Posts Tagged ‘Annie Duke’
Annie Duke Talks Dancing with the Stars, Engagement to Joe Reitman
Fresh off announcing her departure from UB.com, reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss life away from the game. She also addresses the rumors that former colleague Phil Hellmuth will be on the hit ABC reality series “Dancing with the Stars.”
Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Would you tune in to watch Phil Hellmuth strut his stuff on “Dancing with the Stars”?
Annie Duke: I think it’d be hilarious. I think he would make a great foil on the show. All of those things are amazing for poker. Any time you can bring a poker player into the mainstream world, it’s incredible. I adore Phil and he would make me watch that show, but I like Chris Ferguson for it too, who is an actual dancer.
With Phil, it’s always a love-hate relationship with the audience. People love to watch him because they love to hate him. You have people like that in every sport and he takes on that role in poker. He is amazing for poker, though. He does nothing but good things for the game.
PND: You were a former contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice” on NBC. Tell us how the casting process works for a reality show featuring celebrities.
Annie Duke: With “Apprentice,” it’s some people’s representatives reaching out and “Apprentice” having a wish list that they contact. I assume it happens that way on “Dancing with the Stars.” I know some people who have been asked to be on the show and also know people who have reached out. I would assume that with someone like Phil, it’d be him reaching out to “Dancing with the Stars.” I hope he’s on and wish him all the best. They would get an extra viewer in me.
PND: Congratulations on your engagement! Among those who responded to your engagement announcement was Kevin Pollak, who is the host of the new Fox game show “Million Dollar Money Drop.” Have you watched it?
Annie Duke: I have and think he’s fine as a game show host. I’m fascinated by the show. I love shows like that and have watched every episode. I think it’s an interesting idea from a decision-making standpoint that they start the contestants with $1 million. People feel like they’re losing money along the way, so it’s interesting to see how it affects people. They feel like the $1 million was theirs and then they lost it. I really love the torture of the game. You know half of those couples must be breaking up right after they’re on.
PND: Tell us the engagement story!
Annie Duke: Every year, I haven’t gotten a stocking. This year, Joe [Reitman] asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said a stocking. So, I woke up Christmas morning and had a filled stocking. We opened our presents and I got halfway through it when Joe said I had to stop because opening the rest of the stocking would give away the presents that were under the tree.
I wanted shoes, Insanity DVDs, and cool glasses, so I was wondering what was in the stocking and kept asking to open it. When I finally got back to it, I found a lot of candy. I got to the bottom where the chocolate orange should have been and there was a big wrapped box. I had very specifically gone into a jewelry store that I love and told the lady there that if my boyfriend came in, she should tell him that I wanted a bracelet, so I thought it’d be in the box. I opened it up and inside was a ring box, but I didn’t get excited yet.
What Joe said when I looked at the box was, “I don’t think you want the Donald Trump [fake-out win] thing to happen twice.” I opened up the ring box and inside was an engagement ring. It was a designer one that I wanted and I looked at him. I was crying, had my head in my hands, and the kids came over to ask me why I was crying. He did it in a way that included the kids, which was nice.
PND: Can you talk about your upcoming poker schedule?
Annie Duke: Outside of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship and the Bay 101 Shooting Star events, I’m going to have to have a light poker schedule in the spring. I’m going to play a bunch during the World Series and I’m speaking at a business conference and an Adventures of the Mind conference, which is for 16 year olds and I’m on the committee of.
PND: We understand you have a poker strategy book in the works?
Annie Duke: It’s a 400-page poker strategy bible. Vanessa Rousso and I are writing a heads-up book where we’re analyzing all of the hands we played in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. We’re in the middle of doing that and it’ll take us a couple of months. We’re making a website with the audio files too.
PND: What do you foresee happening with UB.com’s stable of pros?
Annie Duke: I assume that they’re re-strategizing. I assume that they’ll continue on strong in the market though. They’re the #3 brand in the USA and I assume they’ll continue to succeed.
PND: What was the biggest poker story of 2010?
Annie Duke: The Harry Reid bill this fall. Getting so close to legislation being passed and having it all fall apart at the last minute was the biggest story. That’s the most powerful piece of news we had and it was a pretty big year in terms of poker news.
Prahlad Friedman Discusses Signing with UB.com
Brand new to Team UB.com is bracelet winner Prahlad Friedman, who joined the site following the departures of Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth. Friedman sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss joining the USA-friendly CEREUS Network site.
Poker News Daily: Tell us why you signed with UB.com following your now-famous Tweet in November saying you’d be “selling out” by joining an online poker site. Did you have a change of heart?
Prahlad Friedman: I had a change of heart. It was all because of friends and family. They all convinced me that I could do greater good by signing and having more exposure and influence. We live in a society where the people who are the most well known have the greatest influence. I felt this could get me out there a little more. There’s also a charity component to my deal.
PND: What can you tell us about the charity portion of your agreement with UB.com?
Prahlad Friedman: There’s a good chunk of money that I’ll be giving to charity every year. I’ll be posting on Facebook and Twitter for any charities people think are awesome and I have a few ideas of my own. There are many options out there.
PND: What sparked your original stance against signing with an online poker site?
Prahlad Friedman: I’m just super liberal. I was raised vegetarian and I meditate. I’ve always liked underground hip-hop. I’ve always been on the outside. Now, I’m trying to mix it up and work from the inside out. I can turn a lot of heads, make people healthier, and help with charity. I don’t view it as selling out.
PND: You were affected by the cheating scandal on UB.com. What does Prahlad Friedman signing with UB.com say about the site moving forward?
Prahlad Friedman: People should know I’m not a donkey. I’m not going to sign if I thought there was anything going on. I obviously feel like the site is different and new now. Anybody who had to do with that scandal is gone.
PND: With Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth now gone from Team UB.com, can you be the main face of an online poker site?
Prahlad Friedman: I’ve always been a leader. I’ve always been outspoken. For quite a few years now, I haven’t been afraid to do interviews and be in front of cameras. I’m comfortable and have always been a point guard.
PND: What were your thoughts when you found out that Duke and Hellmuth were leaving?
Prahlad Friedman: They’re going to make the decision that’s best for them; it didn’t raise any concerns for me. They’ve been there a while and wanted a change of pace or had a change of heart just like I did. People change and the fact that they’re out is hopefully good for them and I know they’ll do well in the future. It also gives me an opportunity to be at the forefront. One of the things that most attracted me to this deal was the creative control I’ll have in commercials, clothing lines, and charitable things.
PND: What details can you share about the interactions you had with UB.com following the cheating scandal? Were you reimbursed?
Prahlad Friedman: It’s one of the greatest experiences I’ve had. I’m sure a lot of people feel differently, but I was pumped to get money back and it was a large sum. They took care of me and it reinforced to me that I was one of the best poker players in the world. Any money I had lost was because I was cheated off of it. Every site has had its problems with weird things happening and you have to improve and move on.
PND: What were your thoughts about Daniel Negreanu calling you out for signing with UB.com?
Prahlad Friedman: At first, people were recommending that I not read TwoPlusTwo and Twitter because if there’s anything negative, it can get to you, but I couldn’t help myself. I read Daniel Negreanu’s comments and I’m not hating on him. We’re friends and fellow vegans, but he feels strongly about UB. I don’t have problems with the things he said. I just feel a lot differently than he does.
PND: Were you surprised at some of Negreanu’s comments?
Prahlad Friedman: I knew from the past that people are going to bring up tough questions and criticize me. People have been criticizing me since I was on the scene. You can’t let those things affect you. People have different ideas. That’s what makes the world interesting.
PND: You broke Steve Nash’s consecutive free throw record on an episode of “Poker2Nite,” which was quite impressive. Tell us about your preparation for that attempt.
Prahlad Friedman: I’ve always been intense about things I do. Playing basketball competitively has been my main goal since I could hold a ball. All I did was shoot 500 or 1,000 shots a day for years and years. I’d sneak my way into gyms as a youth and I was obsessed with basketball.
Usually, when I go out and shoot, I’ll make 40 or 50 in a row, and my best is 118. The world record is 5,200 shots in a row, which would be awesome to break, but could be out of reach. I thought Nash’s record was within reach and broke it on the third try. I’d like to do it again, improve upon it, and make it so people will have a tough time beating it.
PND: We’d wager that many poker players know you best for your World Series of Poker Main Event run-ins with Ted Bort and Jeffrey Lisandro.
Prahlad Friedman: It seems silly that I’m known for those. I can’t blame people because ESPN is one of the biggest outlets and millions of people watch it. In the future, they can hopefully remember me for other things. I don’t like to be remembered for drama, so it is a little funny that these controversies come up. I’m looking to get past them.
PND: Are you focused on winning a second WSOP bracelet?
Prahlad Friedman: I haven’t played enough tournaments recently to have a really good chance. I’d love to win two, though, and with this signing with UB, I think I’ll play more. I’ll put myself in a good position to win another one.
