Poker News

Peter Eastgate to Retire from Poker?

In news that has stunned the poker community, 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Peter Eastgate has stated that he plans to retire from international high-stakes poker, at least for the time being.

In a blog on his sponsor site, PokerStars, Eastgate indicated that he lacked the desire to continue to pursue the lifestyle of a professional poker player. “When I started playing poker for a living, it was never my goal to spend the rest of my life as a professional poker player,” the 24 year old Eastgate states. “My goal was to become financially independent. I achieved that by winning the WSOP Main Event in 2008.”

Eastgate goes on to say that, while he has enjoyed the ride of being recognized as a former Main Event Champion, his heart may not be in the game anymore. “The period following (winning the WSOP Main Event) has taken me on a worldwide tour, where I have seen some amazing places and met many new people; it has been a great experience,” Eastgate writes in the statement on the PokerStars blog. “In the 20 months following my WSOP win, I feel that I have lost my motivation for playing high level poker along the way and I have decided that now is the time to find out what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

Where Eastgate becomes a bit cryptic as to his future is at the end of the statement: “What this (next chapter) will be, I do not yet know. I have decided to take a break from live tournament poker, and try to focus on Peter Eastgate, the person. I want to thank PokerStars, my friends and family for their support over the last 20 months and for their support in my decision to take a break from poker.”

Since his victory at the 2008 WSOP Main Event, where he won $9.15 million, Eastgate has been traveling the world and seemingly playing well. In 2009, he won a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em preliminary event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $343,000 and then went on a sizzling run in defense of his WSOP championship. In last year’s tournament, he finally succumbed in 78th place, arguably one of the best championship defenses of the past ten years.

In the past ten months, Eastgate has been around the world displaying his poker skills in such locales as London (where he finished second in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event), Tallinn, Estonia; Sydney, Australia; Deauville, France; his home court of Copenhagen, Denmark; and Las Vegas. According to the Hendon Mob database, he has won $1.54 million since his WSOP championship and currently sits sixth in lifetime earnings with $10.9 million.

Obviously, however, Eastgate has felt the call of other things outside of the poker world. In June, Poker News Daily reported that Eastgate would not attend any preliminary events at the WSOP, focusing his concentration on Denmark’s run in the 2010 World Cup and traveling to South Africa for the matches. He commented at the time, “I don’t have the motivation to play all the small events at the WSOP. That would be a waste of money. To me it’s not that important to win bracelet number two.” He also questioned the logic of some of the “young guns” in the game, most notably Tom “durrrr” Dwan, playing in the preliminary tournaments because of prop bets on winning bracelets.

Eastgate isn’t the first young poker pro to make the decision to step away from the felt for a while. Late last year, noted online pro Shaun Deeb announced that he would step away from the game, only to reappear at this year’s WSOP. Former EPT champion Michael “Timex” McDonald and online cash game wizard Jonas “Nebuchad” Danielsson announced a “retirement” of sorts from the game this year.

Comments on Eastgate’s decision has sent social media outlets and poker forums into a frenzy. On Twitter, none other than eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel noted, “Wow, 2008 WSOP champ Peter Eastgate quits poker… Interesting story, wish him all the best.” Noted French poker journalist Benjo DiMeo thought that Eastgate’s move was for the best when he Tweeted, “Now here is a smart kid.”

On the forums, Eastgate’s decision has been met with mostly good will. On PocketFives.com, poster “TpocketT” remarked, “Eastgate seemed like a very smart, thinking player. Gl to him, I think he’s basically done what most people set out to do when they become poker players – get rich and retire.” Another poster, “matze_widi,” agreed, stating, “I like that move, reevaluate your life… there are so many more fun things to do other then playing poker… and he obviously has no money issues.” But perhaps the final word on Eastgate’s decision – and potentially a look to the near future – was written by “wackyJaxon”:  “I would guess that he will be back, its just a temporary decision, gives him time and then can play when its ‘fun’ for him. Would take a small prop bet he enters a live tourney by end of next WSOP.” ?

Champ Camp Qualifier Begins WSOP Run

A 49-year-old former dealer from Australia, Roberts is hard to miss on Day 1b of the 2010 Main Event with her trademark Australian Bush hat and mosquito veil.

Roberts qualified through PokerListings' exclusive VIP Champion Camp freeroll on 888poker where she outlasted over 700 players to win a seat in the Main Event.

"I've been dreaming of sitting under these lights for so many years," said Roberts. "I was actually planning on 2011 Aussie Millions and hopefully satellite into the Main Event but I was instead able to qualify through PokerListings."

Despite running a king-high flush into an ace-high flush in the first level, Roberts was optimistic about her chances in the tournament.

"I'm calming down a bit," she said. "It takes awhile. This morning I was really, really nervous. Now I'm starting to watch the players and see how they are playing."

Roberts not only won her seat into the tournament but also received her accommodations and flight from PokerListings. She will also get to take part in a number of VIP experiences this summer including shopping sprees and spas.

When Roberts won the package she actually had option of taking the cash for the seat but the fact accommodations and travel were paid for proved too enticing.

"I couldn't miss the opportunity of coming out to the World Series of Poker," she said.

An avid poker fan, Roberts watches the game whenever she can including the WSOP, Aussie Millions or just random YouTube videos.

"I've always been fascinated by it," she said.

Roberts also took a moment to explain her unique choice of headwear.

"It's an Aussie thing to keep out all the flies," she said. "I suppose it's something that identifies who I am and gives me the added bonus that you can't see my face. It's sort of a joke amongst my friends and family."

Roberts and 31-year-old North Dakotan Ben Blair make up the entirety of the PokerListings' Champion Camp this year and will both attempt to parlay their freeroll tournament win into a deep run in this year's WSOP Main Event.

The 2010 WSOP continues through July 17. For comprehensive coverage of the WSOP tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

DoylesRoom Brunson 10 Candidate Dan Kelly Wins WSOP $25,000 Six-Max NLHE

In the $25,000 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), six players came back on Saturday to determine a champion. Eliminated on Friday evening were favorites Carlos Mortensen (17th), Daniel Negreanu (11th), and Isaac Haxton (9th), but the final table still provided exciting action. Leading the tournament when six-handed play began was DoylesRoom Brunson 10 candidate Dan “djk123” Kelly, who held a nearly 2-1 lead over 2010 WSOP double bracelet winner Frank Kassela.

In what was the quickest final table at this year’s WSOP at 4.5 hours, Kelly was able to hold off the charge of some highly skilled pros. Eugene Katchalov was the first to depart and, while he wasn’t able to take the bracelet, Katchalov’s finish marked his fourth final table at this year’s WSOP. Eugene has banked over $500,000 for his performances over the last six weeks.

Another top player, Mikael Thuritz, was dismissed in fifth. After making the final table of the $50,000 Player’s Championship, Thuritz’s performance at this final table marked his third cash of his WSOP, with no cash lower than 13th place.

Kassela was dispatched from the final table in third place, ending what would have been a historic run at a third WSOP bracelet this year. With his finish, Kassela surged into the lead of the WSOP Player of the Year race. He currently sits with 285 points, 60 more than John Juanda and 75 more than Vladimir Shchemelev. Since only the Main Event remains, Juanda would have to finish at least third to tie Kassela; Shchemelev would have to finish second.

Canada’s Shawn Buchanan was the runner-up to Kelly, but he has to be happy with his performance at this year’s WSOP. His second place finish was his eighth cash of the year, tying him with Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler for the lead.

With the victory in Event #52, Kelly also has the chance at a very special reward. His sponsor, DoylesRoom, is currently running a battle featuring Kelly, David “Doc Sands” Sands, Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, and Michael “Martine23” Martin for the next position with the powerful Brunson 10. Whoever garners the most points in all events at the WSOP will take the seat alongside such notable young players as Amit “amak316” Makhija, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and Chris “moorman1” Moorman:

1. Dan “djk123” Kelly (Potomac, MD) – $1,315,518
2. Shawn Buchanan (Abootsford, British Columbia) – $812,941
3. Frank Kassela (Rossville, TN) – $556,053
4. Jason Somerville (Stony Brook, NY) – $386,125
5. Mikael Thuritz (Las Vegas, NV) – $272,084
6. Eugene Katchalov (New York, NY) – $194,559

The highly popular Ante Up for Africa charity event also played out during action on Saturday. The non-bracelet event, created by Poker News Daily guest columnist Annie Duke, acclaimed actor Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein four years ago to raise awareness about the issues in Darfur, drew in 83 players, including several top pros and many celebrities. Players such as former Main Event champion Joe Hachem, Erik Seidel, Player’s Championship winner Michael Mizrachi, and Duke joined celebrities such as talk show host Montel Williams, boxing legend Evander Holyfield, Australian footballer Shane Warne, NFL great Jerome Bettis, and “Rounders” actor Matt Damon to raise money for the cause.

