700

The PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge will begin airing on FOX Oct. 11 featuring a group of online qualifiers taking on a series of celebrity players and Team PokerStars Pros in heads-up matches for a seat at a Dec. 21 grand final with $1 million on the line.

PokerStars is hosting twice daily freerolls at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET until November 25 where the top ten finishers will be invited to submit a two-minute audition video explaining why PokerStars should choose them for a part in the show.

Should a contestant be selected they would battle it out on camera against three different celebrity and Team PokerStars Pro challengers in a series of best-of-three No-Limit Hold'em heads-up matches.

Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu will be on hand to coach and assist the contestants until they make it to the third round, where they will actually play Negreanu for a seat in the final.

Filming begins Sept. 30.

After the Oct. 11 premier, subsequent episodes of The PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge will air Oct. 18, Nov. 22, and Dec. 13 with the grand final set for Dec. 27.

All the episodes will air at 4 p.m. ET.

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Poker heats up in Hollywood

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:59:40 -0700

A glimpse of the celebs into the game is available every year at the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational and various charity tournaments, but many celebrities also scratch their poker itch at home games and online.

Anthrax lead singer Scott Ian has been playing poker for years and has seen several celebrity friends converted into players first hand.

"Keanu Reeves just recently got into Hold'em," Ian told PokerListings. "A few months back he said to me, 'Hey man, I was playing a lot of poker with this director on my last movie and he was just constantly taking my money."

Ian said Reeves is learning more and more about Hold'em and has become a semi-regular at a private game in Santa Monica.

"I know tons of people who play and when I'm home we all try to get together and play as much as we can," Ian added.

Keeping a weekly slot open for a real-life home game is tough for Hollywood types and rock stars on the road - a predicament that led Ian to move his home game online to Ultimate Bet.

"The first one had Kirk Hammett from Metallica, Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, Slash, Vinnie Paul from Pantera and John Dolmayan from System of a Down," said the Anthrax frontman.

"What it means is just a lot of my friends in bands, these 'rock star' guys, who like to play Hold'em. It is a way for us to get to play together since we don't get to play together physically because of everyone's schedules."

'I know tons of people who play.'

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips has had a semi-regular home game running almost as long as he's been in show business.

Phillips put the skills he learned in that home game to good use this summer finishing 186th out of 6,494 at the WSOP Main Event.

"The home game has been crazy," Phillips told PokerListings. "It's been going on for 20 years."

Over two decades his game has seen a rotating group of actors and entertainers.

"George Clooney used to hang back in the day," Phillips recalled fondly. "Brad Pitt before he got Thelma and Louise, all the 90210 kids."

Like a lot of Hollywood home games the stakes are anything but astronomical, and the level of play is anything but professional.

"No, it's a lot of bullshit is what it is," Phillips laughed. "We're drinking a lot of beer and going, 'My two-three offsuit will kick your kings' ass.' "

Low stakes and a casual yet competitive atmosphere seem to be the norm in celebrity home games.

$500 buy in?

Actor and Simpsons cast member Hank Azaria has a regular game at his Soho, New York, residence where the buy-in is reported to be a modest $500.

Simpsons creator Sam Simon shares a similar attitude, one that he's taking to television this year with Sam's Game on the Playboy Channel.

Juxtaposing his casual home-game style with serious shows like GSN's High Stakes Poker, Simon is recreating the home game experience and expects to tap into viewers' natural love for the format.

While HSP relies on big names and big dollar amounts, Sam's Game uses the same things we all love about home games - Jokes, food, beer and a little bit of poker.

While celebrity home games are mostly about good times, poker's popularity in Hollywood circles could have a real effect on the vitality of the game.

With Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander and Phillips both running deep in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, much was made about what a celebrity at the final table could mean.

In 2003, Chris Moneymaker's victory catapulted poker into the public's consciousness.

Now, with the four month break before the Main Event final table, players are given an even bigger opportunity to take the poker word to the masses.

'My two-three offsuit will kick your kings' ass.'

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack says having a poker pro like Phil Ivey at the final table this year will surely help grow the game, but the exposure someone like Alexander would garner in mainstream media could be staggering.

"I think anytime a big name makes the final table of the Main Event it's good for poker and good for the WSOP," he said. "At the same time, any personality that can crossover in that setting would also be great.

"Phil Ivey will be great, Jason Alexander would have been great and, last year, Tiffany Michelle would have been great. You have a top poker pro, a big Hollywood celebrity and a compelling newcomer.

"All three are different and all three have the capacity to crossover and that's something that's always attractive to have."

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durrrr finds million dollar challenger

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:00:01 -0700

London's own Sammy "any two" George has signed up to take on the online phenom, according to event organizers Matchroom Sport.

"With Phil Ivey and Patrick Antonius, you are talking about guys I rate quite highly," George said. "Guys like durrrr to me are normal, you know, they're nothing special.

"I'm stepping up to the plate and putting my money where my mouth is."

While Dwan is highly regarded as one of the best high-stakes online players in the game right now, George has yet to make any major mark on the poker world.

He has become a familiar face on televised poker in the UK after appearing on The Big Game and Poker Million, where he made the semi-final.

His biggest live tournament cash to date was a 21st place finish at the 2009 WPT Championship in Las Vegas this past April for a little over $21k, although George has built a reputation for himself in London's biggest cash games.

You'd better pray Sammy!

Dwan and George will square off over 500 hands in a live heads-up match playing either Pot-Limit Omaha or No-Limit Hold'em up with a $500k buy in. The blinds will be set at $500/$1000 and once the match starts, neither can leave until the 500 hands or up or they go broke.

"Sammy is one of the few players in the game who is willing to walk the walk rather than just talk the talk and although many will see him as underdog in this match, he has plenty of heart and should not be underestimated," said Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport.

Dates, a location and three other challengers willing to take on durrrr are expected to be named in the near future.

"I'm buzzing," said George. "What could be sweeter than playing in the world's biggest heads-up match against durrrr?"

The much hyped online durrrr Challenge, with Dwan putting up $1.5 million to any challenger's $500,000, four-tabling heads-up with minimum $200/$400 stakes over 50,000 hands, is still ongoing.

Dwan is is in the midst of taking on his first challenger, Antonius, although progress has been slowed by scheduling conflicts, the 2009 WSOP and the allure of other high-stakes action online.

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APT goes Gaga

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:50:12 -0700

Last week, the APT invited 14-time Olympic Gold Medal winning simmer Michael Phelps to the Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival, running August 12-23 at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino.

Now, the tour is after the "Poker Face" singing diva, who will be on the Chinese island August 15 for a concert at The Venetian Macau.

"Imagine the reaction if you showed your poker face at the Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival dear Lady Gaga," reads an open letter from the APT to Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, otherwise known as Lady Gaga.

"We have a special Celebrity event featuring Hong Kong and Chinese language stars on Tuesday the 18th which you would be more than welcome to attend."

Gaga's "Poker Face" topped the charts in late-March and early-April this year selling millions worldwide.

Like the Phelps invite, the APT is willing to pick up the entire tab.

"Despite what some poker purists might argue, you have brought the great game to the attention to millions of new people through your worldwide best selling hit," the letter reads.

"Congratulations on your nine MTV Video Award nominations, but do us and the world a favor, come and see us in Macau and show us your poker face! We would be honored."

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NBC's Face the Ace premiers Saturday

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:51:13 -0700

NBC's prime-time poker-themed game show Face the Ace is set to premier this Saturday night Aug. 1 at 9 p.m. ET with a group of facetheace.com and Full Tilt Poker qualifiers taking on the some of the world's best poker players with $1 million on the line.

Hosted by The Sopranos Steve Schirripa, contestants on the show will first select a pro from behind four smoked-glass doors and then play that pro in a heads-up No-Limit Hold'em match with $40,000 up for grabs.

Should the contestant prevail, they can keep the $40,000 or choose another pro to play for $200,000. Contestants moving on to the third round will play for the $1 million top prize.

If the contestant loses at any point, they walk away with nothing and the winning pro takes $10,000 for their charity of choice.

"Most people don't get to compete against their favorite athletes in sports like football or basketball," said Schirripa.

"This show gives contestants an incomparable opportunity to test their skills against some of the best poker players in the world. The same people they've read about or have watched on TV are the ones they have to defeat for chance at winning life-changing money."

The series will premiere with back-to-back shows Saturday evening and continue its seven-episode run on Saturday afternoons beginning in September.

Fifteen Full Tilt pros were chosen as "Aces," including Patrik Antonius, Andy Bloch, Allen Cunningham, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Gus Hansen, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Mike Matusow, Huck Seed, Erik Seidel, and Gavin Smith.

Collectively, the group has won 41 World Series of Poker bracelets, 11 World Poker Tour titles, and nearly $100 million in live tournament winnings.

Poker After Dark host Ali Nejad will act as the tournament director and provide additional commentary.

Plus, Deal or No Deal Briefcase Model Megan Abrigo will serve as the hostess.

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Rounders 2 a reality?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:00:00 -0700

"Everybody would probably come back," Rounders star Matt Damon told PokerListings. "The actors all had a really good time working together. I know Edward would want to do it; we had a blast working together. [Director] John Dahl I'm sure would like to do it. Maybe someday it will happen.

"The only reason to do a movie like that would be if we had a great idea. If the two writers suddenly said eureka! We have a great idea. Then everyone involved would be interested in exploring it."

According to one half of the David Levien and Brian Koppleman writing team, who penned both Rounders and the casino caper flick Oceans 13, that "eureka" moment may not be far off.

"We've been concentrating on Rounders 2 lately; Ideas are percolating," Levien told PokerListings. "It's great to know that all of the original players want to come back and do another one."

Dicaprio Tied to New Online Casino Project

The Hollywood rumor mill recently had Leonardo DiCaprio set to star in a Rounders sequel using a Levien and Koppleman script based on online casinos.

John F. Chan, Rounders hero.

Levien confirmed that project is in the works, but its association to Rounders is circumstantial at best.

"We did just set up a project centering on the world of offshore online casinos with Leonardo attached," Levien said. "It's a little ways down the road, but we've started researching."

"It's a great world. Some of the countries where online casinos are based are like the new version of the Wild West, and with so much money on the line there is lots of drama attached."

The two writers just seem drawn to the world of poker and gambling.

"Vegas, the poker world, the casino environment, and the characters that gravitate around them are endlessly fascinating to us," Levien said.

"We've always been interested in poker players who develop these skills and literally live by them; putting their money on the table and living or dying by how good they are."

Rounders is hands down the most popular and influential poker movie ever made.

It's been quoted, impersonated and dissected at more poker tables and online forums than any other film. Those discussions often center on how the movie was written and why these two writers picked poker as the setting for their first feature film.

"I Just Lost All My Money at an Underground Poker Club. It Was Awesome."

Levien says it was the game itself that that drew them in.

"Brian and I had been working on the rough beginnings of a screenplay idea about two friends, and deciding what to do with one's life, and we weren't sure exactly what world we were going to set it in," he explained.

"Then Brian called me at about three in the morning and said 'I just lost all my money at an underground poker club. It was awesome. We've got to set the movie here.'

Mayfair Club regular.

"The next night we went, and kept going back, playing at clubs all over the city every night for a year. We read all the available important poker books too, and began writing the script during the mornings."

One of the underground poker clubs in question was New York's famed Mayfair Club, home court to Dan Harrington, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel and a host of colorful characters.

Speculation regarding the various characters in the movie and who they were based on has run rampant since the film's 1998 release.

It has even been claimed the movie was based on actor/comedian Norm MacDonald and although he occasionally played at Mayfair, Levien says Rounders really had nothing to do with him.

However, he did confirm rumors that the "Teddy KGB" character was based on a player known as "Eddie KGB," and that "Joey Knish" was actually based on a rounder named "Joel Bagels," but he squashed all speculation regarding Damon's character "Mike McDermott."

"Brian had just gone to law school at night, but didn't want to practice law, so we got the idea: What if something that seemed conventionally wrong, like poker playing, was really the main character's destiny, and something usually considered proper, like being a lawyer, wasn't the right choice," he said.

For Rounders biggest fans, the most frequently argued question has always regarded what Teddy KGB was holding in the film's final hand.

Unfortunately, Levien and Koppleman still refuse to end that debate.

"That's probably the most asked question in regard to the movie, but it's something we never answer," Levien said.

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DiCaprio to star in new online poker movie

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:51:53 -0700

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has picked up an as-yet-untitled film about the world of Costa Rica-based online casinos from writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the team who penned the now-infamous Matt Damon/Edward Norton vehicle Rounders.

The baby-faced DiCaprio has also reportedly signed on to star in the project, and given his seemingly unstoppable success, it could mean the film will move from pre-production purgatory into actual production rather quickly.

Koppelman and Levien most recently wrote Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience, and were responsible for the slick Las Vegas film Ocean's Thirteen - perhaps suggesting a taste for gunfire and heist scenes, which is sure to make the legions of poker fans around the world fist-pump the air with delight.

No release date has been set for the film. DiCaprio will next bless the screen in the new Martin Scorcese film, Shutter Island.

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Poker impregnates Playboy TV

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:18:23 -0700

How about Norm MacDonald, Artie Lange, Dave Attell, Jeffrey Ross, Jennifer "Jennicide" Leigh, Jennifer Tilly and Phil Laak?

Would you include Playboy Playmates Brande Roderick (2001 Playmate of the year), Deanna Brooks, Stacy Fuson and Andrea Lowell?

Thanks to being the co-creator of the Simpsons, Sam Simon is one ridiculously wealthy man.

And one of the ways he's been known to enjoy his money has been by spreading a legendary home poker game.

Celebs, models, some of the world's raunchiest and funniest comedians and world-class poker players have all been known to frequent the game, and he'll apparently invite anyone who won't get upset after being called a ****ing *****t **** *****r for winning a pot.

In fact, Simon's home game became so legendary (and not necessarily for the poker) that the execs at Playboy TV phoned him up and asked him to film "Sam's Game" for the network.

"The stakes aren't the biggest, the players aren't the best, but the game is definitely the funniest," Simon said.

"I've spent years in development to try to get shows on the air. When a network calls and says, 'We want to shoot this,' the answer is yes."

A look at the action:

The show is filmed in "Hef's exclusive Sky Villa" at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas and premiered last night; look for episode 2 next Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern & Pacific.

Check out the official webpage for the show here.

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Duke fired on Celebrity Apprentice final

Mon, 11 May 2009 23:44:56 -0700

Joan Rivers and Annie Duke went to battle for the final time Sunday, tasked with organizing a VIP party and silent auction fundraiser for their respective charities.

The project leaders had to organize the event, procure donations for the auction and get celebrities to attend. They also had to help promote Kodak as the sponsor of the event.

As she's done all season, Duke clearly out-fundraised Rivers in the final task, raising $465,725 for her charity, Refugees International.

Rivers managed to pull in $150,830 for God's Love We Deliver.

In all, Duke told PokerListings she raised more than $730,000 for Refugees International during Celebrity Apprentice this season.

Looking back, Duke said she is going to take two things away from her experience on the show.

One is the friendships she formed and the reminder of how solid her friends in the poker world are.

"The second is the tremendous amount of awareness and money raised for my charity," Duke said.

But fundraising wasn't the only criteria for winning the final challenge and becoming the latest Celebrity Apprentice. The final task was judged on five criteria, of which Duke won just two.

With Rivers able to claim a win on the final task, the only thing left was for the two women to have their chance in the boardroom to defend themselves and give reasons why they would be the better apprentice.

It appeared Rivers was more convincing.

Duke was confident she had done the better job throughout the season. She'd raised the most money and won both of the tasks where she was project manager before losing in the final.

She said she wasn't surprised when Rivers was hired and she was fired, but there were quite a few stunned TV viewers who were, claiming Trump showed favoritism or that he simply chose the person with the biggest celebrity profile.

Celebrity Apprentice may have been a bad beat for Duke, but she's already well on her way to bouncing back.

She was in Boston Monday hosting a Children's Hospital of Boston fundraiser. Next she'll be jetting back home to California for a little break before the start of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas at the end of the month.

During the WSOP, Duke also plans to continue her charitable work with the Third Annual Ante Up for Africa Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament July 2.

"Refugees International is a small charity, and the awareness for the charity from me being on Celebrity Apprentice is huge," Duke said.

"I hope it will also help my efforts with Ante Up for Africa, which Refugees International has partnered with."

Duke eyes Celebrity Apprentice prize Duke puts 'em up on Celebrity Apprentice

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Duke eyes Celebrity Apprentice prize

Sat, 09 May 2009 02:22:03 -0700

Now the two will go head-to-head in the live final Sunday, and if previous episodes are any indication, sparks are going to fly.

Rivers has made no effort to hide her dislike of Duke throughout the season. In fact, she's attacked her on a personal level, equating Duke to Hitler and calling her, and poker players in general, white trash.

Duke said she's keeping that in mind heading into the final boardroom.

"I don't have so much a strategy for the boardroom this time," Duke told PokerListings.com. "I just have things that I'm thinking about ahead of time.

"I'm thinking about what kind of questions Trump will ask and what Joan will say is the reason why she should be the final apprentice instead of me."

Duke said Rivers approaches the boardroom in a much different way than she does, using personal attacks to make her arguments rather than keeping things professional.

"I'm thinking about the attacks she's already laid against me and how I can defend myself against that," Duke said.

Rivers has continued those attacks on Duke in the media leading up to the final.

During an appearance on the Today Show, Rivers called Duke a piece of garbage and said she couldn't be trusted because she plays people like she plays poker. She's also Twittered about her Celebrity Apprentice experience, continuing to trash Duke.

Rivered again.

Meanwhile, Duke has done the rounds, defending herself from Rivers during interviews about the show.

She made an appearance on the TV Guide Channel's TV Water Cooler and is appearing on Access Hollywood today [Friday].

It appears not liking Duke also may be the only argument Rivers has left for the final boardroom.

Duke has raised the most money on the show this season, helping set records for the most cash raised during a fundraising challenge and during a season of the show altogether.

Plus she was on the winning team the majority of the time, leading her team to victory twice.

In contrast, Rivers won only one of the two tasks she led and hasn't raised nearly as much money.

But that doesn't mean Duke was surprised to see her rival in the final two along with her.

Rivers may not have always been the strongest player, but Duke said she always made for good TV.

Good TV or not, Rivers will still have to find a way to defeat Duke in the final task and answer for her past performances when they enter the boardroom again this week.

"The final boardroom is not just about the final task, but overall performance in the game," Duke said. "On merit alone, I think I did the better job."

The final task and the live final boardroom will air in a three-hour episode Sunday, May 10 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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'So sick': Antonius stuns Laak on HSP

Sun, 03 May 2009 18:46:02 -0700

And when PokerListings caught up with Phil Laak in Monaco this week to discuss the call Finnish legend Patrik Antonius made against him on GSN's High Stakes Poker, he could only describe it one way.

"So sick," Laak said, fresh from his deep cash at the PokerStars EPT Grand Final.

The hand opened with Antonius straddling blind for $1,600. Laak raised it up to $6,000 with A♥ J♦, Howard Lederer made the call with 8♠ 8♦ and Antonius called the additional $4,400 with T♠ 4♠.

The flop fell 4♥ 3♠ 2♥.