Tags: Annie Duke, charity, cheat, Daniel Negreanu, interview, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, tournament, usa, WSOP
Prahlad Friedman signs with UB as newest team pro
Prahlad Friedman Joins Team UB
Just weeks after announcing the site had parted ways with longtime team members Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth, the signing of one of the most feared online poker cash game players in the world comes as a shock, considering Friedman had previously rejected the concept of sponsorship and was one of the largest victims of a cheating scandal on UB that saw insiders gain access to opponent's hole cards.
Friedman, who plays under the names "Spirit Rock" and "Mahatma" online, has a World Series of Poker bracelet, World Poker Tour title, and more than $2.3 million in career live tournament earnings.
He believes this is a new era for himself and the site.
"UB is headed in a new direction, and I really like the team they've put together," he said. "Everyone on the team has interests away from poker. They're young, hip, cool -- people I enjoy hanging with and whose games I respect."
Almost as widely known for the rap video he made for the ESPN The Nuts segement during a deep run in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, UB says the addition of Friedman to its roster of young, talented poker pros makes the team immediately stronger and louder.
"One word to describe Prahlad Friedman joining UB.com? Epic," said fellow Team UB pro Joe Sebok. "We've netted one of the biggest cash game players of all time, an achievement that really speaks to the strength and attractiveness of UB heading into 2011."
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The Matt & Matt Show: Pop Champagne feat. Annie Duke
Tags: Annie Duke
Prahlad Friedman Joins Team UB.com
Following last week’s overhaul at Team UB.com that saw Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth depart on the same day, the USA-friendly CEREUS Network site has picked up its newest pro. On Thursday, site officials announced that Prahlad Friedman had joined Team UB.com.
Friedman seemingly hinted at joining an online poker site back in November. The 32 year old California native Tweeted, “I said I would never sign with a poker site. Should I ever reconsider? What y’all think? I would have to get over the fact that I’m ‘selling out.’ I’m the only player in the world that hasn’t wanted a deal that I know of.” UB.com promoted Friedman as “one of the world’s greatest cash game players, online and off, with millions in winnings earned since 1999.”
Friedman’s first major live cash came eight years ago in the Main Event of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio, where he booked $101,000 for his runner-up finish to Full Tilt Poker’s Erick Lindgren. One year later, he notched his first (and so far only) World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament and banked $109,000 in the process.
In 2005, Friedman played second fiddle to Chris Ferguson in the WSOP Circuit Championship at Harrah’s Rincon to earn another $363,000. One year later, this author remembers being at the Rio in Las Vegas and following Friedman through the WSOP Main Event. There, he turned in a 20th place finish for nearly a half-million dollars and fell just short of the coveted Main Event bracelet.
He’d make amends in August 2009, when Friedman took down the Legends of Poker, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT). His victory in the California poker tournament was worth a colossal $1 million and saw Friedman outlast a final table that included November Niner Kevin Schaffel, Todd Terry, Toto Leonidas, and Sam Stein.
Friedman was a victim of the superuser scandal that rocked UB.com and drew the ire of PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu for signing with the site that had wronged him. “Kid Poker” responded to a variety of Tweets last weekend, among them one sent to fellow poker player Alex Outhred that read, “Like you, I’ve known him for years, which makes it all the more shocking. I’ve defended Prahlad on many occasions. Can’t here.”
Negreanu added to Outhred, “UB will always have to offer more than face value [for a sponsorship] because given a choice that’s close, no one would choose UB. Or shouldn’t… UB has to offer more money obv. He used to say it wasn’t about the money. I don’t believe that anymore… He used to speak out against all corporations, claiming he stood for something. Then, the money was right and his tune changed… I get it happens. I’m disappointed it did happen. I’ve always liked Prahlad and still do despite his decision. Just shocking.”
Nevertheless, Friedman will join UB.com just in time for the sixth UB.com Online Championship, or UBOC, which gets underway on January 16th. The 29-event series will stretch all the way until January 30th, when a $1,050 buy-in Main Event will kick off. The $1 million guaranteed feature tournament will deal No Limit Hold’em and be played as a Monster Stack.
Running alongside the sixth UBOC schedule is a MiniUBOC series, which features the same 29 tournaments, but with buy-ins that are generally one-tenth as large. The MiniUBOC slate ends with a $55 buy-in Monster Stack Championship Event that comes with a $50,000 guaranteed purse.
Following the departures of Hellmuth and Duke, UB.com’s stock of pros now includes Friedman, Joe Sebok, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, and Maria Ho. The site happily accepts players from the United States and joins Absolute Poker on the CEREUS Network.
Play with Prahlad Friedman today only by visiting UB.com.
Ultimate Bet loses Duke and Hellmuth
Daniel Negreanu Speaks Out on Rumored Prahlad Friedman UB.com Signing
Late last week, poker pros Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth parted ways with UB.com, a USA-friendly site on the CEREUS Network. Word quickly spread that Prahlad Friedman would be signing with UB.com as a replacement in the coming days, sparked in part by his name appearing on Duke’s old biography page.
Over the weekend, PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu bantered on Twitter about Friedman’s rumored signing. Negreanu congratulated Hellmuth for leaving UB.com last week and then fired off a series of Tweets blasting Friedman’s decision. His first thoughts were, “So disappointed in @prahladfriedman signing with the devil who stole millions from him. He was so ‘anti-sellout’ and then he did the unthinkable… They must have paid him a lot to join the dark side and endorse the exact same people who ruined him. So sad and so mind-boggling… The current owners of AP/UB are spending Prahlad’s money. They must be mocking him at this point. Cheat the dude and watch him endorse us!”
Among those responding to Negreanu was bracelet winner Jon Friedberg, who inquired, “Is that official? I thought just speculation. Smart biz move for @UB if it’s true, despite any opinions about him or them… And again if true, then they obv convinced him that they’re not shady anymore. He’s a very bright guy. Anxious to see if true.” Negreanu retorted, “Sure, totally cheat and destroy a guy and then offer him a deal. That company is no less shady today and they cannot prove otherwise?” “Kid Poker” added, “It’s true and you are all being lied to if you think the infrastructure of the company has been miraculously cleaned up.”
In other responses to inbound Tweets, Negreanu replied, “I also like Prahlad a lot, just disappointed he would do something this stupid after years of saying he’d never sign with a site.” Negreanu countered other nay-sayers by continuing to rip the Blanca Games site: “Imagine a world where crooks weren’t held accountable and continue to rob people with no recourse? The world should know… I’m all about 2nd chances in the right circumstances; this isn’t one. They are no more transparent today than in the past.”
Negreanu’s series of Tweets sparked the ire of two-time bracelet winner Matt Keikoan, who fired, “I can see people like @RealKidPoker, sitting behind his $4 mil a year PokerStars contract, w/ his nose up in the air, judging other people.” Negreanu countered, “I spoke out against UB when I was broke, always will. Prahlad is the one who said he’d never sign with a site and then chose UB… I was dead broke and turned down a deal with them. I don’t hate Prahlad, I’m disappointed he made what I think is a bad move.”
Keikoan asserted on Sunday, “And what, PokerStars is some great moral company, out for the good of all mankind? Gimme a break.”
One of Negreanu’s followers asked the PokerStars front man what would happen if his home online poker site experienced a scandal similar to the one that unfolded on UB.com. Negreanu claimed he’d be exiting stage right: “If anything like that were to happen (it won’t) my morals would have me resign immediately.” PokerStars recently found itself in hot water over a scandal involving Chinese players in its Double or Nothing games.
A possible signing by Friedman would signal a changing of the guard of sorts at UB.com, whose roster of sponsored pros would become remarkably younger. It currently includes players like Maria Ho, Tiffany Michelle, and Joe Sebok.
Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke UB.com Departures Captivate Twitterverse
The Twitterverse has been quite active since yesterday’s announcement that the two most prominent faces of the site, Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, would be leaving UB.com. Congratulations, speculation, and prognostication have been at the forefront of many of the Tweets.
It all began late Thursday afternoon when Duke Tweeted, “Starting a new chapter in my life. Decided to leave UB, but the future’s exciting for me and the place I’ve called home for more than a decade.” The amicable departure left some of her former Team UB.com pros thanking Duke for her assistance during their time with her on the squad.
One of the first to hit Twitter with his kudos was now former Team UB.com stable mate “Hollywood” Dave Stann, who Tweeted, “Thanks @AnnieDuke for all you’ve done for my growth as a poker player… @UB won’t be the same without you!” B.J. Nemeth continued up the adoration by Tweeting, “Not sure if congratulations is the right word or not, but good luck and best wishes for whatever you do next.” Victory Poker CEO Dan Fleyshman was one of the first to weigh in on Duke’s future when he Tweeted, “I’m sure @howardhlederer would be happy to have @annieduke join his friends at Tilt now that his sister left UB!”
A couple of hours after Duke’s announcement, it was confirmed that Hellmuth was also departing. Hellmuth’s agent, Brian Balsbaugh from Poker Royalty, Tweeted late Thursday afternoon, “My client @Phil_Hellmuth and UB part ways – exciting time for us.” Hellmuth confirmed Balsbaugh’s Tweet, chirping, “On a flight to L.A. baby! Dinner tonight w Corey and Lisa Pavin, my parents, and my kids at Boa on Sunset (yummy!)… Big news in one hour!”