Seidel and Bettis both made the final table and went out in fifth and sixth place, respectively. The final duo that battled for the championship were Carbon Poker’s Shannon Elizabeth and top pro Phil Gordon, both veterans of the Bravo poker series “Celebrity Poker Showdown.” Gordon was able to defeat Elizabeth during heads-up play and then immediately turned around and donated his winnings back to Ante Up for Africa. All totaled, the charitable tournament raised over $275,000 to support the cause that Duke and Cheadle have brought to the poker world’s attention.

1. Phil Gordon (Henderson, NV) – $129,086
2. Shannon Elizabeth (Los Angeles, CA) – $79,776
3. Aleksey Filatov (Norwood, MA) – $55,843
4. Carter Phillips (Las Vegas, NV) – $40,676
5. Erik Seidel (Las Vegas, NV) – $29,926
6. Jerome Bettis (Roswell, GA) – $22,355
7. Barry Hartheimer (New York, NY) – $17,930
8. Kyle Carlston (Henderson, NV) – $14,945
9. Claire Renaut (London, United Kingdom) – $12,843

Although the Main Event begins tomorrow, there are still four tournaments in progress. In the final $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event, David Peters leads the field into Day 3. With 47 players remaining, the final nine will be the target late this evening and the final table will play out on Monday.

The final $10,000 World Championship event (#55), Pot Limit Omaha, will determine a champion today with a staunch final table. Ludovic Lacay leads an international field that includes second place pursuer Daniel Alaei and 2007 WSOP Main Event fourth place finisher Alexander Kravchenko.

Event #56, $2,500 No Limit Hold’em, will also play deep into the night to determine a final table. Corwin “mig.com” Mackey holds a 2-1 lead over Sweden’s Christian Jeppsson when play continues this afternoon. Other notable players on the leader board include Jon “PearlJammer” Turner, Dan Shak, and Court Harrington.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2010 WSOP.

I’m Bluffing Matt Damon! - Day 37 WSOP Recap

Once again the casino was a a hub of activity as the WSOP played out with the $10k Main Event looming ever closer.

There was so much activity that the scheduled Tournament of Champions competition had to be postponed till tomorrow.

Here's how today's action went down.

Event 52 - $25k No-Limit Hold'em Six-Max

The final six players still in contention reconvened today to finish off what they started and when an incendiary final table had blazed its way to a conclusion, Daniel "djk123" Kelly was the man left holding the bracelet and the incredible $1,315,518 first prize money.

The 21 year old American defeated Shawn Buchanan heads-up to land the bracelet, and along the way he also saw off the challenge of Player of the Year contender, the double-braceleted Frank Kassela.

"I want to win more," a hungry Kelly said afterwards, who looks like he will now become the latest addition to the group of young players known as the "Brunson 10."

Event 54 - $1k No-Limit Hold'em

596 players were back in action for day 2 as the survivors of Day 1a and Day 1b met up to do battle.

A tough contest ensued and when they bagged and tagged the chips by the end of play, Sean Prendiville headed the chip counts with 47 players left.

They'll return to contend the bracelet tomorrow at 2.30 p.m..

Event 55 - $10k Pot-Limit Omaha Championship

The Pot-Limit Omaha Championship saw many stellar names left with hope of a last bracelet before the Main Event written all over their faces.

By the end, most of them had had that hope wiped clean off their visages - Devilfish, durrrr and Phil Hellmuth all crashing out.

However, Alex Kravchenko, Ludovic Lacay and Daniel Alaei are still some of the big names hunting the bracelet and the final nine players will return at 4.00 p.m. tomorrow to play to a finish.

Event 56 - $2.5k No-Limit Hold'e

The final event before the Main Event saw 1,941 hopefuls register for Day 1 in a bid to get out of it for the Series.

Only 507 made it through to Day 2 and by the time 10 levels had come and gone, this number had been reduced to 85.

They will return tomorrow at 3.00 p.m. and James Mackey is the man they will all be chasing.

Ante Up For Africa

Celebrities from all walks of life gathered together in the Rio today to show a little generosity, have a little fun and play a little poker.

Film stars like Matt Damon and Don Cheadle rubbed shoulders with the likes of retired NFL halfback Jerome Bettis and Australian cricketer Shane Warne - playing out a tournament filled with fun and laughter - and plenty of generous donations.

The final saw poker pro Phil Gordon facing off against Shannon Elizabeth, who straddles the poker and movie worlds, and she also straddled Gordon when he defeated her heads up.

Gordon was quick to donate his $130,641 winnings to the charity, commenting, "I wish the rest of my WSOP had gone the way this tournament went."

Full Tilt Poker Holding Rush Week Starting July 12th

From Monday, July 12th to Sunday, July 18th, Full Tilt Poker is holding Rush Week. Capitalizing on the popularity of its fast-paced Rush Poker, Full Tilt is dishing out up to $250 in cash per player along with entries into an exclusive $50,000 Rush Week Freeroll.

In honor of Rush Week, which totes “Seven Days of Speed” as its tagline, several guaranteed tournaments on Full Tilt Poker will offer a Rush Poker structure. This means that as soon as a player’s action in a hand has ended, he or she is whisked off to another table with a new set of opponents to begin a brand new hand. The lack of downtime means constant decision-making and the potential to see 300 hands per hour. Rush Poker ring games first appeared on Full Tilt back in January. In April, Rush Poker tournaments were rolled out.

There are several ways to collect cash as part of Rush Week. Players who earn at least 10 Full Tilt Points (FTPs) per day from Rush Poker games on any four days during the promotion will bank $5. If they can perform the same feat on all seven days of Rush Week, they’ll earn $10. Players who amass 100 FTPs per day on any four days during Rush Week will collect $25, while those who can generate 100 FTPs per day on all seven days will earn $50.

Finally, Full Tilt Poker members who accrue 1,000 FTPs per day on any four days during the week will receive $125. Those who can rack up 1,000 FTPs per day on all seven days will take home the grand prize of $250. Players can only take home one cash prize, meaning that the awards for racking up FTPs during Rush Week are not cumulative.

Rush Week officially starts at 00:00 ET on July 12th and ends at 23:59 ET on July 18th. Only FTPs earned in Rush Poker cash games and tournaments are eligible for reaping rewards and bonuses earned as part of Full Tilt’s Rush Week. Happy Hours, while lucrative, don’t count for this promotion.

Similar to other Full Tilt Poker promotions, players must opt into Rush Week in order to qualify. To do so, log into the Full Tilt client and click on the “Cashier” button. Then, click on “My Promotions” and select “Rush Week.” If you’re curious as to where you stand, head back to the “Rush Week” landing page.

Qualifying for the $50,000 Rush Week Freeroll is pretty simple. All you have to do is reach the final table of a Rush Poker tournament during the promotional period. Text found on Full Tilt Poker’s website highlights an important caveat to qualifying: “In Rush Poker Tournaments that do not play down to a final table, all players who win the top prize will be automatically entered into the $50,000 Rush Week Freeroll.”

The $50,000 freeroll is scheduled for Sunday, July 25th at 15:15 ET. Full Tilt has bumped up the number of Rush Poker tournaments on the docket during the week in order to allow plenty players to qualify for the freeroll. Players are automatically entered to the $50,000 freebie, eliminating the hassle of having to register manually.

Full Tilt happily accepts players from the United States and is the world’s second largest online poker site, trailing only PokerStars. Its fleet of sponsored pros includes 2009 World Series of Poker November Niner Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, and Chris Ferguson. Rush Poker is patent pending in the United States, the European Union, Australia, and Canada. Visit Full Tilt Poker today.

Ryan Welch Defeats Jon Eaton to Win WSOP Bracelet

In what could best be described as “the calm before the storm,” only one bracelet was awarded on Thursday night in action at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

In the $3,000 Triple Chance No Limit Hold’em tournament, Event #51 on the WSOP schedule, 12 men returned on Thursday afternoon for their shot at a coveted gold and diamond WSOP bracelet. Jon Eaton held a roughly 600,000 chip lead over Frank Rusnak, with underrated pro Will “The Thrill” Failla lurking in third place. The players wasted little time once the cards hit the air, getting down to the final table in roughly 4½ hours.

Rusnak was one of the victims of the early carnage, doubling up Bradley Craig and losing a key hand to Failla to drop his chip stack into the danger zone. Rusnak, who has almost $600,000 in tournament earnings since his debut in 2007, was never able to get any traction from the start and got his final chips in with K-Q. He was called by Koen de Bakker, who had him dominated with his A-Q. The flop offered an appealing A-5-J rainbow arrangement, but delivered no 10 for Rusnak, dropping him from the tournament in 11th place.