Antonius checked top pair, Laak made a $16,000 continuation bet, Lederer folded his small overpair and Antonius called.

The turn fell the K♠.

Antonius again checked and Laak led out for $37,300. Once again, Antonius called.

The river was the Q♦.

Antonius checked again and Laak fired out a third barrel, betting $80,000 into the $127,400 pot.

Antonius tanked for some time, but emerged making the call, leaving Laak shaking his head in absolute disbelief that the ice-cold Finn had picked off his bluff.

Laak had some interesting thoughts on where he thought the hand went wrong for him.

Laak was stunned by the Finn's big call.

"I didn't notice at the time, but when I watched it back I saw he picked up the flush draw on the turn," Laak said. "If he doesn't hit that flush draw, I think he folds.

"On the river, my range is very polarised which I think helped him make the call. That's why when you have a single pair in those situations, you should fire it all in like a %$#@ing animal.

"It takes a big pair of cojones to make those thin, big value bets. I guess I don't have them. I'm trying to work on that aspect of my game."

Despite Antonius getting the better of him this time, Laak said he was generally pleased with his performance on the show.

"I've been lucky enough to make good plays and get some good hands on High Stakes Poker since I've been on," he said.

"Even though I lost $125,000 on that hand to Patrik, I was only $25,000 or so down overall, which was ok. It felt good to give some back to the poker community."

Regardless, Laak sounded positive about his future, revealing he has plans to launch his own poker web site.

"I'm working on something with the Cake Poker Network at the moment," he said. "Hopefully Unibomber Poker will be up and running soon."

High Stakes Poker airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on GSN.

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Play pros for $1 million on NBC

Fri, 01 May 2009 18:24:43 -0700

Dubbed Face the Ace, the show will give qualifying contestants the opportunity to compete against as many as three different top professional poker players on national television in the U.S.

Would-be contestants can qualify for free through a series of round-the-clock tournaments on www.facetheace.com or www.fulltiltpoker.net.

The first set of winners will be flown to Las Vegas this summer for the taping of seven one-hour shows currently scheduled to begin airing Saturday, August 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

Contestants on the show will have to choose between four smoked-glass doors, behind which sit four top poker pros, also known as "The Aces."

The contestant will play the pro chosen in a heads-up No-Limit Texas Hold 'em match. If they win, they will then have the opportunity to take the cash or risk it all battling a different pro for more money.

A contestant must beat three Aces to win the $1 million grand prize.

The show will be hosted by The Sopranos' Steve Schirripa.

The Aces will include Full Tilt Pros Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Andy Bloch and Phil Gordon.

Complete rules can be found on the Face the Ace website at http://www.facetheace.com/rules.html.

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Duke puts 'em up on Celebrity Apprentice

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:56:11 -0700

And so far, Duke hasn't been in any danger of Donald Trump having to say "You're fired."

The season is six episodes in and Duke has managed to make a big impression while helping her team win four out of the six challenges.

According to Duke, this isn't by accident.

She understood going in that the hierarchy of the teams were going to be determined by fame, and since she wasn't the most recognizable star in the group, Duke took her game plan straight from the pages of poker strategy.

"It's like all poker strategy," she said. "It's a game, and similar to poker, it's all about the choices you make in that game."

Knowing exactly what they would get from Duke, the show's producers were not surprised.

"Annie was an easy choice since not only is she a star in the poker world, we knew her brilliant gamesmanship would translate well to the boardroom," Executive Producer Eden Gaha told PokerListings.

Will Annie get Trump's gun?

"In some ways that boardroom table is like one big poker table and Annie is very much at home there."

So far, Duke said her most important choice has been between causing conflict on her team or not.

"It wasn't about choosing to cause conflict just because, but if a project is going badly, you have the choice to step in and do something about it or not to," she said.

During the first couple challenges, Duke said she did make the choice to step in when it was beneficial to the task.

"I pissed some people off, but I righted the ship," she said.

Once she had attracted some attention, Duke said her strategy was to lay low for a bit.

"Just like in poker, it's important to change gears, go against image," she said.

Duke said she had another poker strategy in mind as well.

"At this point I knew my team really well, and I didn't want to get shuffled around," Duke said.

"It was similar to being in a poker game and finally getting to know your opponents at the table. The last thing you want to do at that point is move to a new table full of new opponents."

Part of Duke's strategy was also taking the time to size her opponents up, rather than jump right into being a project manager.

Another day at the office.

"I'm very much one of the big personalities on the team," she said. "But you'll notice I haven't been project manager yet."

Just like in a poker game, Duke said you want to avoid making big decisions early and wait until you know your opponents.

"It's important to learn what they're good at in order to maximize your chance of winning the task," she said.

Once someone is project manager, however, the challenge is not to get fired.

Duke said you need to know who really did fail at their assigned task and should be held accountable in the boardroom.

"You really have to pay attention to Donald Trump in the boardroom," she added. "He makes it pretty obvious who he thinks a project manager should bring into the boardroom with them."

For some of the team members, Duke noticed it can be hard to separate personal feelings from the game.

"I learned that poker players really do an amazing thing," Duke said. "We're in a game and we take for granted that everybody is playing the game as well. We don't let what happens in the game become personal, and we don't let personal feelings affect how we play the game."

So what is Dennis Rodman really like?

Her brother, Howard Lederer, can knock her out of a tournament or win a big pot off her, and Duke said they'll still be able to go to dinner later that day.

Duke said she was surprised that people weren't making the separation. A fact she's finding out more about as the show airs and she gets to see the personal interviews that were not shown during filming.

"It's a game, but it's also a business game," Duke said. "You have to maintain some sort of professionalism to succeed."

It is also a game where it pays to have good, reliable friends to count on in the fundraising challenges and Duke found she has that in spades.

"To a man, my friends came through for me," Duke said. "It was an incredible gift for me to know that I can count on my friends in the poker community."

Duke said that is just one reason Celebrity Apprentice is helping show poker players in a different light.

"Poker players aren't the selfish people they're often thought to be," she said. "They're awesome, generous people, and it was amazing for me to get to showcase that on a national platform."

Celebrity Apprentice airs on NBC Sundays at 9 p.m.

Duke's progress can also be followed on her new website at AnnieDuke.com.

- With files from Martin Derbyshire

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'Poker Face' does more than top the charts

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:55:46 -0700

Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face," in which the 23-year-old pop starlet lays claim to just that sort of trickery, is now the No. 1 single in the United Kingdom and No. 2 in the United States.

The song features a dog's breakfast of gambling metaphors and sexual innuendo, with Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) going for broke with such lyrics as:

"I wanna hold'em like they do in Texas please // Fold 'em let 'em hit me raise it baby stay with me."

"Luck and intuition play the cards with spades to start // And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart."

And, of course,

"I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you // 'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin, I'm not lying I'm just stunning with my love glue-gunning."

The song's insidiously catchy chorus has propelled it to No. 1 on pop charts in such diverse markets as Canada, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland, and features Gaga proclaiming that her would-be lover "Can't read [her], can't read [her], no he can't read [her] poker face."

So is the song an attempt to cash in on the poker craze? Or will it further contribute to poker's mainstream appeal?

"I'd say it won't make any more fish play, but it definitely aids poker in being a bit more mainstream," said poker pro Adam "Roothlus" Levy, one of the few posters on the 2+2 forums to come out in favor of the song.

"With the growing popularity of Lady Gaga, it can only enhance the public's image of poker," he said.

"Is Lady Gaga good for poker?" said poker pro Bryan "The Icon" Micon. "Yes. Anything that gets poker out over the mainstream and makes it look cool and glamorous is definitely good for poker."

As for whether the song will bring more new money to the tables, Micon claims to have firsthand proof of the song's effectiveness as bait.

"Actually, I was sitting here, drunk, outside of [Las Vegas nightclub] Pure last night, and they were blasting 'Poker Face,'" he told PokerListings.com.

"Pure is right next to the poker room, and there were actually people coming out of the club and banging their heads to the song like, 'Ahhh, Poker Face!' and then looking over at the poker room and being like 'Ahhh, poker!' That actually happened."

The video, which features Gaga hitting runner-runner quad aces in a rubber-suited strip poker party, was filmed at the luxury villa on bwin's PokerIsland and features bwin logos prominently throughout.

The 2+2 community, at least, has taken note.

"Nice bwin adverts in there," wrote poster DaExMan. "All the fish are going to [the] Ongame [Network] imo."

"When this hits MTV I might have to change to bwin," poster youcanhaveitall agreed.

Time will tell whether bwin poker - and the poker community at large - will reap the benefits of Lady Gaga's rise up the pop charts.

But until Tiesto remixes "The Gambler," it appears the YouTube generation has found its de facto poker anthem.

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Can Chris Ferguson rise again at NHUPC?

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:55:32 -0800

"I don't like my chances to repeat," he told PokerListings. "There are a lot of good players in the field. I love the event though. It's a great event."

With superstars like Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, 2008 runner-up Andy Bloch and just about every big name in poker on the 64-person roster, it's easy to see why the returning champ feels his chances of back-to-back wins are slim.

Last year, Ferguson waded his way through one of the toughest heads-up fields ever assembled, beating Ivey in the semifinals to meet Bloch in the best-of-three final.

The Team Full Tilt pros split the first two before Ferguson shoved with an overpair that held against Bloch's top pair and flush draw in the final hand of the decisive match.

With Hollywood types like Brad Garrett, Don Cheadle and baseball legend Orel Hershiser also playing this year, it would seem there are some soft spots in this made-for-TV event.

However, Hershiser actually made the quarterfinals last year, and Cheadle beat Ivey in their first-round matchup back in 2007.

"Heads-up is a different form of poker," Ferguson explained. "You have to play a lot more hands and you really have to size up your opponent and adapt your style."

Including Ferguson and Hellmuth, there are 12 WSOP Main Event champs in the field.

Add in online phenoms Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies, plus veteran poker stars like Barry Greenstein, Gus Hansen and Erik Seidel, and Ferguson has a lot to worry about.

"I'm not worried about any specific player in the field," he said. "It's that you've got to beat six of them to win."

The son of a game theory professor at UCLA, Ferguson has his own Ph.D. in computer science from the school, and considering recent history, still has to be the favorite to bank the $500k first-place prize.

"I've studied the heads-up game a lot and I've played a lot of heads-up online," he said. "It's an easier game to analyze mathematically and in terms of game theory and I think it rewards my background in math."

The brackets for the single elimination tournament will be set at a draw party at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace March 5, and the event goes off March 6-8 inside Caesars' poker room.

PokerListings will be on the scene providing breaking news and live coverage throughout.

Update: The draw party has now come and gone, and in its wake the players have been matched up as follows.

Clubs Bracket

Hearts Bracket

Don Cheadle vs. David Pham

Johnny Chan vs. Eli Elezra

Paul Wasicka vs. Nicholas Joy

Erick Lindgren vs. Howard Lederer

Jennifer Tilly vs. Phil Ivey

J.C. Tran vs. David Williams

Doyle Brunson vs. Vanessa Rousso

Jamie Gold vs. Scott Fischman

Hevad Khan vs. Scotty Nguyen

Erik Seidel vs. John Phan

Ted Forrest vs. Orel Hershiser

Jerry Yang vs. Clonie Gowen

Daniel Negreanu vs. Chris Moneymaker

Allen Cunningham vs. Sam Farha

Mike Matusow vs. Dario Minieri

Andy Bloch vs. Peter Eastgate

Spades Bracket

Diamonds Bracket

Gabe Kaplan vs. Chris Ferguson

Kenny Tran vs. Antonio Esfandiari

John Juanda vs. Joe Hachem

Greg Raymer vs. Jennifer Harman

Ilari Sahamies vs. Gavin Smith

Kenny Yeh vs. Phil Laak

Fred Collins vs. Bertrand Grospellier

Vanessa Selbst vs. Layne Flack

Jeffrey Ishbia vs. Leon Yanovski

David Benyamine vs. Gus Hansen

Mike Sexton vs. Phil Hellmuth

Huck Seed vs. Jonathan Little

Gavin Griffin vs. Tom Dwan

Chad Brown vs. Glen Chorny

Barry Greenstein vs. Blandino Gines

Annie Duke vs. Brad Garrett

The winning players from the Clubs and Spades brackets will face each other in the semifinal round, and the Hearts and Diamonds Bracket winners will play each other in the semifinal round.

(With files from Owen Laukkanen)

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Get your Phil of poker in the next NHUPC

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:47:13 -0800

The NBC National Heads-Up Championship announced the lineup for the fifth annual competition, with Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth taking headliner roles along with returning champion Chris "Jesus" Ferguson.

They're not the only big names in the lineup either. The NHUPC will feature 12 former World Series of Poker Main Event champions and some of poker's top all-time money winners.

The list includes:

David Benyamine Jamie Gold Chris Moneymaker Andy Bloch Clonie Gowen Daniel Negreanu Chad Brown Barry Greenstein Scotty Nguyen Doyle Brunson Gavin Griffin David Pham Johnny Chan Bertrand Grospellier John Pham Don Cheadle Joe Hachem Greg Raymer Glen Chorny Gus Hansen Vanessa Rousso Allen Cunningham Jennifer Harman Ilari Sahamies Ivan Demidov Phil Hellmuth Huck Seed Annie Duke Orel Hershiser Vanessa Selbst Tom Dwan Jeffrey Ishbia (Caesars qualifer) Erik Seidel Peter Eastgate Phil Ivey Mike Sexton Eli Elezra John Juanda Gavin Smith Antonio Esfandiari Gabe Kaplan Jennifer Tilly Sam Farha Phil Laak J.C. Tran Chris Ferguson Howard Lederer Kenny Tran Scott Fischman Erick Lindgren Paul Wasicka Layne Flack Jonathan Little David Williams Ted Forrest Mike Matusow Jerry Yang Brad Garrett Dario Minieri

There will also be a qualifier from Caesars Palace and four online poker qualifiers who will get to face off against the pros.

"We've got a great mix of celebrity participants and top poker pros, including veterans and newcomers, for this year's National Heads-Up Poker Championship," said Jon Miller, NBC Sports executive vice president.

"It's a combustible combination bound to produce the inevitable upsets and compelling action that will excite poker fans everywhere."

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship brings together 64 players in total to compete in a series of heads-up matches. It is a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament format.

The final two players go heads-up for a best-of-three series to determine the winner.

The winner takes home a $500,000 cash prize with second place winning $250,000.

This year the tournament is sponsored by GoDaddy.com and will take place March 6-8 at the Caesars Palace poker Tournament Room in Las Vegas.

The first round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the tournament Draw Party at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace March 5.

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European Open begins next run Friday

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:52:18 -0800

The 72-person field for the event will be star-studded, with some of Europe's best players plunking down $7,000 to take a shot at a $200,000 first-place prize.

Among the players hoping for a piece of the $504,000 prize pool are Annette Obrestad, Roland De Wolfe, Vicky Coren, Juha Helppi, Ciaran O'Leary, Eoghan O'Dea, Liam Flood, Ian Frazer, Surinder Sunar, Barney Boatman, Padraig Parkinson, Julian Thew, Marc Goodwin, Thomas Bihl and more.

The European Open V is a televised tournament that is organized in 12 six-seat heats, with the top point getters from the heats moving on to the semifinals.

There are also two six-seat turbo runner-up heats to get players into the semifinals.

Two seven-seat semifinals will play out, with the top three finishers in each of the semifinals taking their chip stacks to the six-seat final table.

Last year Nick Slade, a pro player from Preston, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom, worked his way up through the European Open structure to land himself in the winner's seat.

The final table last year included Obrestad, Helppi, Ian Frazer, Josh Tyler and Craig Burgess, along with Slade. Slade and Burgess, an Internet sports trader, were considered the outsiders at the final table, according to PartyPoker, but in the end they were left to battle heads-up for the title.

Slade went into heads-up play with a dominating chip lead over Burgess, and he turned that into a win.

Now the battle to find a new champion will begin on Friday, with action lasting until Feb. 13.

The event will be taped for broadcast on Five in the United Kingdom and then later distributed internationally.

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Hollywood Poker girl to star in reality show

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:48:08 -0800

Solitary V3.0 is hailed by some as Fox Reality's most successful original series. The premise is simple: participants take part in a grueling competition, which sees players tested to the brink of psychological and physical collapse.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:hollywood-poker:left]]

The redheaded Korbin will give up bathing, sleeping, makeup and even food in order to survive on the show. She will have to rely on sheer will, patience and endurance throughout her stint on Solitary V3.0.

"I think the most beneficial aspect of doing this show is the feeling I came away with when I was done and the things I realized about myself by being forced to be totally alone and overcoming challenges I never thought I could," Korbin said. "That was a really cool benefit."

When not toughing it out on reality shows, the former gymnast from Texas can be seen gracing the pages of the 2009 Hollywood Poker Calendar.

Like several other Hollywood Celebrities, Korbin can be found playing in the Hollywood Poker Celebrity Bounty Tournaments, which happen three days a week on the site. PokerListings players get a special bonus for signing up with Hollywood Poker. You can check it out here.

Hollywood Poker releases 2009 calendar Hollywood Poker improves rewards program

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Best Damn Poker Show season debuts Monday

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:48:28 -0800

The first episode airs at 9 p.m. across all time zones in the United States, and will run Monday nights. Each broadcast of the seven-episode series will be repeated at 11 p.m. and 12:230 a.m., with additional footage available exclusively online.

Best Damn Poker Show pits Phil Hellmuth against Annie Duke to see which of them makes a better teacher for the game of Texas Hold'em. They have to transform ordinary poker players into champions competing on the world stage.

Much like the first season of the show, online poker players at UltimateBet competed for a spot on the show by creating and submitting an audition video that highlighted why they deserved to be on the poker reality series.

One of the players chosen was Tony "TheTonz" Wind, who is a regular in the PokerListings forum. Wind won his way onto the show by creating a video titled "The Neverland Ranch Poker Invitational."

Along with the players who won through audition videos, some of the Best Damn Poker Show contestants won a spot via online qualifiers at UltimateBet. There were also live auditions that took place during the 2008 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

The majority of the 24 hopefuls were cherry-picked from the on-camera interviews at the live auditions to join the online qualifiers and the video audition winners.

Now the 24 chosen players can be seen competing for the favor of Duke and Hellmuth, who will be choosing which players to eliminate and which to keep through the series.

Each episode will include player eliminations, with Duke and Hellmuth highlighting the cardplay, analyzing the competition and commenting on the eliminations.

A small preview of this season's highlights comes from the mouth of Hellmuth himself through his blog.

"Expect some real twists and turns this season! Also, expect a few old familiar faces, like Hollywood Dave returning, but this time as a moderator," Hellmuth writes.

"Of course, I do choose a Russian Model (Olya) for 'Team Hellmuth,' but this time not at the expense of a great player - like in season one - just at the expense of a good player!!"

More information about the Best Damn Poker Show can be found at UltimateBet.

TheTonz's video leads to poker show spot UltimateBet goes Hollywood, adds Dave Stann

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Pamela Anderson to play Aussie Millions?

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:31:30 -0800

Several celebrity gossip sites are reporting that Pamela Anderson will make the trip to Melbourne to get her poker on at the Aussie Millions.

The former Baywatch star has a long history in poker, and even launched her own online poker site at the 2006 WSOP. Pamelapoker.com was a sister site to Doylesroom.com, but was shut down after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed later that year.