After his plane landed and the family was settled in, Hellmuth came out to confirm what everyone had speculated throughout the past couple of months. “Making a big move… leaving UB,” the 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Tweeted on Thursday evening. “Truly lots of great memories, but it’s time to move on… Mutual decision… Looking forward to a bright future!”
After Hellmuth’s announcement, another wave of congratulations poured in from friends and colleagues. Scott Ian, who earned a spot on the Team UB.com roster as a result of poker coaching from Duke and Hellmuth, Tweeted, “@AnnieDuke & @phil_hellmuth: my mentors, my coaches, my friends, & are responsible for my growth/success in the poker world. Thank you both.”
Daniel Negreanu passed out his congratulations to Hellmuth, Tweeting, “Congrats to @phil_hellmuth for leaving UB. A good dude and he deserves better. He may be a bit wild at the table, but he is a stand up guy.”
Now the dean of Team UB.com, Joe Sebok sent out his congratulations on Twitter and on his blog at PokerRoad. “Wishing both @annieduke and @phil_hellmuth the best of luck with everything in the future. Pleasure working with both.”
On his blog at PokerRoad, Sebok wrote, “2010 sees us parting ways with two icons of the poker world, Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. These two legends in our industry have, quite literally, helped to build UB into what it is today. Phil and Annie have been the face of the company for years now and we thank them for their unbelievable contributions and bid them the utmost in success moving forward.” He cryptically stated towards the end of the blog, “We’ll be announcing our newest Team UB member next week and I am crazily pumped about it.”
Speculation about the new addition to the Team UB roster seems to have been solved by poker pro Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler. Early Friday morning, Kessler Tweeted, “Apparently Prahlad Friedman is the new UB pro. He is on Annie Duke’s former page.” The link provided by Kessler with the Tweet now leads to the Team UB main page, but Friedman was speculating about a change approximately a month ago when he Tweeted, “I said I would never sign with a poker site. Should I ever reconsider? What y’all think? I would have to get over the fact that I’m ‘selling out.’ I’m the only poker player in the world that hasn’t wanted a deal that I know of.”
The recent departures of Hellmuth and Duke have spiced up what is normally a dull period in the poker community. Perhaps Nemeth said it best when he Tweeted, “Let’s all take a moment to laugh at every list of ‘Top 10 Poker Stories of 2010’ written before today!”
Biggest Poker Surprises of 2010
Last week, Poker News Daily ran an article recapping the top poker news stories of 2010. This, we were charged with the task of coming up with the top ten surprises of the past year. As fate would have it, the biggest shocker of 2010 came on December 30th, making the top surprise a no-brainer. Read on to find out.
10) Hip-Hop Hellmuth – Normally, I wouldn’t put an attention grab by Phil Hellmuth on a list of the year’s biggest surprises, but this one was phenomenal. The “Poker Brat” made a cameo appearance in a hip-hop music video by Ludacris donned in UB.net garb and raking in UB.net chips. Filmed at the Palms in Las Vegas, the video’s plot was supposed to be similar to that of the hit movie “The Hangover.” The song is called “Sex Room.” I’ll just leave it at that.
9) No Rest for the Weary – A crazy record not many people knew about before this year was broken not once, but twice. In June, Phil Laak set the poker endurance record by playing $10/$20 Hold’em at the Bellagio for a staggering 115 consecutive hours, breaking Paul Zimbler’s 72-hour mark from late 2009. Nobody would ever be silly enough to try to top Laak, would they? Of course they would. In November, Christie Teki-Reu and man who goes by the nickname “Chopper” played for 117 hours in the casino at the Grand Hotel in New Zealand as part of an organized effort to set the record in a special charity tournament. Afterwards, Teki-Reu slept for five hours, was up for two hours, then slept for another ten hours. Well deserved.
Kessler Max-Cashes – Well, almost. Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler is a very good poker player, but he is known to play to make the money in tournaments. He has definitely gone deep in tournaments and made a couple of WPT televised final tables, but for the most part, the poker community jokes about Kessler taking the conservative route and always looking to “min-cash.”
At the 2010 WSOP, poker players and fans lived vicariously through “Chainsaw” as he not only made the money in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event, but also continued to move up in the standings, making the final table and then finally reaching heads-up. He eventually lost, but the $276,485 payday was far from a min-cash. He finished with eight cashes, tied for most at this year’s WSOP. Sure, some were min-cashes, but his second place run was one of the most memorable and surprising moments of the 2010 WSOP.
7) Security Fail – In May, it was discovered that the CEREUS Network had a major security hole. The network did not have SSL encryption implemented, resulting in a vulnerability that made it possible to intercept network traffic and see an opponent’s hole cards. In July, the same flaw was found on the Cake Poker Network. It is unbelievable enough that one poker network could fail so miserably at something that should be so basic, but two networks dropping the ball? Sad.
6) WSOP is Healthy – With the down economy and the struggles of online poker in the United States, it would have been reasonable to expect WSOP attendance figures to decline. Not so. 2010 saw 72,966 players participate, the most in WSOP history by a wide margin and besting last year’s record by 20%. The total prize money was the highest of all-time as well, reaching $187,109,850 and beating 2008′s high mark by 3.5%. The Main Event was the second largest of all-time with 7,319 players, second only to 2006, which was the last WSOP Main Event before the UIGEA was passed.
5) Isildur1 is a Star – Isildur1, the nameless online nosebleed-stakes phenom, signed with PokerStars in December. His signing with an online poker room isn’t all that surprising, considering that whenever he plays, he attracts scores of railbirds who love watching his million-dollar swings. The shocker is that all of his high-stakes play has been at Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars’ closest rival. Stars must have given him a sweet deal.
4) Resurgence of “The Grinder“ – While Michael Mizrachi had a few strong performances on the live tournament circuit in 2008 and 2009, his cachet had appeared to have worn off since he made his mark on the WPT in 2005 and 2006. He also ran into major financial troubles this year. But then the 2010 WSOP came along and he exploded back onto the poker map.
“The Grinder” won the $50,000 Player’s Championship for over $1.5 million, placed fifth in the Main Event for more than $2.3 million, and along the way became one of the biggest rooting interests of the summer. To top it off, his three brothers – Daniel, Robert, and Eric – all cashed in the Main Event. Robert also placed fifth in the Player’s Championship and made two other final tables.
3) Partying Has its Limits – In February, PartyPoker suddenly placed a cap on the number of play money chips members could have in their accounts. Overnight, players with millions of chips had their accounts reset to the 250,000-chip maximum. Party cited the sale of play chips as the main reason for the decision as well as instances of players with overwhelming numbers of chips making enormous bets and disrupting games. The reaction was one of almost unanimous outrage by play money customers, many of whom had taken great pride in building up their accounts over several years.
2) Peter Eastgate Takes a Break – Nowadays, we have come to expect WSOP champions to serve as faces of the game and continue playing live tournaments around the world. Not so with the 2008 champ Peter Eastgate. Eastgate, who just turned 25, announced this year that he was taking an indefinite break from live tournament poker. So far, it appears that it has been a break from poker in general. His WSOP win set him up financially, which was enough for him. To top it off, he auctioned off his WSOP bracelet in November and donated the proceeds to charity.
1) Duke and Hellmuth Leave UB – Annie Duke leaving UB, to me, was easily the most surprising moment in poker this year… until Phil Hellmuth did the same a few hours later. Two of the biggest names in poker, the faces of UB since it was founded in 2001, left their online home on the same day. Through all of UB’s controversy over the last few years, Duke and Hellmuth stood by the poker room and took tons of heat within the online poker community. For better or for worse, they seemed like they were going to be with UB for life.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, aced, Annie Duke, bellagio, cake poker, charity, full tilt poker, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
Prahlad Friedman Joining Team UB.com?
It’s been a chaotic week for the CEREUS Network online poker room UB.com. Thursday saw the departure of its two highest profile pros, 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke and 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. According to UB.com pro Joe Sebok, however, a new pro will be announced next week, and all signs point to Prahlad Friedman joining the team.
Sebok posted on his blog on Thursday, “While it’s true that two of our members have moved on, don’t think that we aren’t restocking the talent. We’ll be announcing our newest Team UB member next week and I am crazily pumped about it.” Possible free agents in the poker market include CardPlayer Player of the Year Tom Marchese, Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, and Friedman.
Sebok added that Team UB.com will have a brand new look in 2011: “UB has, and will continue to have, a whole new look and feel for our team and our newest signing exemplifies that, so stay tuned for that announcement next week. Going to be a bit of a doozy.” The team appears to be of a younger breed right now and includes players like Sebok, Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, and Adam “Roothlus” Levy.
Speaking of Friedman, Bluff Magazine was among those who sourced two Tweets from Friedman in late November that questioned whether he would ever ink a deal with an online poker site. Friedman pondered, “I said I would never sign with a poker site. Should I ever reconsider? What y’all think? I would have to get over the fact that I’m ‘selling out.’ I’m the only poker player in the world that hasn’t wanted a deal that I know of.” Friedman, 32, has a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and a World Poker Tour (WPT) title under his belt.