Once the final table was established, one of the rarer occurrences during a WSOP final table occurred. Guillaume Darcourt, after an all-in bet from Tad Jurgens and an all-in over the top from Noel Scruggs, agonized over a decision that would either make his tournament or crush his dreams of a WSOP bracelet. After the careful deliberation, Darcourt made the call with pocket sevens, only to see Jurgens table pocket queens and Scruggs show his A-Q. The seven that popped on the flop sent a thunderous roar through the audience and delivered a rare bird at a WSOP final table, the double knockout. Jurgens started the hand with fewer chips and finished in ninth and Scruggs took the eighth place slot.

Over the next four hours, the remainder of the final table would be eliminated, bringing the action to a heads-up battle between Eaton and Ryan Welch, who diligently ground his way through the final table. On the final hand, with Eaton holding slightly fewer chips than Welch, the duo got their chips to the center of a 9-7-6-10-K board. Eaton bet out roughly 525,000 on the river to start, only to face an all-in reraise from Welch. Eaton struggled with the decision, reasoning out the hands that Welch could possibly hold before making the call. Welch immediately showed Q-J for the rivered nut straight and, once the chips were counted, became the latest WSOP champion.

1. Ryan Welch (Henderson, NV) – $559,371
2. Jon Eaton (Las Vegas, NV) – $344,830
3. Guillaume Darcourt (Paris, France) – $223,459
4. Will Faille (Smithtown, NY) – $163,532
5. Bradley Craig (Cleveland, OH) – $121,451
6. Sergey Lebedev (Troitsk, Russia) – $91,407
7. Tommy Vedes (Fort Mojave, AZ) – $69,647
8. Noel Scruggs (Del Mar, CA) – $53,694
9. Tad Jurgens (Tempe, AZ) – $41,842

Four other events were in play on Thursday, with two tournaments that will award bracelets on Friday. In Event #52, the $25,000 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em tournament, 18 players will come back on Friday afternoon from the original 191 starters. Bryn Kenney is the overnight chip leader stacked with 2.425 million, but there is danger lurking around every corner. Daniel Negreanu, who has had a quiet 2010 WSOP, is in sixth place, with 2010 double bracelet winner Frank Kassela ahead of him in fifth. Add in Sam Trickett, Isaac Haxton, Shawn Buchanan, Eugene Katchalov, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Carlos Mortensen, and Vadim Trincher, and the final table of this event should hold for exciting poker.

In the $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout, Victory Poker pro Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little and Terrence “Unassigned” Chan lead a final table of eight. As with a Shootout tournament, all eight worked their way to the final table by defeating a full table of opponents over the first two days of play. Everyone will start with 450,000 in chips when the cards fly this afternoon.

The first Day 1 of the latest $1,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament drew a sizeable field of 2,340 players, potentially making this $1,000 event one of the largest of this year’s WSOP, depending on the second Day 1 gathering. The final table of this tournament will take place on Independence Day.

The $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship drew a starting field of 346, which was whittled down by over half to 171 by the end of Day 1. Australia’s Antonio Paino is the chip leader with 240,000, with several top pros mixed throughout the field. 2009 November Niner James Akenhead is in third, with Fabrice Soulier (sixth) and Ted Lawson (seventh) both in the top 10. Final table play in Event #55 will take place on Saturday.

Only one event will begin play on Friday, the $2,500 No Limit Hold’em event. It is also set to finish play on Sunday, prior to the start of the $10,000 World Championship event on Monday. Although there are tournaments in action over the next few days, it more than likely will be a preparation weekend for many of the top players as the WSOP moves into its final two weeks and its World Championship event.

Femi Fakinle Wins PokerStars UKIPT Killarney

The €1,100 buy-in Main Event of the PokerStars U.K. and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Killarney stop concluded over the weekend. PokerStars qualifier Femi Fakinle came out on top when the final cards were dealt, banking €63,000 and a £5,250 seat into the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Main Event in London.

A total of 253 players registered last Thursday and played seven one-hour levels on Day 1. Those in attendance included PokerStars pro Julian Thew, UKIPT Coventry winner Gilles Augustus, and UKIPT Nottingham winner Andrew Couldridge. On Friday, the money bubble burst just before Midnight local time when Dave McAndrews hit the skids at the hands of Vinny Gavin.

Fakinle qualified for the Killarney event after winning a €215 qualifier on PokerStars, which serves as the presenting sponsor of the UKIPT and is the world’s largest online poker site. He entered the eight-handed final table with a commanding chip lead and had nearly double the stack of his next closest competitor. UKIPT Manchester final table member Michael Hill was the first elimination from Killarney’s final table and was ousted within 15 minutes.

After five hours, heads-up play was set between two Irish poker enthusiasts: Fakinle and Aonghus Farrell. The latter held the chip lead initially, but in the final hand, Fakinle’s Q-J drew out on Farrell’s K-6. After Farrell flopped a king, Fakinle turned a queen and hit two pair on the river to claim the title and boost Ireland’s GDP by €63,000.

Besides the money, Fakinle was also looking forward to heading to Jolly Old England to compete in EPT London. He told PokerStars officials following the final cards being dealt, “I’m most excited about the fact I’ve won a seat to EPT London; the chance to play against some of the best players in the world is something I’m looking forward to.” The EPT London Main Event takes place from September 29th to October 4th. Last year’s Main Event in the British city marked the largest poker tournament ever held in the U.K. at 730 players.

Three countries were represented at the final table, which shook out as follows:

1. Femi Fakinle (Ireland) – €63,400
2. Aonghus Farrell (Ireland) – €39,200
3. Jens Schmukal (Germany) – €24,000
4. Peter Barrable (Ireland) – €17,700
5. Brian Downey (Ireland) – €14,600
6. David Rowley (United Kingdom) – €12,100
7. Philip Phu (United Kingdom) – €9,600
8. Michael Hill (United Kingdom) – €7,425

UKIPT officials will now take a two-week respite before heading to Brighton’s Rendezvous Casino on July 15th. The tournament also boasts an £1,100 buy-in and crowns a champion after five days of play. Stops in Edinburgh and Dublin will round out the current season of the UKIPT, which ends with the London event.

Killarney’s attendance of 253 marked the smallest turnout during the UKIPT’s first season thus far. The Galway event featured the second smallest turnout, attracting 259 players, and saw acclaimed pro Padraig Parkinson come out on top. The largest event held so far occurred in Nottingham, where 650 players bought in. In the end, Andrew Couldridge collected £80,000 for the win.

In addition to the UKIPT and EPT, PokerStars also sponsors the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), Italian Poker Tour (IPT), and North American Poker Tour (NAPT).

Australian Productivity Commission Calls for Managed Liberalization of Online Poker

ESPN: No Decision Made Whether to Broadcast NAPT Los Angeles

In 146 days, the fourth stop on the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) will pan out from the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. The tournament, which kicks off on November 12th, will crown a champ five days later. Still undecided is whether ESPN, which aired NAPT action from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Venetian, and Mohegan Sun, will also broadcast the Bicycle Casino event.

An ESPN representative told Poker News Daily, “There is nothing in the works yet, but our programming team expects to meet with PokerStars on possibilities.” At the time of writing, no decision has been passed down as to whether NAPT Los Angeles will air on the cable giant, which carries related programming like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and WSOP Europe every year.

The five-day Main Event in Los Angeles will carry a $5,000 buy-in, the same price tag as other U.S.-based NAPT stops. Despite potentially not having television coverage, a representative of The Bike commented in a press release distributed by PokerStars, “We are very enthusiastic to secure the West Coast tour stop. We clearly recognize the NAPT as the next major happening in the evolution of poker and we have no doubt this tour will entice and attract players from all over the world.”

Three months prior to the NAPT’s arrival at The Bike, the storied card room will host the annual World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker. The 2010 running of the WPT Legends of Poker is slated for August 20th to 25th, but in a new twist, the event will come with a $5,200 buy-in, one of the cheapest on the WPT schedule. Meanwhile, NAPT officials are expecting a sellout at The Bike, which drew 279 players for its 2009 Legends of Poker event.

In April and May, ESPN aired action from the NAPT Venetian High Roller Bounty Shootout and Main Event, Mohegan Sun High Roller Bounty Shootout and Main Event, and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller tournament. A total of 10 hours of NAPT coverage aired, hosted by longtime ESPN poker faces Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.