Anderson was also briefly married to film producer and poker player Rick Salomon. Anderson mentioned on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that the two began seeing each other after Salomon agreed to pay off some of her poker debt.

This is actually the second year it's been rumored that Anderson will play the Aussie Millions. Last year she dropped out of the tournament for unknown reasons, although celebrities like Michael Vartan (Alias) and Shannon Elizabeth filled the tournament's actor/poker player quota.

The 2009 Aussie Millions main event will take place Jan. 18-24. Last year Russian player Alexander Kostritsyn outlasted 778 players and then won a hard-fought heads-up battle against Team Full Tilt member Erik Seidel to take down the $1.4 million first-place prize.

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Celebs to play poker tournament for the blind

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:46:32 -0800

The event will be called "All-In to Win" and will take place at Commerce Casino in California (which is the location of the WPT's L.A. Poker Classic).

The tournament has already garnered the attention of celebrities like Adam Baldwin, Brad Garrett, Daniel Baldwin, Judd Nelson and Chris McDonald.

Garrett has made numerous appearances at the WSOP, and looks to be one of the more experienced celebrities to play the charity event.

The grand prize for the event includes a seat at the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational and $2,500 in cash.

Those looking to donate to the TLC and get in on some poker action can buy in to All-In to Win for $200, and there will be a rebuy for $200. The tournament will benefit infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are blind and have developmental disabilities.

TLC was founded 30 years ago and provides around-the-clock care services for people challenged with both blindness and developmental disabilities. To learn more, or to buy in to the charity tournament, visit its Web site here.

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Pros announced for High Stakes Poker

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:13:22 -0800

The poker show begins filming its fifth season this month at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino.

Some of the returning players include stars such as Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson and Eli Elezra.

New to the felt this season will be young hotshots such as Tom "durrrr" Dwan and reigning World Champion Peter Eastgate.

Not all of the players in High Stakes Poker are big names on the poker circuit. Instead, some of them are just deep-pocketed recreational players from all sorts of industries. For example, The Simpson creator Sam Simon and film director Nick Cassavetes will be among the celebrity players.

Other players scheduled to appear are:

Patrik AntoniusMike BaxterDavid BenyamineIvan DemidovAntonio EsfandiariBarry GreensteinPhil Ivey Phil LaakHoward LedererGiorgio MediciDario MinieriDaniel NegreanuIlari SahamiesBob Safai

This season, the players will have to put up a minimum cash buy-in of $200,000 to play in the game for the entire season of High Stakes Poker.

High Stakes Poker returns once again The end for High Stakes Poker?High Stakes Poker: Sickest pot ever

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Poker After Dark Season 5: Start getting excited

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:13:28 -0800

Renowned for its unique format and high-profile professional players, Poker After Dark sets the bar higher each year, yet keeps finding a way to put the previous seasons to shame. With six weeks of "winner takes all" sit-and-go tournaments, and seven full weeks of cash games, there will be plenty of action to keep viewers entertained each week.

Tournament Matchups

All tournaments are $20,000 buy-in, six-handed, winner-takes-all events.

The Magnificent Six: Featuring six of the biggest names in poker: Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth.National Pride: Season 5's national pride pits the U.S.A. against Italy. Playing for Team USA: Ferguson, Lederer and Erick Lindgren. Playing for Team Italy: Marco Traniello, Max Pescatori and Dario Minieri.Celebrities and Mentors: Three celebrities and the players who taught them some tricks. Former MLB pitcher Orel Hershiser sits across from Gavin Smith; the great Jason Alexander uses the pointers received from Barry Greenstein against him, and Don Cheadle battles with onetime tutor Phil Gordon.International Week: This popular segment is back, featuring "Yukon" Brad Booth from Canada, David Benyamine from France, Alan Cunningham of the United States, John Juanda from Indonesia, John "The Razor" Phan from Vietnam and the WSOP and WSOPE sensation Ivan Demidov from Russia (with love).Dram Match III: Forty-four-year-old amateur Arnold Thimons from Greensburg, Pa. won the honor of getting to choose five players to play against for a $120,000 first-place prize. His list includes: Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Mike Matusow, Johnny Chan and Daniel Negreanu.

Cash-Game Matchups

All cash games are $200/$400 blinds with a $100,000 min./$250,000 max. buy-in. Stakes can be raised if all players agree; straddles props and flips are allowed.

Nets vs. Vets: Three online stars face off with three established live poker players. From teh interwebs we have: Taylor "Green Plastic" Caby, Cole "CTS" South and David "Raptor" Benefield. The final three seats are filled with live players: Doyle Brunson, Gabe Kaplan and Eli Elezra.The Hellmuth Bash: Two full weeks will be devoted to Phil Hellmuth on the table with Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, Kenny "Sick Call" Tran and high-stakes recreational player Bob Safai.Railbird Heaven: Named after the high-stakes Full Tilt table "RailHeaven," for two weeks this installment will feature high-stakes players: Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth and David "Viffer" Peat, who will share time with Hansen. With these action junkies together in one place, you can expect some serious action, expensive props and sick flips.The final two weeks need no name - the players at the table are headline enough: Eli Elezra, Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey and Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies.

With all of these incredible matchups, featuring some of the biggest names in poker, Poker After Dark's Season 5 guarantees to deliver some of the best poker action in 2009. Keep your tuner to NBC starting Dec. 29.

Don't have cable? Won't be at home? No PVR? You can watch the episodes online just hours after they air on the NBC Sports webpage: www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/poker.

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Devilfish DVD out in time for holidays

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:01:40 -0800

Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott hosted a television show this year called How to Become a Poker Millionaire, which featured him training four losing poker players for more than a month to try to turn them into winning players.

The players went through testing and coaching by Ulliott, and they practiced what they learned by playing online poker. The participants then had to play against each other and were eliminated one per episode of the show.

The winner of the show received a seat in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

The Devilfish's teachings have now been captured on DVD and were released this week for poker fans.

The DVD includes all the episodes of the TV show plus an extra hour of footage. That footage includes tips from top pros such as Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth.

Also included in the DVD are Ulliott's poker rules, including:

Playing the right starting cardsCalculating oddsPlaying the right online opponentsDealing with tiltWhen to be aggressiveWhen to foldBankroll management

Ulliott certainly has the credentials to dish out poker advice. In the course of his poker career he's accumulated more than $5 million in tournament winnings. He also has one WSOP bracelet win as well as a World Poker Tour win on his poker resume.

The DVD went up for sale Dec. 1 and can be found at Zavvi, HMV, Amazon and Woolworths.

"With Christmas just around the corner, this is the perfect stocking filler for players of all levels," Ulliott said. "Pop it on when your 'nan and crazy uncle have been at the sherry and prepare to have fun. But remember ... a Devilfish DVD is not just for Christmas!"

Related Article: Devilfish hosts U.K. poker show

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Ladbrokes awards seats to Poker Million

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:26:32 -0800

The first seat went to Kevin Allen, who proved his chops by winning the Ladbrokes European Online Championship of Poker IV Masters Event Nov. 22.

He gained entry into the Masters Event after making the top 80 of the LEOCOP IV Leaderboard, and then continued his run of good luck by taking down that event as well.

"I'm over the moon. I won the LEOCOP Pot-Limit event a couple of weeks ago and didn't even realize that this put me in the running for an invitation to the LEOCOP Masters, and ultimately a shot at the Poker Million crown, until my mate pointed it out the next day," Allen said.

"This sort of thing just doesn't happen to me and everything from this moment on is icing on the cake. I'm really excited to think that I'll be playing in a tournament with over a million in the prize pool especially as I always watch the Ladbrokes Poker Million on TV. I can't believe that this time round instead of watching, I'll be in it."

Not only is Allen in it, he's guaranteed at least $20,000 in prize money for being in the semifinal round. The seat in the Poker Million VII is worth $120,000, and if Allen can make it past the semifinal round, he can potentially win a $1 million first-place prize.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:ladbrokes-poker:left]]

In the semifinal round, Allen will go up against Ladbrokes Poker sponsored pro Jonas Danielsson as well as Barney Boatman, Ross Boatman, Ryan Fronda, Ciaran O'Leary, Liam Flood and Kenneth Sorensen.

"It's a great opportunity for any player and possibly a position they can use to their advantage; after all Kevin has not played a heat, so no one has a clue as to how he will approach the game!" said Edward Ihre, Ladbrokes Poker managing director.

GoNuts from Norway will have that advantage in the semifinal round as well after winning the last semifinal seat being offered at Ladbrokes Poker through the Chase the Chair promotion.

GoNuts had to beat 120 players, who had each won a daily freeroll, to earn his $120,000 Poker Million VII seat. The win puts him in a seat at the poker table with Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Tony G, Roy Brindley, Marty Smyth and Anthony Hardy.

They'll all be just as hungry for the $1 million top prize awaiting the winner of the final round.

"The way GoNuts' luck is running, he could do really well, and before he knows it could find himself in the final, although he'll have to fight his way through a very tough field," Ihre said.

"The line-up is brilliant, and the two final players will bring an unknown element to proceedings that is sure to produce two of the most exciting semis we've ever had!"

Allen will play in his semifinal Dec. 10, and GoNuts will take to the felt Dec. 11. The winners from the semifinals will move on to the Poker Million final table on Dec. 12.

GoNuts isn't the only player from the Chase the Chair promotion who could be in attendance, either. The runners-up in the promotion each won a VIP package to attend the Ladbrokes Poker Million VII party on Dec. 12.

Jepsen jumps to Ladbrokes Poker Sudworth cashes in at Ladbrokes

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J.C. Tran runs away with Premier League III

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:52:26 -0800

Tran, who was representing PKR poker at Premier League III, not only won the final table but also put on a dominating display of poker over the week of events in London. Over the span of six heats Tran won three, finished second once and added a third-place finish in the last preliminary heat.

"This is brilliant and I am so happy," said Tran. "I have been feeling good all week and it is amazing to win this event. Until this week I had never played in Europe before - I really couldn't ask for more! Perhaps I should move here! I would like to thank everyone who has made my trip to London such a wonderful experience."

The final table started with a bang as action junkie Tom "durrrr" Dwan played a massive pot against Tony G. Dwan got a little too aggressive with a flush draw and doubled up Tony G to $434,000 chips.

Perhaps the biggest surprise at the final table was the early exit of recent 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate. The young Dane came into the final double with the second-most chips, and many expected him to battle Tran for the title heads-up.

Unfortunately for Eastgate, it was not to be, as he unsuspectingly ran his K♠ 9♠ into Tran's pocket aces and went out first.

After Eastgate's elimination there was a parade to the payout booth, with Roland De Wolfe going out fifth, Dwan fourth and Juha Helppi finishing third, narrowly missing out on the chance to become the first two-time Premier League winner.

At the start of heads-up play Tony G had the advantage and held $1.15 million chips to Tran's $780,000.

The pivotal hand of heads-up came when Tony G played 8♠ 6♠ particularly hard and Tran managed to hit the flop with his T♥ 8♣. Finally Tony G finally had to surrender the hand and Tran, for the first time in heads-up, held the chip lead.

In the final hand Tran hit top pair on a flop of 7♥ 6♥ 5♦ while Tony G held K♠ 8♦ for the overcard and open-ended straight draw. It was enough to get all the money in the middle and after both the turn and the river bricked out, the chips, the title and the cash were all shipped to J.C. Tran.

"I brought my best game but it wasn't good enough," said a surprisingly humble Tony G immediately after the final table concluded.

Tran takes down $300,000 for winning first place at the final table, but also earns $76,000 for his success in the preliminary heats.

This year's edition of the Premier League will be seen on international television sometime next year. The event was originally scheduled to take place in 2009 but had to be pushed forward to accommodate broadcasters.

Here are the final-table results from Premier League III:

1. J.C. Tran $300,000 2. Tony G $150,000 3. Juha Helppi $80,000 4. Tom Dwan $50,000 5. Roland De Wolfe $40,000 6. Peter Eastgate $30,000

Final table set for Premier League III Eastgate gains speed at Premier League III Eastgate rebounds on Premier League III Day 3 Tran goes 2-0 at Premier League III Tony G, J.C. Tran strike first at Premier League III

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TV show sensationalizes online poker scandal

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:34:28 -0800

The stories, the result of a joint investigation by the two news sources, did not shed any additional light on the cheating scandals, now over a year old. They did, however, manage to set back the already-reeling online poker industry with half-truths, inflammatory language and pointed innuendos.

The stories discussed the cheating scandals in which some insiders at the two online sites gained real-time access to all of the hole cards of live games and used that information to cheat players out of millions of dollars.

This part of the story was accurate, as was the discussion of the part played by the online poker community itself in discovering and investigating the cheating.

The rest of the story, however, cast online poker in a decidedly dangerous and negative light. In 60 Minutes' typical ominous tones of foreboding, online poker was called "shadowy" and "murky," and the fact that the sites themselves are not based in the U.S. was mentioned repeatedly.

The Washington Post similarly tried to stigmatize the online poker world, calling online sites "freewheeling" and comparing them to "modern-day bootleggers." The origins of Absolute Poker were called "sketchy."

Three times the 60 Minutes piece said that online poker is illegal in the United States, something that is a gross oversimplification and plain misstatement of the status of the law on online poker in the country.

The Wire Act has been interpreted by the Department of Justice as making all online gambling illegal, but the only federal U.S. courts to have ruled on the issue have found just the opposite.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Wire Act only applied to sports betting, and the Supreme Court has not ruled on the Act's applicability to online gambling. As far as the UIGEA is concerned, by its very language it does not make any act that is otherwise legal under state, federal or tribal law illegal.

Both 60 Minutes and the Washington Post claim that there is no official regulation, enforcement or supervision of the online gambling sites. Yet, there are a number of regulatory commissions that regulate, license and provide oversight for online gambling sites, such as the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, the U.K.'s Gambling Commission and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

All three of these regulatory commissions utilize the safety and security standards of eCOGRA as part of their regulatory oversight. eCOGRA is "the independent standards authority of the online gaming industry," meaning it is responsible for the examination and accreditation of sites that provide online gambling to make sure they abide by certain rules to protect players and ensure their games are fair.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission and its investigation into the scandals were also discussed last night. Kahnawake was described somewhat condescendingly as a small, inexperienced licensing operation which works out of a nondescript building that used to house a mattress factory.

In the 60 Minutes piece, both the reporter and a reporter from the Washington Post saw fit to repeat the word "nondescript" twice more, in describing the exterior of the building.

Then 60 Minutes discussed how the three-person Gaming Commission met "in secret" and is independent of tribal leaders. It alleged that its investigation had been neither transparent nor aggressive because the owner of the sites, Joe Norton, was a former grand chief of the Kahnawake who helped establish the Gaming Commission.

The fact that the two sites were fined $2 million by the Gaming Commission and were ordered to repay all losses to injured players was quickly dismissed as a "slap on the wrist" by the 60 Minutes report. The story did not mention that the sites are on probation for two years and under strict review by the commission in the aftermath of the scandals.

The 60 Minutes piece ended ominously with the thought that "maybe this is still going on" and the idea that there are people out there "figuring out here's a way we can do this again."

But nowhere in the piece is there a discussion of alternatives to offshore poker sites, such as having the United States government license and regulate online gambling sites and set up oversight and security measures if the government is worried about protecting players.

In response to the 60 Minutes/Washington Post story, Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, issued a statement on how the problems discussed in the story could be addressed by legislation regulating the online gambling industry.

"Now more than ever, Congress should understand why it should step in and regulate the industry to protect the public," the statement provides. "We are hopeful that increased attention in the media about the issue will lead to increased movement in Congress."

Sandman expressly mentioned legislation introduced last year by Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, which "would establish an enforcement framework for licensed gambling operators to accept bets and wagers from individuals in the U.S."

Paul Leggett, Chief Operating Officer of Tokwiro, owners of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, released a statement about the 60 Minutes/Washington Post stories last week, before either aired. He indicated that he had been contacted by them some eight months earlier and had provided detailed answers to approximately 150 questions submitted in his effort to bring all the facts to light.

He said he ultimately decided not to go on camera once it became clear to him that they were not looking for the truth but wanted instead "to produce a sexy story about the 'dark underbelly' of online poker and embellish it with details of the cheating scandal."

His blog continued: "After dealing with 60 Minutes and the WP for many months, everything inside me was screaming they were going to try and crucify us. " Leggett wrote that "after viewing the two video clips on their website yesterday www.cbsnews.com/video/60minutes my worst fears seem to be coming true. By the looks of the first video, it seems that they will paint online poker as an illegal industry with no oversight."

Between the highly charged words chosen for maximum effect - of the shadowy and murky online poker industry operating "outside of U.S. law" - and the omission of details of how the industry is regulated and supervised and how the companies involved were punished, it is difficult to argue that the stories were aiming for fair and balanced.

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Final table set for Premier League III

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:12:57 -0800

J.C. Tran, Peter Eastgate, Juha Helppi and Annette Obrestad all had victories in the last four heats of the prelims of the Premier League. After all the points had been tabulated from the last four heats it was clear that Tran, Eastgate, Helppi and Dwan had all qualified for the final table.

Meanwhile, Obrestad would be forced to play Roland De Wolfe heads-up for one of the two remaining spots at the final table, while Tony G was heads-up against Vicky Coren.

The men came up big this time around, meaning neither Coren nor Obrestad will be making an appearance at the final table.

The final table is scheduled to get started today, but before it does, here's an exclusive look at each of the players heading into the final table and what they've accomplished at Premier League III thus far.

J.C. Tran

J.C. Tran: 45 Points ($450,000 chips)

A newcomer to the Premier League, J.C. Tran has been, without a doubt, the best player in the series. Taking a total of 45 points out of an available 60, Tran essentially ran the tables. He pulled off three first-place finishes in his first showing at the Premier League, and must be considered the favorite to win this event.

Although he's not as loud and flashy as Phil Hellmuth or Roland De Wolfe, Tran has put together some of the most impressive tournament results in the last couple of years, with numerous WPT final tables and a WSOP bracelet to his name.

Peter Eastgate

Peter Eastgate: 39 Points ($390,000 chips)

Recent 2008 WSOP Champion Peter Eastgate is certainly living up to his freshly minted nickname of "Peter the Great." With respect to Tran, Eastgate has been the best player at the Premier League III and his aggressive play combined with his calm attitude look to give Eastgate even more cash for the '08-'09 season of poker.

Eastgate is looking to become the first Main Event champion to win the Premier League, and considering his large stack of chips, you've got to like his chances of making history.

Juha Helppi

Juha Helppi: 34 points ($340,000 chips)

Although Finnish player Juha Helppi isn't quite as well-known outside of the Premier League as J.C. Tran and Peter Eastgate, it's worth noting that Helppi is the only remaining player who's actually won a Premier League title.

Helppi broke out of a rut with his strong play in this year's Premier League, so it may be a case of a player hitting his stride at the perfect time. Third in chips, Helppi has certainly given himself a great chance to be the first player to win two Premier League titles.

Tom Dwan

Tom Dwan: 26 points ($260,000 chips)

Scary good. That's the way Tom Dwan is usually referred to in the poker world. Perhaps better known as "durrrr," Dwan regularly crushes the highest-stakes poker games in existence, so he won't blink an eye playing at a table where over $500,000 is on the line.