In a screen shot posted on TwoPlusTwo, posters who typed in the URL of Duke’s biography on UB.com were met with text for “Prahlad Friedman,” leaving many to believe that the youngster will be the newest sponsored pro. When we visited the same web page on Friday morning, our browser instead forwarded to the default Team UB.com landing page. Poker News Daily has learned that the announcement of the room’s newest pro could take place as soon as Monday.
The Russ Hamilton-led cheating scandal on Ultimate Bet affected Friedman, among others. As such, his signing, according to one TwoPlusTwo poster, could signal the end of an era: “I think, for many of us, UB is forever tainted. However, in the world of PR, signing Prahlad would be a very, very good move as a sign of different times ahead.”
Other members of the online poker community took the opposite line. One TwoPlusTwo regular questioned, “Why would Prahlad accept this offer from UB? I mean, the company that stole money from you and now you are accepting their sponsorship deal. I just can’t understand!” Whether Friedman will actually become the next sponsored pro of the CEREUS Network poker site remains to be seen.
Friedman has been involved in two incidents at the annual WSOP that have both played out on ESPN. In 2006, “Ante-gate” erupted between Friedman and Jeffrey Lisandro over a possible missed ante by the latter. Friedman asked Lisandro whether he put out his ante, which led to a war of words. In 2010, Friedman clearly said, “Call,” after tablemate Ted Bort called the clock on him. However, Rio floor staff ruled the hand dead and Bort tabled two pair. Friedman quickly mucked what he claimed to be a weaker two pair, leading to a swarm of controversy.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest.
Tags: 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, cheat, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, Tiffany Michelle, WSOP
Pro Poker Seminars Opens for Serious Players
Come the beginning of 2011, there will be another alternative for poker players beyond such offerings as the World Poker Tour (WPT) Boot Camp and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Academy.
Billing itself as a school for “serious” poker players, Pro Poker Seminars will be stepping into the training arena. Their first ever three-day seminar is scheduled for the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada from March 11th to 14th and will delve into such subjects as tilt prevention, tournament theory, live tells, and Omaha strategy. The seminar costs $1,199, but included are a suite for three nights, meals, study materials, and a special tournament featuring bounties on the instructors in attendance.
The instructors for the seminar should bring a wealth of experience in poker. Such noted poker authors as Dr. Alan Schoonmaker, Lou Krieger, and Chris “Fox” Wallace are scheduled to head the classes and will be readily available for discussion about poker during the off hours. The website for Pro Poker Seminars states, “Our seminars are more like intensive college courses than the story-time and glad-handing you get with some poker camps. These aren’t fantasy camps; this is serious poker education.”
“We did some research into what was available on the market and while there is a great deal of real training in the online marketplace, most live education amounted to glad-handing and story-telling with the old guard,” Pro Poker Seminars Co-Founder Adam Stemple stated in an interview. “These pros have great stories from the old days, and some interesting insights into the game, but they aren’t in tune with the high aggression levels and much stronger players in today’s game. We don’t want any part of that market; we want to help players who are serious about their games with real poker education.”
The seminars offered by Pro Poker Seminars have an affordable price in comparison to some of their competitors. The WPT Boot Camp normally runs around $1,895 and offers tournament instruction and cash game lessons. There, you can find such instructors as Linda Johnson, T.J. Cloutier, Todd Brunson, Kenna James, and Eric “Rizen” Lynch.
The WSOP Academy has a wealth of venerable poker names behind it and also offers qualified instructors. Its most recent “November Nine” camp was offered for $1,899 at the Rio and featured several strong performers at recent WSOP events. Former World Champion Greg Raymer headed a list of instructors that also included former WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider and WSOP Main Event final table players David “Chino” Rheem, Kevin Schaffel, and Steve Begleiter. Some of the WSOP Academy’s multi-day camp instructors include Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, and Mark Seif.
Depending on your bankroll and level of interest in the game, there are many choices for poker training seminars. According to Pro Poker Seminars partner Aliera Brust, the company is looking to provide a dozen events in 2011. For more information on the upcoming Reno event, visit the Pro Poker Seminars website.
December 31st – Weekly News Update
Welcome once again to the Poker News Daily weekly news update. I’m your host Sean Gibson and I’ll be delivering the top headlines for the week in the world of poker – and what a week of news it was!!
Our first story rocks the world of online poker as superstars Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke are officially parting ways with UB.com for different reasons. Both have been the faces of UB.com and represented for nine years. We did get a comment from Annie Duke about HER decision to leave UB.com:
“After some thought, I made a decision to leave UB.com because I would like to explore other avenues of business and personal growth. I realized I needed to spend my time on other things.”
Duke has stated that she has no intentions of signing on with another poker site. She said that she is moving on from UB.com to persue other projects on a full time basis. Hellmuth continues to be one of the biggest names in the world of poker and his departure, although rumored in the last few weeks, still comes as a huge shock. As more develops in this story, stay tuned right here at poker news daily for the latest.
Another online poker industry icon is moving on as Lee Jones earlier this week announced his resignation from Cake Poker. Jones posted on the TwoPlusTwo forums on Tuesday:
“This is a brief announcement to let you know that, as of yesterday, I have resigned my position at Cake Poker and will not be making any further posts here. Their management has made some strategic decisions with which I’m not comfortable.”
Jones, who also is a guest columnist here at our site told us that he simply wasn’t comfortable with some of the decisions that the Cake management was making. Jones refused to comment further but added that he hopes to remain in the poker industry and says he has a couple of irons in the fire. Jones rose to fame in the online poker industry originally in roles with PokerStars, the EPT and at CardRunners.
For those of you that can’t get enough Isildur1 action, the next SuperStar Showdown match has been announced. Coming off a loss to Isaac Haxton, Isildur1 will now face the notorious Tony G in a high stakes battle. You might remember that it was Tony G that supposedly staked Isildur1 for a comeback bid and reportedly knows the Swedish player’s identity. The match will take place on Sunday, January 2nd at 4pm eastern time on PokerStars. The game will be half no limit hold’em and half pot limit Omaha at $50-$100 blind stakes. Interested parties can rail the action at PokerStars by looking for tables labeled showdown under the Omaha tab or under the Holdem, No Limit all tables tab.
Jon Friedberg, known online as pokertrip will be debuting a new talk show right here, exclusively on Poker News Daily. Friedberg will host the new show, called “The Showdown” every week here at PND, and promises to feature some of the game’s most prolific names. Set to start during the first week of January, Friedberg’s first guest will be former Survivor castaway Jean-Robert Bellande. When asked about his new home here at PND, he stated:
“I see myself not as a member of the media, but rather a fellow poker player who sees eye-to-eye with players I interview. I don’t have any problems asking questions that other poker media might be scared to address. My passion is to share the lifestyles, strategies, and thought processes of poker players.”
Be sure to catch the first episode of “The Showdown” right here at Poker News Daily next week!
In recent days, Party Gaming and bwin announced merger plans to form a giant online gaming group that will become effective sometime in the first quarter of 2011. It’s expected that this merger will create the biggest largest listed online gambling business. The new company will operate worldwide with its existing brands and both bwin and Party Gaming will retain most of the core of their brands but be operated under a new umbrella company. Bwin’s CEO had this to say:
“Our products and target markets complement one another perfectly, and we can continue to expand our technology lead in all key product segments: sports betting, poker, casino, bingo, and games.”
Now that the year is over, CardPlayer has officially crowned Tom Marchese the 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year. His epic run in 2010 saw him make 11 final tables in major live tournaments to the tune of over $2 million in profits. The highlight of 2010 for Marchese was the win at the NAPT Venetian Main Event for over eight hundred thousand dollars. He beat out Dwyte Pilgrim, Sorel Mizzi and Vanessa Selbst for the award. Marchese had four six-figure paydays in 2010 with final tables at the European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker.
Well that wraps up a very exciting and busy week in the world of poker as well as our last weekly news report of 2010. Be sure to come back to poker news daily for all the latest poker headlines every single day and as a reminder, be sure to catch John Friedberg’s new show, “The Showdown” right here next week along with another episode of our weekly news recap. I’m Sean Gibson wishing you a very happy and safe new years!
Tags: 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, cake poker, european, high stakes, interview, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, WSOP
Hellmuth joins Duke in UB exit
Annie Duke leaves UB.com
Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke Out at UB (Updated with Exclusive Interview with Joe Sebok)
Phil Hellmuth Leaves UB.com in Major Shakeup
It’s been a busy day for all of us in the online poker community. Just hours after Annie Duke announced her exit from UB.com to pursue non-poker business interests, site icon Phil Hellmuth departed as well. A statement posted on UB.com reveals that the two sides “mutually parted ways.”
Hellmuth was recently seen on ESPN’s coverage of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour’s (NAPT) Los Angeles Bounty Shootout wearing patches for the Aria Casino in Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Academy. Curiously absent were any logos for his home poker site, UB.com. Hellmuth also appeared on NBC’s “Poker After Dark” devoid of UB.com logos, leading many to believe that he was on the outs with the USA-friendly CEREUS Network room.