Harrison Gimbel won a record-setting PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event in the Bahamas, collecting $2.2 million. Back on U.S. soil, the inaugural NAPT Venetian Main Event drew 872 players and Tom “kingsofcards” Marchese emerged victorious and banked $827,000. Then, 21 year-old Ashton Griffin landed in the top spot in the High Roller Event at the Las Vegas Strip casino for $560,000.

The NAPT then traveled to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut in April, where Yale law student Vanessa Selbst defeated over 700 players for the title. In addition, more than 20 countries were represented. Finally, Team PokerStars Pro member Jason Mercier brought home the High Roller title at Mohegan Sun for $475,000. The victory marked Mercier’s second High Roller title at a PokerStars sponsored event in two years.

In addition to the NAPT, PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, also manages the European Poker Tour (EPT), Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), U.K. and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT), Czech-Slovak Poker Tour (CSPT), Italian Poker Tour (IPT), and poker series in Russia, Spain, and France. Its “Big Game” cash game franchise can be seen nightly during the week on Fox.

According to Pokerati, the future of NAPT stops in Las Vegas appears to be in doubt due to the involvement of PokerStars. Other alternative landing spots for the NAPT include Chicago, Tunica, Biloxi, Atlantic City, and St. Louis. The latter is home to PokerStars pro Dennis Phillips and features Harrah’s, Isle of Capri, and Lumiere Place. Also potentially on tap is an NAPT stop in Canada.

World Team Poker Signs Kathy Liebert, Cyndy Violette, Antonio Esfandiari

The roster for the 24-team World Team Poker World Championship just got a little bit bigger. Top female poker pros Kathy Liebert and Cyndy Violette have been inked to play for Team Germany, whose roster currently includes Dan Heimiller. The World Championship will take place from October 11th to 17th in Las Vegas, although a host venue has not yet been announced.

Violette has been a staple of the poker scene since the 1980s. She final tabled Ladies’ Events at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 1985 and 1987 before winning her first bracelet in 2004 in a $2,000 Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better tournament for $135,000. In 2005, Violette was the runner-up to Erik Seidel in a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $295,000, but she has not made a final table at the WSOP in four years.

Liebert also won a bracelet in 2004, taking down a $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout for $110,000 in a final table that included Brock “t soprano” Parker, Kevin Song, and Joe Cassidy. Liebert finished third in the 2008 World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em for just over $300,000 and owns over $1 million in WSOP and Circuit earnings. Last November, Liebert won a $2,325 No Limit Hold’em event held during the Foxwoods World Poker Finals for $74,000 and took third in the World Poker Tour (WPT) North American Poker Championship two years ago for nearly $300,000.

Now, these two poker divas, whose parents are German, will step up to bat on behalf of Team Germany. Competing against them under the Iranian banner will be Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari, who also joined on with World Team Poker in recent days. Esfandiari already has two cashes during the 2010 WSOP, including a 12th place showing in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $47,000. Esfandiari finished 24th in last year’s Main Event for $352,000 and won a bracelet in 2004 in a $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em contest.

Other World Team Poker rumors have two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Greg “FBT” Mueller captaining Team Canada, whose roster of pros has yet to be announced. World Team Poker’s Robert Turner told Poker News Daily that the hype for the World Championship event in October is quickly building: “People like our concept. It’s something new in poker that’s never been done. Even though there have been attempts to do team events, we have it right. There is no collusion, we combine chips, and the fact that we’re with Fox Sports Net has helped. That’s the home run for us.”

On July 14th, a teaser episode of World Team Poker’s kickoff event at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas will air on Fox Sports Net. Then, beginning in September, the rest of the action from the Downtown casino will be broadcast in one-hour episodes on the sports station on Sunday nights.

Earlier this month, World Team Poker signed Full Tilt pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad to Team Norway, whose roster also includes Thor Hansen. Team China took down the tournament series’ inaugural event at the Golden Nugget, besting Team Brazil. The Chinese squad included Johnny Chan, David Chiu, Chau Giang, Maria Ho, Winfred Yu, Rich Zhu, and Derek Cheung.

Twenty-three countries are listed on World Team Poker’s website, meaning that one more may need to come aboard in order to fill out a 24-team World Championship field: Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, and Vietnam. Curiously absent is France, whose roster could include players like Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Everest Poker’s Antoine Saout, and David Benyamine.

Stay tuned for the latest news from World Team Poker.

Beach Volleyball Champions Jennifer Kessy and April Ross Sign with Bodog.net

In last weekend’s running of the Huntington Beach Open beach volleyball extravaganza, Jennifer Kessy and April Ross defeated Misty May-Treanor and Nicole Branagh for the title. May-Treanor is an Olympic gold medalist, while Kessy and Ross are the newest sponsored sports icons of Bodog.net.

The pair was actually signed to Bodog.net before the Huntington Beach Open in California began, adding an extra dose of exposure for the popular play money online poker site. The duo has been wildly successful, winning seven gold Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) medals, five silver medals, and three bronze medals. In Norway, Kessy and Ross took down the FIVB World Championship title, going 8-0 down the stretch en route to victory.

Kessy received the honor of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Best of the Beach in 2008 and 2009 and both players are graduates of the University of Southern California, home of the Trojans. Kessy was an All-Pac 10 pick from 1995 to 1998 and Ross was a first team All-American in back-to-back years. Kessy and Ross have had success in the United States and around the world, taking down five AVP tour championships and winning events in France and Thailand, among other locales.

Text found on Bodog’s website details where the team stands in the 2010 season: “The 2010 professional beach volleyball season is still young, but two FIVB gold medals and one bronze – earned at last weekend’s US $190,000 Crown Seoul Open for women in a come-from-behind victory over Brazil’s Maria Antonelli and Talita Antunes, 15-21, 22-20, 15-8 – have catapulted Kessy and Ross into the top spot.”

According to FIVB, Kessy and Ross are #1 in the World Tour rankings and have nearly $100,000 in earnings this season. Their competition near the top of the pack includes Brazil’s Juliana Silva and Larissa Franca and Germany’s Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig. The pair is now camped out in Moscow for an FIVB beach volleyball event.

Beach volleyball has exploded in popularity in recent years, even becoming an Olympic sport in 1996 in Atlanta. It’s been predominantly Brazil and the United States atop the medal stand, as of the 24 medals awarded in beach volleyball at the Olympics, the two nations have claimed 16. Other countries that have captured titles in the sand-based sport include Canada, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and China. The latter took the silver and bronze in women’s beach volleyball in Beijing.

Bodog.net is the play money arm of Bodog, which happily accepts players from the United States. The online poker site recently underwent a major overhaul in its sponsored pros, parting ways with Jean-Robert Bellande, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner David Williams only to add Amanda Musumeci, who won her way in through a site promotion.

If you think watching beach volleyball means four women in bikinis romping around in the sand for an hour, you’re not far from the truth. However, Bodog cautions, “Watching professional female athletes play beach volleyball is not at all like watching a pillow fight between four nearly naked girls, so you can wipe that image from your dirty mind. AVP and FIVB tournaments are hot, but in a physically grueling kind of way.” FIVB is the governing body of Olympic beach volleyball.

The Huntington Beach Open final aired on June 6th on ESPN2, the same network that carried coverage of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) and World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe. Visit Bodog.net for more details.

World Team Poker Signs Annette Obrestad for Team Norway

Full Tilt Poker pro Annette Obrestad will play for Team Norway as part of World Team Poker. The former Betfair pro will join Thor Hansen to represent the Scandinavian country. Team Norway did not compete in the kickoff World Team Poker event, which played out at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas last month.

Obrestad is one of several females who may take part in the World Team Poker Championship event, which has yet to be announced. Taking to the felts on behalf of Team USA are reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke and fundraiser extraordinaire Jennifer Harman. According to the World Team Poker website, other members of Team USA include 10-time bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Erik Seidel.

Team Australia includes Women in Poker Hall of Fame member Marsha Waggoner, who will likely take to the felts alongside her teammates from Down Under, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro, Tony G, Mel Judah, Billy Argyros, Gary Benson, David Saab, Steve Topakas, and Grant Levy.

Representing her home country of Vietnam is Karina Jett, who recently took down “He Said, She Said” week on NBC’s “Poker After Dark.” Team Vietnam features Poker Hall of Fame nominee Men “The Master” Nguyen, John “The Razor” Phan, Kenny Tran, WSOP Main Event and $50,000 HORSE champ Scotty Nguyen, Van Nguyen, and Tim Phan. That’s a gauntlet of talent.