This is the first time Dwan has played in the Premier League, and by all accounts it's been a very successful tournament for the young player. Dwan came up huge in the seventh heat of Premier League III and thus secured himself a spot at the final table (even though he was tied points-wise with Tony G).

Tony G

Tony G: 26 points ($260,000 chips)

Tony G has been a regular at the Premier League, but he has yet to take one down. Last year The G came painfully close, eventually finishing third right behind Roland De Wolfe and eventual winner Andy Black.

This time around Tony has the chance to put that all behind him and finally secure the title. After an exciting heads-up match against Vicky Coren, Tony G is in prime position to carry that momentum forward into the final table and take down the $300,000 for first place.

Roland De Wolfe

Roland De Wolfe: 23 points ($230,000)

Rolande De Wolfe is the sole Englishman remaining, but will have his work cut out for him if he wants to do his country proud, as he is the short stack heading into the final table.

Last year De Wolfe came as close as you can get to winning it all, finishing second to Andy Black in a heartbreaking heads-up match. De Wolfe has had a mediocre Premier League for the most part, but perhaps the thrilling heads-up victory over Norwegian sensation Annette Obrestad will be enough to wake him up.

Eastgate gains speed at Premier League III Eastgate rebounds on Premier League III Day 3 Tran goes 2-0 at Premier League III Tony G, J.C. Tran strike first at Premier League III

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Eastgate gains speed at Premier League

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:37:22 -0800

The 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event winner picked up another heat win in the Premier League III on Thursday, and Tom "durrrr" Dwan finally picked up a win as well.

Dwan faced off against J.C. Tran, Phil Hellmuth, Tony G, Nenad Medic and Roland De Wolfe on Thursday for Heat 7. Dwan, who is known for his superaggressive play, was at the center of most of the action at the table, as his mixture of creative play and good fortune took him to the first-place spot.

His main challenger at the table was J.C. Tran, who turned in another great performance. When it got to heads-up, though, Dwan had a tremendous $490,000 to $110,000 in chips lead over Tran.

On the final hand durrrr pushed all-in with A♣ 7♣, and Tran called with Q-7 offsuit. All it took was the ace on the flop to give Dwan the hand and the 10 points.

Tran added another six points to his total, keeping him on top of the Premier League III score sheet so far.

Hellmuth was the first out at the table, adding no points to his score this round. Tony G was fifth for two points, Nenad Medic was fourth for three points and Roland De Wolfe was third for four points.

The action resumed Thursday with Heat 8, which saw Peter Eastgate add another 10 points to his total. That helped keep him above Dwan in the rankings and maintain second place.

He picked up the win against Juha Helppi, Andy Black, Annette Obrestad, Vicky Coren and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott.

The Devilfish finally scored some points, finishing in fourth place for three points. It doesn't help bring him off the bottom of the scoreboard, though.

The first player to bust at this table was Andy Black. Annette Obrestad picked up two more points for fifth place, while Vicky Coren finished third for four points and Juha Helppi took six points for second place.

By the time Eastgate and Helppi got to heads-up play, it was a very lopsided game. Helppi had a $463,000 to $137,000 lead over Eastgate, but the WSOP champion clawed his way back to earn the top spot.

The final hand saw Helppi raise with K-J offsuit only to see Eastgate push all-in with A-K. Nothing came to improve Helppi's standing, so Eastgate claimed the win.

The Premier League III standings after four days of play are:

Place Name Points 1st J.C. Tran 32 2nd Peter Eastgate 26 3rd Tom Dwan 22 4th Juha Helppi 20 5th Vicky Coren 18 6th Tony G 16 6th Roland De Wolfe 16 8th Phil Hellmuth 13 9th Annette Obrestad 12 10th Andy Black 10 11th Nenad Medic 9 12th Dave Ulliott 3

The players give it a go today with Heat 9 and Heat 10. Heat 9 will include Helppi, Medic, Hellmuth, Tran, Ulliott and Eastgate. Heat 10 will included Tony G, Coren, Obrestad, De Wolfe, Black and Dwan.

That leaves only a couple more heats to go after today to determine who will be playing in the final. Once all 12 heats have played, the top four players with the most points will move on to the final table. The four after them on the board will play heads-up matches to determine who will get the final two seats at the final table.

There they will be playing for a piece of a $1.25 million prize pool.

Eastgate rebounds on Premier League III Day 3 Tran goes 2-0 at Premier League III Tony G, J.C. Tran strike first at Premier League III

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60 Minutes to air online poker piece

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:21:05 -0800

CBS posted a preview of the 60 Minutes news story this week online with the title "How Online Gamblers Unmasked Cheaters."

According to the preview, 60 Minutes and the Washington Post collaborated on a four-month investigation into the cheating allegations and the online gambling industry to produce the piece which "reveals how online poker players suspecting cheating were forced to successfully ferret out the cheaters themselves."

The incident the news organizations looked into was the cheating scandal at Absolute Poker. The poker site came under the microscope in the latter part of 2007, when allegations surfaced online that someone at the poker site seemed to have an unfair advantage while playing.

The cheating was discovered when a player requested a hand history from a tournament and was somehow given the hand history for everyone during the entire tournament.

When analyzed, the history showed that a certain player had made the correct decision on every hand he played, which would be statistically improbable.

Todd Witteles was one of the online players who played a key detective role in the incident according to 60 Minutes. His suspicions were aroused when he was losing too much money to the same person.

"He was raising, just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy," Witteles says in the 60 Minutes preview video. "It seemed like he was giving his money away. Except the only thing was, he wasn't losing. He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day."

It turns out players' suspicions were correct. A player on the inside at Absolute Poker had breached the security system to be able to see everyone's hole cards while he played. This went on for six weeks.

Initially Absolute Poker said an internal investigation had revealed nothing wrong, but the information surfacing from online players made the poker site take another look.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, where the poker site is licensed and regulated, also launched an investigation into the matter.

The KGC report confirmed in January 2008 what Absolute Poker's own investigation had found, that an employee had breached the security system and played unfairly on the poker site for approximately six weeks. There was no evidence to show that the poker site itself had sanctioned, initiated or benefited from the unfair play.

Absolute Poker was, however, found to have failed to contact the KGC within 24 hours after becoming aware that cheating activities had occurred. The poker site was fined and will be subject to random audits for the next two years.

When Nolan Dalla broke the news about 60 Minutes covering the incident, he said, "In some ways, mass exposure of this creep on 60 Minutes would be absolute justice. A few months spent suffering in Guantanamo would be even more ideal. Trouble is, the casual uninformed viewer of such a segment is not going to differentiate between creeps like him and the millions of honest and decent online poker players worldwide who enjoy playing poker in their own homes.

Nolan Dalla worries online poker will be portrayed in a bad light.

"Indeed, I fear the target is not going to be the creep, or Absolute Poker (which deserves scrutiny) - but rather the entire online poker industry."

Dalla went on to say he's worried the industry in general will be portrayed as a slimy, unregulated, corrupt band of outlaws operating outside the boundaries of the law or justice.

"Never mind that many online sites are publicly traded companies with top-flight managers and personnel, and are strictly regulated within their host countries," he says. "Perception and reality are two completely different things."

It doesn't help that since then, Absolute Poker's sister site UltimateBet has also come under scrutiny for similar cheating allegations.

In the UltimateBet case, the KGC concluded that former WSOP Main Event winner Russell Hamilton, who was formerly a part of the poker site's affiliate program, was the main person responsible for the cheating incidents.

Many people in the poker industry see these incidents as proof that the United States needs to regulate the industry rather than trying to ban it. After the UltimateBet news came out, Alfonse D'Amato, Poker Players Alliance chairman, released a statement condemning the cheating but pointing out the need for better regulation.

"The recent cheating scandals underscore the need for U.S. licensing and regulation of online poker to help protect consumers. While even the most highly regulated industries are susceptible to fraud and abuse, regulation does provide assurances that when consumers are harmed they have recourse," D'Amato said.

"Further, it is abundantly clear that regulation will also address other consumer concerns by successfully providing ways to bar access by children to gambling Web sites and providing the necessary services for problem gamblers."

KGC comes down hard on UltimateBet D'Amato talks about online poker scandals CBS' 60 Minutes to dig into online poker

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Eastgate rebounds on Premier League III Day 3

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:45:41 -0800

Phil Hellmuth and Peter Eastgate, the two youngest WSOP Main event winners in history, both won their respective heats in the elite poker league. It was a pivotal 10 points for each player, as they are both eyeing a spot at the final table.

It was especially important for Hellmuth, as he was starting to fall out of contention with only three points to his name.

Day 3 started with Heat 5, which saw the aforementioned Eastgate take a seat with Juha Helppi, Vicky Coren, Nenad Medic, Annette Obrestad and J.C. Tran, who has so far dominated this rendition of the Premier League.

Eastgate controlled the majority of the game, busting Obrestad, Helppi and Coren. Eventually Eastgate took a $541,000 chip advantage to Tran's $59,000 in heads-up play.

Incredibly, Tran fought his way all the way back up to even before finally being eliminated by the 2009 WSOP champ.

Eastgate earned 10 points for his victory, which was good enough for second overall in the standings with 16 points. Tran added six points to his lead and now has a very impressive 26 out of a possible 30 points in three heats.

Meanwhile, Heat 6 was one of the noisiest yet, with Tony G, David "Devilfish" Ulliott, Andy Black, Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Roland De Wolfe and Hellmuth all verbally jousting throughout the day.

Uberaggressive Dwan was the man to beat in the early stages of the heat, as he busted Ulliott, Tony G and Black. The only thing Dwan seems unable to do at the Premier League III is finish: Hellmuth eventually busted him third.

Hellmuth was left to deal with Englishman Roland De Wolfe in heads-up. De Wolfe took a $319,000 to $281,000 chip lead, but it wasn't enough to deal with the "Poker Brat." In the final hand Hellmuth engineered a minor suck-out with K♣ T♣ versus Roland's A-Q.

After three days of play it appears Medic and Ulliott are going nowhere, with six and three points respectively. Tran and Eastgate are by far and away the leadersm although it gets very tight in the race from third place to sixth, where only two points separate six players.

Here's a complete look at the Premier League standings at the end of Day 3:

Place: Player: Points: 1. J.C. Tran 26 2. Peter Eastgate 16 3. Juha Helppi 14 4. Tony G 14 5. Vicky Coren 14 6. Phil Hellmuth 13 7. Tom Dwan 12 8. Roland De Wolfe 12 9. Annette Obrestad 10 10. Andy Black 10 11. Nenad Medic 6 12. David "Devilfish" Ulliott 3

Tran goes 2-0 at Premier League III Tony G, J.C. Tran strike first at Premier League III J.C. Tran to rep PKR in Premier League III Phil Hellmuth to play in Premier League III

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J.C. Tran goes 2-0 at Premier League III

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:59:51 -0800

In just two sessions Tran has accumulated 20 points and looks to be a virtual lock to make it to the final table of Premier League III.

The second day of Premier League action actually started with Heat 3, in which Juha Helppi, Roland De Wolfe, Tony G, Nenad Medic, Annette Obrestad and Phil Hellmuth were all looking to grab some points with a first-place finish.

Heat 3 started off with some exceptionally tight play, but it would eventually be Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth who would bust out first. It hasn't been a great Premier League for Hellmuth and with just three points to his name, he's already in dire need of some points to keep his hopes of a final-table appearance alive.

Obrestad and Helppi would separate themselves from the crowd and become heads-up combatants. In the battle of Finland versus Norway it would be Finland that would come out on top, as Helppi finally overcame a cold streak to claim the 10 points.

Meanwhile in Heat 4 it was Tom Dwan, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Vicky Coren, Peter Eastgate, Andy Black and the aforementioned Tran.

Surprisingly it was Peter Eastgate who busted first. The reigning World Champion had a very strong Day 1 at the Premier League and took down six points after losing to Tran in heads-up. In Heat 4 Eastgate made a move with 5♦ 2♥ and Dwan busted him with J♣ 9♦.

Dwan didn't stick around much longer than Eastgate, however, as Tran started his incredible run by busting the player known online as durrrr.

Finally the field dwindled until all that remained between Tran and first place was Coren. Tran went into heads-up play with $476,000 to Coren's $124,000.

Coren ended up getting it in good in her final hand with K♦ K♠, but Tran spiked an ace on the flop with his A♥ 6♠ in the hole.

It's shaping up to be a very interesting Premier League with Tran in the lead, Tony G and Helppi right behind him and the two women, Obrestad and Coren, right behind them. Dwan is in sixth place and looking to break through to the top three.

Keeping checking PokerListings.com for daily updates on the PartyPoker.com Premier League III.

Here's a look at the complete Premier League points leaderboard:

Place: Player: Points: 1. J.C. Tran 20 2. Tony G 12 3. Juha Helppi 12 4. Annette Obrestad 10 5. Vicky Coren 10 6. Tom Dwan 8 7. Andy Black 7 8. Peter Eastgate 6 9. Roland De Wolfe 6 10. David "Devilfish" Ulliott 3 11. Phil Hellmuth 3 12. Nenad Medic 3

Tony G, J.C. Tran strike first at Premier League III J.C. Tran to rep PKR in Premier League III Phil Hellmuth to play in Premier League III durrrr, Eastgate added to Premier League

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Tony G, Tran dominate Premier League

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:11:43 -0800

Heat 1 included Tran, Peter Eastgate, Annette Obrestad, Andy Black, Roland De Wolfe and David "Devilfish" Ulliott.

It was actually recent 2008 Main Event Champion Eastgate who appeared destined to take down the 10 points for first place. Eastgate was aggressive in the early going and quickly built up a formidable stack of chips.

The English players fared particularly poorly with Ulliott going out first, De Wolfe second and defending champion Black third.

Surprisingly, it was in heads-up where Eastgate faltered. Even though Eastgate entered heads-up play with $395,000 chips to Tran's $205,000, the experienced Californian pro whittled him down to size. The final hand of the match saw Eastgate make an ill-timed shove with Q-3 and Tran wake up with A-K. The board brought nothing for either player and Tran was credited with the victory in Heat 1.

Meanwhile, Heat 2 brought together Phil Hellmuth, Tony G, Vicky Coren, Nenad Medic and Tom "durrrr" Dwan.

Many poker fans considered Dwan to be the most compelling new addition to the Premier League, and the online whiz kid did not disappoint. Dwan got all the way to heads-up against Tony G but would eventually lose a pivotal coin flip with 8-8 versus The G's J-T.

Canadian Nenad Medic had a poor introduction to the Premier League, as he was the first player eliminated in Heat 2. Finnish player Juha Helppi was right behind him and picked up a meager two points.

Phil Hellmuth was eliminated third, but you have to give the Poker Brat some credit as he managed to get away from a sick beat on the first hand, which saw Dwan flop a full house and Hellmuth turn a flush. Dwan shoved on the river but Hellmuth laid his hand down.

Vicky Coren just missed out on heads-up play as she ran Q-9 into Dwan's A-K. At least she performed better than any of the British men at the Premier League.

The Premier League III has seen the buy-in elevated to $75,000 and the added money increased to $350,000, making a total prize pool of $1.25 million. As usual the series features 12 of the world's best poker players playing in a unique league format.

All 12 players play six times in the preliminary stages and the leading four players then progress to the final table, with the next four fighting it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats.

Here are the complete results of Heat 1 and Heat 2 on Day 1 of PartyPoker.com's Premier League III:

Premier League III Heat 1:

Place: Player: Points: 1. J.C. Tran 10 2. Peter Eastgate 6 3. Annette Obrestad 4 4. Andy Black 3 5. Roland De Wolfe 2 6. David "Devilfish" Ulliott 0

Premier League III Heat 2:

Place: Player: Points: 1. Tony G 10 2. Tom Dwan 6 3. Vicky Coren 4 4. Phil Hellmuth 3 5. Juha Helppi 2 6. Nenad Medic 0

J.C. Tran to rep PKR in Premier League III Phil Hellmuth to play in Premier League III durrrr, Eastgate added to Premier League Tony G, Devilfish join Premier lineup

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High Stakes Poker returns once again

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:20:29 -0800

The popular poker TV program has been rumored to be canceled several times already but, like the players taking part on the show, it just keeps coming back for more.

The fifth season of HSP will be shot Dec. 19-21 at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year the cash game will feature a buy-in of $200,000, which means at least one poker player could be in for a very green Christmas. This marks the first time HSP has returned to the Golden Nugget since its first season.

HSP has been both a commercial and critical success, garnering some of the highest ratings for a show on GSN, and many poker experts consider it the best poker show on TV thanks to its cash-game format with players putting their own money on the line.

In previous seasons players like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Jamie Gold, Phil Laak and many more have all taken part in the game.

Harry Orenstein, one of the executive producers of HSP, mentioned he was looking forward to the upcoming season.

"High Stakes Poker [...] has become a must-see on GSN for poker players and poker fans all over the world," he said. "We are happy to bring back the top amateurs and professionals risking hundreds of thousands of their own money in the new season."

There have been several memorable hands in the span of the show, including Gus Hansen winning a $575,700 pot off Negreanu when Hansen turned quad fives to Negreanu's full house. In Season 2 Brad Booth pulled off one of the boldest bluffs in history, getting Phil Ivey to let go of pocket kings while he was holding a meager 4-2.

Finally, in Season 4, the largest hand ever played on the show occurred when Patrik Antonius went all-in with a pair of nines on the flop and Sammy Farha called with a flush draw.

The pot was worth $998,800 and the players agreed to run the turn and the river four times. Antonius won three of the four runs to take three-fourths of the pot.

Fans of the show have been waiting for new episodes for quite some time now as the fourth season of HSP finished airing on Dec. 17, 2007.

There was no word on who is confirmed to play in Season 5, or even on whether popular hosts Gabe Kaplan and A.J. Benza would be returning.

The end for High Stakes Poker?High Stakes Poker: Sickest pot ever High Stakes Poker: Don't bluff billionaires

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J.C. Tran to rep PKR in Premier League

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:52:27 -0800

Tran agreed to represent the poker site in the televised event. Not only will he wear PKR branding while playing, he is scheduled to provide an interview that will be featured across PKR's online TV station and its customer magazine.

"We're honoured to have the world's best tournament player represent PKR at this year's Premier League," said Simon Prodger, PKR marketing director. "It's a great format, and our association with J.C. will help introduce PKR to a whole new audience of poker fans."

Tran has an extensive tournament record that includes 23 World Series of Poker cashes, including seven final tables, and 11 World Poker Tour cashes, with five final tables there as well.

"You've got to like this guy. If you don't know him, you are in for a treat. He's where the Vietnamese American meets the California surfer dude. His tournament record over the last three years puts every single player in this league to shame," said Jesse May, Premier League commentator, in his preview of the event.

"He is no one hit wonder, and it is impossible for him to just be a very good player on an unbelievable run. He has so many final tables in big events over the last three years it's just mind boggling. And now, he has started to more regularly close the deal."

May said he's watched plenty of Tran's interviews and knows Tran has faith that the fame and sponsorship he deserves will come along if he continues to do his thing and play successful tournament poker.

"I can see him taking this event more seriously than anyone else in the field. He has the most to gain," May said.

"J.C. said something in one of his interviews that makes me think he will succeed here. He said that he used to push things too hard and has now learned how to let the game come to him. I think that's a really good attitude for this league format. There's so many in this field who will do the pushing. J.C. might just let this title come to him."

