Poker News

Shana Hiatt Will Not Be Next High Stakes Poker Host

Poker News Daily can independently confirm that former World Poker Tour (WPT) and “Poker After Dark” hostess Shana Hiatt will not reprise her role on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” Instead, it appears that Kara Scott will be signed.

According to Hiatt’s publicist, Creative Management Entertainment Group, the former WPT hostess will not join the cast of “High Stakes Poker.” Hiatt has been taking care of her one year-old child and traveling the world with her husband, Todd Garner. Hiatt was one of the original voices of the game for much of today’s poker playing population, joining Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten on Travel Channel broadcasts. Hiatt departed the WPT scene in 2005.

Hiatt formerly appeared on NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and “National Heads-Up Poker Championship.” Both are franchises of Poker PROductions, the Mori Eskandani-led outfit that also produces “High Stakes Poker.” Consequently, many in the industry believed that Hiatt would sit alongside former “Welcome Back, Kotter” star Gabe Kaplan in the Season 6 “High Stakes Poker” broadcast booth. Poker PROductions is in the midst of preparing the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event for airing on cable station ESPN in early 2010.

Former host A.J. Benza, whose dismissal by GSN executives sparked a considerable amount of controversy, noted in a blog post that the next “High Stakes Poker” host would actually be a hostess. In a post authored by Kaplan on Friday, the ousted host explained, “I hope the chick they get to do some table interviews during the three-days of play at the Golden Nugget really, truly compliments and adds a great dose of comedy that was apparently lacking up in the booth manned by Gabe Kaplan. Does GSN realize they have apparently copied ‘Poker After Dark,’ the show that feels like a marriage between a Xanax and a Valium?”

On a Mediocre Poker Show podcast, Benza fingered Scott as his replacement. Scott is a sponsored PokerStars player and has taken on commentary duties for European Poker Tour (EPT) events. She finished in the top 250 in both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events and won the PartyPoker Sports Stars Challenge in early 2008 for £26,000. She is fresh off hosting the PokerStars.net Ante Up for Africa tournament that aired on CBS and was filmed during April’s EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final in Monaco.

Poker PROductions and GSN officials could not comment on who would be the next host of “High Stakes Poker” because contract negotiations are ongoing. A GSN representative told Poker News Daily, “We can’t announce the new co-host until his/her deal has been signed and finalized, which hasn’t happened yet.”

In threads on Full Contact Poker, site front man Daniel Negreanu, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, commented, “I like how a guy says he’s 99% sure it’s Vanessa [Rousso] when I’m actually 100% sure it’s not! It’s not Amanda [Leatherman] or Lacey [Jones] or Tiffany [Michelle] either. It’s not an actress either. I can tell you who it isn’t but can’t tell you who it is. Fun game for me!” Negreanu also reinforced that the next hostess is not Hiatt, Sabina Gadecki, Kimberly Lansing, or Jennifer Harman. Poker News Daily can also independently confirm that Leatherman will not be the considered, although she told us she’s love the opportunity.  PokerStars will sponsor “High Stakes Poker” for Season 6.

The show is set to begin filming its next cycle in November from Las Vegas. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the search for the next “High Stakes Poker” host.

Poker Community Reacts to 2 Months, $2 Million Finale

Season 1 of G4’s “2 Months, $2 Million” came to a close last week and the result was an outburst of chatter in the poker community regarding the innovative reality show. The cast landed well short of its $2 million goal, but the majority of viewers seem to be pleased with the overall product that G4 presented.

Jay “SEABEAST” Kinkade, a high-stakes tournament specialist from Australia, followed the series closely all the way through the season finale and was able to relate to the lives of the cast members as a fellow professional poker player. “I think the show did a great job of striking a difficult balance and as someone who has stayed in a house in Vegas two years in a row, it rings very true to my own experiences,” Kinkade explained. “I expected the show to suck and I think it’s awesome. I think all four guys came across great on TV.”

The main subject that has generated speculation since the season finale is whether G4 would bring along the same four members for a potential Season 2 or reach into the bag of high-stakes cash players for a new group. Online poker player “QuadSuited” gave his input on the matter: “Not that I wouldn’t like to see the same cast again in Season 2, but I would like to see at least three seasons a year with a different cast of players every season. I think it would be a great move for keeping a fresh interest in the show on a consistent and growing basis. That being said, I did enjoy this season, although I would have liked to see more poker.”

Some names being mentioned as possible replacements or full-time additions include Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger and Aaron “aejones” Jones, both of whom made cameos during the show’s first season. Lichtenberger gained fame following one episode when he sweet-talked a female into giving him her underwear in order to win a bet against members of the “2 Months, $2 Million” crew.

“I think Krantz (Jay Rosenkrantz), ansky (Dani Stern), and flawless (Brian Roberts) are all awesome,” said poker player “ryanaw19.” “The only person I’d change would be whitelime (Emil Patel); I would swap him for someone who plays higher stakes. It would give them a better shot at actually winning $2 million. I’d go for someone like luckychewy, who plays $25/50 and higher and grinds high-stakes tournaments… chewy would also bring a ton of laughter.”

TwoPlusTwo poster “ralef” enjoyed the show, but agrees that the team should focus on reaching its $2 million goal in Season 2. “The show works because the life of super successful online poker players is interesting and fun,” ralef commented. “Want to make next season better? It’s pretty easy: play bigger against bigger names and do absurd things with your money. Maybe if you don’t want to show poker all of the time, throw in a bunch of prop bets. Also, the drama of ‘Will they or will they not reach $2 million?’ disappeared pretty fast. For most of the season, it felt like ‘Can Krantz carry them to $2 million? No, he can’t.’ Everyone else was usually up or down $10,000 to $50,000… until the last two episodes. Even then, the results depended mainly on how Krantz did.”

An issue that became a concern for many viewers was the length of each episode. “2 Months, 2 Million” ran for 30 minutes, as compared to NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and GSN’s “High Stakes Poker“, which air for an hour. “Next season: longer episodes,” said TwoPlusTwo member “StraddleBet.” “Everything seemed so rushed.”

As of yet, there is no news regarding another season, but Poker News Daily will be there with any updates about the future of “2 Months, $2 Million.”

Unabomber blows up at World Open V

Laak is one of the most recognizable faces in poker, but hasn't had anything resembling a big score since winning an episode of Poker After Dark in 2007.

"This was a wild roller coaster ride and I am proud to have shared it with this amazing cast of characters," said Laak. "They were a tough bunch. Wow - what an honor."

Laak beat Austrian qualifier Jan Veit in heads-up play to win the $250,000 first place prize.

The invitation-only World Poker Open V began with 48 players, including Tom Dwan, Roland De Wolfe and James Akenhead, all of whom were eliminated in the preliminary heats.

By the time the dust had settled in the prelims, Laak, Schwartz, Sexton, Tilly, Andy Black, Bodo Sbrzesny and Veit had booked seats at Thursday's final table.

After a slow start to the final, Black jumped out to the early lead, but was surprisingly the first casualty when he dipped into short stack territory and shoved K-J into Laak's A-7.

Sexton, who was also officially announced as the lone 2009 inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame Thursday, was the next to go when he shoved pocket eights into Veit's pair of kings.

Tilly then found her way to the rail after going all in with A-J and having Veit wake up with pocket nines.

Veit continued to pick up steam when he eliminated PartyPoker grassroots pro Sbrzesny in fourth place, leaving himself, Laak and Schwartz to fight it out three-handed.

The always-controversial Schwartz endured several bad beats at the final table, including getting it in with A-T against Veit's K J in his final hand. Veit went runner-runner to river a flush and bust him third.

Laak and Veit entered heads-up play with nearly equal stacks, but it took just one hand to decide their fate.

Veit got all-in with A-4 on the first hand heads-up and Laak made the call with A-8. An eight on the flop was enough to give Laak the checkmark and a severely out-chipped Veit was forced to shove with J-7 the very next hand.