Duke left UB.com earlier today in order to extend her foothold in the business world. She commented in a statement posted on UB.com, “I have nothing but positive things to say about UB and my experiences with the brand, management, and the incredible people who work hard daily to deliver a terrific online poker experience.” Duke and Hellmuth had been with UB.com since 2001, the year the online poker site was launched as Ultimate Bet and two years before the modern poker boom.
Duke told Poker News Daily that she does not plan to sign with a competing online poker site; whether Hellmuth feels the same way is not yet known. Duke’s brother, Howard Lederer, is one of the main faces of Full Tilt Poker, which also accepts action from the United States. Hellmuth, who is widely regarded as one of the top tournament players on the planet, could also head to a site like PokerStars or Victory Poker.
Hellmuth owns the record for the number of WSOP bracelets won at 11 and number of WSOP cashes at 79. Along the way, he’s racked up $6.2 million in WSOP earnings alone and is a rumored contestant on the 2011 installment of the ABC reality series “Dancing with the Stars.” He’s one of the top marketable faces in the poker industry and has coined several memorable phrases including “I can dodge bullets, baby” and “Idiot from Northern Europe.”
Hellmuth won the 1989 WSOP Main Event at age 24 and, for the next 20 years, held the record as the youngest champ ever of the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament. Before anyone knew who Chris Moneymaker was, Hellmuth had already amassed seven bracelets; in fact, he racked up three pieces of hardware in 1993 alone.
In 2009, November Niner Jeff Shulman asked Hellmuth to help him with his short-handed game in preparation for the Main Event final table. As a result, Shulman took fifth place for $1.9 million.
Today’s two high-profile departures leave UB.com stocked with a pro roster that includes PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok, bracelet winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, and Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, the Last Women Standing in the 2008 and 2007 WSOP Main Events, respectively. Also remaining on the Team UB roster are Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, Brandon Cantu, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian, among others. The group appears to have become noticeably younger sans Hellmuth and Duke.
Prior to announcing his exit from UB.com, Hellmuth Tweeted the prices of several sports tickets he was monitoring: “New Years Eve L.A. Lakers/Sixers tix, Row 5, center court trading for $460 apiece. Tix for once a year Rose Bowl on 40 yard line, 44 rows up: $350 apiece!”
Earlier this week, Lee Jones announced his resignation from Cake Poker as its Card Room Manager, citing “strategic decisions with which I’m not comfortable” made by Cake management. Cake Poker Tournament Director Serge “andanthar” Ravitch followed suit in what is traditionally a slow week for poker news.
Poker News Daily has heard rumblings that UB.com may add another pro to its roster early next week. Who that could be remains to be seen, but rumors seem to indicate that it’s Prahlad Friedman. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this developing story.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2011, Annie Duke, cake poker, full tilt poker, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, Tiffany Michelle, tournament, usa, vegas, women, WSOP
Annie Duke Leaves UB.com
In breaking news, former “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke has parted ways with UB.com. A blog revealing that she had left the online poker site appeared around 1:30pm ET on Thursday. Duke had been with UB.com for nine years, including both the pre- and post-Chris Moneymaker era.
Duke told Poker News Daily, “After some thought, I made a decision to leave UB.com because I would like to explore other avenues of business and personal growth. I realized I needed to spend my time on other things.” Duke, the sister of Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer, has over $1.1 million in career World Series of Poker (WSOP) earnings and scooped a bracelet in 2004 in a $2,000 Omaha High-Low Eight or Better tournament that featured Erik Seidel and Todd Brunson at the final table.
Also in 2004, Duke was the last person standing in the inaugural WSOP Tournament of Champions, an invite-only, winner-take-all tournament that featured 10 players. Duke banked $2 million for the win and received nearly instant poker fame. Her company at the Tournament of Champions table included Chip Reese, Main Event champ Greg Raymer, Doyle Brunson, Lederer, and former UB.com colleague Phil Hellmuth, who was the runner-up. This year, Duke bested Seidel in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which aired on NBC.
Duke wished the crew at UB.com nothing but the best going forward, telling Poker News Daily, “I wish them all the best and wish nothing but good things for the brand. I think that UB.com started some of my development as a businessperson. That was very much the most enjoyable part of it. I wanted to do more of that. I wanted to do much more of that than I had an opportunity to.” Among Duke’s other endeavors are MyMixedNuts.com – a custom trail mix outfit – and Ante Up for Africa, a charity that brings money and attention to the victims of the crisis in Darfur.
Duke explained to Poker News Daily that she does not plan to sign with another online poker site in the future.
Duke made a name for herself last year by competing in the hit NBC reality series “Celebrity Apprentice.” The Donald Trump-led show, which raises funds for various charities, saw Duke finish as the runner-up to comedian Joan Rivers, who at one point compared the former UB.com pro to a Nazi and called the poker playing community “trash.” Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, were both contestants on the series.
Duke was one of the main faces of UB.com, a site that now features players like former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok and former “Amazing Race” contestants Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho as its primary pros. Duke and Hellmuth had served as the central figures of UB.com since the site’s inception nine years ago, long before anyone knew the name Moneymaker.
According to PokerScout.com, which logs online poker room traffic, the CEREUS Network, which includes UB.com and Absolute Poker, is the seventh largest worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 2,100 real money ring game players. At its peak, around 3,000 cash game players call the Network home. CEREUS is the third largest family of sites to accept action from the United States, trailing only PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker in that department. The Network was created in 2008 after the player bases of UB.com and Absolute Poker were merged.
We’ll have more for you on this story as it develops right here on Poker News Daily.
Poker Pros Annie Duke, Joe Reitman Engaged
A prolific tweeter, the Team UB.com pro Annie Duke made the following announcement on her Twitter account on December 25th: “I said yes!”
In case her more than 25,000 followers were confused as to exactly what she was talking about, Duke posted a picture of herself showing off her new diamond engagement ring to the camera while sitting in her fiancé Joe Reitman‘s lap.
Shortly thereafter, the well wishes started streaming in from every corner of the Twitterverse. Most were from fans, but several fellow poker pros sent their best as well. Fellow Team UB.com member Tiffany Michelle Tweeted, “Huge congrats to @AnnieDuke and @JoeUgly on a Christmas engagement. Love it! It’s about freakin’ time!”
“Hollywood” Dave Stann, another UB.com pro, weighed in, making a statement with which most people would agree: “Best Xmas present ever!”
Other poker players Tweeting their regards included Eric Froehlich, Rafe Furst, Alex Outhred, Liv Boeree, Andy Bloch, and Prahlad Friedman, along with Team UB.com members Joe Sebok and Samantha Ryan.
One person who non-poker players might recognize was actor Kevin Pollak, who Tweeted, “Congrats to a very surprised @AnnieDuke on her engagement today to her very wise fella, @joeugly.” Pollak is in the midst of hosting FOX’s “Million Dollar Money Drop.”
For you gossip hounds, Duke has not divulged how Reitman proposed and no wedding date has been announced.
Duke and Reitman met in 2005 when a mutual friend in Los Angeles introduced them to each other. The two started the same year as Reitman separated from his first wife, fellow actor and poker enthusiast Shannon Elizabeth. Duke had also been previously married. She wed long-time friend Ben Duke in 1991, a marriage that lasted 13 years and produced four children: Maud, Leo, Lucy, and Nell.
Reitman is an actor, writer, and producer who has had supporting roles in many films and television shows. Movie buffs may recognize him from “Lady in the Water,” “Drop Dead Sexy,” “American Pie II,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” and “Clueless.” His numerous guest appearances on television include “CSI,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Monk,” and “Judging Amy.” He has also had recurring roles on “Charmed,” “Townies,” “Blood Ties,” “Married with Children,” and “Jack and Jill.” In addition to his acting roles, Reitman has produced and directed several episodes of “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and wrote and directed “Survivin’ the Island” and “Leo.”
On the poker front, Reitman has had three minor World Series of Poker (WSOP) cashes, but he caught the attention of the poker world when he won UB.com’s $1 million Guarantee in early 2006.
Duke is one of the most prolific live tournament players in poker history and currently ranks second on the women’s all-time money list with over $4.2 million in career earnings. She has 37 lifetime WSOP cashes, the most significant of which came in 2004 when she won her first and only bracelet in a $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split event. During the same WSOP, she won the inaugural Tournament of Champions, taking home a $2 million check. Her most recent career highlight came this March, when she bested good friend Erik Seidel in the finals to win the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship and $500,000.
Poker Community Celebrates Christmas
Much like the rest of the world, poker players have their plans for Christmas. For some, that involved traveling to celebrate with family and friends. A few of poker’s top professionals had some trouble making their destinations, however.
England, in the grips of one of the snowiest winters in some time, held up poker duo Lex Veldhuis and Evelyn Ng. “Lex & I got caught in the British Airways mess at Heathrow yesterday en route to Las Vegas,” Ng Tweeted on Tuesday about the delays at the airport. “Hopefully we’ll be sorted out for today.”