The Premiere League III begins playing on Monday and will continue until Nov. 30. The league-style format features 12 invitation-only players who buy into the event for $75,000 each. The other players are Vicky Coren, Tony G, Phil Hellmuth, Roland De Wolfe, Tom Dwan, Annette Obrestad, Peter Eastgate, Juha Helppi, Andy Black, Nenad Medic and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott.

The matches are as follows:

Match 1, Nov. 24: Roland De Wolfe, Annette Obrestad, Andy Black, Peter Eastgate, Dave Ulliott, J.C. TranMatch2, Nov. 24: Phil Hellmuth, Tony G, Vicky Coren, Nenad Medic, Juha Helppi, Tom DwanMatch 3, Nov. 25: Roland De Wolfe, Phil Hellmuth, Nenad Medic, Annette Obrestad, Juha Helppi, Tony GMatch 4, Nov. 25: Dave Ulliott, J.C. Tran, Peter Eastgate, Andy Black, Tom Dwan, Vicky CorenMatch 5, Nov. 26: Annette Obrestad, Nenad Medic, Vicky Coren, Juha Helppi, J.C. Tran, Peter EastgateMatch 6, Nov. 26: Phil Hellmuth, Tony G, Dave Ulliott, Tom Dwan, Andy Black, Roland De WolfeMatch 7, Nov. 27: J.C. Tran, Tony G, Nenad Medic, Tom Dwan, Roland De Wolfe, Phil HellmuthMatch 8, Nov. 27: Dave Ulliott, Juha Helppi, Peter Eastgate, Andy Black, Annette Obrestad, Vicky CorenMatch 9, Nov. 28: Juha Helppi, Nenad Medic, Phil Hellmuth, J.C. Tran, Dave Ulliott, Peter EastgateMatch 10, Nov. 28: Tony G, Vicky Coren, Annette Obrestad, Roland De Wolfe, Andy Black, Tom DwanMatch 11, Nov. 29: Juha Helppi, Phil Hellmuth, Tony G, Annette Obrestad, Tom Dwan, Andy BlackMatch 12, Nov. 29: J.C. Tran, Nenad Medic, Peter Eastgate, Roland De Wolfe, Vicky Coren

The top four point earners from the 12 matches will automatically move on to play the final table on Nov. 30. The next four point earners will battle in heads-up matches for the final two seats at the final table.

All the action will be recorded for a later broadcast on TV in the United Kingdom. Fans can get a full preview of the event in Jesse May's analysis.

Phil Hellmuth to play in Premier League III durrrr, Eastgate added to Premier League Tony G, Devilfish join Premier lineup

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Jesse May's Premier League III preview

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:59:00 -0800

Stunned. Elated. Tingles in my hands and toes. These are the feelings that I've been having when contemplating the lineup for Premier League III. All I can say, is this tournament has finally arrived.

This year, the Premier League has not just been infused with serious poker skill; it's been turbo-injected with it, and I think this is the first year where there will be absolutely no way to make the final table without playing poker a cut above the rest.

One of the things that makes the Premier League unique is the element of drama and conflict. The fact that the players are all cooped up in a hotel for eight days, all the big egos, thrown together like on Big Brother, means there is no escape. It's 24/7, what with the prop betting, the bar, the Chinese poker, the fights and the arguments. And every year people crack up.

In that vein, I've made notes on each player in a predicted order of finish. In addition, I've listed what I think will be the two biggest personal dynamics each player will have to deal with. Whether I'm right or wrong, it's no matter. I'm just glad to be able to watch it unfold.

12. Vicky Coren

Kind of lost in the blur between Vicky Coren's results and expectations is the fact that since the time when she won the half million pounds at the London EPT, she is one of the most improved players on the European scene.

She did have ground to make up, and I say that with all due respect. Vicky's a gamer; she has never shied away from the competition, and it just goes to show that the best way to improve your poker is to match up with the best on a regular basis.

Sparks could fly: Vicky vs. Andy Black. Andy made Vicky angry with his comments in the first Premier League that she didn't find out about until it came on TV. They managed to avoid each other for most of the last Premier League, but it's far from over.

Player to beware of: Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott. The Devilfish has pwned Vicky in the previous two Premier Leagues. He has run her over like a train with his charming chauvinism, if you can call it that. She gives him way too much respect. The fact that she genuinely likes The Devil doesn't help one bit, and if Vicky wants to succeed in this tournament she must take an attitude of no mercy, no quarter when it comes to Ulliott.

11. Juha Helppi

This man is out of form. Pound for pound, I believe he has played the best and most consistent poker of anyone from the first two Premier Leagues, but a lot of good it will do him now. Juha has been running bad, and it's starting to affect his mind-set.

He actually believes that he will be unlucky, which is a recipe for disaster. It's a shame because when he is on, he plays this format near perfection.

Sparks could fly: Juha vs. Roland De Wolfe. This one is in the cards. The two have teased each other for years, and as long as one or the other are going well it's all in good fun. No more. De Wolfe will step over the line, and the machine will snap. Believe me, this will get ugly.

Player to beware of: Phil Hellmuth. For two years, Helppi has been playing well and pwning Hellmuth. Hellmuth has bided his time, and believe me - revenge will be served cold.

10. Andy Black

The defending champion can play. He is tight early and aggressive late, and this formula usually gets steady points. However, his Achilles heel is that he can't stay away from a battle of the egos, and there are just too many egos in this lineup for him to succeed.

I'm afraid his heart will get the better of his head.

Sparks could Fly: Black vs. Tony G. Black needs to be table captain, and almost always gets the last word in edgewise, especially against an out-of-form Tony G. Not this year. No matter who Tony G bullies, Black will try to butt in, and this year Tony G is ready for the challenge.

Player to beware of: Andy Black. This never gets old. Black has 11 players to beware of in this game, and they're all named Andy Black. Over the course of seven days, Black will crack up. It's only a question of when and how much it will cost him.

9. Tom Dwan

The buzz around the Internet phenom known as durrrr is a roar. The hype is deafening. Soft-spoken but a maniac at the table, durrrr has everyone excited to see the facets of his game.

However, every time he talks about poker or is talked about, it involves him playing a lot of pots. I am not aware that he has the desire or ability to play the tight gear, and unfortunately here it means a lot of early exits.

Sparks could fly: Dwan vs. Hellmuth. Of course you've watched the video on YouTube. We all have. But even though Dwan beat Hellmuth on the table, Hellmuth slaughtered him in the verbal. And will continue to do so. Tom might be the better player in a cash scenario, but here Phil will dominate him in the play and crush the poor 21-year-old with the abuse.

Player to beware of: Annette Obrestad. This is an interesting matchup - the most aggressive Internet cash player against the most aggressive Internet tournament player. The last time I looked, this was a tournament, and Obrestad will get it over on Dwan all day long.

8. Roland De Wolfe

How the giants have fallen. Two years ago the hottest poker player in the world; now just a formless mass reduced to drinking smelly bottles of wheatgrass to purge his system. On the bright side, De Wolfe is immensely talented and is able to raise his game when playing against a world class.

He plays outside the box and can utilize every gear in the book. He plays so far outside the box, there is no box. If he plays his best poker, he should win.

Right now, though, emotional odds are stacked against him. I think we are more likely to see his demons than his poker. Both make good TV.

Sparks could fly: De Wolfe vs. Nenad Medic. Medic is the person Roland once was and now hopes to become again - the hottest tournament player on the planet. It bothers Roland that someone has taken his mantle, and something Nenad casually said in one of his interviews on the Internet gave me the feeling that he has very little respect for Roland De Wolfe.

Player to beware of: Tom Dwan. De Wolfe likes to be the fanciest player making the fanciest plays, something Dwan pwns here and anywhere else. If De Wolfe tries to outplay Dwan - and you know he will - durrrr will have that extra trick up his sleeve to put egg all over De Wolfe's face.

7. Phil Hellmuth

He is the Premier League. He is Phil Hellmuth. And he got pulverized last year, laughed off the map. I saw Hellmuth just before the WSOPE, and I've been reading his blog and he is in good form.

He seems a happy man. But it's been a long time in Hellmuth years since he won anything major. If he comes in last during this Premier League people will talk. He can slay so many demons by doing well this year.

He needs to just make the final table, but I still don't see it. A little jetlag and Chinese poker distractions, and Phil will be mid table and beat in the heads-up by someone who will taunt him forever. It's part of the drama that is the Poker Brat.

Sparks could fly: Phil vs. Peter Eastgate. Hellmuth loves his records as much as he loves himself. Eastgate is the man who broke Phil's record of 20 years and who may hold it for another 20 himself. I seriously doubt Phil can sleep at night with bother for what Eastgate has done. Eastgate could be the silent assassin in such a way that a mere smirk will make Hellmuth explode, and for real.

Player to beware of: Tony G. Everybody laughed at Tony G for the way he played last year, none louder than Hellmuth. I think Hellmuth will be guilty of underestimating Tony's play this year and could pay the penalty.

6. Nenad Medic

I've never met Medic, but from what I've seen he is quite impressive. Big man, gently humble, quietly confident, and with a string of results in the last two years that could be a career. He's the kind of guy that always travels in a posse, and leads a team many strong.

He appears to have the game to succeed here, but how he will react to the verbal intensity of this group of players remains to be seen. He has a temper, I'm sure of it, and we'll just have to see what happens when he's had enough.

Sparks could fly: Medic vs. Andy Black. This has to break big and ugly. Talk about polar opposites. Medic is the embodiment of the macho man, and Black is Mr. Let's Talk It Out. He eats macho for breakfast. Nenad is a cool dude and a low boiler, but he will only take so much of Black before he's had enough. I'm predicting fists will fly by Day 5.

Player to beware of: Devilfish. I saw both these guys in the big cash game in Vegas during the WSOP. Medic was running hot and Ulliott wasn't. If Medic is guilty of underestimating the Fish, Devil will give him his due.

5. Annette Obrestad

Though some of the hype surrounding Annette_15 has blown over, there is no question in anyone's mind that she is at the top of the poker world to stay. Obrestad is just too good a tournament player, and of all the players in the Premier League, I think this format perfectly suits her strengths.

Though it appears to many that her game is based on naked aggression and little else, she has flair that is so extreme as to be borderline destructive. Look for her to play first position like it's the button and to get paid off like a clock. I'll be very surprised not to see her on the final table.

Sparks could fly: Obrestad vs. Vicky Coren. Obrestad has had a few publicized run-ins with other female players, Isabelle Mercier being a prime example. Obrestad is very confident, arrogant even, and Coren and she have absolutely no chance of getting along. I can't wait for this one.

Player to beware of: J.C. Tran. Against Obrestad you must be prepared to make the big call. Call it a hunch, but I think J.C. Tran will be her kryptonite.

4. Peter Eastgate

I'm proud to boast that I saw this one coming. Peter Eastgate played several times on TV before his run this year in the WSOP, and several times he displayed the raw genius that promised big things to come.

Jealous forum merchants who claim he got hit with the deck at the WSOP this year have obviously been guilty of only watching the ESPN coverage and not going through the hand-by-hand from the blogs.

The heads-up matchup lasted not two hands, as television would have you think, but over a hundred hands, during which Eastgate picked Demidov apart and then demolished him.

He's got $9 million in the bank and this Premier League is his coming-out party. I will be the second-least surprised person to see Eastgate win this. Believe me, that's what he thinks he's here for.

Sparks could fly: Eastgate vs. Tony G. This is like grade school for Tony G. He picks out the guy least likely to defend himself, and paws him like a cat with a dead mouse - just for sport. We'll find out just how much backbone Eastgate has based on when and how he chooses to respond.

Player to beware of: Roland De Wolfe. De Wolfe is the kind of guy who feels a need to put people in their place, poker wise. He wants to prove something to the world, that he can put a play on the WSOP champion. Eastgate had better be ready for De Wolfe with a plan of attack.

3. Tony G

For a man who wears his heart and soul on his sleeve, Tony G has only been a shadow of himself during Premier League seasons I and II. The picture of him from last year's final table said it all. Tony G, head in his hands, sad and embarrassed, after making an amateur mistake in the final three by turning his cards over too soon and costing himself half his stack.

Cheer up, Tony G fans! I can happily report that the man is back, full of confidence, life, and the abusive wit that makes our sides ache. When he is on, he plays his best, and he is on right now.

He played pretty much the best I've ever seen him during the recent UK Open, and even had the audacity to claim in his blog that he didn't play well. Read through the lines. He's so confident that he's underplaying his game.

Sparks could fly: Tony G vs. Devilfish. Ulliott knows just which buttons of Tony's to push. Tony knows how to abuse without getting personal; with the Devilfish, it's always personal. One fat joke too many and they may start pulling hair. Oh, it will get loud.

Player to beware of: Peter Eastgate. Tony will not be ready for Eastgate's game. Of that I am certain.

2. J.C. Tran

You've got to like this guy. If you don't know him, you are in for a treat. He's where the Vietnamese American meets the California surfer dude. His tournament record over the last three years puts every single player in this league to shame.

He is no one-hit wonder, and it is impossible for him to just be a very good player on an unbelievable run. He has so many final tables in big events over the last three years it's just mind-boggling. And now, he has started to more regularly close the deal.

Tran said something in one of his interviews that makes me think he will succeed here. He said that he used to push things too hard and has now learned how to let the game come to him.

I think that's a really good attitude for this league format. There's so many in this field who will do the pushing. Tran might just let this title come to him.

Sparks could fly: Tran vs. Tony G. Tran is friendly and easygoing. Tony G comes on friendly and then hits where it hurts. This is where the rubber meets the road. Tony will be on the guy from day one and there will be no love lost in the corners.

Player to beware of: Juha Helppi. If there is one guy who Tran could easily size up incorrectly, it is Helppi. He looks tight but he is not. Helppi will identify Tran as the guy he can pull a move on, and he is probably right.

1. Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott

I should be shot for my faith in the Devilfish, condemned for my insistence that he has the package that makes him the best player in history for this particular format. But the fact remains that the Devilfish does have it all.

When he is on his A game, he has the technical skills to slash everybody in the field. He has the verbal weapons to hammer the psychological edge, and he has the wit and camera presence to own the show. Ulliott has only one knock against him, and that's his habit of slipping into negativity when things start to go wrong.

However, the last five months he has looked the happiest that I've seen in seven years. The last two times he's played this format he turned in his two best performances ever. If he brings that attitude to the table, I honestly believe Devilfish will be the champion when the smoke has cleared.

Sparks could fly: Devilish vs. Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth has always pwned the Devilfish. If this ever changes, then all will not right with the world. The most entertaining of all the rivalries, as sure as death and taxes.

Player to beware of: Annette Obrestad. Devilfish always gets outplayed by strong females, because he shows them no respect. Liz Lieu hammered the Devilfish in Premier League I, and she's not half the player Obrestad is. Look for Annette_15 to make him feel foolish in many pots.

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Phil Hellmuth to play in Premier League III

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:20:15 -0800

Phil "Poker Brat" Hellmuth will be making his third straight appearance in the popular invitation-only U.K. poker series.

The trash-talking Hellmuth has always been one of the most colorful characters on the show. In the very first run of the league, he made it all the way to third place before being ousted by Finnish player Juha Helppi on his way to victory.

The draw for heats takes place tomorrow, Nov. 20, at the studios hosting the event. The actual event will run from Nov. 24-30 in London.

The final lineup will include Tom "durrrr" Dwan, J.C. Tran, Nenad Medic, Tony G, Vicky Coren, David "Devilfish" Ulliott, Annette Obrestad, Roland De Wolfe, Andy Black, Juha Helppi and recent 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate.

Matchroom Sport director of online gaming Eddie Hearn is incredibly pleased with the group of players confirmed for Premier League III.

"The whole reason Matchroom Sport became involved with poker is because we love the game," he said.

"We wanted to deliver a dream dozen for the fans and this is without a doubt the most exciting line up in poker history. The Premier League is an arena where greatness is on display and genius happens - 12 of the game's biggest ever talents will face off for over a million dollars in what will be the greatest poker spectacle of all time."

The aforementioned Eastgate recently broke Hellmuth's record as the youngest World Champion, so the Poker Brat will have a chance to enact revenge upon the young Danish star.

"Only a few weeks back, Peter Eastgate broke my record as 'youngest world champion of poker in history' at the tender age of 22-years-old," said Hellmuth. Talk about being on form, this kid won over $9 million at the WSOP Main Event! I'm looking forward to watching the way this young gun plays his hands in the Premier League."

It's also worth noting that Hellmuth and Dwan have a prior history: the two played each other in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Challenge. Dwan managed a massive suck-out; Hellmuth was obviously frustrated, and started berating Dwan.

Dwan offered Hellmuth a series of heads-up matches for thousands of dollars. Hellmuth, to date, has not taken him up on that offer. The two could very well clash again for the first time at the Premier League.

PartyPoker.com Premier League III sees the buy-in elevated to $75,000 and the added money raised to $350,000, making a total prize pool of $1.25 million.

The next event wasn't due to take place until 2009, but the demands of international broadcasters for coverage of the event have brought it forward. The series features 12 of the world's best players in a unique league format. All 12 players will play six times in the preliminary stages.

The leading four players will then progress to the final table, with the next four battling it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats.

durrrr, Eastgate added to Premier League Tony G, Devilfish join Premier lineup Premier League begins in November

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durrrr, WSOP champ join Premier League

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:35:10 -0800

Eastgate and Tom "durrrr" Dwan are the latest pro poker players to announce they'll be playing in the Premier League III. durrrr is considered one of the hottest young guns on the poker circuit, and Eastgate may be joining him on that list after winning the Main Event.

Not only did Eastgate earn the second-largest tournament payout in WSOP history last week, he also broke Phil Hellmuth's record as the youngest player to win the Main Event.

"This is my first event since the WSOP Main Event final table, so I am delighted to be part of a world-class lineup," Eastgate said. "I am the man in form and want to show people why I am the World Champion."

Some of the other pros who've signed on for the PartyPoker Premier League III are Tony G, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Annette Obrestad, Roland De Wolfe, Andy Black, Juha Helppi, J.C. Tran, Nenad Medic and Victoria Coren.

The event will have a definite international flair with all sorts of countries represented, and the field is a good mix of old-guard versus new players.

Eastgate brings some new blood to the mix, as does his fellow 22-year-old player Dwan. durrrr is well-known for his online play, where he's believed to have won more than $6 million in 2008.

durrrr is no stranger to high-stakes action.

If you want proof of durrrr's high-stakes action, all you have to do is take a look at some of the biggest pots ever played online in the PokerListings MarketPulse section. In October he played a big part in some record-setting hands, though not always on the winning end of those hands.

Along with his online reputation, Dwan has been building a reputation on the live poker circuit as well. He had two eighth-place finishes in 2008 WSOP events, plus he's been logging in cashes all over the world from the Aussie Millions to World Poker Tour events to PokerStars.com European Poker Tour events.

"I'm really excited about coming to play the Premier League and am honored to be invited," Dwan said. "The line-up is simply world class and I am coming to London determined to win."

A win will mean a pretty good payday for one of the pros. The buy-in for the Premier League III was raised to $75,000, and PartyPoker is also adding in another $350,000 to create a total prize pool of $1.25 million.