Laak made the call with Q-9, the board bricked and that was enough to secure Laak the title and $250k prize.

Here are the complete final table payouts for the PartyPoker World Open V:

1. Phil Laak - $250,000
2. Jan Veit - $100,000
3. Luke Schwartz - $40,000
4. Bodo Sbrzesny - $30,000
5. Jennifer Tilly - $25,000
6. Mike Sexton - $20,000
7. Andy Black - $15,000

Visit PokerListings.com

Full Tilt players can now run it twice

Fans of popular TV programs like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker are likely to have seen their favorite cash game legends "run it twice" on more than one occasion.

Essentially, running it twice allows heads-up opponents in a cash game pot, with one or both all in, to agree to have the remaining community cards dealt twice.

The winner of each outcome takes half of the pot. With Full Tilt's new software update, cash game players will now have that option online.

In addition, the software update includes a new Cashout Tournament format, giving players the option of cashing out some or all of their chips before the tournament has ended.

The tournaments follow the same rules as standard tournaments, except that each buy-in is split between a regular tournament prize pool and a Cashout pool.

Players compete for a share of the tournament prize pool as they would in a standard tournament, but also have the option of cashing out some or all of their chips.

For more information on all of Full Tilt's new features click here.

Visit PokerListings.com

Poker Community Speculates on High Stakes Poker’s Next Host

With the news that A.J. Benza will not be returning for Season 6 of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” gossip waves have hit the poker community about who the next host of the highly popular cash game program will be.

Benza, who hosted “High Stakes Poker” for the show’s first five seasons, made an appearance on the “Miserable Men” show on Sirius Satellite Radio last month and claimed that he was being replaced by a female to join Gabe Kaplan in the commentary booth. He later confirmed in his blog that he was being dropped for a “chick” in the upcoming season.

“I hope you like the female they toss in front of you,” said Benza. “And I hope the repartee between she and Gabe works likes ours did.”

Several members of the TwoPlusTwo online poker forum were infuriated by the decision and put together a petition to bring Benza back to the show. At the same time, rumors involving the next host have been circling the discussion boards and several names are being thrown around.

PokerStars will be the new sponsor of the show for Season 6, so early rumors of the new host included PokerStars Team Pro members Vanessa Rousso and Vicky Coren. Rousso, however, denied any likelihood of that happening, telling Poker News Daily, “I’m not sure where the rumor started, but I’m not the new co-host of HSP.”

Fellow PokerStars Team Pro member Daniel Negreanu commented on the subject yesterday at FullContactPoker: “Guess who KNOWS the answer to this? YES ME!!!! LOL. Relax people, Gabe will be doing the commentary alone, but there will be a female addition to the crew, not for strategy discussion, and you all know her and everyone likes her.”

Several poker buffs feel that former World Poker Tour (WPT) host Shana Hiatt is the favorite for the job. Hiatt worked for three seasons on the WPT and also hosted NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and “National Heads Up Poker Championship.” An avid poker enthusiast, Hiatt left the show in 2008 due to pregnancy.

One particular poster on TwoPlusTwo went into depth in their logic behind GSN’s potential decision to hire Hiatt: “From Negreanu’s comments it looks like they’re bringing in the PAD format, a hostess on the floor with only Gabe in the commentary booth. This sounds like an improvement to me. Gabe’s been the voice of the show all along, he’s funny by himself and he can explain things in layman terms for the novices… I’m going to guess that the host is Shana. She’s had the baby, Leeann (Tweeden) has settled on Poker After Dark, so (producer Mori Eskandani) is giving her HSP.

Poster “blink20″ agreed with his assessment: “If they booted (Benza) and somehow get Shana Hiatt on this show, then it would be the greatest move ever! SHANA FTW one time!”

Another female being mentioned as a possible replacement is television personality, journalist, and poker pro Kara Scott. Her selection would make sense on multiple levels, as Scott worked with PokerStars as a host for the European Poker Tour (EPT) in 2007 and 2008. More recently, Scott hosted the PokerStars Ante Up for Africa event, which aired on CBS earlier this month. She is also an accomplished professional at the tables. She was the only woman who cashed in both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, taking 104th in 2008 and 238th in 2009. She also finished second at the 2009 Irish Open, winning €312,600.

Many in the online poker community feel as though Scott would be perfect for the position, filling both the “eye candy” and poker knowledge requirements that regular viewers are looking for.

Other potential fill-ins being mentioned include WPT host Amanda Leatherman, model and Absolute Poker spokesperson Lacey Jones, and actress and poker player Shannon Elizabeth.

GSN is expected to make an official announcement by Friday. Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker” is scheduled to begin filming in November and will air in February.

Doyle Brunson Blasts Face the Ace, Million Dollar Challenge

In a recent blog entry that appeared on DoylesRoom.com, site namesake Doyle Brunson blasted two poker franchises to hit television airwaves in recent months: NBC’s “Face the Ace” and FOX’s “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.”

As talk show host Jim Rome would say, any time a person begins a sentence with “No disrespect intended,” someone is going to be disrespected. On the two poker game shows, which air on network television stations on weekend afternoons, Brunson commented, “No disrespect intended, but these poker shows are awful. Full Tilt’s ‘Face the Ace’ and Poker Stars ‘Million Dollar Challenge’ are so bad, it’s embarrassing. There is no skill involved in either show and I can’t imagine getting an audience that will watch the shows.” Both series saw online qualifiers take to the felts to play heads-up against heralded poker pros.

“Face the Ace” began airing on August 1st and originally claimed the 9:00pm ET hour on Saturday night. It aired for two episodes in prime time before a planned decision to move the poker franchise to afternoons on the weekend day. The first episode of the Steve Schrippa-hosted show featured Don Topel taking home $200,000, but it mustered just a 0.4 rating with a 2 share, which meant that only 1.59 million viewers had tuned in. Its competition included “America’s Most Wanted” and the movie “Red Eye,” which aired on ABC.

One week later on August 8th, Topel lost the $1 million match to Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith and walked away with nothing. The news was equally grim for NBC, which saw the second installment of “Face the Ace” generate a 0.3 rating with a 1 share, the equivalent of 1.46 million viewers age 18 to 49. “Face the Ace” airs once per month on the network, with future one-hour episodes scheduled to be shown on October 31st, November 14th, December 12th, and January 2nd. NBC also broadcasts the National Heads-Up Poker Championship as well as “Poker After Dark,” which airs Monday to Saturday at 2:05am ET.

The “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” premiered last Sunday following NFL on FOX coverage, or around 4:30pm ET in most markets. Daniel Negreanu serves as the face of the franchise, helping contestants battle PokerStars-sponsored sports figures and pros in the first two rounds. Then, Negreanu transitions from friend to foe, taking contestants on heads-up in the third round with $100,000 on the line. All $100,000 winners advance to the Table of Champions, whose victor faces Negreanu for $1 million. Last week, Father Andrew Trapp earned $100,000 after defeating former NBA star John Salley and professional poker player Vanessa Rousso.

“Million Dollar Challenge” returns this Sunday following the NFL on FOX. Then, like “Face the Ace,” it will air once per month, with November 22nd, December 13th, and December 27th serving as its remaining dates. “Face the Ace” and “Million Dollar Challenge” exclusively feature Full Tilt and PokerStars pros, respectively.

Brunson also commented on the recent departure of A.J. Benza from GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” On the televised ring game series, Brunson explained in his blog, “As I travel around, the High Stakes [Poker] cash games are the ones all the fans talk about and I agree with them that they are by far the most interesting. Speaking of that, I read where A.J. Benza is being replaced on GSN’s High Stakes Poker show. That’s too bad, I like A.J.’s subtle sense of humor. Vanessa Rousso is named as his likely replacement. I’m pro-Vanessa so I think she will fit in nicely with the old comic Gabe Kaplan.” Rousso told Poker News Daily that she is not the next host of “High Stakes Poker.” To clear the air, GSN is scheduled to make an announcement by the end of the week.