Both Veldhuis and Ng kept a good attitude about the delays, with the former Tweeting, “Heathrow might be chaotic airport but the people there are nicest anywhere. Waiting in lounge now. Hope to fly in 2 hours.” Ng countered, “Looks like we’re good to go. It’s almost serene at LHR compared to the chaos yesterday. Just chillin in the lounge until our flight.” The poker pros were able to make it back to Las Vegas safely, with Ng Tweeting late on Tuesday, “After one 10 hour flight from London, it took a total of 5 minutes to exit the plane, pick up our luggage, and go through U.S. Customs.”
Another player having some drama as he returned home for Christmas was UB.com’s Scott Ian. The poker player and guitar shredder also was involved with the Heathrow debacle, Tweeting, “Made it to Heathrow even though the Dublin airport staff did everything wrong including checking our bags onto our canceled London-L.A. flight.” Ian had a much longer trip than Veldhuis and Ng did: “23 1/2 hours since we left Belfast. At O’Hare now. Flight to L.A. delayed 2 hours. Looking for Goose Island.”
Heading north for the holidays, Full Tilt Poker’s Greg “FBT” Mueller was in the middle of another emergency: “Just landed in Vancouver, but we were told paramedics are rushing onto our plane and we must stay seated… Will soon find out what’s wrong.” It turns out that it was a medical emergency, as Mueller Tweeted, “4 meds rushed on way to the back! I was in row 2 obv so I couldn’t see anything 3 mins later we were allowed to leave, no details! Home!”
Christian “charder30” Harder sounded as if he needed a trip home to recharge his batteries. “Pretty sucky ending to a pretty average year of poker for me,” Harder Tweeted on Tuesday after busting from the Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Regional Championship. “Home for the Holidays and then PCA.” After a couple of days relaxing at home, a much more reflective Harder detailed his Christmas plans to his followers on Thursday: “Chillin’ at my Dad’s in Virginia for a few days then back to Annapolis for Christmas. No idea what I’m doing for New Years Eve. Annapolis? NYC? AC? Baltimore?”
A couple of players were traveling for the Christmas holiday, but not heading home. Recent UB.com addition Maria Ho chirped about her destination: “Docked on my favorite island today… Kauai! This is one of many reasons why,” and included a Twitpic of the island. “Hollywood” Dave Stann, for his part, was looking to work during the holidays when he Tweeted, “Atlantic City-bound… I’m thinking Stud at the Taj. Come get you some old school action, bitches!”
Two of poker’s philanthropists, Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher, kept up their charitable sides by helping those less fortunate. “Anyone have coats or warm clothes to giveaway,” Fisher Tweeted during the run-up to Christmas. “We’re going to the LV mission 6am Xmas day to hand out…. join us or donate?” Johnson also was extending her charitable hand when she Tweeted on Wednesday, “Thanks to everyone who helped make the party a success tonight. 21 happy kids and their parents. Loved seeing the smiles.”
As always, the world of poker players delivers, even around Christmastime, with thoughts of wisdom and hilarity. PokerRoad’s Court Harrington Tweeted, “Life is about memories and moments, not about gifts. I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of great moments already.” Family surrounded Gavin Smith, as he Tweeted, “My wife, son, sister, mother and niece are here! Life is great!”
“Can’t wait for Christmas! I’m as bad as my kids,” Jennifer Harman Tweeted late Wednesday night, apparently up late preparing for the holidays. Annie Duke’s schedule was pretty packed, as she Tweeted early Thursday morning from her home, “Finished a huge portion of the Xmas wrapping just now. About two hours more tomorrow plus the cooking starts for dinner for 18 on Friday!”
Tiffany Michelle sent out early wishes when she Tweeted, “In case I go MIA over the next two days from eggnog, Christmas carols, & present coma… Merry Christmas everyone,” and included a Twitpic of her dog. Finally, DoylesRoom captain Doyle Brunson capped off the year with a news flash: “Warning: Christmas Cancelled… @MandaLeatherman told Santa she had been a good girl in 2010. He died laughing.”
Tags: 2010, Annie Duke, Doyle Brunson, Hollywood, Jennifer Harman, poker player, Tiffany Michelle, vegas, WSOP
Top Poker News Story of 2010
We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.
Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker
2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.
Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.
Annie Duke: Year of the Woman
I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.
Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld
I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.
Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss
2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.
Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.
John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill
Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!
Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile
I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.
What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.
Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event
When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.
Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.
Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi
For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.
Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi
For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.
Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel
As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.
The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, Canada, canadian, Daniel Negreanu, full tilt poker, ladies, legal, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, woman, women, WSOP
Top Poker News Story of 2010
We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.
Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker
2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.
Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.
Annie Duke: Year of the Woman
I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.
Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld
I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.
Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss
2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.
Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.
John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill
Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!
Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile
I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.
What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.
Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event
When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.
Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.
Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi
For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.
Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi
For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.
Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel
As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.
The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, Canada, canadian, Daniel Negreanu, ladies, legal, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, woman, women, WSOP
Top Poker News Story of 2010
We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.
Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker
2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.
Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.
Annie Duke: Year of the Woman
I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.
Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld
I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.
Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss
2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.
Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.
John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill
Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!
Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile
I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.
What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.
Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event
When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.
Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.
Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi
For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.
Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi
For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.
Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel
As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.
The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, Canada, canadian, Daniel Negreanu, ladies, legal, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, woman, women, WSOP
Howard Lederer Busts on Poker After Dark: Charity in Mind
This week, players with a love for charity are being featured on the NBC series “Poker After Dark.” Dubbed “Charity in Mind,” the six-man sit and go’s opening session on Monday featured plenty of discussion centered on fundraising. The table was stacked with 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and each player was given 20,000 in chips.
Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer was the first casualty of the week. Jennifer Harman raised to 500 before the flop with A-4 of spades and Lederer 3bet to 1,800 with A-K, including the king of clubs. Former MIT Blackjack Team member Andy Bloch made it 5,600 with pocket kings and Harman got out of the way.
Lederer tanked before moving all-in and Bloch thought for about three minutes before making the call with cowboys. The table was surprised that it had taken Bloch that long to call with the premium pocket pair and the flop came 4-4-8 with two clubs, no help to Lederer. A third club on the turn gave “The Professor” a flush draw, but a red five on the river sealed his exit from the $20,000 buy-in sit and go.
Bloch continued to roll. After Harman raised before the flop to 850 with J-5 of clubs, Bloch came along with 7-6 and the flop and came 7-Q-9. Harman led out for 1,250 with air and Bloch called with a pair of sevens to see a deuce on the turn. Both players knocked the table and the river was a nine. Once again, the action went check-check and Bloch scooped the 4,200-chip pot. He was at 45,000, or more than double the starting stack.
Harman bleeding chips was a theme throughout Monday’s kickoff episode. She raised to 800 with pocket tens and Chris Ferguson made the call with pocket aces. The flop came A-2-4, giving Ferguson top set, and “Jesus” checked. Harman put in a continuation bet of 1,100 and Ferguson obliged. Both players checked a deuce on the turn and the river was a 10. Ferguson once again checked, Harman bet 2,600 with a boat, and Ferguson check-raised to a healthy 7,000 with a higher full house. Harman made the call, shipping the pot worth 17,950 to Ferguson in a cooler.
In the last major pot of the night, UB.com pro Annie Duke, whose main charitable work involves Ante Up for Africa, raised to 1,050 before the flop with A-3 and Ferguson made the call with A-Q. The action flop came A-A-7, giving both players trips, but Ferguson held the lead with a queen kicker. Ferguson checked, Duke bet 1,325, and Ferguson came over the top to 3,500. Duke called and the turn was a jack.
Ferguson led out for 6,000 when the hook hit and Duke came along to a three on the river, giving Duke a full house. Now behind in the hand after the three-outer, Ferguson bet 10,575 and Duke called all-in for her “Poker After Dark” tournament life. She raked in a pot worth over 42,000 and the credits rolled for the night. Also at the table, but quiet during Monday’s episode, was Phil Gordon.
“Charity in Mind” marks the final new “Poker After Dark” week of 2010. Catch one-hour episodes all this week at 2:05am ET on NBC. Leeann Tweeden serves as the host of the poker franchise, while Ali Nejad provides commentary.
In the new year, John Juanda, Erick Lindgren, Phil Galfond, Huck Seed, Tom Dwan, and Phil Ivey will participate in a week-long $100,000 sit and go starting on January 3rd. Check your local listings for more information.
Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle May Return to Amazing Race
On Sunday, the 17th season of the CBS reality series “Amazing Race” came to a close with Nat and Kat becoming the first all-female team to prevail. The duo crossed the finish line in Los Angeles to scoop the $1 million first place prize and, after the credits had rolled, a sneak preview of Season 18 was shown.
The next season of the Emmy Award winning “Amazing Race,” dubbed “Unfinished Business,” will see teams from past cycles that didn’t win compete one more time for the $1 million grand prize. A montage of “favorite teams” was shown and included poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, who competed as part of Season 15.
Ho and Michelle were ousted in the Netherlands, where high winds on a makeshift golf course and an overly heavy high striker resulted in the only all-female team left standing being eliminated in sixth place. On whether the duo would consider returning for “Unfinished Business,” Michelle told Poker News Daily, “The ‘Amazing Race’ was the adventure of a lifetime. Clearly with how we were eliminated from our season, we’ll always feel like we have some unfinished business and would jump at the chance to do it again.”