Twelve players will be taking their shot at that money. All 12 will play six times in the preliminary stages to earn points. The top four players from the preliminaries will then move on to the final table.

That still leaves two seats open at the final table. The next four players in the leaderboard will battle in heads-up matches to earn a spot at the final table.

Tony G, Devilfish join Premier lineup Premier League begins in November

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Tony G, Devilfish join Premier lineup

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:22:14 -0800

The Premier League III is scheduled to take place Nov. 24-30 and already includes players such as Annette Obrestad, Roland De Wolfe, Andy Black, Juha Helppi, J.C. Tran, Nenad Medic and Victoria Coren.

Notorious for their antics and their personal rivalry, the Devilfish and Tony G will certainly add some flavor to the PartyPoker-sponsored show.

"I'm looking forward to the Premier League and am determined to take it down," Ulliott said. "Tony G has as much chance of beating me as winning Strictly Come Dancing."

Ulliott is one of the most recognizable faces in poker, especially in the U.K., and has won $5 million in tournament cashes. He's also got a World Series of Poker bracelet win and a World Poker Tour championship title.

Tony G doesn't have quite as much for tournament winnings yet - just under $3 million - but he does have a WPT win of his own as well to add to his clout.

Tony G

"I have been itching to play and finally win the Premier League - it is the event I look forward to the most," Tony G said. "It goes without saying, but I am really, really looking forward to crushing the Devilfish."

Tony G had a disappointing run in the inaugural season of the Premier League, but he came back with a vengeance for the second season and went into the final table as the chip leader.

However, some bad beats left Tony G in third, and Andy Black took the win instead.

The Devilfish has had a tough time at the Premier League tables the last two seasons, not making it to the final table yet.

Some changes have been made to the Premier League for its third season. The buy-in was boosted to $75,000, and an additional $350,000 will be added to the prize pool to bring it up to a total of $1.25 million.

The structure of the event will stay the same, featuring 12 of the world's best poker players in a unique league format. All 12 players will play six times in the preliminary stages.

The top four players will then advance to the final table. The next four players in the ranking after those players will also battle it out in heads-up matches to earn the last two seats at the final table.

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Premier League begins in November

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:44:42 -0700

The PartyPoker.com Premier League III will take place in London Nov. 24-30 with a new $75,000 buy-in and the added money being increased to $350,000, making for a total prize pool of $1.25 million.

The next event was only scheduled for 2009, but the demand for the event from international broadcasters has persuaded organizers to push the dates forward.

Last year's champion, Irishman Andy Black, has already committed to defending his title and will compete against 11 other players, who are yet to be announced, during the event in November.

Black, who is sometimes known as the "Mad Monk," was already enthusiastic about the prospect of repeating as champ.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:party-poker:left]]

"There will be no 'Mr. Nice Buddhist' this year," he joked. "The attitude and spirit I will be bringing to the tournament can be summed up by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Asked as Conan the Barbarian what was most important in life he said it was: 'to crush your enemies and hear the lamentation of their women.'" Sounds like Black has found his inner Ahnold, all right.

The series, which was developed by Matchroom Sport, features 12 of the world's best poker players competing in a unique league format. All 12 players play six times in the preliminary stages with the four leading players progressing to the final table and the next four battling it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats.

"The Premier League is now established internationally as poker's number one TV show," said head of online gambling at Matchroom Sport Eddie Hearn. "The worldwide ratings and distribution have exceeded all expectations and the demand is such that we have decided to hold another Premier League event this year.

"We are delighted to welcome back last year's champion Andy Black to the League and we will now sit down and hand pick the remainder of the chosen 12. There isn't a poker player that doesn't want to be part of this event."

In the past players like Phil Hellmuth, Marcel Luske, Annie Duke, Tony G, Alex Kravchenko, Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott and Roland De Wolfe have all taken part in the league.

One of the most memorable moments of the series came in 2007 when Hellmuth commanded such a big league in the tournament he announced that he would raise the 21 hands of the heat just for fun.

Ulliott responded by saying, "If you keep playing like that they are going to have to put you in a straitjacket and you'll have to push all your chips in with that big head of yours."

Despite holding a large lead, Hellmuth would end up finishing third in the first edition of Premier League Poker, while Finnish player Juha Helppi took first place.

Premier Leage final table starts to air PartyPoker Premier League back tomorrow Andy Black wins Premier League

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Feldman rules Poker Den endurance test

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:06:53 -0700

A contingent of 21 players put up at least $10,000 each and matched wits for 36 hours in front of the cameras for a show to be televised at a later date.

The game kicked off at 2 p.m. on Sept. 30 and finished up at 9 p.m. the next day. Nobody lasted for the entire duration, but Phil Laak did log a 23-hour session after showing up at 10 p.m. the first night.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:party-poker:left]]

In play to juice things up a bit throughout The Big Game III were the "Party Pots," a single hand selected each hour that had $1,000 thrown in by PartyPoker.

Neil Channing took down the first, worth $29,000, holding 6-5 against David Williams' 3-2. Channing would take down more than his fair share of Party Pots over the course of the game, helping him to cash out $6,450 in the black after buying in for a total of $60,000.

Televised poker always has its surprises, and the Poker Den's chief unexpected point came from Bodo Sbrzesny of Germany. Sbrzesny, who played in the game thanks to winning a cash game VIP rake race on PartyPoker, held his own and then some against his better-known competition.

The German newcomer more than doubled his buy-in and took down not one but two pots with 7-2 offsuit, better known as "The Hammer." That feat got the rest of the table to offer $200 each to anyone who won a pot with the Hammer.

When the game was done, two players stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field. The ever-telegenic Robert Williamson III grabbed the biggest net profit of the game's 21 participants, dragging in $63,675 more than his buy-ins. Andrew Feldman's take was only a few drops in the bucket less than Williamson's at $63,350, despite his getting stuck in traffic on his way to the game.

On the other end of the spectrum there was Sammy George. Despite jumping out of the gate and being up as much as $50,000 at one point, George dropped $78,425 - more than anyone else in the game.

Roland De Wolfe wasn't too far behind George, dropping a total of $50,000. He had a good shot at walking with a small profit toward the end of the game when he flopped a set of fives and got his money in on the turn, but Joshua Landis' open-ended straight draw came home on the river to claim the $55,000 pot.

Others who lost their cash in The Big Game III were 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up David Williams, William Martin, Alex Roumeltiotis, Joel Nordkist and Ilios Kamatakis.

Poker Den: The Big Game III will be distributed worldwide after it airs on the U.K.'s Five channel next year.

Final Results:

Andrew Feldman: +$63,350Robert Williamson III: +$63,675Richard Wheatley: +$41,025Phil Laak: +$22,325Bodo Sbrzesny: +$22,850Jennifer Tilly: +$12,550Chris Smith: +20,000 Juha Helppi: +$15,775Roberto Romanello: +$14,400Ian Frazer: +$8,550Neil Channing: +$6,450Joshua Landis: +$2,524Ilios Kamatakis: -$10,000Barny Boatman: -$11,000Joel Nordkist: -$15,800Chris Parker: -$31,450Alex Roumeltiotis: -$25,150David Williams: -$40,000William Martin: -$40,000Roland De Wolfe: -$50,000Sammy George: -$78,425

Record-breaking Poker Den under way Poker Den returns for 36-hour session Bad Beat Jackpot tops record level at PartyPoker

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Homam wins Women's World Open II

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:27:32 -0700

"I'm truly delighted to have won," Homam said. "My luggage got lost on the flight over to London, and I was down about that. When it was located and arrived, I felt I had a new lease on life. It sounds strange, but it gave me more confidence and made me feel much more comfortable at the table."

She needed that extra edge too. She's been playing poker for 20 years, both in tournaments and in cash games, but she was up against some skilled female opponents from around the world.

"I have been playing tournaments and cash games for many years now and I see all the debate in the poker world about all women's tournaments. The future is all about us ladies!" Homam said.

Among those who took part were PartyPoker Women's World Open I champion Bev Pace, Jen Mason, Late Night Poker finalist Maria Demetriou, former PartyPoker World Open winner Pippa Flanders and former European Ladies champion Jackie Meecham.

Erica Schoenberg was also on hand, along with Katharine Hartree, Mel Lofthouse, comedienne Lucy Porter, Michelle Orpe, Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker, Bronwyn Campbell, Shelley Rubenstein, Dutch pop star Maud Mulder, Polish television presenter Agnieszka Rylik and Christine Klecz.

The final table came down to the following players:

Seat 1: Soraya Homam, GermanySeat 2: Eliza Burnett, United KingdomSeat 3: Michelle Orpe, United KingdomSeat 4: Kyla Kalmar, United Kingdom Seat 5: May Maceiras, SpainSeat 6: Stefanie Bergener, Germany

First out from the final table was Kyla Kalmar, wife of Jon Kalmar, a 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event final tablist. Michelle Orpe, a TV presenter and poker pro, went out behind Kalmar in fifth place.

Eliza Burnett, a journalist, picked up fourth place, while May Maceiras, a 28-year-old from Spain, finished in third place.

Initially Macerias was a favorite to win when she started out the final table running over the other players. According to PartyPoker, commentary on her use of position and exploiting the format was very complimentary.

Maceiras has already achieved moderate success, with victories at the Spanish Poker Championships and on the Spanish Poker Tour.

"Poker in Spain is still in its infancy," Maceiras said. "There is still such a long way to go, but I am proud of what I achieved here, and I hope it encourages others to follow in my path."

After Maceiras took her leave from the table, it was down to Stefanie Bergener, also a German pro poker player, against Homam. The balance of power shifted numerous times during heads-up play, but eventually it came down to Homam's A-K suited against Bergener's A-6 offsuit.

The A-K held up for the win, and Homam was $50,000 richer. Bergener received $22,000 for her second-place finish.

"I'm so happy with the result. I have had most of my success online, and this is great," Bergener said. "I promised my son 1% of my winnings to buy him a new BMX bike, so I have no problems there!"

The results of the final table were:

Place Name Prize 1st Soraya Homam $50,000 2nd Stefanie Bergener $22,000 3rd May Maceiras $14,000 4th Eliza Burnett $10,000 5th Michelle Orpe $7,000 6th Kyla Kalmar $5,000

"The international flavor of the PartyPoker.com Women's World Open II final table just goes to show that this tournament is stronger than ever," said Eddie Hearn, head of online gaming at Matchroom Sport. "It is one of the most popular events in the eyes of international broadcasters."

A PartyPoker spokesman also noted that U.K. players dominated the final table in the Women's World Open I last year, while this year was a complete turnaround from that.

"Beverley Pace won last year, but there is no doubt that the ladies from Germany and Spain are now the pacesetters," the PartyPoker spokesman said. "It could also be true that the Spanish poker scene has found itself a Fernando Torres in the form of May Maceiras."

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PartyPoker Women's World Open starts Friday

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:42:18 -0700

The Women's World Open features 36 players from around the world competing for a share of a $108,000 prize pool. With female poker players such as Jen Mason, Late Night Poker finalist Maria Demetriou, Xuyen "Bad Girl" Pham, previous World Open winner Pippa Flanders and others, the battle is sure to be a big one.

"The PartyPoker.com Women's World Open was a big hit last year, and we're delighted to see it coming back for its second year. It is one of the most popular events in the eyes of international broadcasters," said Eddie Hearn, head of online gambling at Matchroom Sport, the organizer of the event.

Bev Pace was the winner of the first PartyPoker Women's World Open in 2007, and she will return to defend her title. Pace is the wife of comedian and poker player Norman Pace.

She had to defeat Mason to earn the $50,000 top prize in 2007. The heads-up battle was a roller-coaster of ups and downs as the two traded the chip lead back and forth, but in the end Pace's pocket sixes would hold up against Mason's A-J offsuit for the win.

If Pace wants to duplicate that win, she'll also have to make her way through the former European Ladies champion Jackie Meecham, plus Katharine Hartree, comedienne Lucy Porter, Michelle Orpe, Shelley Rubenstein, Christine Klecz and Stefanie Bergener.

"Last year's champion Bev Pace is hotly tipped to run well again this year," said a PartyPoker spokesman. "Most pundits are also pointing to Jen Mason and Maria Demetriou as ones to watch."

All the women pay $3,000 to enter the tournament, which stretches over four days to come down to a winner on Oct. 6. The tournament has the same format as the PartyPoker World Open, with the only differences being the field size and the all-female playing field.

Women-only tournaments have been a hotly debated topic in the poker world. Some female pros are against the all-women tournaments because poker is one sport where sex-specific physiology doesn't make a difference in how well a person plays. There are many who think the all-female tourneys help bring more women to the game, though.

"Women's tournaments are good for getting more ladies interested in poker," Pace said after her 2007 win. "The standard is no different to a mixed-sex game, but they do encourage some to come forward who wouldn't do otherwise."

Poker fans in the United Kingdom will get to check out the all-women poker playing next year when the Women's Poker Open II airs on Five. It will then be distributed internationally as well.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Record-breaking Poker Den under way

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:54:06 -0700

Play got started at 2:30 p.m. BST on Tuesday with Roland De Wolfe, David Williams, Sammy George, Chris Parke, Neil Channing, Jennifer Tilly, Robert Williamson II and Iliodoros Kamatakis at the felt. As the game rolls on, other top pros will partake in cash-game marathons as well.

Each player will buy in for a minimum of $10,000, with blinds starting at $25/$50. The players are free to leave the game any time they want, and then other players will step in to join the game.

Other pros expected to play are Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, David Williams, Andrew Feldman, Brian Townsend, Kirk Morrison, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Jon Kalmar, John Tabatabai, Mike Matusow, Juha Helppi and more.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:party-poker:left]]

"We've been told that Phil Laak has spent all weekend mentally preparing for the game and that he intends to try and make TV history and sit in the game for a record breaking 36 hour stint!" said a PartyPoker spokesperson.

"The Poker Den has a history of wild and entertaining action and even though we state that a player can leave the table at any time we may make them take a break if they are [sitting] there like rocks or crushing the game too much. We want entertainment and not a heads-up between two exhausted grinding machine professionals who nobody wants to play against! That said, it is crazy how [many] players are rumored to be considering this, we'll see how it goes!"

Bodo Sbrzesny will also join the action as the PartyPoker VIP qualifier. The German won a high-stakes rake race on the poker site to earn a place at the Poker Den table.

Along with the change from a 24-hour-long game to 36 hours this time around, PartyPoker and Matchroom Sport have also introduced the "Party Pot." Players will win a $1,000 bonus from a selected hand every hour.

With the game well under way already, there has been plenty of action at the Poker Den table. According to a PartyPoker spokesperson, the first Party Pot resulted in a pot of more than $29,000 after the bonus $1,000 was added. Plus there has been other big action at the table.

"It only took four hands for there to be the first five-figure pot," said a PartyPoker spokesperson. "David Williams has already had to reload for another $20,000, and we're only scratching the surface of what's to come in the next 36 hours."

The PartyPoker Poker Den is being filmed to air on Five in the United Kingdom early next year, and then it will be distributed worldwide.

Poker Den returns for 36-hour session Bad Beat Jackpot tops record level at PartyPoker PartyPoker celebrates seven years

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WPT, FSN launch new show

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:47:29 -0700

ClubWPT.com will be another first for poker programming as it features six amateur players from around the United States and Canada competing each week for their shot at cash prizes and poker stardom.

Unlike the regular WPT tournaments that get televised, these players won't be putting up a $10,000 buy-in to get into the events. Instead they'll earn their seat in the show by playing in specially designated online tournaments.

The TV-seat tournaments will run six nights per week online, giving players plenty of opportunity to win their way into the television show.

"Poker is the only sport that allows the everyday Joe to go up against the professionals and win life-changing money and celebrity status," said Steve Lipscomb, WPT founder, president and CEO.

"And we all want to be in that seat, but most of us don't have the opportunity to invest the time or money to be a pro and play in big casino games. ClubWPT.com gives you the opportunity - six nights a week, in your own home - to win a seat on national television and the chance to live the dream."

Qualifiers for the show will receive roundtrip airfare to Los Angeles where they will have a two-night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel plus spending money and loads of VIP amenities while they make their appearance for the show.

The series will be filmed in high definition with FSN sportscaster Barry Tomkins and "Live at the Bike" announcer Bart Hansen providing commentary and strategy. Alison Waite will host the show.

"The World Poker Tour, the most respected brand name in poker, has long been the leader in poker innovation and they continue that trend with this series," said George Greenberg, FSN executive vice president programming and production.

"ClubWPT.com is the premier place offering amateur poker players the opportunity to experience the status and cachet usually reserved for the biggest names in poker."

FSN will also be the new home for the seventh season of the World Poker Tour. Episodes from the season will debut later this year in the Sunday Night Sports Block.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

GSN pairs shows for Poker Night

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:33:14 -0700

The evening begins with High Stakes Poker at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the World Poker Tour at 9 p.m.

"We think poker on Sunday night is a great way for viewers to end their weekend and begin their week," said Kevin Belinkoff, vice president of original programming and development at GSN. "With High Stakes Poker and World Poker Tour, we're proud to have the best poker in the world and we're looking forward to establishing Sunday night on GSN as the home of poker on television."

With four seasons come and gone and a fifth season on the way, High Stakes Poker is considered the richest cash game on television. Past seasons have showcased top players such as Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu and Jamie Gold.

High Stakes Poker was unique when it first aired because it was the first poker show that wasn't in a tournament setting. Instead, the players sat down for a ring game with a minimum $100,000 buy-in.

It didn't take long to see someone buy in with much more than the minimum. In Season 1, Daniel Negreanu brought $1 million to the table, and Brad Booth did the same thing in Season 3.

In the fourth season, High Stakes Poker upped the level for all the players. For part of the season, there was a minimum $500,000 buy-in.

Season 5 of the show is expected to start airing in 2009. One change made for the fifth season is that the program will show every hand played, as opposed to the 60-70% shown in the past.

The World Poker Tour is another place to find some of the world's best poker players. The WPT films the final table of its events, and often there is a pro at the table, or the winner of the event becomes a star in the poker world.

Through the life of the WPT so far, it has awarded more than $300 million in cash prizes and crowned more than 80 WPT Poker-Made Millionaires. Some of the big names who've taken down WPT events include Negreanu, Carlos Mortensen, Michael Mizrachi, Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiaria and more.

Tune in Sunday on GSN for action from both shows to get your poker fix for the weekend.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Best Damn Poker Show to air in November

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:14:01 -0700

The show has begun filming already with a PokerListings regular, Tony "TheTonz" Wind, as one of the participants. Wind announced that he'd been chosen in the PokerListings forum.

He is one of 18 poker players taking part in the Best Damn Poker Show battling to be the last player standing. During the show Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke will take players under their tutelage to try to prove which one is the better teacher, while the players try to prove they're the better player.

The players were chosen for the show through a contest hosted by UltimateBet. The players competed for a spot by creating and submitting an audition video that highlighted why they deserve to be on the poker reality series.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:

The videos went up on YouTube where poker fans could take a peek and see who the potential participants would be for the second season of the Best Damn Poker Show.

UltimateBet also hosted some online qualifiers which paid out spots on the show.

For the second season, UltimateBet shook things up a bit by also hosting a live audition in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker. It gave producers the opportunity to check out thousands of talented Texas Hold'em fans who were in town for the tournaments.