Hellmuth Doesn’t Believe In Ivey’s WSOP Victory

Phil Hellmuth has been traveling for a month, or so he tells in his latest blog entry. He speaks about how it feels like to coach a WSOP finalist, but also about his upcoming games.

The Poker Brat

Hellmuth have had a busy month. First he traveled all around the USA, then headed to Nottingham, UK, to play in English Open, from there to London and WSOPE and finally to Aruba to play in the Aruba Poker Classic.

He doesn’t feel tired at all, so he intends to keep busy with his traveling life without any breaks. Tomorrow he is heading to Justin Timberlake’s organized golf tournament and at Thursday and Friday he plans to coach Jeff Shulman.

Coaching a WSOP finalist

Hellmuth has promised to coach Jeff Shulman, who’s father, Barry Shulman just won the WSOPE Main Event. “Barry wins the WSOPE, can you imagine his son Jeff winning the WSOP in the same year?  Wow, that’s a sick thought!“, Hellmuth praises.

Jeff Shulman

Hellmuth won’t reveal what he is going to teach to Jeff, but has a solid faith in his victory. On the other hand, Phil doesn’t believe in Ivey’s victory. “Phil Ivey is truly amazing, but he only has $10 million in chips“, Hellmuth says.

Aruba was fun

Hellmuth tells that the trip to Aruba was mighty fun. He had a great suite where they had an epic party.

“The “Dan band” playing live in my suite, 30 bottles of Dom P, a full bar with two bartenders, a DJ, rap battles between Mooknam and Jeff Madsen, and a hot tub that involved some very adult entertainment. ”

To get into the party you had to either have an “Icon” status on Ultimate Bet, “Diamond Elite” on absolute Poker or get into the money at the Aruba’s poker tournament. Only 45 got into the money in the tournament and Hellmuth was 53rd. “The Poker Brat” took a beat when his aces didn’t hold in a 3-way all in pot.

Helmuth also reveals that he is going to play in some Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker episodes in the next season. He is also participating in the WPT tournament in Bellagio which will start on October 22.

Source: Phil Hellmuth’s blog

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Hellmuth Doesn’t Believe In Ivey’s WSOP Victory

High Stakes Poker Axes AJ Benza

According to his personal blog, A.J. Benza revealed that GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” will return for Season 6 featuring Gabe Kaplan and a female co-host. New episodes will begin airing in February on the popular cable station.

A flood of support from fans of Benza follows his High Stakes Poker blog entry, which was published on Sunday. In it, he noted that on a conference call last week, GSN executives Barry Nugent and David Shiff hinted that Benza might be replaced by a female co-host. Benza, as expected, did not take the news lightly, telling the two GSN “suits” on the call, “If you got the best pizza in town for 5 seasons, why try and add licorice to it?” The fifth cycle of “High Stakes Poker” began airing in March and featured a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world, including Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, and newcomers Peter Eastgate, Joe Hachem, and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Facing the possibility of being replaced, Benza reminded GSN officials that he publicizes the show on his own watch “because GSN has never set up not even as much as a radio interview for me.” Benza also asked if Nugent and Shiff were fathers, which the former host explained in his blog entry that they were. He continued, “So surely they would know the hardships of losing a top-rated gig while raising little children in the process. (Oh and did I mention that I have a son who is a Freshman in college). So armed with my track record on giving GSN 5 seasons of a No. 1 rated show, I decided to hit them in the spot where it’s supposed to make a father go mush.”

Benza told Nugent and Shiff that he would take a pay cut to remain the host of Season 6 of the popular poker cash game show, which survived a management change at GSN that resulted in the network declining to pick up its option to carry Season 7 of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Consequently, WPT officials were left scrambling to find a new television partner in the middle of 2008 before finally settling on Fox Sports Net, which will also air the eighth season of the WPT. Benza lamented, “I just want to put it out there y’all. This is the kind of shit that goes on in Hollywood.”

On his future, Benza told readers that he will have a face to face meeting with Nugent: “I will have my meeting with Nugent - and I promise I won’t stab him with a butter knife. He and I go way back to my E! days, and honestly, he’s a good guy.” As to who will sit alongside Kaplan in the “High Stakes Poker” booth this season, Benza hinted, “I hope you like the female they toss in front of you. And I hope the repartee between she and Gabe works likes ours did.”

As expected, the online poker forums have been buzzing with the news that Benza may soon find his way out of “High Stakes Poker,” although no official announcement has come down from GSN. Speculation on Benza’s replacement has ranged from Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso to ESPN announcer Norman Chad’s crush Kara Scott. Despite not necessarily footing the bill as “eye candy,” posters on the TwoPlusTwo forum clamored that Ali Nejad, who hosts “Poker After Dark” and the “National Heads-Up Poker Championship” on NBC, should be considered.

On October 6th, Rousso posted a curious Twitter entry that read, “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge is wrappppped! Woot! Meetings today about another TV project, will keep you all posted.” Just before the start of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas in March, Rousso inked an agreement to become the newest GoDaddy Girl, joining Danica Patrick, Anna Rawson, Marina Orlova, and original site symbol Candice Michelle.

We’ll keep you posted right here on Poker News Daily.

Hellmuth, Nguyen, Harman and Negreanu Nude

Those of you who have seen the new intro credits to NBC’s Poker After Dark will have already noted that Jennifer Harman’s… assets have been somewhat… increased. Alright, alright – her boobs are massive. It’s the real joy of pregnancy.

Annie Duke Comments on Ultimate Bet Scandal Findings

In an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up and Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke discusses the findings of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), the Aruba Poker Classic, and Tiffany Michelle’s appearance on the CBS reality program “Amazing Race.”

Poker News Daily: Talk about the release of the screen names associated with the Ultimate Bet investigation.

Duke: I think that the release of the user names is nice. One of the main things was naming Russ Hamilton. That was probably the most gratifying part of the report. It’s good to come out and say who it was. It puts to rest any questions people might have. If the KGC is going to put that name out there, then he’s the one who masterminded it. That puts the nail in the coffin, which is a good nail to have. Someone who perpetrated something like that should be identified.

PND: Has there been any fallout from not naming the other 31 individuals who were potentially involved?

Duke: I know that in terms of the way it was executed, Russ had access to opening accounts. I think they’re not revealing the 31 names because the level of involvement is unclear. It looks like Russ was using other names to open accounts for cheating. Russ had so much access that it’s hard to say whether the other people were involved.

PND: What has been the reaction you’ve received to the KGC’s report?

Duke: I got some feedback on Twitter of people saying that the report’s release was great. I also had some people calling for the other 31 names. That was the main comment and it’s a tough call. Russ had complete access.

This summer at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), everyone was happy with how things had proceeded. There was a lot of money refunded and Ultimate Bet wasn’t trying to hide anything. People were asking me about the superuser list and my response was that they should write the KGC. It’s a big relief because that was the last piece of the puzzle and Ultimate Bet had to wait for the KGC. Everyone can see that Ultimate Bet wasn’t trying to hide or cover up anything. The present management wasn’t implicated and that’s important. Everyone understands that this management was a victim just like everyone else. This management refunded $22 million and they didn’t have to.

PND: What are you looking forward to the most in Aruba this year?

Duke: Being there the whole time. Last year, I was only there three days and it was all meetings because I had to pack it all in. I didn’t even get to enjoy anything. I can have some time this year to hang out with players, do water activities like tubing, and hang out at the pool. I’m bringing one of my kids and it’ll also be productive in terms of work. It’s funny because there’s also a poker tournament, but it seems like an afterthought.

PND: Does the Aruba Poker Classic lose any luster not being a part of an organized tournament series?

Duke: I don’t think so. In some ways, it gains something from that. I’m not sure right now that the World Poker Tour (WPT) seems to be that huge of a draw anyway. Aruba gets the same attendance as WPT tournaments. The difference is that the people are there because they want to be there, not because they’re just trying to get television coverage. I think it enhances the communal feel of it. That’s in some sense why Aruba feels like a more intimate experience than the Bahamas.