Also featuring a wealth of poker talent is Team China, whose roster includes recent “Amazing Race” contestant Maria Ho. Her countrymen include former World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner David Chiu, back-to-back WSOP Main Event winner Johnny Chan, high-stakes cash game pro Chau Giang, Winfred Yu, Rich Zhu, and Derek Cheung.

Nancy Todd Tyner, who cashed in Event #3 of the 2010 WSOP, graces the World Team Poker tables on behalf of Team Czech Republic. Also representing the European country are George Kozel and Eric Aude, whose 42nd place put him right behind Tyner on the leaderboard in Event #3 last week.

Rounding out World Team Poker’s female clientele is “American Pie” actress Shannon Elizabeth, who plays under the Lebanese flag. Elizabeth’s claim to fame in the poker world is reaching the semi-finals of the 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, where she fell to eventual champ Paul Wasicka. Team Lebanon also features well-known pros Joe Awada and Freddy Deeb, along with Dany Joe Georges and Mark Betor.

Poker News Daily has learned that the signings of several other top female pros are in the works for countries across the globe. A teaser episode of the Golden Nugget tournament will air on Fox Sports Net on July 14th. Then, the remainder of the World Team Poker event can be seen on Sunday nights starting in September. Five tables were held, with the top two players from each advancing to the finale. Then, each remaining country’s chips were combined into one stack, leading to an eventual win from Team Greece. Players can be swapped in and out based on game and situation.

Details for the forthcoming World Championship have not been released. However, the event is expected to feature 32 countries from across the globe. On World Team Poker’s website, countries fielding squads include Armenia, Australia, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, and Vietnam.

Kirk Morrison – Poker Player Profile

Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Kirk Morrison has had an interesting run as a professional poker player and gambler. At just 20 years of age, he moved to Las Vegas to play blackjack for a living. While in Sin City, Morrison met a group of young poker players – Daniel Negreanu, Layne Flack, and Allen Cunningham – who convinced him that poker was the more profitable game.

Not long after he made the switch to poker, Morrison’s decision paid off as he finished third in the $1500 Limit Hold’em event at the 1994 World Series of Poker for $72K. In 1998, he won his first bracelet in $1500 Seven Card-Stud for $148K.

Following his initial success, Kirk became heavily involved in sports betting and experienced significant swings, which were the reasons he eventually moved to New Zealand. Although he moved halfway across the world to get away from gambling, he couldn’t stay away from poker forever and often played in small tournaments in New Zealand and Australia. It was at one of these tournaments that Morrison ran into his old friend Negreanu, who convinced him to come back to the States to once again play poker professionally.

Upon his return, Morrison made his first World Poker Tour final table, taking ninth in the 2007 $5000 World Poker Challenge NO Limit Hold’em Championship Event for $45.5K. A month later, he finally hit it big, finishing second in the Fifth Annual Five Star World Poker Classic $25K No Limit Hold’em Championship for$2 million. All told, Kirk has more than $3 million in live tournament cashes.

Given his tumultuous relationship with gambling, Kirk Morrison isn’t exactly a familiar face on the live tournament circuit. However, when he does show up, he’s one of the toughest players in the field and should never be taken lightly.

Poker News in Brief: May 24-30, 2010

The tournament series has yet to crown an open-event bracelet winner but the $50,000 Player's Championship, the first $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event and a $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo are all underway in Las Vegas.

Be sure to check our live tournaments, news and video sections for complete WSOP coverage.

This summer our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature will feature some of the rare poker stories that occur outside of the WSOP.

This week we'll take a look at a new offer for Isildur1, William Hill leaving France, Fox Sports broadcasting World Team Poker and more.

DragTheBar Makes Offer to Isildur1

Poker training site DragTheBar publically offered the still-unidentified Isildur1 $250,000 to join their coaching staff this week.

Apparently the site also offered to let Isildur1 keep his or her identity a secret.

"We have no other way of reaching Isildur1 other than making a public offer," said DragTheBar CEO Hunter Pick.

"He is a one of a kind player, and I think his unique thought process would be a huge addition to our site and add tremendous value for our members. He should know that we'll keep his identity anonymous if he wants us to."

Isildur1, who broke almost every big pot record on Full Tilt Poker last year, is widely believed to be Swedish player Viktor Blom, though Blom has denied the association.

World Team Poker Joins Fox Sports Net Lineup

Fox Sports Network will broadcast episodes based on the newly-formed World Team Poker league this week.

The inaugural event of the World Team Poker took place at the Golden Nugget earlier this month and Team China, which included noted poker pros Johnny Chan, David Chiu and Maria Ho, ended up winning the event for $300k.

The format of the league sees various poker stars act as team captains for their respective countries. The captains have the ability to make substitutions in their team based on how players are performing.

Regional and repeat airings will show on FSN throughout the week.

Ghezelbash Wins Melbourne Poker Championship High Roller Event

A world away from Las Vegas, Ali Ghezelbash outlasted 41 players to win the AUD$5,200 High Stakes Event of the 2010 Melbourne Poker Championship in Australia.

Ghezelbash took home AUD$92,250 for getting past Australian poker pros like Jason Gray, Daniel Neilson and Billy "The Croc" Argyros.

The Melbourne Poker Championship main event, which is currently running at the Crown Casino, concludes on Monday.

William Hill Pulls Out of France

William Hill is the latest online poker operator that has decided to close its doors to French players.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise considering France introduced new laws regarding online gambling in the country on Wednesday and many online poker rooms have already left the market.

Apparently William Hill is considering whether it will apply for a license, which would allow them to operate in the country.

Future of PokerStars North American Poker Tour Unclear

In an article that appeared on Friday on Pokerati, it was revealed that the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) might be on the outs with the Venetian and other casinos in Nevada. The Venetian hosted the NAPT’s first U.S.-based stop in February.

According to Pokerati, the phenomenal success of the inaugural season of the PokerStars-backed tour may ultimately be its undoing. The Venetian Main Event attracted a starting grid of 872 players and a total prize pool of over $4 million. Tom Marchese, who walked away with the title after defeating Sam Stein heads-up, banked a healthy $827,000. The first three stops of the NAPT – the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Venetian, and Mohegan Sun – all received coverage on cable station ESPN.

Pokerati explains that Nevada gaming officials “began receiving both informal and formal requests from specific casino companies, industry representatives, as well as federal and state authorities to reconsider [the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s position on allowing casinos to work with offshore gambling sites] and at a minimum, clarify the state’s stance.” A Board member told Pokerati, “To be clear, we’re talking about poker specifically. That’s what’s being debated. A new policy is developing as we speak.”

According to the NAPT’s website, “tons of PokerStars qualifiers” made their way to Las Vegas to compete in the Venetian event. The stop’s High Roller Bounty Shootout also appeared on ESPN and ended with young Ashton Griffin laying claim to the title and $560,000 in cash. At Mohegan Sun, 716 players turned out to the East Coast casino for its Main Event, where the Year of the Woman rolled on with Vanessa Selbst winning the title. Meanwhile, Jason Mercier took down the High Roller Bounty Shootout.

What appears to be in question is whether we’ll see another NAPT event in Las Vegas. Pokerati forecasted, “PokerStars has not acknowledged that they’ve actually been booted out of Nevada tournament fare by anyone, nor that they were preparing to challenge the World Series head-on in Las Vegas with another NAPT. Venetian poker room management are not commenting on the matter either, other than to say they are looking forward to an exciting summer Deep Stacks.”

Gaming officials did not specify who was knocking on the doors of the Control Board. On the NAPT’s website, a countdown clock to the next NAPT event reads 51 days at the time of writing. However, that figure has moved down – and up – in recent weeks and no press release has been distributed by the world’s largest online poker site detailing its future. Possible destinations for the next NAPT event include Tunica, Atlantic City, and Chicago.

PokerStars already operates a handful of land-based poker series, including the European Poker Tour (EPT), Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), and Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), successfully navigating various legal arrangements around the world. Appropriately, a poster on the online poker forum TwoPlusTwo pointed out, “If it weren’t just Nevada casinos, but all U.S. casinos that couldn’t be affiliated with a PokerStars sponsored event, would Indian casinos jump at the chance to host an NAPT event?”

Complicating the Board’s decision is the looming compliance deadline with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on June 1st. Traditionally, sites like PokerStars, Full Tilt, and Absolute Poker have sent players to live events donning patches for dot-net sites, which are billed as educational outlets instead of for-money poker rooms.

Poker News Daily could not reach PokerStars officials for comment.

World Team Poker Planning World Championship Event

The first World Team Poker (WTP) event wrapped up last week with Team China taking the gold. Ten-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder Johnny Chan and former World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner David Chiu served as the captains of the Chinese squad, which also featured Chau Giang, Mario Ho, Winfred Yu, Rich Zhu, and Derek Cheung.