About 20 teams were shown in the preview, whereas only 11 or 12 typically take to the “Amazing Race” course. Those who appeared included cowboys Jet and Cord (the runners-up during Season 16), Brooke and Claire (the runners-up from Season 18), and Margie and Luke, a mother and deaf son who finished third in Season 14. Several reality television websites have speculated as to who the teams that will compete as part of “Unfinished Business” will be. One site offered up the following list of 11:
Ronald and Christina: Father and daughter from Season 12
Kynt and Vyxsin: Dating Goth couple from Season 12
Amanda and Kris: Dating couple from Season 14
Jaime and Cara: Former NFL cheerleaders from Season 14
Kisha and Jen: Sisters from Season 14
Margie and Luke: Mother and deaf son from Season 14
Mel and Mike: Father and son from Season 14
Flight Time and Big Easy: Harlem Globetrotters from Season 15
Zev and Justin: Friends from Season 15
Jet and Cord: Cowboys from Season 16
Gary and Mallory: Father and former Miss Kentucky from Season 17
According to an article that appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Amanda and Kris, Margie and Luke, and Mel and Mike will all return. Complicating the matter is an Australian news site that reported teams scuttling around Oceanworld three weeks ago on November 22nd. During that time, Michelle reported via Twitter that she was enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday and participating in a Heartland Poker Tour event in the United States.
Whether the aforementioned list of 11 represents the final group is not yet known. The “Unfinished Business” cycle of “Amazing Race” will be shown in high-definition on CBS, with the kickoff episode airing on Sunday, February 20th. It marks the first installment of “Amazing Race” to air in high-def.
Other poker players who have appeared on reality television series include UB.com pro Annie Duke, who finished as the runner-up to Joan Rivers in the second cycle of “Celebrity Apprentice,” and Jean-Robert Bellande, who participated in “Survivor: China.” Rumors have persisted that a poker player will appear in the upcoming 22nd cycle of “Survivor,” although an official cast list has not yet been revealed. The finale of “Survivor: Nicaragua,” the 21st running of the CBS program, airs on Sunday night.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest.
UFC, NFL, and Movie Picks from Poker in Twitter
Over the weekend, one of the big subjects of Tweets from poker players was the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rematch between defending welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck.
“Official weigh-ins start pretty soon, lots of people in here at Bell Center,” 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel Tweeted on Friday afternoon. “We can feel the energy for GSP!” As the weigh-ins were conducted, Duhamel noted, “OMG GSP is so focus right now, Koscheck is gonna get kill 2moro, no doubt about it.”
When the bout rolled around on Saturday, it seemed that St. Pierre was getting the most backing from poker players. “So many people are picking GSP on Twitter and at the party I’m at, the anarchist in me is suddenly rooting for a Kos victory,” Eric “willing2die” Sonstegard Tweeted to his followers. Once the fight began, it was obvious that St. Pierre was in control. “20-18 through two,” Terrence “unassigned” Chan noted. “Those people who said GSP was afraid to strike after the Hardy/Alves/Serra etc. fights? Y’all can go home now.”
The fight went the distance, with St. Pierre battering Koscheck around the octagon for much of the evening. After St. Pierre defended the title by a unanimous decision, Chan and Gavin Griffin discussed the final outcome. “I wanna see pics of that eye the next 5 days, Urijah Faber style,” Griffin Tweeted to Chan about the damage Koscheck received during the fight.
The National Football League (NFL) is into its final month of the regular season and poker players were putting their bets down across the board. “Bet Packers (-6.5), Cleveland (Even), and Patriots (-3),” UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth Tweeted to his followers. “Bet over 38 points in Patriots/Bears game! On Thurs, late Titans score cost me $$$!”
Hellmuth got into the action on the Sunday night game as well, Tweeting, “I am betting Philadelphia (-4) over Dallas for game, and Phili (-3) for first half! @TexDolly bet Phili as well, and he is a sharp bettor!” For the record, Hellmuth lost his game bet on Philadelphia, but won the half. He also lost his Packers and Browns bets, but won on his Patriots wagers.
Those not betting on sports were watching with interest, however. “Watching the Packers lose to the Lions will soften the blow of watching the Bears get severely out-coached,” Tweeted Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin.
Another avid Bears fan, Joe Sebok, was stunned by the way the Patriots/Bears game played out, Tweeting, “wow. me + a bunch of my friends could play the Patriots better than this.” This prompted fellow poker pro Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar to respond, “That’s what the Bears thought watching the Jets.” Taylor Caby was at the game and all he could Tweet was, “What a miserable Bears game! Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. Defrosting.” The Patriots have beaten the Bears and Jets in back-to-back weeks by a combined margin of 81-10.
Two new movies in the theaters captured the attention of the poker community. “Black Swan. Intense. Wow,” was all Sebok could say about one of the rumored favorites for the Academy Awards this year. After Absolute Poker’s Trishelle Cannatella asked him, “But do we like it,” Sebok responded, “Anxiety inducing and disturbing. It was very good.”
Another film, the new Mark Wahlberg boxing flick “The Fighter,” received approval from Annie Duke and Joe Reitman. “The Fighter is amazing,” Duke Tweeted after seeing the film. “Christian Bale does a much better Boston accent than DiCaprio in as much as he actually keeps the accent consistent the whole movie.” Reitman agreed with his paramour, Tweeting, “Bale was awesome in The Fighter, so I guess if he wants to be a pain on the set, I’d have to cut him slack too.”
For the best Tweets from the weekend, we’ll start with some philosophic thoughts from Marcel Luske: “Some people give, others drain… Select them carefully.” Bryan Devonshire was also in deep thought: “Why don’t more poker players live where they’re stoked to be alive? The freedom of this job is the greatest perk available.”
Finally, Cannatella got the first sign you’re getting older when she Tweeted, “Omg. Lol. Watched Paul McCartney on SNL with my nephews and asked if they knew him. They were like ‘Huh? Yeah we know Jesse McCartney.’”
UB.com and Absolute Poker Introduce Security Token
Players at the USA-friendly CEREUS Network sites UB.com and Absolute Poker will now be able to make it a lot more difficult for their accounts to be compromised by using security tokens. The security measure was introduced this week and can be purchased in the UB Points Store.
UB.com’s Joe Sebok was elated to bring the added layer of security to life for players on his home online poker site. Sebok commented in a press release distributed by CEREUS officials this week, “We are committed to doing everything possible to safeguard our network and players and we want to provide every option to boost their personal security, particularly those who keep sick amounts of cash in their accounts day-to-day. The security token will provide the most up-to-date security solution to ensure that every player’s personal information and bankroll are always protected.”
If you’ve never heard of a security token, it’s a small device that generates a numeric code. When you log into your UB.com or Absolute Poker account, you’ll need your user name and password along with the code generated by the security token. If you don’t have all three pieces of information, then you won’t be able to sign in. The code randomly generates and will be different from login to login. Just press the button located on the device, which is synched with UB.com’s servers, to see what the code is.
Therefore, if your user name and password are compromised, a would-be hacker won’t be able to log into UB.com or Absolute Poker without the code generated by the security token. CEREUS officials have dubbed it a “two-factor authentication process: the password plus the unique security code generated by the ‘one-button’ device.”
The security token is available for 6,500 points in the UB Points Store and a separate link is given for players from Canada to purchase one. Text found on UB.com explains the importance of coughing up the necessary points for a security token: “Because the code is only displayed on your security token and nowhere else, your account will remain safe in the event that your username and password fall into the wrong hands.”
Once you receive your security token in the mail, you’ll need to log into UB.com to activate it. Just click on the “Cashier,” “Account Information,” and then “Security” and you’ll be on your way. If you incorrectly enter your security token code three times, then you’ll be locked out of your account. To be reinstated, contact UB security via e-mail at security@ub.com.
Players on the CEREUS Network can also elect to use a SecureID pin number, a five-digit code that must be entered at login in order to access the virtual felts. The SecureID Pin was introduced to UB.com in the middle of 2009 and can be used in tandem with the security token. To access the SecureID Pin, visit the “Security” menu within the UB.com software.
Other online poker sites also offer security tokens to protect their players. Full Tilt Poker offers branded and un-branded security keys for 5,000 points in the store that generate a unique six-digit code every 30 seconds. The site also boasts a mobile version of its security key that can be utilized on a cell phone. The price of PokerStars’ RSA security token varies based on a player’s status in the VIP program.
UB.com and Absolute Poker happily accept players from the United States. The former’s team of sponsored pros includes Sebok, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, and 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.
Tags: 2009, absolute poker, Annie Duke, Canada, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, usa, WSOP
Maria Ho Signs with UB.com
Maria Ho, the last woman standing in the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, has joined UB.com. The 27 year-old becomes the newest face of the CEREUS Network site, which recently saw the departures of Billy “Patrolman25” Kopp, Matt “mattg1983” Graham, and Michael Binger.