PND: Has there ever been any talk of the Aruba event becoming part of an organized series?

Duke: There’s no reason to worry about it because the attendance has been good. They have television opportunities if they wanted to air it. I sort of feel like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s a beautifully run tournament and Matt Savage always does an amazing job. We’ll get between 400 and 600 players.

PND: Have you had a chance to check out “Face the Ace” on NBC? What are your thoughts on the show?

Duke: I watched the first episode and I don’t like it, but I think it could be fixed. My understanding is that they’ve changed things in the new episodes they’ve filmed. I’m not a huge fan of the host and I wish they used Ali Nejad in that role. It’s important to cast contestants and I understand why they can’t because they’re using online qualifiers, so there isn’t much you can do. Instead, you need to have a host that brings the contestants out. With the pros they’re using, some are good at getting players to talk and some aren’t. That’s another issue. When you get a contestant who isn’t gregarious and they’re paired with a pro who isn’t gregarious, it’s dead air. It’s all a learning experience, though. Full Tilt does some of the best poker programming in the industry.

PND: Will we see an Ultimate Bet version of “Face the Ace” anytime soon?

Duke: Phil Hellmuth would be very good television in those heads-up matches. I think moving out of their circle of pros might help Full Tilt and it wouldn’t hurt them. “Poker After Dark” has been a successful property for them and it features lots of people who aren’t Full Tilt pros. Phil Laak would be really good and there are others who are very big television people. It would help when you have an introverted contestant.

PND: Are you heading to WSOP Europe this year?

Duke: No. I am speaking at an ideas conference. It’s all about nurturing my intellectual pursuits. I’m talking about decision-making and ultimatums. I’m really excited about that and trying to get back to my economic roots. Ideas conferences are cool and feature some of the smartest people in the world.

PND: Are you looking forward to watching Tiffany Michelle on the new season of the CBS reality series “Amazing Race”?

Duke: She’s a fellow pro at Ultimate Bet and I want to support her. I’ll set my Tivo and will be rooting for her. It’s an exciting opportunity for her and for poker.

PND: Does it feel good to re-sign Michelle?

Duke: Tiffany is a very enthusiastic pro. She interacts well with customers and is a good team member. She also blogs a lot, shows up, and does everything we ask her to.

The Nightly Turbo: Poker After Dark, Some Legal Talk, and Joe Sebok Signs with UB

If it is in the news and it is poker, then you'll find it here. The Nightly Turbo is bringing you all the news you need to know so you can get back to your game sooner.

Former Full Tilt Employee Jason Newitt Files Suit

The list of people and organizations that have a bone to pick with Full Tilt Poker keeps growing.  Two new lawsuits involving Full Tilt have brought the online poker room into the legal spotlight.

First, news broke that Brandon McSmith is suing Poker PROductions, the production company behind “High Stakes Poker,” “Poker After Dark,” and NBC’s “Face the Ace,” the latter of which features a roster of Full Tilt Pros facing off against contestants trying to win $1 million.  McSmith alleges he came up with a similar idea for a poker-themed game show called “The All Star Poker Challenge” and is suing Poker PROductions for $85 million.  No legal action is being taken by Smith towards Full Tilt directly, but the company’s close ties to the show mean they will have a vested interest in the matter should it go any further.

The other lawsuit that came to light this week involves Full Tilt Poker in a much more direct capacity.  Pokerati.com broke the news that former Full Tilt employee Jason “JDN” Newitt is filing suit against Full Tilt Poker, Tiltware, Pocket Kings Consulting, and both Howard Lederer and Raymond Bitar.  According to the case filing in the Nevada court system, Newitt is claiming that “he was unfairly fired and that his distribution payments were unfairly ceased.  Defendants then took control of his ownership.”  In other words, Newitt allegedly owned a percentage of Full Tilt Poker and is no longer receiving payments that stem from that percentage.

Prior to filing suit, Newitt was best known in the poker world for accidentally leaking internal correspondence between himself and Howard Lederer regarding potential sponsorship of 2007 Aussie Millions runner-up Jimmy “gobboboy” Fricke.  Newitt inadvertently forwarded an e-mail to Fricke in which Lederer referred to Fricke as a “freak” and a “kind of a weird dude.”  Fricke then posted it on the TwoPlusTwo poker forum.  In addition to simply revealing Lederer’s candid thoughts on the young online pro, the e-mail, which was copied to Bitar and Robert Wolf, shed some light on exactly how big of a role Lederer and Bitar play in the day-to-day dealings of the popular online poker site.

Newitt was let go in the wake of the Fricke faux pas and just recently filed suit for wrongful termination.  Newitt is being represented by the law firm Howard & Howard, the same firm that represented Clonie Gowen in her lawsuit against Full Tilt.  The two cases bear some resemblance to each other, as both individuals claim their distribution payments were ceased without just cause.  A U.S. District Court dismissed the bulk of Gowen’s lawsuit back in May, but Bitar, Lederer, and Tiltware LLC were dismissed without prejudice, meaning that Gowen can re-file against them in the future.  Her claims against several other individuals, including members of Team Full Tilt, were dismissed with prejudice, meaning Gowen can no longer pursue legal action against them in the matter.

At the time Gowen’s case was dismissed, Howard & Howard announced they disagreed with the court’s decision and were considering filing an appeal on Gowen’s behalf.  So far, there has been no announcement from Newitt, Gowen, or Howard & Howard on whether or not Newitt’s case will prompt Gowen to re-file against Lederer, Bitar, or Tiltware.

High Stakes Poker Season 6

Yes, you read it right. High Stakes Poker Season 6 will be televised in early 2010. GSN has not yet confirmed the show, but recently Pokernewsdaily got some inside information about the show. Filming of the new episodes will start in November and the new Season is scheduled to be aired in February.

It was Barry Greenstein who slipped the forewarning in an ESPN’s Inside Deal interview. Greenstein told that the Poker PROductions will begin to assemble players for filming in October and November. Eric Drache told quite much the same in a TwoPlusTwo Pokercast interview.

Drache told that the players will be gathered after the new Poker After Dark Season is filmed. Most of the Pro players are going to Europe for WSOPE and EPT London, so the filming after the European events fits quite nicely in the schedule.

After the fourth Season of HSP there was some changes in the management of GSN and it was uncertain how those would affect the show. There was quite big delay between the fourth and fifth Season of HSP, but luckily enough the sixth Season seems to start in time. After GSN cancelled the WPT broadcasts many believed it was the end of HSP, but much of a relief of the fans GSN continued to air the best Poker show there is.

Source: Pokernewsdaily

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High Stakes Poker Season 6

High Stakes Poker to Return for Season 6

Fans of televised poker will be relieved to hear that the popular program “High Stakes Poker” will be returning to GSN in early 2010.  While there has yet to be an official announcement from the network, Poker News Daily has learned that the show will be filming new episodes in November that will begin airing in February of next year.

Barry Greenstein first let the cat out of the bag during an interview on the ESPN poker show “Inside Deal” back in August, saying that “High Stakes Poker’s” production company, Poker PROductions, was planning to assemble players for filming in October and November.  Eric Drache said much of the same in an interview on the TwoPlusTwo Pokercast, saying they would convene players after filming concludes on another PokerPROductions vehicle, “Poker After Dark.”  With most of the players spending the next couple of weeks at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe and European Poker Tour (EPT) London stop, it will be a little while before players will return to Las Vegas, where filming will once again take place.

Poker News Daily can independently confirm that “High Stakes Poker” will return for Season 6 in February, 2010.  The quick announcement of “High Stakes Poker’s” newest season stands out in stark contrast to the long delay between Season 4 and Season 5 in which the future of the show looked uncertain.  Rumors swirled that a change in management at GSN meant the show, which performs well in male demographics, but fares worse with the female audience that watches other GSN shows, was not going to return.  The cancellation of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on GSN cemented the belief that “High Stakes Poker” was done, but a last minute announcement in September of last year revealed the show would be back for a fifth season.