Now the players will battle it out while Hellmuth and Duke also clash on who is the better instructor. In the end, only one player can remain standing, and only one tutor will triumph.

If history repeats itself, the show's winner could end up with more than just a few moments of fame on TV as well. On Aug. 15, UltimateBet signed Tracy Scala, the winner of the first season of the Best Damn Poker Show tournament.

For more information about the show or to get in on some online poker action, visit Ultimate Bet.

TheTonz's video leads to poker show spot UltimateBet opens tables for charity tourneys

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PartyPoker offers Poker Nations Cup preview

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:37:34 -0700

There are four different matchups featured on YouTube with players from several of the nations represented in the tournament. The videos are:

Van Der Peet vs. Kang - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Mou9YQDygSunar vs. O'Dea - www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vUz5_kxELALuske vs. Kang - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR4UbvFz5aUGold vs. Ocklind - www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbHbdad2fzg

The PartyPoker Poker Nations Cup is a team event that features players from Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Holland and the United States. Each team includes one PartyPoker VIP qualifier playing alongside five pro players from the participating nations.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:party-poker:left]]

This time around, each player put up the $5,000 buy-in to create a total prize pool of $180,000, and PartyPoker added another $100,000 to boost it up to $280,000 total.

The players participate in six heats with each player competing once to score points for their team. The individual match winners pick up $20,000 for themselves as well. The points earned for each team will determine what size starting stack they get for the final round.

The final round is a tag event where each team's captain will be in charge of substituting in players and calling strategic time-outs to benefit their team. The nation with the last player standing is the winner and will split the $100,000 top prize.

The defending champions were Sweden, and Bo Sehlstedt captained the team this year. Other players on the team were William Thorsson, Johan Storakers, Mats Rahm, Anders Henriksson and online qualifier Johan Ocklind.

Roland De Wolfe captained the British team, which included Joe Beevers, Neil Channing, Ian Frazer, Surinder Sunar and online qualifier Francis Durbin. Ireland was led by Padraig Parkinson and included Donnacha O'Dea, Marty Smith, Ciaran O'Leary, Liam Flood and online qualifier Darren O'Brien.

The United States came out in full force as well with a team of Jamie Gold, Thomas Keller, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Chad Brown and captain Robert Williamson III. Because there couldn't be an online qualifier from the United States, Williamson recruited celebrity player Montel Williams as their sixth man.

Germany came to the table with Michael Keiner as captain and Andreas Krause, Benjamin Kang, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Thomas Bihl and online qualifier Thomas Potzal.

The Dutch team was captained by none other than Marcel Luske and featured Thierry Van der Berg, Eric Van der Berg, Hans Ritburg and Daan Ruiter, with Quirihn Van der Peet the lucky online qualifier.

Coverage of the show begins airing at midnight Sept. 16/Sept. 17 in the United Kingdom. It was produced for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and is presented by Vicky Coren.

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TheTonz's video leads to poker show spot

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:08:42 -0700

"TheTonz," as his screen name goes on UltimateBet poker, will join regulars from Fox's Best Damn Sports Show Period when they film Season 2 of the Best Damn Poker Show later this month in California.

Wind won his way onto the show by creating a video titled "The Neverland Ranch Poker Invitational." You can see it here.

It's an idea similar to the one employed by Keith Woernle, who won his way on to the first season of the Best Damn Poker Show with a video filled with shoddy impersonations of famous poker pros such as Scotty Nguyen and Eli Elezra. You can see that video here.

The only ingredients Wind needed were a couple of old Halloween costumes, a dollop of imagination and some free time.

"With the exception of Macaulay Culkin, those were my last Halloween costumes," says Wind. "I figured why not go ahead and put them to use?"

Pretty good use all right. It's safe to say hanging out with Phil Hellmuth, John Salley, Chris Rose and Annie Duke on an all-expenses-paid trip to California is going to be a coveted way for a college kid living in Wisconsin to spend a week.

But what do the professors at his college think about him missing a week of classes to start his senior year?

"They've been really good about it and don't seem to mind at all," says Wind.

Hey, if you can help pay their salaries because of it, why would they mind?

"It's not a bad way to pay for school. I am not paying off school by any means yet, but poker is pretty much my part-time job."

The Best Damn Poker Show's format is unique in that winners are determined by how pro judges Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth rate their play. Last season saw guys like Keith and Tony mixed in with celebrity and pro players such as Hollywood Dave, Sully Erna of Godsmack, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Jennifer Tilly, Patrick Warburton and Serinda Swan.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:ultimate-bet:left]]

Wind says he's been playing poker "absolutely as long as he can remember" in family games and still plays plenty at the local casino, as well as online at UltimateBet.

He started taking it a little more seriously about five years ago and says WSOP Main Event winner Dan Harrington's book Harrington on Hold 'em was a big help to his game.

Still, Wind refers to himself as a pretty small-time guy, mostly playing $20/$30 sit-and-gos. But he did pay off his fiancée's wedding ring in just two months with the money he's won playing poker. And you never know what can happen from a trip to TV land.

"A lot of stuff could happen," says Wind, who is also a regular contributor on the PokerListings.com forums.

"There's already some pretty cool things happening. I've never done interviews with big poker sites before. If I win I can get a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event and at the Aruba Classic. Big things could come out of that. Another thing is possible sponsorship."

Last season's winner Woernle, who claims that in order to make a really good audition video, "You must 1) be an idiot 2) have a lot of free time," is now sponsored by UltimateBet.

He won $3k in the first tournament that he played in after the show, and played in this year's L.A. Poker Classic. He's now also nobbing with the hobs at private parties such as Phil Hellmuth's Christmas party.

"Believe me … the average online players are probably exactly like me. I mean, not exactly like me, I'm probably taller and hairier, but you get the idea. The fact is that anyone can achieve the same thrills that I have thus far," Woernle said.

"I wasn't playing in the Big Game when I went on this show; I was playing low-limit like many other online players. I never would have thought I'd be playing in $1,000 tournaments. But here we are."

As for why Wind chose to dis on Jacko and the Neverland Ranch in his audition video, he says he wasn't dissing him at all.

"Hey, imitation is the best form of flattery, right?"

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Main Event to begin airing on ESPN

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:42:44 -0700

The network has been airing the 2008 World Series of Poker preliminary events for the last couple months, and now that it's plowed through them all, it's time to dive into the Main Event. The first two-hour episode will begin running tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

Some highlights from this first episode may be Scotty Nguyen's feature table.

Nguyen created some buzz recently when ESPN aired the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, which the Prince of Poker took down. Nguyen had what some describe as a "meltdown," swearing and causing disruptions at the final table while potentially drunk.

"He had a meltdown last year in the final event and this year at the final table, when play was down to the final three of the biggest and most prestigious event of the Series, something happened to him," wrote Susie Isaacs in her blog.

"It was as if some ugly, vulgar, demon invaded Scotty's body. He didn't even look like the same person as he spewed his venom."

Nguyen has since issued an apology via e-mail to many of his fans who took the time to voice their complaints through his official Web site.

"Last year's Main Event I made the mistake of letting someone get under my skin, of which overtook my mental focus of the game, and cost me my tournament along with a lot of disappointment amongst my fans and peers," writes Nguyen according to a fan who had e-mailed him.

"Since that time, it has haunted me and even now with the mistake that I made. As a professional, you always critique yourself to make yourself better, and in doing so you have to focus on the mistakes you make, in order to improve."

Nguyen points out that several hours of final-table footage were edited down to just an hour and a half for the show, which could affect how he came across to TV viewers. He also said he wasn't sorry he defeated his opponents, but was sorry that his fans may see him in a negative light.

He may get a chance to redeem himself with the fans in tonight's coverage of Day 1a of the WSOP Main Event. Along with his play at the feature table, poker fans may get to see action from Shannon Shorr, Dan Harrington, Lyle Berman, Bobby Baldwin, David "Devilfish" Ulliott, Eric Froehlich and more.

Comedian and actor Ray Romano and actor Mekhi Phifer both played in Day 1a as well.

Main Event coverage will continue on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET until Sept. 30. Then it will continue on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Oct. 7-28.

On Nov. 4, ESPN will air a Main Event final-table preview show at 9 p.m., and then the final table will air Nov. 11 at 9 p.m.

Poker fans can find all of our live coverage from the Main Event in the 2008 WSOP Live Tournaments section, and we'll return to the Rio as well to provide live coverage of the Main Event final table in November.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

FTP Announces Million Dollar Cash Game lineup

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:51:04 -0700

Last year's big story came with cold deck hand between Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius.

Phil holding J♦ J♠ flops jacks full on a board of A♠ A♣ J♣ against Antonius's A♥ 10♣ three of a kind.

Ivey's jacks hold up after the river (A♠ A♣ J♣ 5♦ Q♥), and after an Oscar worthy performance coerced Antonius into making a $250,000 call on the river.

This year plans to keep the action hot inviting an impressive list of red name Full Tilt pros, along with some other well known high stakes players, both live and online. The official lineup is as follows: [[PokerRoom:Logo:full-tilt-poker:left]]

Phil IveyChris FergusonPatrik AntoniusGus Hansen Mike Matusow Erick Lindgren Andy Bloch John Juanda Allen Cunningham Eli Elezra

As well as:

Phil HellmuthTom "Durrrr" DwanTony G

David Benyamine and Doyle Brunson are also likely to make a star appearance. Although many of the same players will be returning from last year, the 2008 lineup has made some significant changes. Players from last year who will not be returning include: Jennifer Harmen, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Roland de Wolfe and Marc Goodwin.

This year's lineup features players every bit as talented, but with some of the action-crazed online players replacing some of the very solid old school live players, the potential action is off the charts.

The filming takes place on the 17th and 18th of September in central London, with the episodes going to air in January of 2009 on Sky Sports.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Poker After Dark finds a new home

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:08:31 -0700

The Golden Nugget, the longest running Vegas Hotel to maintain its AAA's Four Diamond status, has signed a deal to have the first 60 episodes of Poker After Dark filmed inside its newest events center "The Grand". This is not the first serious poker production to use this location, as Brett Kellerman, The Golden Nuggets chief operating officer, pointed out in his statement:

"The Golden Nugget is thrilled to host the fifth season of NBC's exciting, late-night poker program, Poker After Dark. The Golden Nugget has been home to several big poker productions, as well as hosted many poker tournaments and events, so bringing a top-rated program like Poker After Dark to the property just seemed like a natural fit."

Season four of PAD had some of the most entertaining matches ever caught on tape, a selection of games and formats each with the seats filled by some of the most prestigious and talented, online and live, poker players of all time.

In Season 5, PAD plans to bring more of the creative matches, along with multiple sessions of their classic six-handed, winner takes all sit-n-go format.

Season 4 of the program is airing now on NBC.

[[PokerRoom:Logo:full-tilt-poker:left]]

If you would like to win yourself a seat in the next season of PAD, log-in to Full Tilt and play one of the many Poker After Dark satellites or freerolls.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

I'm all-in!: High Stakes Poker to return on GSN

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:29:07 -0700

Although many of the details for the upcoming season have yet to be revealed, GSN director of public relations Jennifer Minezaki has confirmed that GSN has picked up the option on the fifth season of the popular poker program, which is hosted by Gabe Kaplan and A.J. Benza.

The renewal is somewhat surprising considering there were many reports the show would not be back. Even Benza himself publicly stated he thought the show would not be coming back despite the fact it was consistently one of the highest-rated programs on the network.

Rumors had been circulating on various poker forums that the new season would include Jerry Yang, Daniel Negreanu and Tuan Lam and that it would take place at the Wynn Las Vegas. Minezak has since shot down those rumors, saying many of them are inaccurate.

High Stakes Poker changed the concept of what a poker show could be when it launched in January 2006. Skipping the usual tournament style, the show introduced casual poker fans to cash-game poker, with names like Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth all putting a piece of their bankrolls on the line.

The last season of High Stakes Poker was particularly memorable, as it featured the addition of a $500,000 buy-in for several episodes (the normal buy-in is $100,000). One hand saw Patrik Antonius clash with Jamie Gold over a pot containing $700,000.

There was no word as to when the next season of High Stakes Poker will air.

High Stakes Poker rumored to be canceled High Stakes Poker: Sickest pot ever High Stakes Poker: Don't bluff billionaires Doyle prepares for High Stakes Poker war High Stakes Poker to raise buy-in

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Real Dice launches poker for iPhones

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:51:58 -0700

"The expansion of Multiplayer Championship Poker to the iTunes store now allows iPhone and iPod Touch customers to pull up a virtual chair and play Texas Hold'em with the 300,000 users who are already online on a variety of other devices," said Russ McMahon, Real Dice director of mobile development.

"We've developed the game so players from every supported system can play live games together no matter which handset they have. This means that you can log in with your iPhone while you're sitting at the airport and play with your Blackberry-loving best friend or take on a complete stranger who's logged in through Facebook on the web."

Multiplayer Championship Poker features live multiplayer capability, ring games, sit-and-go tournaments and multi-table events every 15 minutes.

The game gives Apple users the ability to connect with thousands of players from around the world at any time.

Multiplayer Championship Poker also has an offline option to play along, practice and build poker skills against unique artificial intelligence opponents. There is also a comprehensive strategy guide for all levels, as well as free desktop and Facebook versions.

According to a press release from Real Dice, the game has received widespread acclaim from gaming and poker enthusiasts alike and was hailed as "Game of the Year" by Smartphone magazine in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Multiplayer Championship Poker is now available for download in the iTunes store for $9.99. It is also available for BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile or Symbian for varying prices.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Deal director takes on poker documentary

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:13:51 -0700

According to a story in Variety, Gill Cates Jr. will direct a documentary titled Pass the Sugar, which will focus on the nine final-table contestants of the 2005 WSOP Main Event, including eventual winner Joe Hachem. Poker fans will remember that Hachem was short-stacked for much of the final table before eventually overcoming Steve Dannenmann in heads-up play.

Cates has directed six motion pictures including $pent, The Mesmerist and A Midsummer Night's Rave although he also works as an actor and producer. Most recently Cates directed Deal, which starred Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Shannon Elizabeth. The plot featured an ex-gambler teaching a college kid how to play poker. The film was poorly received both critically and commercially.

For Pass the Sugar Cates has once again teamed up with producer Caitlin Murray. The pair previously worked on The Chaos Theory, a thriller which is currently in postproduction. Also on the producing team for the poker documentary is Joe Hachem's brother Tony Hachem.

Jennifer Tilly and Jose Canseco's names have also been mentioned with regard to the documentary and will likely be featured in interviews.

Cates seems to have an association with the world of gambling and poker, as the movie $pent followed a chronic gambler.

There was no word as to when the documentary will begin shooting.

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'Real Deal!' offers audience shot at pros

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:35:28 -0700

Well, not quite, but if the Venetian has anything to say about it, these poker stars and a few others might just be part of the next big thing in the Las Vegas show scene.

"The Real Deal!" is the first-ever interactive poker-themed stage show to appear in Vegas. Organizers are calling the show, which is set to debut this fall, a "new paradigm in entertainment."

Whatever that means, it sounds like the show should be pretty cool.

Using wireless handheld technology and audience participation, "The Real Deal!" is part theatre, part stand-up comedy and part game show. It will provide the audience the opportunity to play with and against some of the best poker players in the game for cash and prizes.

"The Venetian sets the standard for entertainment in Las Vegas and we are excited to add 'The Real Deal!' to our existing line-up of world-class shows," says Jason Gastwirth, vice president of entertainment for Las Vegas Sands Corp, the company which owns the Venetian.

"When looking for a new concept to add to our entertainment line-up, we searched for an entirely new experience that would promote audience participation while incorporating well-known personalities that shine beyond the bright lights of the Strip - we found that in 'The Real Deal!'"

The concept allows audience members to earn points to vie for prizes ranging from show merchandise to home electronics to a $1 million grand prize. These prizes are awarded to audience members based on their game performance using the handheld devices.

There are also random winning moments for everybody throughout the show. For example, audience members will be able to wager on simple instances that occur during play on stage. This includes such things as the suit of cards dealt on the flop.

The entire cast of poker pros signed on to do the show includes Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Antonio Esfandiari, Gavin Smith, Eli Elezra, Jennifer Harman, Phil Laak, Scotty Nguyen, and Todd Brunson.

Between them they have eight World Poker Tour Championships (WPT) and 35 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, and have raked in over $48 million in poker tournament prize money.

"Never before has poker been so integrated with entertainment," said Merv Adelson, the creator of the show, cofounder of Lorimar Telepictures and former vice chairman of Time Warner Inc.

"The popularity of poker is unquestioned, as is the viability of live game show experiences in Las Vegas. 'The Real Deal!' will keep guests laughing and give them the unique chance to get into the heads of the world's best pros as they share tips and strategy throughout the fast-paced game. We know it will quickly become a hot ticket."

An elimination process will result in the chip-leading pro, the final surviving amateur and the point leader from the play-along audience ending up on stage for a three-handed finale.

"Poker fans have been able to view and enjoy professional poker action for years on television," said Doyle Brunson. "This is different. Everyone in the audience can be in the game and compete with the pros and other guests. It is a one-of-a-kind-poker experience."

The production runs six days a week at The Venetian Showroom, with shows at 4 p.m. and prime-time performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. A limited number of VIP packages are available for each performance that include the opportunity to meet the pros after the show.

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Format switch raises stakes on NBC poker show

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:08:58 -0700

The new format should make for some jaw-dropping pots, with $200/$400 blinds and a minimum buy-in of $100k and a maximum of $250k.

To kick things off, 21-year-old Tom "durrrr" Dwan, 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, high-stakes recreational player Mike Baxter, five-time WSOP bracelet winner Allen Cunningham, Cirque du Soleil CEO Guy Laliberté and cash-game pro David "Viffer" Peat will lock up in the show's season premiere.

Dwan and Hellmuth met recently in another NBC telecast tournament, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which aired in February 2008. The two aggressive poker behemoths quickly wowed all with the shortest match in National Heads-up Poker Championship history.

After several raises and re-raises Dwan went all-in holding pocket tens in just the third hand. The Poker Brat called with a dominating pair of bullets, but lost when Dwan hit his set on the turn. You can bet Hellmuth hasn't forgotten.

The two got into a heated war of words that had Hellmuth repeatedly referring to Dwan as "son" and Dwan repeatedly issuing a cash-game heads-up challenge to one of the winningest players in history.

"Son, I would tell you this much, son," said a riled Hellmuth after the match. "I would never have put more than $3k in the pot with two tens before the flop."

"I was gonna' say good game, sorry for the suck out, but when you phrase it that way it makes me not wanna," retaliated durrrr. "Phil, that's why you lose money online … pick your stakes heads-up. We can play right now if you want."

"You admit it was a terrible play then?" asked Hellmuth after several more insults.

"Learn to play heads-up No-Limit," said Dwan. "Pick your stakes heads up."

"We'll see if you're around in five years," shot back Hellmuth.

The players then continued to jaw on camera for several more minutes, seemingly much to the delight of the host and organizers.

Although Laliberté and Baxter are recreational players and likely not in the same class as Dwan and Hellmuth, it's poker, and neither is a stranger to high stakes. Both have played in televised cash games before, earning fan admiration and player respect with their skilled play. Both will be in deep at this televised table, however.