Ho was elated to be joining Team UB, whose roster of pros includes 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship victor Annie Duke. She told Poker News Daily, “To be a part of Team UB, which boasts a well-respected roster of pros that have achieved so much and stood the test of time in the game such as Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, as well as newer pros to the scene that have incredible success and talent such as Eric Baldwin and Adam Levy, is something I am proud of.”
The site has undergone a wealth of changes ever since the Russ Hamilton-led cheating scandal rocked it several years ago. Now, Ultimate Bet has been re-branded as UB.com and currently resides on a new URL. Ho explained, “I am excited about the new vision and direction of UB, especially with the guidance and input of Joe Sebok, who has his finger on the pulse of the poker community at all times.” Sebok has served as the main liaison with players in the aftermath of the scandal while the process of reimbursing patrons and combing through hand histories has occurred.
Ho also told Poker News Daily that she brings unique talents to the table: “I believe that I can bring a fresh and unique dynamic to the team by reaching out to an untapped demographic by writing strategy articles and posting videos in both English and my native language of Mandarin Chinese. I also feel as though my experiences primarily as a live high-stakes cash game player will bring a different perspective to a lesser known part of the poker world that interests people.” Ho originally hails from Taiwan and moved to Los Angeles with her family at age four. She is renown for her Limit poker skills.
Ho gained mainstream exposure through the CBS reality series “Amazing Race” during its 15th cycle. She paired with fellow UB pro and close friend Tiffany Michelle on the series and finished in sixth place. In the team’s final leg, Michelle and Ho were unable to conquer a carnival high striker in the Netherlands and comprised the last all-female team remaining. On her friendship with Michelle, Ho told Poker News Daily, “I get to be on a team with one of my closest friends in poker and life, Tiffany Michelle, which is just another reason among many why I am excited about joining Team UB.”
In addition to the Emmy Award-winning “Amazing Race,” Ho has appeared on television shows like “American Idol” and “Anderson Cooper 360.” Appropriately, she holds a degree from the University of California, San Diego in Communications.
Ho’s first live event as a sponsored pro of UB.com was at this weekend’s PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Los Angeles stop. Ho played on Day 1B on Saturday and, as of late Saturday night, was nursing one of the short stacks in the room at 9,500. Ho’s table draw certainly hasn’t helped her case, as her company on Saturday included Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron, and Nacho Barbero.
Besides her deep run in the WSOP Main Event three years ago, Ho’s poker resume includes a tenth place finish in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup in July and five in the money finishes in WSOP events over the last two years.
UB.com, along with its fellow CEREUS Network site Absolute Poker, happily accept players from the United States.
Tags: absolute poker, Annie Duke, bellagio, cheat, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, skill, Tiffany Michelle, woman, WSOP
Poker News in Brief: Nov. 8-14
Almost everything else in the poker world seemed less important than a 23-year-old from Boucherville, Quebec collecting $8.9 million and becoming the first Canadian to win poker's World Championship.
But there were a few stories we couldn't just let slip through the cracks. Instead, we've compiled them below in our Weekly Poker News in Brief feature.
This week, UB signs Maria Ho, the NAPT kicks off in L.A., London Calling crowns a winner and a whole lot more.
NAPT L.A.
A total of 701 players from more than 20 different countries entered the PokerStars North American Poker Tour's Los Angeles main event over two starting days this weekend, including some of the game's biggest names.
The healthy turnout created a $3.2 million prize pool with $725,000 reserved for first.
Dane Kim Frederiksen finished Day 1b with the overall chip lead heading into Day 3 at the Bicycle Casino Sunday.
NAPT L.A. runs through Nov. 17.
UB Signs Ho
The last woman stading at the 2007 WSOP Main Event has inked a sponsorship deal with UB.
Maria Ho famously finished 38th of 6,358 players in 2007, but her success did not end there. She now has nine WSOP cashes and three WPT cashes, including a 10th place finish at the Bellagio Cup this past July.
Off the felt Ho recently appeared as a contestant on the Emmy Award The Amazing Race with fellow Team UB Pro Tiffany Michelle.
"I am honored to be joining the ranks of top UB pros such as Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke," she said. "With the new direction and vision I know UB has for their future, this is an extremely exciting time to become a part of such an amazing team."
FPS Lyon
The Lyon leg of the PokerStars France Poker Series drew 320 players to the capital of French gastronomy Saturday.
Names like Arnaud Mattern, Thomas Bichon, EPT London winner David Vamplew and 2009 EPT San Remo champ Constant Rijkenberg helped create a €342,144 prize pool with €88,444 and a ticket to the FPS finals in Paris set aside for the winner.
Anthony Chaneto grabbed the overnight chip lead with just 71 players surviving to Day 2.
Wing Wins London Calling
Simon "tigerwing" Wing defeated Gem Husnu to take down the £300 London Calling main event this week.
The 32-year-old from Middlesex outlasted PKR's own WSOP bracelet winner Scott Shelley and well known UK poker pros Neil Channing, James Akenhead, Barney Boatman and Joe Beevers to book the win.
"The London Calling poker festival has been a great success and we are over the moon with Simon's win," said Marketing Manager Erika Schwartz Poole. "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."
The London Calling poker festival ran for 28 days at the Fox Poker Club in association with PKR and included 57 tournaments.
PKR Live V
PKR Live V kicked off Friday at London's Tower Bridge.
150 qualifiers and their guests from from 21 different countries are participating in the festival at the Fox Poker Club in the heart of London's Soho.
New Team PKR Pro and WSOPE bracelet winner Scott Shelley will make his PKR Live debut this weekend vying for part of a $75,000 estimated prize pool and sought after Main Event trophy.
Mediterranean Poker Cup
The five-star Hotel Merit Girne, Crystal Cove, Cyprus will host the Mediterranean Poker Cup week-long poker festival Nov. 22-28.
The festival features a $2,500 main event with a $400,000 guaranteed prize pool beginning Nov. 26.
"This is amazing place – the best resort I've ever seen for a poker tournament," said Artur Voskanjan of organizer Poker Club Management.
"It has 24-hour food in the tournament area, gym, spa, and is right by the beach. We'll have Russian models, fantastic entertainment, a rich spread of poker games and, above all, are not expecting many pros so it's a great opportunity to play for a guaranteed prize pool in the main event against a beatable field."
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Tags: 2009, Annie Duke, bellagio, canadian, Phil Hellmuth, pokerstars, Russia, Tiffany Michelle, tournament, woman, WSOP
Brian Hastings to Appear on Poker After Dark PLO Cash Game
CardRunners instructor Brian Hastings announced on his blog late last week that he will be making his first televised poker appearance on NBC’s “Poker After Dark.” Hastings said that he will join fellow Full Tilt Red Pros Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan as well as high-stakes regular Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond in a $300/$600 Pot Limit Omaha game with a minimum buy-in of $100,000. Hastings wrote the blog while en route to Las Vegas for the taping of the show.
“The reason I am flying to Vegas is that I am going to be on ‘Poker After Dark,’” an elated Hastings wrote. “This will be my first televised poker appearance and I am very excited. Lana (CardRunners Marketing Director) worked very hard to get me on the show and called me Friday afternoon to let me know about it. It totally caught me off-guard, especially since I have a big assignment due Tuesday for my architecture class, but I quickly decided that I was in, got an extension on the assignment, and now here I am flying cross-country.”
Patrik Antonius, Sam Farha, Brandon Adams, and Jared “harrington25″ Bleznick could also be playing in the game according to Hastings, making for what should be an exciting week of televised poker. Hastings, just 22, hasn’t yet made a name for himself on the live circuit, but the Cornell University student is renowned for winning the most money in a single day in online poker history. In December of last year, Hastings stepped up to the plate to face Swedish phenom “Isildur1” at the $500/$1,000 Pot Limit Omaha heads-up tables on Full Tilt Poker. Five hours later, Hastings had taken around $4 million from the Swede and gained instant fame within the poker community.
Now, Hastings gets his shot at another big game, this time a six-max format under the bright lights of “Poker After Dark.” “We will be taping tomorrow (Monday) and although unfortunately I will not be able to disclose results before the show airs, I will fill you in with the details that I can provide when I know them,” Hastings said. “I do know that the episodes will air sometime in 2011, although I’m not sure when yet.”
This will mark the first set of episodes in the history of the show that offer a game other than No Limit Hold’em. Pot Limit Omaha has increased in popularity online in recent years, much of that due to the intense action at the nosebleed stakes among players like Hastings, Dwan, Galfond, Bleznick, Daniel “jungleman12” Cates, and the rest of the high-limit players on Full Tilt Poker. All of the aforementioned pros are among the biggest Pot Limit Omaha winners on the site since the results started being tracked by HighStakesDB.
Season 7 of “Poker After Dark” is being filmed at Aria after spending the first six seasons at the South Point Casino and the Golden Nugget. Season 6 began airing in January and featured poker pros like Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Annette Obrestad, Antonio Esfandiari, Annie Duke, Eli Elezra, Erick Lindgren, Antonius, David “Viffer” Peat, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, and Dwan. The show airs nightly at 2:05am ET.