That fifth season aired earlier this year and was best known for numerous pots involving online poker pro Tom “durrrr” Dwan.  Greenstein discussed two of the most memorable hands from the season during his “Inside Deal” interview.  The first was a three-way pot involving Dwan, 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate, and Greenstein.  Dwan flopped the worst hand, but his aggressive play managed to get Greenstein to fold pocket aces and Eastgate to fold trips in order to take down the pot.  The other big pot also involved Dwan, Greenstein, and pocket aces.  Greenstein and Dwan got it all-in on the flop, with Greenstein holding pocket aces to Dwan’s top pair of queens with a flush draw.  Dwan hit trip queens to take down the biggest pot in “High Stakes Poker” history, worth almost $920,000.

Despite Greenstein’s rough go of it last season, he is up for the challenge once again and is already plotting his signature charity catchphrase.  Previously, Greenstein has uttered phrases like “lol donkaments” on the show in order to raise money for his charity of choice, Children’s Incorporated.  Greenstein told “Inside Deal” hosts Laura Lane and Bernard Lee that he is aiming to use one of the latest online poker catchphrases, “Bing, Blang, Blaow” at some point during Season Six.  The phrase comes from a comical poker rap that is circulating the web via viral video and Greenstein aims to capitalize on its popularity to raise even more money for a good cause.

It will be a few months before we will see exactly how Greenstein will work “Bing, Blang, Blaow” into the upcoming season and which other top-of-the-line poker pros will be around, but in the meantime, those hankering for a televised cash game fix can tune into this week’s episodes of “Poker After Dark.”  As mentioned previously, the show is also produced by Poker PROductions and this week’s game features a line-up of some prior “High Stakes Poker” favorites like Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Dwan, Eli Elezra, Howard Lederer, and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Face the Ace to Return Saturday Afternoon

After a month-long absence from the airwaves, the NBC game show “Face the Ace” will return to the networks line-up this Saturday. Several changes are in store for the program, which struggled in the ratings when it first debuted back in August.

Most notably, the show is no longer airing on a weekly basis, but will instead be shown once a month on Saturday afternoons as part of the NBC Sports lineup. Previously, the show aired in a primetime time slot on Saturday evenings. For those who may not be familiar with the show, the basic premise offers contestants a chance to square off against some of the top poker pros in the world over a series of three matches. If the contestant is able to get the best of the first pro, they have the option to either take $40,000 or risk it all by playing a second pro in a match worth $200,000. Should the contestant win the second match, they will again be offered a chance to leave with the money or go for broke in a third and final showdown worth $1 million.

The first two episodes saw contestant Don Topel defeat both Erick Lindgren and Howard Lederer only to lose to Gavin Smith in the final million dollar match and walk away empty-handed. Over the course of the first two episodes only one contestant has actually won any prize money, opting to walk away with $40,000 after defeating November Nine member Phil Ivey in the first round.

Mori Eskandani, who produces “Face the Ace” spoke about some of the alterations to the show in a statement on NBC Sport’s official website. “Viewers of this week’s show will see that we’ve made some changes from the first two episodes which are designed to create even more excitement. For instance, the live audience, which is comprised mostly of the other qualifiers and their friends or spouses, will be far more vocal and have a greater role in maintaining a high energy level on the set”, Eskandani explained. “There are some other subtle changes also, and we think the viewers will like them.” Eskandani’s production company Poker PROductions also produces the popular NBC series “Poker After Dark” and Game Show Network’s “High Stakes Poker.”

One player who will be featured on Saturday’s episode is French native Nicholas Mamy who won his way onto the show via a satellite on Full Tilt Poker, the program’s sponsor. Mamy was urged by fellow online poker players David “The Maven” Chicotsky and “Bodog” Ari Engel to give the satellite a shot. Next thing he knew he was flying to Las Vegas for a July taping of the show where he rubbed elbows with Schirripa, co-hosts Ali Nejad and Megan Abrigo as well as the host of Full Tilt Pros on hand to participate in the show. The identity of Mamy’s first opponent has not been disclosed, as the surprise reveal of the pro is a major part of the show.

Saturday’s episode of “Face the Ace” is scheduled to air at 2 PM, preceding coverage of the BMW Championship golf tournament. The following episode is set to air on Halloween, October 31st, at 3:30 PM.

Poker After Dark Air Epic Cash Game Line-Up

A long-anticipated Poker After Dark: The Cash Game show has finally been broadcast. This epic line-up features Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Eli Elezra, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies as well as Team Full Tilt members Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer.

The Nightly Turbo: Poker Hall of Fame, Poker After Dark, Durrrr’s New Sponsor?

Hope everyone is refreshed after the long weekend. We know we are. If you're looking for the top poker news stories of the day, you've come to the right place. The Nightly Turbo is the best place to get your fill, all in one place.

Sick lineup for <i>Poker After Dark</i> cash game

With Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies, Eli Elezra and Howard Lederer all dumping down the $100,000 minimum buy-in, this year's game should be one for the ages.

Players will find themselves confronted with $200/$400 blinds and a $100 ante to start, which should help produce a number of awe-inspiring monster pots.

This marks the second year that NBC has aired two weeks of cash game episodes on Poker After Dark.

Just like last year, players will draw for seats, but then redraw half-way through the game to give viewers a different table dynamic.

This is the first year that Finnish cash-game maniac Ziigmund will be making an appearance. Sahamies is renowned for his Pot-Limit Omaha skills, relentless aggression and some of the best trash talk on the Internet.

Unfortunately, he hasn't exactly lit the world of TV cash-game poker on fire. Earlier this year he appeared on GSN's High Stakes Poker, but was fairly quiet, allowing durrrr to steal the show by winning hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Dwan could very well duplicate that effort on Poker After Dark, but it will be tough as the other players at the table are likely no strangers to poker fans.

Ivey is on the biggest heater of his life after winning two 2009 WSOP bracelets over the summer and a seat at the Main Event final table.

Antonius is having a banner year online with nearly $4 million in profits and he'll look to keep that streak going on the live tables.

Meanwhile, Elezra has as much gamble as anyone and will be doing his best to get all of his chips in the middle.

Finally, Lederer brings a lifetime of cash game experience to the table and the man they call the "Professor" will be surely looking to school some of the young upstarts in the game.

The program begins airing on NBC tonight (Sept. 7) and can be seen for five consecutive nights in the late night time slot of 2:05 a.m.

There is also special director's cut episode to air at 1 a.m. Saturday. The show can be seen in the same time slot next week as well.

Check your local listings for more information.

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PokerStars Teams With Fox Network Television For New Poker Show

PokerStars, who has been on the hunt for an outlet for some poker related television programming of its own in the United States to keep up with other online poker sites, has announced that they will team up with Fox Sports for a national network broadcast of a heads up poker program that is called the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge.”

The program is set to premiere on October 11th either before or following – the tentative schedule states that the start time is 4PM, but could be adjusted depending upon the region of the country and any football conflicts – the regional broadcast of the National Football League. The “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” will feature a challenge somewhat along the same lines as NBC’s “Face The Ace.”

Players will have to battle their way through several Heads Up No Limit Hold’em matches against some of the top poker professionals in the world (as with Full Tilt Poker’s sponsorship of “Face The Ace” and the resulting Full Tilt pros on the show, it is expected that the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” will prominently feature the PokerStars stable of poker players.) If they are able to make their way to the top of the mountain, they will take on PokerStars professional Daniel Negreanu – who will have also coached the players in their previous matches – for a $1 million prize.

Qualifying for the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” is quite unique in that players don’t have to pay a dime for the chance to be on television. There are daily freeroll qualifying tournaments at 8PM and 11PM (Eastern Time) that players start with and which will run until November 25th. In those tournaments, the player has to finish in the Top Ten to be eligible to continue on to attempt to qualify for the program. Rather than determining the players on the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” through poker ability, however, a different method will be employed to determine who will head for California.