Team China bested Team Brazil in the dramatic conclusion. Next up for WTP officials is a 32-country World Championship Event, which will likely take place within the next 90 days. Neither a date nor a location has been set, but WTP Vice President Charity Perry told Poker News Daily, “We’re not entirely sure where it will be, but we’re keeping the tour within the U.S. in the first year. After the first year, we plan on going abroad, probably somewhere in Europe.”

Twenty countries are listed on the WTP’s website, including Mexico, Iran, and Armenia. WTP has even found a broadcast partner in Fox Sports Net, which will air the kickoff tournament over 13 weeks beginning in July. The first event, which was held at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas, sported a $50,000 buy-in per team.

On whether the same price tag will exist for the World Championship Event, Perry told us, “The buy-in for the second event may be different. It was $50,000 for the first event and that number seemed to work well. It’s so important for each country that they end up winning it. The money helps, but it’s really all about country pride.” A total of eight teams descended upon the Golden Nugget for the first event for a total of about 60 players.

Perry added that WTP officials were impressed by the turnout last week: “It definitely met our expectations, but also exceeded them. All of the players were incredibly supportive and it’s good to see. Everyone we had as far as players were all champions. They were all just loving being around each other and playing against each other.”

Poker players from China, Brazil, Greece, Australia, Vietnam, the United States, Israel, and England turned out for the WTP’s kickoff event. The ensemble featured the likes of Chan, Chiu, Phil Hellmuth, Tony G, Jeffrey Lisandro, Men “The Master” Nguyen, and Leandro “Brasa” Pimentel. Perry recalled that when teams were eliminated from contention, they stuck around to root on their peers: “You saw teams, if they got knocked out, pulling for other countries. It was a really supportive atmosphere and definitely exceeded everyone’s expectations.”

Other teams that may take part in the World Championship Event, along with select members, include the Czech Republic (George Kozel), Germany (Daniel Heimiller), Korea (Kevin Song), Norway (Thor Hansen), the Philippines (Toto Leonidas), Switzerland (Chris Bigler), and Turkey (Rob Peltekci).

China banked $300,000 for the win in the kickoff WTP event, while members from Brazil earned a $100,000 consolation prize. Other players who could be found perusing the Golden Nugget included Doyle Brunson, Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow, Kido Pham, Jennifer Harman, and Felipe “Mojave” Ramos. Three different genres of poker were played: No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Limit Hold’em.

The Golden Nugget has been a haven for televised poker programs in recent months, including GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Face the Ace.” Players in the first WTP event were spread across five tables and the top two finishers from each table advanced to the finale in the shootout format. Players subbed in and out as the games and situations changed, providing a unique spectacle for those in attendance. Each Hold’em level lasted 30 minutes, while Pot Limit Omaha levels lasted 45.

You can catch Matt Cordroy and “Cowboy” Kenna James on Fox Sports Net when the WTP airs in two months.

APPT Macau: On To Day 2

The big turnout brought the total number of entrants up to 342 creating an HKD $12,730,608 prize pool from which 40 places will be paid, including HKD $3,246,200 for first.

Just 80 players survived the day, meaning a total of 159 will start Day 2 in Macau Friday.

The UK's Darren Judges outpaced the field on Day 1c building a 173,800 chip stack. As a result, Judges leads the field heading into Day 2.

Several notable names moved on from Day 1c, including Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem, PokerStars sponsored player Nam Le and Wooka Kim.

With the final numbers in, it appears APPT Macau is a truly International event with players from a total of 44 different countries in on the action.

Australia boasts the most runners with 42, followed by the United States with 37.

Play will resume in Macau with Day 2 at 12:15 p.m. local time on Friday.

The APPT Macau main event runs through May 23.

Ryan Fair (toetagU) Wins SCOOP High Main Event

The 2010 PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) wrapped up with a bang Monday evening as nearly $12 million in prize money was handed out over the three Main Event tournaments. When it was all said and done, well-known pro Ryan “toetagu” Fair was poker’s newest millionaire and several unknowns made the scores of their lifetime, making for an exciting day of online poker.

SCOOP High ($10,000+300) Main Event

Entrants: 615

Prize Pool: $6,150,000

Team PokerStars Online Pro George “Jorj95″ Lind was named the SCOOP Player of the Series, but it was an online pro from Florida that made the biggest headlines Monday. Ryan “toetagu” Fair bested one of the toughest fields in all of poker to claim his first seven-figure payday as a professional poker player. Fair, who resides in Fort Lauderdale, was the last man standing from a field of 615 players and earned $1,162,350 and his first SCOOP watch.

The story going into the day was Australia’s Ben “delaney_kid” Delaney, who reached the final table of the SCOOP High event and, at the same time, was approaching the final table of the SCOOP Medium event. However, Delaney was the first to exit the SCOOP High final table when he ran his pocket tens into Kristoffer “Sumpas” Thorsson’s pocket queens. Joe “jpmetalman” Patrick was also done in with pocket tens; Brad “BradL” Lipson sent Patrick home in eighth place with pocket aces.

Moments later, it was Sam “siola” Iola who has his tournament life on the line with, again, pocket tens. This time the pair was in a race situation against the Kd-Qd of Germany’s “BongBob” and after the flop brought a Queen, Iola was unable to improve and went to the rail in seventh place.

“BongBob” and Danny “cpfactor” Smith were eliminated in sixth and fifth place, respectively, and they were followed by Greg “DuckU” Hobson in fourth place when his pocket jacks lost to Lipson’s Ac-Kh. Hobson has been a familiar name at major online final tables for years and further entrenched his position among the game’s best tournament players with the $473,550 payday.

Fair, Thorsson, and Lipson briefly discussed a three-way deal, but couldn’t come to an agreement and decided to play it out. The choice paid dividends for Fair, who eliminated Lipson in the most memorable hand from the final table. With the blinds at 8,000/16,000 and a 2,000 ante, Fair raised to 40,980 from the small blind and Lipson defended his big blind. On the 7c-7s-2d flop, Fair led out for 43,000 and Lipson called. The turn was the 8d and Fair bet 112,000. Lipson raised to 270,000 and Fair called. On the Kc river, Fair fired again for 180,000 and Lipson moved all-in for 1,093,927. Fair made the call with 7h-6h for trips and won a massive pot when Lipson revealed As-5c for an ill-timed bluff.

On the final hand of the tournament, Thorsson got all of his chips in pre-flop holding pocket sevens to Fair’s pocket jacks. The higher pair held up and Thorsson collected $851,775 for his runner-up finish. Fair, meanwhile, picked up the biggest payday of the 2010 SCOOP series.

1st: Ryan “toetagU” Fair — $1,162,350
2nd: Kristoffer “Sumpas” Thorsson — $851,775
3rd: Brad “BradL” Lipson — $627,300
4th: Greg “DuckU” Hopson — $473,550
5th: Danny “cpfactor” Smith — $332,100
6th: BongBob — $261,375
7th: Sam “siola” Siola — $199,875
8th: Joe “jpmetalman” Patrick — $138,375
9th: Ben “delaney_kid” Delaney — $94,095

SCOOP Medium ($1,000+50) Main Event

Entrants: 3,675

Prize Pool: $3,675,000

Much to the dismay of railbirds wanting to witness history, “delaney_kid” finished 10th in the SCOOP Medium ($1,000) buy-in Main Event, leaving nine players with a shot at the title and nearly $577,000. The top three finishers decided on a chop to guarantee each of them a minimum of $380,000. Zack “cooperz0311″ Cooper took the largest portion of the remaining prize money, but “Mr.M.M0ney” defeated Cooper in a lengthy heads-up battle to collect the SCOOP watch and the $60,000 set aside for the winner.

1st: Mr.M.M0ney — $443,137.50*
2nd: Zack “cooperz0311″ Cooper — $448,500.00*
3rd: Athanasios 9 — $418,500.00*
4th: 888_OCTV — $211,312.50
5th: NOREFUNDS42 — $156,187.50
6th: rage4dorder — $119,437.50
7th: Charles “hook2120” Hook — $82,687.50
8th: cashclctor — $45,937.50
9th: Kyle “KJulius10” Julius — $29,400.00

* denotes three-way deal

SCOOP Low ($100+9) Main Event
Entrants: 19,188

Prize Pool: $1,918,000

A massive field of 19,188 was dwindled down to one player in the SCOOP Low Main Event Monday evening. Switzerland’s “midjat” earned $191,892.59 for the win after defeating “Quitti33” heads up. PokerStars Team Pro Andre Akkari took fifth place for $57,564.00.