Joining Hellmuth from one of poker's most exclusive clubs is Cunningham. Both have lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of eight figures ($10 million). Only three other players share that distinction.

As is customary on Poker After Dark, players' hole cards will be shown to the viewing audience, even if they are mucked pre-flop.

Not so customary is smokin' hot Leeann Tweeden, who makes her debut as the program's new host. Tweeden's career highlights include being a Playboy lingerie model, an FHM cover girl, a longtime correspondent on the The Best Damn Sports Show Period and the honor of being named among the top Hooters Girls of all time. You see what staying in school gets you, kiddies?

Airing at 2:05 a.m. on Monday, July 14, Poker After Dark continues for five consecutive nights in the same time slot. The "Director's Cut" airs Saturday, July 19, at 1:00 a.m. following Saturday Night Live. This show features Tweeden's behind-the-scenes look at the week, with player interviews and highlights of key hands.

This is the first of two weeks of cash games that will take place this season on Poker After Dark, with the second scheduled for the week of October 13. That game will feature Patrik Antonius, Dee Tiller, Howard Lederer, Doyle Brunson, Gabe Kaplan and Eli Elezra.

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Premier League final table to begin airing

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:06:42 -0700

The first episode will air Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (June 24/25) at 12:05 a.m. on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The coverage will conclude with the winner on July 1.

Tony G, Andy Black, Alexander Kravchenko and Marcel Luske automatically made the final for finishing in the first four spots of the Premier League. Roland De Wolfe and Annie Duke had to win their way through heads-up matches that were shown on Channel 4 last night.

The players' points from the league play also determine how many chips they'll take into the final table. One point is equivalent to $10,000 in chips. Tony G finished at the top of the league with 38 points, so he'll enter the final table with $380,000 in chips.

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While his aggressive style hasn't worked well for him in previous seasons of the Premier League, this time around Tony G steamrolled his opponents by winning three heats.

Black also had a good run in the heats, walking away with three victories and second place in the final points total to earn a pretty big starting stack at the final table as well.

One of the big stories of the PartyPoker Premier League this year was that Phil Hellmuth couldn't seem to get a foothold in the event after such a successful run in the league last year. In 2007 the Poker Brat topped the league by winning four heats to easily make the final table. This year, Hellmuth finished last after getting zero points in two of the heats.

Defending champion Juha Helppi also had some trouble with the tournaments this year. He typically excels in this tournament format, but he failed to even make the final table this year.

Roland De Wolfe ran into bad luck in the final heat to miss making the final table. De Wolfe needed just one point to solidify his automatic place at the final table.

He chose a more conservative style for that final heat and ended up busting out and not getting any points at all. Instead, Marcel Luske got the last spot.

De Wolfe ended up going to battle in heads-up play to get his spot. He took on Eddie Scharf while Duke had to play David "Devilfish" Ulliott for her slot.

The seating and chip counts at the final table will be as follows:

Seat Name Country Chip Count 1 Annie Duke United States $190,000 2 Andy Black Ireland $330,000 3 Marcel Luske Netherlands $210,000 4 Roland De Wolfe England $200,000 5 Tony G Australia $380,000 6 Alexander Kravchenko Russia $260,000

Jesse May and Hellmuth will provide commentary when the final table airs.

PartyPoker Premier League back tomorrow Andy Black wins Premier League

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Woody Harrelson wins Cannes celebrity poker event

Sun, 25 May 2008 22:22:32 -0700

If you picked Harrelson, you made the right choice.

The former Cheers star outlasted his celebrity competition at the Cannes 2008 Celeb Charity Poker game and split first place with French actress Alice Taglioni, according to a story on hollywoodtoday.net.

The event, which sees $500,000 paid to the winning actor's charity of choice, has become increasingly popular at the French film festival and the field of players gets larger each year.

One has to wonder if the time Harrelson spent filming the poker film The Grand, which was released earlier this year in select theaters, might have paid off for the Natural Born Killer.

Of course Harrelson wasn't the only player with some movie poker experience. Norton played "Worm" in the benchmark poker flick Rounders alongside Matt Damon. There was no word on where Norton finished but perhaps he would have benefited from some advice from Mike McDermott.

At any rate huge crowds gathered to watch the event, which was broadcast live from the Palm Beach Casino.

Harrelson gave his winnings to environmental group Oasis.

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NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship finale airs

Sun, 18 May 2008 19:34:25 -0700

Some players feel that the true test of poker skill is aptitude at playing heads-up. Other than how the cards fall, the only factors at play are the actions and reactions of the players. How well you know your opponent, both on and off the table, can be a huge factor in whether or not you succeed heads-up.

The road to the final table

To make it to the final two of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, a player has to win five concurrent matches against randomly selected opponents. Ferguson and Bloch both had to make their way through a minefield of tough adversaries to get to the final table.

Chris Ferguson

Round 1, the longest-lasting match of the season, had Chris defeating the formidable John Juanda.

Round 2 ended with Chris winning a coin flip with pocket fours against Gavin Smith's K-8.

In the third round of play we witnessed Mike Matusow lose after pushing his ace-high against Ferguson's flush draw. There was no need to wait, as the final heart fell on the turn.

The quarterfinal was intense as Jonathan Little clambered up to a 6-1 chip lead against Ferguson. Jesus' battle back was furious - he managed to double up twice, the first as he was holding a slight edge, and the second after getting it all-in with pocket nines versus Little's pocket fours.

With a slight chip advantage, Chris called Little's all-in bet with pocket nines, which held up against Little's 10-7 suited.

The semifinal matchup against Phil Ivey was one of the most spectacular, ending with Ferguson going into the tank, finally coming out to make a big call with pocket nines. They held up to beat Ivey's pocket sixes with an open-ended straight draw, sending Jesus to the finals for an amazing third time.

Andy Bloch

Round 1 saw Shannon Elizabeth miss a good draw on the flop, giving Bloch a seat in round two.

In Round 2, Bloch defeated another woman opponent, Vanessa Rousso, after they both hit a flop hard. Bloch's flopped two pair held up against Vanessa's top pair.

Round 3 started off with an early lead for Andy after he flopped a set of fours against Scott Fischman. The final hand had Fischman at a slight advantage getting it all in pre-flop. In the end Andy's hand hooked up a diamond flush for the win.

The quarterfinals found Bloch up against ex-Major League pitcher Orel Hershiser. After trading chips for a long time, Orel called off all of his chips with J-T against Bloch's A-9. The best hand held, sending Bloch to the semifinals with a freshly signed baseball.

Debatably, the toughest matchup for Bloch was against Huck Seed in the semifinals. An hour into the match, the two were almost even in stacks. With a slight chip lead, Bloch moved all-in with his A-Q, getting a call from Seed's pocket nines. Bloch caught an ace to ensure himself a seat at the final table.

Tune in to NBC tonight to see the semifinals, as well as the final match between Bloch and Ferguson, who proves to the world he may just be the world's greatest tournament NL Hold'em player.

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High Stakes Poker rumored to be canceled

Fri, 16 May 2008 01:18:05 -0700

That's what numerous poker blogs including WickedChops and Pokerati are reporting. Apparently GSN has yet to renew the program at a time when it is usually filming new episodes.

Pokerati quoted co-host AJ Benza as saying:

"Far as Gabe and I know... the show isn't coming back. Apparently... the network is going to go in a different direction and that aint good news for our show, especially since we skew a higher-aged audience.

Never mind that we're the network's No. 1 show. Still and all, no one calls us from the network to say squat. Only Kevin Bellincoff checks in periodically, but it just don't seem like good news. If you ask me... They're treating us like s**t. All we ever did was make them a bunch of money."

High Stakes Poker featured professional poker's most well-known players buying in with their own money for $100,000 or more and trying to get the best of each other. The show kicked off in 2006 and has been running for four seasons with 13 episodes in each episode. The commentators were Gabe Kaplan and Benza. Many poker forum members regard it as the best poker show on TV.

The last season was one of the most entertaining yet. The highlights included Phil Hellmuth bluffing Mike Matusow out of a massive pot with nothing but 7-2 and the largest pot in the history of High Stakes Poker, with Patrik Antonius going head-to-head with Sammy Farha for $998,000 pot.

One of the purported reasons for GSN's lack of interest in renewing the show is the departure of former GSN company president Rich Cronin, who championed poker shows on the network.

Many are wondering what the cancellation of High Stakes Poker would mean for GSN's other famous poker show - the World Poker Tour.

High Stakes Poker: Sickest Pot Ever High Stakes Poker: Don't Bluff Billionaires Doyle Prepares for High Stakes Poker War High Stakes Poker to Raise Buy-in

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Green felt on the silver screen

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:52:29 -0700

Poker is an especially hard subject to showcase in a movie. The biggest problem with poker is that in order to set up any sort of legitimate scenario, you need large amounts of screen time showing nothing but players and cards.

That's fine for all of us enthusiasts, but for the average Joe it would be comparable to us having to watch 30 minutes of knitting in the middle of a movie.

To people who don't play poker, especially to people who don't understand the rules of the game, watching people play it on the screen is anything but entertaining. This is why poker movies on the whole fail to depict even somewhat realistic poker play.

Let's look at some specific examples that have committed cardplay to celluloid.

Rounders

The holy grail of poker movies. This movie is the No. 1 example of an entertaining viewing experience that nonetheless portrays legitimate poker play. Even this highly loved movie has plenty of poker inaccuracies, though.

Lucky You

The prevailing tone for this movie as far as verisimilitude goes is set early on, when the lead character walks into the Bellagio poker room. The floorman who greets him is superhappy, nice and accommodating. At this moment I could tell that this movie was not going to stick to many poker truths.

I'm still not too sure why the filmmakers thought it would be a good idea to show player collusion at a final table.

Deal

Possibly the worst poker ever depicted in a poker movie. Everything from ridiculous dialogue and scenarios to blatant ignorance of the actual rules of the game is on display here. My favorite moment was in the final hand of the movie. Heads-up, the small blind somehow checks to the big blind.

During the heads-up play, announcers call 2-7o the worst possible hand in poker heads-up. True, that one's kind of nitpicking, but hey, one of the announcers is Mike Sexton. He knows that it's not the worst possible hand heads-up, and now has crappy story researchers to thank for making him look ignorant.

Oh yeah, and showing Phil Laak stand up to trash-talk his table after winning a pot. Thanks Deal, that's really good for poker... well done.

The Grand

This movie's supposed to be a comedy and a spoof, so I'm much more lenient with it. But still, they shouldn't have Phil Gordon calling an ace-high flush the nuts on a paired board. What it lacks in poker, it almost makes up for in laughs.

Casino Royale

The poker in this movie gets a complete pass from me. There are no glaring errors in terms of the rules of the game, and the play mostly features James Bond. He's done many more ridiculous things that have defied science before; why should we hold credulity-stretching poker play against him?

To put this in context, the whole point of James ordering his martini "Shaken, not stirred" was that he was purposely ordering a bad martini. Half the world thinks you're supposed to shake gin because of this, and they don't even get the gag. You stir gin; you shake vodka.

That said, the poker in this movie was just fine for what it was.

I have to wonder if there will ever be another truly great poker-based movie. Rounders is on most poker players' top 5 lists of favorite movies, with good reason. It's one of the only hard-core poker movies non-poker players can enjoy.

I'm not saying it's not possible to make another poker movie worth its weight in chips - I hope someone does. I just wouldn't stake my bankroll on it.

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PartyPoker World Open IV starts Friday

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:31:11 -0700

The event will feature a field of top poker players from around the world, and Mike Sexton has been chosen to headline the event.

"Mike Sexton is a great addition to the World Open line-up and will be keen to make his trip to London a success," said a PartyPoker spokesman. "However, he faces a very strong field with many U.K. players such as Robin Keston and Neil Channing in great form at the moment."

Other pros joining Sexton for the event include Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Juha Helppi, Marc Goodwin, Barny Boatman and his brother Ross Boatman, Ian Frazer, Thomas Bihl, Roy Brindley, Surinder Sunar, John Tabatabai, Pippa Flanders and more.

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Nick Slade, the winner of the recent PartyPoker European Open IV, will also take his spot at the tables for the televised event.

The World Open is a 72-runner event with an $8,000 buy-in. It features 12 heats, with the winner of each heat moving on to the semifinal stage. The runners-up in each heat will also battle again in last-chance turbo heats to earn the last two spots in the semifinal as well.

In the semifinals, players will be whittled down to the final table where they'll be vying for a $250,000 first-place prize out of a $575,000 prize pool.

Anthony Hardy, a 45-year-old former Sidcup betting shop owner, won the event last year. He climbed to the top over a final table that also included Ian Cox, Ram Vaswani, David Rudling, Ian Frazer and Ian Woodley.

Lee Nelson was the winner of the inaugural World Open in 2005, and Pippa Flanders took down the tournament in its second year in 2006.

Related Article: Mike Sexton to Headline World Open IV

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Poker After Dark Season 4 in the can

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:33:36 -0700

In the first three seasons of PAD, each game was a six-player winner-takes-all freezeout. The latest season will include all of the following:

Double elimination heads-up battle between the 4 NBC Heads-Up Championship winners. Chris Ferguson, Paul Wasicka, Ted Forrest and Phil Hellmuth will each put up $50,000; winner takes all.Two weeks of $200/$400 cash play. Week 1 players: Howard Lederer, Dee Tiller, Gabe Kaplan, Patrik Antonius, Doyle Brunson and Eli Elezra. Week 2 players: Guy Laliberté, Phil Hellmuth, Tom Dwan, Allen Cunningham, Mike Baxter and Antonio Esfandiari.Online qualifier Paul Featherstone will play against five of his favorite players, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman, Phil Hellmuth, Gavin Smith and Mike Sexton.Mike Matusow, with a PAD record of 0-8, will have two six-player freezeout matches to try and break his streak. His first try will be against David Williams, Phil Hellmuth, Gavin Smith, Clonie Gowen and Phil Laak, all former PAD winners.Mike's second try will see him face David Williams, Andy Black, Lee Watkinson, Dewey Tomko and Allen Cunningham, all of whom have made the final table at WSOP Main Events since 2001 but have not captured the title.The "Brilliant Minds" match featuring Bill Chen, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Brandon Adams, Jimmy Warren and David Sklansky, all of whom are viewed as some of the game's best mathematicians."The Mayfair Club" will bring together players who were regulars at the legendary underground New York club: Dan Harrington, Mickey Appleman, Jay Heimowitz and Steve Zolotow, along with Mike Shichtman, the manager of the club during its heyday.Finally there will be a "Nets vs. Vets" event. Three successful online players will team up against veteran pros and world champions. The online players are Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Brian "sbrugby" Townsend and Andrew "good2cu" Robl. They will compete against Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Huck Seed.

Along with the new events and play, the "Speak Your Mind" segment will let you hear from poker authorities such as Phil Gordon, Gabe Kaplan, Cory Zeidman, Phil Hellmuth, Todd Brunson and David Grey.

To top it all off, PAD Season 4 introduces Leeann Tweeden as the new host. You might recognize her from her role as the host for the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

The order for the events to be shown on TV has not yet been determined, but the first episode will go on the air during the week of July 4. Additional information on the upcoming season as it becomes available, as well as profiles of all the players will be available at www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/poker in the near future.

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Deal to be released April 25

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:30:03 -0700

The next poker movie in the works, Deal, starring Bret Harrison, Burt Reynolds and Shannon Elizabeth, will see a limited release on April 25.

The film features a slew of cameos by, among others, Antonio Esfandiari, Joe Hachem, Phil Laak, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer and Vince Van Patten.

No poker movie since the release of Rounders in 1998 has been able to come close to truly capturing the essence of the game. Deal has already been reviewed as "the best poker movie since Rounders" and "the real deal" by some of the poker stars who appear in it, who also claim that it "captures the poker world like it is."

It remains to be seen whether people involved in the making of the movie are an unbiased source of reviews.

The plot of Deal is as follows: As an ex-gambler teaches a hot-shot college kid some things about playing cards, he finds himself pulled into the World Series of Poker, where his protégé becomeshis toughest competition.

It sounds like a solid pitch, as the same plot formula worked rather well in the 1986 film The Color of Money, starring Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. (The cast of The Color of Money also featured John Turturro, better known as "Joey Knish" from Rounders.)

It will be interesting to see if this movie can come through with a real, accurate and entertaining view of the poker world, or if it will fall flat like another recent film that didn't get so lucky.

Watch the trailer on the movies official website http://www.dealthemovie.com/.

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New host for Poker After Dark Season 4

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:45:58 -0700

Tweeden has been a show host and sports reporter on the Fox Sports Network for the past seven years. She's performed Sports Emmy- and Telly Award-winning work covering everything from mainstream and extreme sports to news and entertainment.

Now she'll be working on Poker After Dark interacting with and interviewing some of poker's biggest stars for the viewers.

This isn't Tweeden's first foray into the poker realm either. She was a co-host and exit interviewer on the Mansion Poker Dome Challenge that aired on the Fox Sports Network in 2006. Poker fans will also find her hosting the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship when it begins airing Sunday.

With her new stint on Poker After Dark, she replaces Shana Hiatt, who was hosting the show up until the beginning of this year, when fans noticed Marianela Pereyra had taken over as host but Hiatt's photo still remained on the Poker After Dark Web site.

Hiatt had left the show to have a baby, and now she will be officially replaced as host by Tweeden.

Poker After Dark features one exclusive tournament each week bringing together six of the world's best poker players at a time to play for a $120,000 prize. The tournament is broadcast over six consecutive nights on NBC, allowing viewers to witness not only how the cards play out but also the table banter and the occasional tantrums.

The players who've tried their luck on the show include Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Vanessa Rousso, JJ Liu, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Clonie Gowan, Cyndy Violette and more.

Check your local listings to find out when the show airs in your area.

Hansen Takes On the Ladies on Poker After Dark Poker After Dark -Champion Style Gavin Smith on Poker After Dark

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Mike Sexton chosen to headline the World Open IV

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:26:14 -0700

Even though Sexton is the headliner, the PartyBets.com 16-1 favorite for the event is the recent Irish Open winner Neil Channing, while Sexton is going for 28-1 for the win.

A PartyBets.com spokesman said: "There was no choice but to make Neil Channing favorite to win considering his form but he does have a strong heat featuring his pal Mick McCool. 16/1 may be far too short a price to back for the man they used to call 'Bad Beat.'"

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The $8,000 buy-in event will put 72 players in the running for a first prize of $250,000. Each winner of the 12 heats will move on to the semifinal stage. The runners-up from the 12 heats will do battle in "last chance" turbo heats for the remaining two semifinal spots.

Last year's event was won by 45-year-old former Sidcup betting shop owner Anthony Hardy. His win saw him triumph against a final table composed of Ian Cox, Ram Vaswani, David Rudling, Ian Frazer and eventual runner-up Ian Woodley.

Other familiar faces to look out for this year include recent PartyPoker.com European Open IV winner Nick Slade, Theo Jorgensen, Ian Frazer, Ross Boatman, Marty Smyth, Roberto Romanello, Jon Kalmar, Jon Magill, Thomas Bihl, Roy Brindley, Surinder Sunar, John Tabatabai, Pippa Flanders and Liam Flood.

The Matchroom Sport-organized event will be broadcast on Channel 5 in the U.K. later this year and distributed internationally.

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