If a player finishes in the Top Ten, the player then has to submit a two minute video to PokerStars as to why they should be considered as a player for the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge.” These two minute videos will also have to feature two friends that will also come with the player to participate in the show. The friends will be an integral part of the show, as they will be able to offer advice to the player as they are competing on the program. Players who are chosen by the PokerStars Team will then be on their way with their buddies to the Fox Network television studios and could compete on the show.

The remaining episodes of the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” will extend through the remainder of 2009. Episodes will be broadcast on October 18th, November 22nd, December 13th, and four of the top winners will return for what is being called a “grand final” which will be shown on December 27th. Because of the Fox Network’s commitments to the NFL, the show is scheduled to be aired at 4PM but could be moved to a different time on Sunday afternoon, according to how the NFL schedule is laid out.

With the unveiling of the “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge,” poker is seeing a renaissance on television overall and exposure on the major networks in particular. With “Face The Ace” on NBC and the ongoing showings of “Poker After Dark,” the World Poker Tour and “High Stakes Poker” on GSN (among others), poker is almost as prevalent on television as it was five years ago. For more information on the rules of the competition or to take part in the freeroll tournaments, visit PokerStars to learn more.

Jamie Gold - Poker Player Profile

Jamie Gold is the winner of the largest cash prize in a televised sports event - $12 million for the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event. After outlasting 8,772 players over the course of eleven grueling days, Gold instantly became a poker-star and one of the many faces of the game. Having been taught poker at a very young age by his grandfather, winning the WSOP was somewhat of a life-long dream for Jami Gold, who had a mere $100K in cashes before making the gargantuan score. Since then, Jamie’s life has been a whirlwind of magazine covers, article publications, and various T.V. appearances on shows like GSN’s “High Stakes Poker”, NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and “National Heads Up Championship”, ABC’s “Celebrity Pro-Am”, and of course, ESPN’s “World Series of Poker”.

As with many other poker professionals, Jamie Gold started somewhere else – in his case, as a talent agent interning with J. Michael Bloom. After moving to Los Angeles at the age of 21, Gold worked for a few years before co-founding the successful Gold-Bouchard management company that boasted such clients as James Gandolfini, Jimmy Fallon and Felicity Huffman.  He is now the acting head of an entertainment company called Buzznation.

In balancing life, poker, and a job while still being able to donate some of his time and wealth, Jamie Gold has earned a very becoming moniker: The Poker Philanthropist. Chief among his charitable endeavors is his involvement in the fight against ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, the illness which claimed the life of his father, Robert. He has also attended, supported, or hosted more than 40 charity events since his WSOP victory. Whether he’s busy with his professional career, playing on the felt, or our giving back to the community, Jamie Gold is a true champion.

Face The Ace Finishes Last in Timeslot for Second Straight Week

After premiering to last place ratings last week, the new NBC poker show “Face The Ace” failed to increase viewers in its second run over the weekend, again finishing last in its timeslot on Saturday night.

According to the website TV By The Numbers, the August 8th broadcast of “Face The Ace” drew just 1.46 million viewers for a 0.3/1 (rating/share) with adults aged 18 to 49, the prime demographic for television advertisers and the basis for ratings. This was well short of its premiere on August 1st, when the show drew 1.59 million viewers and a 0.4/2 (rating/share). Airing in the 9:00pm ET hour on Saturday night, the perennially popular FOX program “America’s Most Wanted” again won the time slot, with repeat showings of the Disney film “Finding Nemo” and the CBS mystery program “48 Hours Mystery” surpassing NBC’s “Face the Ace” broadcast.

After the two episode tryout in the primetime arena, “Face The Ace” now will move to what could be a more ratings-friendly timeframe during weekend afternoons. From the start, the plan by NBC was to expose the program and test the waters for future poker programming in the primetime slot. The show will go on hiatus for over a month, returning on September 12th at 2:00pm ET.

After the September broadcast, there will be one broadcast per month of “Face The Ace,” which may not enable a following to build for the program; October 31st, November 14th, December 12th, and January 2nd are the scheduled dates. Even with the schedule set, local stations ultimately determine if they want to broadcast poker programming. This has been done in the past with NBC’s presentations of “Poker After Dark” and even the National Heads Up Championship.

Arguments on how to improve the show on Poker News Daily have ranged widely. Some readers asked why it wasn’t shown at all in the Houston and Detroit markets on August 1st, while others debated about what type of viewer it was targeting (a poker aficionado versus the casual player). What has been consistent is that many agree that host Steve Schrippa (formerly of “The Sopranos”) did little to add to the festivities. Some also thought that sending a losing player away with nothing was a bit harsh for what many view as a game show. This week, the show did not air in the Salt Lake City market.

On the episode shown this weekend, contestant Don Topel was stopped short of his $1 million dream when he chose to play Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith for the final round. After jousting for several hands, the former World Poker Tour (WPT) Player of the Year ground Topel down and defeated the challenger, forcing him to walk away with nothing for his efforts. Marcia Owens, the third contestant ever on “Face The Ace” and its first female player, was eliminated by Gus “The Great Dane” Hansen in the first match she played.

Episodes can be seen online at NBC.com.

UltimateBet Offers First 2-7 Game Online.

Because playing six-figure pots wasn't enough on both High Stakes Poker ($300/$600/$100a) and Poker After Dark: The Cash Game ($200/$400/$100a), the players often played the 2-7 game whereby any player who won a pot with that hand won $500 from each other player.

Face the Ace Struggles in Ratings, Debuts in Last Place

NBC’s new poker show “Face the Ace” debuted on NBC on Saturday night, with contestant Don Topel winning $200,000. This week, he’ll go for $1 million. Despite the high-stakes drama, “Face the Ace” premiered in last place in the ratings.

“Face the Ace” aired from 9:00pm ET to 10:00pm ET on Saturday night. According to television ratings provided by TVByTheNumbers.com, during its first half-hour, the series of heads-up poker matches garnered a 0.4 rating with a 2 share, equating to 1.59 million viewers. Of the four major networks in the United States, NBC took last during that time slot. FOX, which aired an episode of “America’s Most Wanted,” claimed the top spot with a 1.5 rating and 6 share, or 4.43 million viewers.

During its first half-hour, “Face the Ace” also squared off against the ABC movie “Red Eye,” which kicked off at 8:00pm ET and ran for three hours. During the 9:00pm ET to 9:30pm ET time slot, “Red Eye,” claimed a 0.7 rating with a 3 share, good for the second best tally with 3.27 million viewers. Finally, CBS aired a rerun of “Numb3rs” between 9:00pm ET and 10:00pm ET. During the hour-long show’s first 30 minutes, “Numb3rs” also generated a 0.7 rating with a 3 share, equating to 3.26 million viewers and falling just short of the ABC movie.

During its second half-hour, “Face the Ace” was up against the same three shows. “America’s Most Wanted” once again led the way with a 1.6 rating and a 6 share for 4.78 million viewers. “Red Eye” claimed a 0.9 rating and a 4 share, which translated into 3.82 million viewers. “Numb3rs” boasted a 0.7 rating with a 3 share, good for 3.57 million viewers. Once again, “Face the Ace” rounded out the top four, taking a 0.4 rating with a 2 share. The poker television show attracted 1.54 million viewers.

Several NBC affiliates pre-empted “Face the Ace” for local programming, including the Houston and Detroit affiliates, two of the largest markets in the country. Formerly airing in the time slot currently held by “Face the Ace” was “Kings,” likely a much pricier series to produce. Therefore, NBC’s margin may be slightly higher on “Face the Ace.” A poster on TVByTheNumbers.com noted that despite “Face the Ace’s” sluggish ratings, “Kings also had a price tag that was how much bigger?” Full Tilt Poker sponsors “Face the Ace”. All of its “aces” are pros of the online poker site.