1st: midjat — $191,892.59
2nd: Quitti33 — $142,586.02
3rd: B18GsrR — $95,940.00
4th: Grodindono — $76,752.00
5th: Andre Akkari — $57,564.00
6th: Patrick “pmahoney22″ Mahoney — $38,376.00
7th: MikeTBH — $26,959.14
8th: iFROST — $17,269.20
9th: Elpinto54 — $11,512.80

Dude where’s my car? - poker pro has Ferrari stolen from casino

Van Marcus (Sirens) Has Car Stolen from Crown Casino Melbourne

In one of the sillier stories you’re likely to come across this weekend, Full Tilt Poker pro Van “Sirens” Marcus‘ Ferrari F430 Spider was stolen from the Crown Casino parking lot on Friday morning in Melbourne, Australia. You might be thinking that this sounds like a standard carjacking, but you’d be wrong. All that the car thief had to do was point to the fancy, expensive, red sports car, sign his name, and give the parking attendant $30. To say the least, this was no “Gone in Sixty Seconds” heist.

Upon emerging from the casino after a night of gambling with his friends, Marcus found that his car, which he’d used the casino’s valet service to park, was missing. “I am very angry. I am really pissed off,” Marcus told the Australian Herald Sun newspaper. “They spend millions of dollars watching players’ chips and cards in play, but as soon as it comes to the public’s property, there is a lack of security.”

Luckily for Marcus, the culprit didn’t get very far with his car. Adam Ramsey, a 32 year-old father of two from Flemington, was arrested at a nearby gas station about six hours after the incident was first reported. The Ferrari was also recovered, but Marcus is still upset because he says his car was trashed: “It doesn’t even feel like my car.” A poster on the TwoPlusTwo forums joked, “I guess the guy who took the car couldn’t figure out how to put gas in it.”

Crown Casino spokesman Gary O’Neill claims that valet customers are given a ticket to be redeemed when they pick up their car. If they lose their ticket, they’re asked for proof of identification, as happened in this particular case. Apparently, Adam Ramsey equals Van Marcus? Finkle is Einhorn?

A representative of Marcus was quoted as saying, “I can’t believe it is so easy to extract a car from the valet parking system at what is meant to be Melbourne’s premier tourism precinct.”

Last September, Marcus finished third in a $2,100 buy-in Eight-Game tournament held during the annual PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) for $56,000. He’s had a high volume of success in the live arena, taking third in a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event during the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $190,000. Marcus won the 2008 Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Manila Main Event for $163,000 and was back at the final table of a Pot Limit Omaha event at the WSOP one year later for nearly $280,000.

Marcus has had a considerable amount of success Down Under at the Crown Casino, making his car theft a true bad beat. He final tabled two tournaments held as part of the 2009 Victoria Poker Championship for $50,000 total and cashed in this year’s Aussie Millions Main Event.

BleacherReport.com Lists 30 Sexiest Female Poker Players

Sports news website BleacherReport.com published a list of the “Top 30 Sexiest Female Poker Players of All-Time” over the weekend, proving, if nothing else, that anyone can make a list.

Bleacher Report is an “open source” sports network, a sports news site that allows anyone to post an article.  Its goal is to “empower the most hardcore of experts – the fans – who would otherwise be shut out of the mainstream debate.”  This can work very well at times, and the site does put out a significant amount of content, but in this case, it is apparent that the author of the “Sexiest Female Poker Players” list is not in touch with the poker world.  Several of the women on the list could are either not involved in poker any more (at least to the extent that they’ve been heard from in the last couple of years) or could barely be considered “poker players” when they were involved.

Topping the list is Tina Wallman.  While she is without a doubt extraordinarily attractive in a bikini, our guess is that at least 90% of the poker community has no idea who she is.  For those who are curious, Wallman is the spokesmodel for Carbon Poker, although she does not hold a prominent place on Carbon Poker’s website.  The Aussie, who will turn 29 years old in a week and a half, has appeared in Maxim and models for the Australian magazine Ralph.  She supposedly answers questions on Carbon Poker’s forum and posts on the site’s blog, but we did not have any luck finding anything attributed to her.

Rounding out the top five are Chantel McNulty, who was involved in soap opera-type escapades in 2007; actress Shannon Elizabeth; model and North American Poker Tour hostess Joanna Krupa, and poker presenter Tatjana Pasalic.

Other names of note include former World Poker Tour and “Poker After Dark” hostess Shana Hiatt (8th), European Poker Tour San Remo champ Liv Boeree (13th), actress and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Jennifer Tilly (14th), Team PokerStars Pro member and GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso (18th), Betclic’s Isabelle Mercier (19th), “Amazing Race” competitor and Team UB member Tiffany Michelle (21st), Full Tilt pro Jennifer Harman (22nd), Team PartyPoker member Kara Scott (26th), and Team UB member Annie Duke (29th).

The complete list appears below.

BleacherReport.com Top 30 Sexiest Female Poker Players of All-Time

1. Tina Wallman
2. Chantel McNulty
3. Shannon Elizabeth
4. Joanna Krupa
5. Tatjana Pasalic
6. Erica Schoenberg
7. Tara Rice
8. Shana Hiatt
9. Lacey Jones
10. Kimberly Lansing
11. Sabina Gadecki
12. Jennifer Leigh
13. Liv Boeree
14. Jennifer Tilly
15. Liz Lieu
16. Evelyn Ng
17. Clonie Gowen
18. Vanessa Rousso
19. Isabelle Mercier
20. Helen Chamberlain
21. Tiffany Michelle
22. Jennifer Harman
23. Laura Prepon
24. Beth Shak
25. Erin Ness
26. Kara Scott
27. Jean Gluck
28. Veronika Larsen
29. Annie Duke
30. Lily Elviro

Melbourne Poker Championship Set for Sunday

The 2010 Melbourne Poker Championship will go off at Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia beginning May 16.

Organizers are claiming this year's 12-event schedule will be its biggest and best yet, highlighted by the $1,100 main event, a ten player winner-takes-all $100k challenge and a $5,200 high stakes tournament.

The first ever Melbourne Poker Championship was held in 2002 with 66 players coughing up the $300 buy-in. Last year 725 played with Tudor Kondevski walking away with the title and $150k first-place prize.

Kondevski is expected to return to defend his title against some of Australia's best players, including 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Joe Hachem, his brother and PokerStars Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Player of the Year Tony Hachem, and the legendary Billy "The Croc" Argyros.

The entire schedule, filled with events priced as low as $25, is expected to draw more than 4,000 players to the Crown Casino Complex, on the banks of the Yarra River.

The full schedule will run through May 31. For details check out Crown's website.

Full Tilt Poker Sponsors Virgin Racing Team

Extending its reach outside of the poker world, Full Tilt Poker announced a new sponsorship deal that should expose the room to millions around the world.

In a statement on the team’s website on Thursday, Formula One racing team Virgin Racing announced that it had reached a sponsorship deal with the second largest online poker room in the industry. The “poker school” arm of the company, FullTiltPoker.net, will be a major sponsor of the team, with its logo prominently featured on the driving suits, team apparel, and cars of Virgin Racing’s two drivers, Germany’s Timo Glock and Brazil’s Lucas di Grassi. No financial details were reported in the announcement, although principal sponsorship of an F1 team goes in the neighborhood of $15 million.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome FullTiltPoker.net to Virgin Racing,” stated Graeme Lowdon, Virgin Racing’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud to add an industry-leading brand to our healthy partnership portfolio and I am particularly pleased that we have worked hard together with a partner who has seen the team develop from its birth through to our first competitive steps. We look forward to going racing together with effect from this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, where FullTiltPoker.net will have a significant presence, and to helping the brand to achieve its marketing and business objectives in the longer term.”

Former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Chris Ferguson spoke on behalf of Full Tilt Poker during the announcement: “FullTiltPoker.net partnering with Virgin Racing is a brilliant culmination of a great deal of thought and effort on behalf of both brands. With two leaders in their respective fields coming together, this is sure to be a groundbreaking partnership on the global canvas, providing yet another level of excitement for all fans. We are very excited to be associated with such a stellar brand as Virgin Racing and look forward to launching this partnership in Spain.”

Virgin Racing is in its inaugural season as a part of the Formula One series. Other top companies such as tire supplier Bridgestone, information technology company UST Global, environmental technology firm Carbon Green, shampoo brand Clear, information technology firm CSC, foreign exchange traders FxPro, clothing company Kappa, the Oxigen investment group, and Russian sports car manufacturer Marussia are also team sponsors. Although the team seems to have solid sponsorship, its performance on the track has been less than stellar to this point in the Formula One season.