TVByTheNumbers.com reports ratings for viewers aged 18 to 49. “Face the Ace,” as a poker-themed show, does not target the full spectrum of this demographic. “Poker After Dark,” NBC’s daily poker show, airs at 2:05am ET. This week’s match-up is entitled “Close But No Cigar” and includes players who have reached the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, but have yet to claim a title in the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament: Mike Matusow, Lee Watkinson, Allen Cunningham, Dewey Tomko, Andy Black, and David Williams.

A thread that appeared on the online poker forum PocketFives.com recommended several improvements for future episodes of “Face the Ace,” including having a contestant’s loved ones on stage rooting them on (in a similar fashion to the NBC game show “Deal or No Deal”), Full Tilt Poker pros railing their colleagues, a player winning an on-stage sit and go to face an ace, and a new host.

“Face the Ace” will air this Saturday, August 8th, at 9:00pm ET. Then, it can be seen once per month until January of 2010. Show officials described the first two primetime episodes as an opportunity to “test the waters” for future programming choices. Here’s when you can catch “Face the Ace”:

August 8th, 2009 – 9:00pm ET
September 12th, 2009 – 2:00pm ET
October 31st, 2009 – 3:30pm ET
November 14th, 2009 – 3:00pm ET
December 12th, 2009 – 3:00pm ET
January 2nd, 2010 – 2:30pm ET

We want to know what you think. What would improve the ratings for NBC’s “Face the Ace”? Leave a comment and voice your choice.

NBC’s <i>Face the Ace</i> premiers Saturday

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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“Boosted J” Inks Deal With Full Tilt Poker

After an excellent performance at the World Poker Tour’s first stop of their eighth season at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, longtime online professional Justin “Boosted J” Smith has signed a deal to be a Full Tilt Poker sponsored professional.

Smith, who finished third at the Bellagio Cup behind runner up Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and eventual champion Alexandre “allingomes” Gomes, has a long history of success in the online game and has recently been transferring those skills over to the live poker world. At the most recent World Series of Poker, “Boosted J” finished with a highly respectable five cashes with his best finish an eighth place final table in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo World Championship. After his debut at the World Series of Poker Europe last year, Smith has earned almost $700,000 in live tournaments and has earned much more in the online game.

Although a young player that has been weaned on the online game, Justin has shown a propensity for all the disciplines of poker. In fact, his five cashes at the World Series ranged across the board, including Pot Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Lowball and heads up Texas Hold’em. Befitting of his skills in multiple games and his new status as a sponsored Full Tilt pro, Smith has three tables of high stakes (one $1000/$2000 and two $400/$800) Mixed Game tables named in his honor.

“Boosted J” will have to drop his famous online moniker in exchange for seeing his real name in red on Full Tilt alongside perhaps the best stable of poker players in the game today. The “Friends of Full Tilt” encompass such notable celebrities as “Ocean’s Eleven” star Don Cheadle, Ultimate Fighting Championship ring announcer Bruce Buffer, “Poker After Dark” announcer Ali Nejad and author Jim McManus. There are also other levels of poker superstardom on Full Tilt Poker.

Full Tilt boasts one of the best poker training crews in CardRunners, made up of 2007 Online Player of the Year Isaac Baron, recent $25,000 Full Tilt Heads Up Poker Champion David Benefield and Taylor Caby (just to name a few). For those interested in international players, Full Tilt is the home of “The Hendon Mob,” the legendary English crew consisting of the Boatman brothers, Barny and Ross, as well as Joe Beevers and Ram Vaswani. When it comes to the Full Tilt sponsored pros, “Boosted J” will join the ranks including such players as Gavin Smith, 2008 WSOP Women’s Champion Svetlana Gromenkova and Chip and Karina Jett.

Finally, there are the players that are recognized as “Team Full Tilt.” The players who make up this group comprise thirteen of the finest players nowadays. Their combination of 36 WSOP bracelets is unequaled on any other online site and their resumes speak for themselves. Some of the players who make up “Team Full Tilt” include former World Champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, defending WSOP-Europe champion John Juanda and 2009 “November Nine” member Phil Ivey.

Congratulations to Justin on his new status as a Full Tilt pro and good luck on both the virtual as well as the physical poker tables worldwide.

NBC’s Face the Ace to Premiere August 1st

In online poker’s version of Iron Chef, Face the Ace will premier on NBC on August 1st. The show will air in the 9:00pm to 10:00pm ET time slot and is hosted by The Sopranos’ Steve Schirripa. It features pros from Full Tilt Poker.

In a conference call earlier this week, Schirripa noted that Face the Ace is the “first of its kind to air in primetime on a broadcast network.” At stake is a chance to win $1 million on national television and the series contains a total of seven episodes. To start Face the Ace, four pros will be stationed behind glass doors, hidden from view by a contestant, who will select one to play in a game of Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em. If a contestant defeats the “ace,” they’ll receive $40,000 for their efforts. They can then elect to keep the $40,000 and walk away or face a second pro for a chance at $200,000. If they win once again, each contestant can take the money or play one last heads-up match for $1 million. If a contestant loses to an “ace” at any time, they’ll forfeit their winnings in a unique all-or-nothing proposition.

Each match that a pro wins means $10,000 will be donated to the charity of their choice. The pros who will participate in NBC’s Face the Ace include some of Full Tilt Poker’s top names: Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius, Andy Bloch, Allen Cunningham, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Gus Hansen, Jennifer Harman, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Phil Ivey, 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event winner John Juanda, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Mike Matusow, reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship victor Huck Seed, Erik Seidel, and Gavin Smith.

The show is co-hosted by Ali Nejad and Megan Abrigo, who holds case number six on the hit NBC game show Deal or No Deal, is Face the Ace’s hostess. Nejad gave his take on the caliber of contestants that viewers can expect to see: “The qualification process online is difficult. For these guys to have gotten that far - they’re either the luckiest guys we know or they’re good.” Schirripa added, “Personally, I thought some were pretty good. They didn’t seem intimidated and, if they were, they hid it pretty well.”

The show airs on August 1st and August 8th at 9:00pm ET. Then, it airs once per month through January, 2010:

August 1st, 2009 – 9:00pm ET
August 8th, 2009 – 9:00pm ET
September 12th, 2009 – 2:00pm ET
October 31st, 2009 – 3:30pm ET
November 14th, 2009 – 3:00pm ET
December 12th, 2009 – 3:00pm ET
January 2nd, 2010 – 2:30pm ET

Three of the seven episodes have already been filmed, with Schirripa describing the first two primetime broadcasts as opportunities to “test the waters.” When viewers tune in, they’ll witness high-stakes poker and life-changing money on the line. Nejad described what makes Face the Ace resoundingly successful: “There’s no safety net here like there is in other game shows. If you don’t win your match, you lose everything you’ve won. The pressure is really on and this isn’t a cakewalk.”

Face the Ace is not NBC’s first venture into the poker world. The massive U.S. network airs Poker After Dark weekly and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship once per year. Meanwhile, qualification for Face the Ace continues on Full Tilt Poker. The site, which serves as a presenting sponsor of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Fox Sports Net, is holding Round Two Face the Ace qualifiers tonight at 21:15 ET and August 2nd at 21:15 ET. The next Face the Ace Final Qualifier takes place on August 3rd at 21:15 ET. The two former tournaments have a buy-in of 100 Full Tilt Points, while the Final Qualifier boasts a price tag of 2,500.

We’ll have full details of the inaugural Face the Ace episode right here on Poker News Daily.

New Poker After Dark Series Features Matusow, Rousso

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Grand Poker Series returns to Golden Nugget

"We are pleased to bring back the Grand Poker Series for its second year," said John Colville, director of Golden Nugget poker.

"Players were extremely pleased with the first series and we want to make it bigger and better this year, while still delivering the level of play and customer service our poker players expect."

The Grand Poker Series will feature daily tournaments at noon each day as well as two daily No-Limit Hold'em Bank Roll Builder tournaments.

The Bank Roll Builder tournaments will have a $125 buy-in and take place at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. each day. The tournaments will include Hold'em, Omaha, H.O.R.S.E. and Seven-Card Stud.

Throughout the month there will also be special tournaments, including some for seniors and ladies as well as the grand finale and a charity poker tournament to benefit The Boys and Girls Club.

The Susie and Howard Lederer Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament will take place July 1, and has a $330 buy-in. Up for grabs will be a spot on NBC's Poker After Dark for the winner, which gives that person a chance to win $120,000 in cash.

Full Tilt Poker is donating the Poker After Dark seat and additional prizes for players have also been donated by the Golden Nugget and other sponsors.

Players can also win their way into the charity tournament by playing in any noon Grand Poker Series tournament June 6-10.

The Series will also feature Super Sunday events with a variety of No-Limit Hold'em tournaments at various buy-ins, daily cash giveaways totaling $1,000 and seats in the grand finale up for grabs.

Last year the Grand Poker Series drew in more than 15,000 players from around the world and awarded more than $1.2 million in prize money. Two celebrity charity events also raised more than $250,000 for multiple charities.

To register for this year's events, call (800) 777-4658, email poker@goldennugget.com or stop by the Golden Nugget Poker Room.

For more information about the series and to see the complete schedule of events, visit GoldenNugget.com.

Visit PokerListings.com

WSOP Ante Up for Africa Celebrities Announced

The third annual Ante Up for Africa fundraiser will kick off on July 2nd from the Rio in Las Vegas as part of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) festivities. This week, Harrah’s officials announced a bevy of celebrities and poker players who are slated to attend.

Ante Up for Africa was founded in 2006 by Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke, “Crash” actor Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein. Since then, the organization has raised over $2 million for victims of the crisis in Darfur. On Celebrity Apprentice, which wrapped up on Sunday night with comedian Joan Rivers becoming its champion, Duke played for Refugees International, an organization that works closely with her own charity. Last year’s $5,000 buy-in Ante Up for Africa tournament held during the WSOP was won by John “World” Hennigan, a two-time bracelet winner and former World Poker Tour (WPT) champion.

Due to Nevada gaming laws, direct donations to Ante Up for Africa from its charity tournament are prohibited. Consequently, players who finish in the money typically donate half, or sometimes all, of their earnings to the organization. Joining Hennigan at the final table last year were Michael Degusta, Dan Shak, Phil Hellmuth, Matt Calhoun, Jerry Cantrell, Jordanna Schutz, Ray Romano, and Casey Affleck. In 2007, Shak became the inaugural champion of the Ante Up for Africa charity event, defeating Brandon Moran.

This year, several contestants from NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice will hit the felts in Las Vegas on July 2nd when the Ante Up for Africa tournament begins, as Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker and NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman will participate. Both appeared on the finale of the reality series; Rodman teamed up with Duke, while Walker provided invaluable support to Rivers. Also slated to appear from the world of sports are Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Reggie Miller, who is the former star of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. Celebrities confirmed to participate are “Rounders” actor Matt Damon, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, talk show host Montel Williams, “Simpsons” voice Hank Azaria, “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, comedian Marlon Wayans, actress Sarah Silverman, and “Oceans 11” co-star Casey Affleck.

Several high-profile poker players have also signed up for the charity tournament. Subject to availability, the list includes Duke’s brother, Howard Lederer. The Full Tilt Poker pro recently donated $100,000 during Celebrity Apprentice and is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner. Lederer owns over $1.2 million in earnings from WSOP felts and has battled on televised poker programming like GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Poker After Dark.” Former MIT Blackjack Team member and current Team Full Tilt pro Andy Bloch will also appear, as will eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel. The latter paid $5,000 for a single cupcake on the very first episode of Celebrity Apprentice Season 2.

Also slated to appear is Phil Hellmuth, Duke’s sidekick on Ultimate Bet. Hellmuth owns a record 11 WSOP bracelets and recently saw his reign as youngest Main Event Champion come to an end when Peter Eastgate took home the title in 2008 at the tender age of 22. Hellmuth, Bloch, Seidel, Lederer, and others will attend an Ante Up for Africa party at the PURE nightclub, which is located at Caesars Palace and is home to the selection festivities for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

The charity poker tournament will air on ESPN on Tuesday, August 11th from 8:00pm ET to 10:00pm ET. It is one of four events that will comprise the cable station’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP, joining the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP, the Champions Invitational, and the $10,000 buy-in Main Event. The Ante Up for Africa tournament is scheduled to run for five hours and is open to the public free of charge. This time, it will be held inside the Amazon Room; previously, it had taken place across the hall in the Brasilia Ballroom.

Don Cheadle Signs with Full Tilt Poker

Ante Up for Africa co-founder Don Cheadle has signed on to be a Friend of Full Tilt Poker. Cheadle is one of the world’s leading actors and has appeared in the hit movie “Crash” as well as the “Oceans Eleven” trilogy.

Cheadle founded Ante Up for Africa along with Celebrity Apprentice candidate Annie Duke and Norman Epstein. The organization will be featured prominently during ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. The $5,000 buy-in Ante Up for Africa tournament starts on Thursday, July 2nd and is one of three events that compose the television network’s coverage. According to a press release distributed by Full Tilt Poker this week, participants are asked to donate 50% of their winnings to charity. In many cases, the tournament’s winners give their entire payday to the organization, which raises money and awareness for victims of the crisis in Darfur.

Cheadle is no stranger to the poker spotlight. Besides his work with Ante Up for Africa, he has also appeared on NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship, a tournament most recently won by Huck Seed, who boasts the best record in the series’ history. In 2007, Cheadle defeated Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey in the opening round of the National Heads-Up Championship before falling to Scott Fischman in the second round. Fischman, in turn, lost to poker pro Kristy Gazes in the round of 16. In 2008, Cheadle squared off against Gus Hansen in the first round, but was bested by the three-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion.

In 2009, Cheadle defeated David “The Dragon” Pham in the first round at Caesars Palace, but fell to 2006 WSOP Main Event runner up Paul Wasicka when 32 players remained. The acclaimed actor has appeared on Poker After Dark, which also airs on NBC. He commented in a press release, “I’ve done alright in the televised tourneys I’ve participated in and I’ve won several tournaments around town. I have yet to play in the WSOP events, but I hope my schedule will permit me to do so in the future.” Other films that the newest Friend of Full Tilt has appeared in include “Hotel Rwanda,” “Traffic,” “Reign Over Me,” and “Traitor.” He will also appear in next year’s follow up to “Iron Man,” which stars Robert Downey, Jr.

Other Friends of Full Tilt include Bruce Buffer, who currently works with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Buffer appeared at the final table of the WPT Invitational during Season III, finishing sixth and earning $5,000. Poker author Michael Craig is a Friend of Full Tilt, as is All-In and Bluff Magazine columnist Jay Greenspan. Others include Niklas Heinecker, Gabriela Hill, Matt Hughes, Gary Jones, Stephan Kalhamer, Brian Koppelman, Maxi Muller, Ali Nejad, Jeremiah Smith, Mike Swick, Johnathan Wendel, and Yueqi Zhu.

Full Tilt Poker is kicking off its relationship with Cheadle by hosting a $5 + $5 private charity tournament online to benefit Ante Up for Africa. The date for the event has not yet been announced, but is expected to take place prior to the $5,000 buy-in contest in Las Vegas at the Rio. A bevy of Team Full Tilt pros will also be in attendance during the 10 week-long WSOP festivities, including Chris Ferguson, reigning WSOP Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, and Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius.

Full Tilt Poker is the second largest site worldwide with a seven day running average of 11,400 real money ring game players. Its 24 hour peak is over 16,000 and the site happily accepts customers from the United States. It is one of only a handful of online poker rooms that appears on the list of 200 sites distributed for censorship by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to 11 of the world’s largest internet service providers (ISPs). Other USA-friendly sites on the list, which was generated randomly and made public last week, include Bodog and Players Only.