After four races of the F1 season in Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia, and China, the team’s two drivers have not been able to crack the top ten in any race. Glock has been knocked out of the first three races and failed to qualify for the event in China, while di Grassi has a 14th place finish in Malaysia on his record as his best effort. To this mark in the F1 season, neither has earned any points towards the Formula One Driver’s Championship, currently led by England’s Jenson Button. Glock will start 21st in this Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona and di Grassi will start 22nd.

Full Tilt Poker has been one of the most aggressive online poker sites when it comes to sponsorship of sporting events. The Full Tilt logo has graced the apparel of many mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and has also been emblazoned on the ring apron of many MMA fights. In April, Full Tilt Poker also used its “dot-net” arm to enter into a sponsorship deal with Australia’s National Rugby League. The Full Tilt logo is not new to racing, as it appeared on the Mazda RX8 of Bergenholtz Racing’s Joon Maeng in February during the 2010 Formula Drift season’s stop in Long Beach.

While these sponsorship deals may seem odd, the goal for Full Tilt Poker is just like any other company that sponsors events or teams – get its name in front of as many eyes as possible. By teaming up with Formula One and Virgin Racing, Full Tilt Poker will be exposed to approximately 500 million fans per race, which includes the worldwide television audience and fans in attendance at the respective tracks.

Bustout Poker Apparel Gears Up for 2010 WSOP

Among those companies gearing up for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is Bustout Poker, a high-quality apparel line whose team of pros includes Chris Hunichen, David Sesso, and Dan Witcher. Poker News Daily sat down with Bustout Poker’s Jeff Griffith to get the scoop on this up-and-comer.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. How are you planning to raise awareness of Bustout Poker in time for the 2010 WSOP?

Jeff Griffith: We came along at a bad time since there is no Gaming Life Expo this year at the WSOP. The first year they’re not doing an Expo is the year we come out. Instead, we’ve coordinated with Bluff Magazine, which has an exclusive deal with the Rio to give away their magazines. The first issue they’ll be giving out will be the July issue and we’ll have a full-page ad. The next one that will come out will be the August issue, which we’ll also have a full-page ad in.

We’ll have a full-page ad in the official WSOP program and be live on PokerRoad as well. On the air, we’ll be giving away a Team Bustout prize package worth over $500. Hopefully, that will get us a little bit of attention.

PND: Why should poker players wear Bustout clothing over other lines like it?

Jeff Griffith: There are a million poker shirts. There are tons of companies doing print tattoo designs, but most of them are copies and look like copies. They’re not done with high quality. We wanted to make sure our shirts are super premium high-end specialty wash shirts. We’re not a novelty poker shirt company. We don’t have slogans slapped across the front. We have really advanced art and have created poker themes. We want our artwork to speak for itself.

There isn’t a singular brand name that’s synonymous with poker. If you’re into NASCAR, when you go to buy a shirt, you want a NASCAR shirt that says to everyone else, “I am into NASCAR.” If you’re a golfer, you get a Titleist hat. They’re a premium golf brand. Every sport has that. I wanted to create a brand that poker players could relate to. We want to become the Nike or Under Armour of poker. If you give poker players something that’s high quality, they’ll prefer it.

PND: How did Bustout Poker come to be?

Jeff Griffith: Our concept is grassroots-based. I’m a poker addict and found a way to make money from poker because playing wasn’t going too well. I became friends with Dan Witcher through personal training and we hit it off. He introduced me to some of these other guys. We’re trying to bring our brand to the poker world and one day become a household name.

We’re trying to make the members of Team Bustout more famous and they’ll help us do the same thing. We just got Matt “All In At 420” Stout to be part of Team Bustout. We also have a relationship with Chad Brown. He loves the brand. We don’t have an endorsement deal with him, but he loves our product. He wears our shirts all over the world. We’re looking to do some ads with him in Bluff Magazine very soon.

PND: What new products will we be seeing from Bustout Poker in the future?

Jeff Griffith: We’ll have playing cards and are rolling out a nutrition supplement called Rounders Edge. We really want to build this brand way beyond t-shirts and apparel. We have hats and high-end fashion items coming out. We also have a vintage line with slogan shirts. I still think there’s a place for poker shirts that say, “I am Isildur1.” That shirt took off within poker circles.

PND: Counter the argument that poker apparel is too niche of a market to be successful.

Jeff Griffith: I think poker apparel is a niche product. What we’re hopeful about is the fact that it is a worldwide phenomenon that’s still growing. You’re not limited to one area and we’re looking into Australia and Scandinavian countries. As a profession, there is a lot of room for growth, but the internet is doing that at a rapid pace. Everyone is starting online and you’ll see more and more people making the jump. Overall, it’s a big enough niche that we can be successful at it.

Poker News in Brief: April 19-25, 2010

Liv Boeree won the European Poker Tour's San Remo title, David Williams took down the 2010 WPT Championship, the EPT Grand Final kicked off and the high stakes action on Full Tilt was running full force.

PokerListings had a beat on it all, but a few of the week's smaller stories managed to slip through the cracks.

Fortunately we've got them all below in our regular poker News in Brief feature.

This week we look at the World Series of Poker revamping its Academy for the summer, an Albanian winning in Australia, the Hard Rock in Vegas hosting a Supercross charity poker event and a whole lot more.

Matt Graham Joins DeepStacks Live

Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Matt Graham has joined the poker training group DeepStacks Live as an instructor.

A member of Team UB, Graham will lead poker seminars around the country, focusing on events in the Southern and Western United States.
  
"I'm looking forward to joining champions like Mike Matusow and Tom McEvoy, traveling the country helping passionate poker players get better," he said.

Graham's first classes will be at the DeepStacks Live 1-Day Tournament Primer Course at the Pala Hotel Resort and Casino near San Diego April 30.

For more information visit www.DeepStacks.com.

WSOP Beefs Up Academy

The World Series of Poker Academy has announced a new schedule of events at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino to coincide with the 2010 World Series of Poker.

It all starts with a 2-day Tournament Academy May 28-29 with two-time WSOP bracelet winner Mark Seif designed to get you deep in the preliminary events.

There will also be an Alumni Only Hand Analysis Academy, a one-day Ladies Only Academy, and a Mind and Body Academy featuring poker mindset coach Sam Chauhan.

Plus there will be a Cash Game Academy at Caesars Palace and the signature annual Main Event Primer designed by Greg Raymer, Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth, just before the Main Event begins.

For more information click through to the Academy's website or call 1-800-989-9767.

Four Aces Finds a Winner

The first Poker Pro Canada Classic poker tournament at Four Aces Card Club in Montreal drew 250 players from all over Canada and the U.S. and Europe to compete for a piece of a $369,000 prize pool.

Sponsored by UB and Bodog, it was the largest poker event ever held in Quebec with a buy-in of more than $1,500.

Local player Oliver "O.B." Baksic took home $96,400 for first after defeating 2008 EPT Grand Final third-place finisher Maxime Villemure heads-up.

Daniel Negreanu: Psyched about the new teammates.

 

Team PokerStars, Eh!

PokerStars has added four new additions to its Canadian Team.

Joining Daniel Negreanu and Darus Suharto are Greg DeBora, who has better than $350,000 in career earnings, three-time WSOP final tablist Patrick Pezzin, Marcello Del Grosso, who had deep runs in the WSOP Main Event in 2005 and 2006 and Anh Van Nguyen, a 14-year pro and former dealer.

All four Pros competed at the PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour event at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, Apr. 6-13.

Hard Rock to Host Supercross Charity Event

The Hard Rock Poker Lounge Las Vegas and Feld Motor Sports are hosting the first Monster Energy AMA Supercross Charity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas May 6.

All proceeds from the tournament will go to benefit the Road 2 Recovery Foundation.

The $150 buy-in and $50 rebuy event is expected to draw stars of Monster Energy Supercross, professional poker players, and fans alike.

First pays $2,500 plus a number of sponsored prizes while the top twenty finishers will receive unforgettable products courtesy Hard Rock Poker Lounge, Monster Energy, Feld Motor Sports, Rockwell Time, Skullcandy, Ogio, DVS, Liquid Force, Metal Mulisha, Full Tilt, UB, and more. 

For more information check out the Road 2 Recovery website.

Ex-pat wins in Australia

Albanian born Aussie Angelo Hanataj took down the PokerStars ANZPT Sydney main event this week.

He grabbed $219,432 for his efforts and rocketed into the top 5 in the ANZPT Player of the Year race.

After a win in Perth and another deep finish, last year's POY winner and Team PokerStars Australia Pro Tony Hachem holds a commanding lead in the battle for an AUD$100k sponsorship deal.

Europe's Biggest Tournament

The dates have been released for what was Europe's largest live No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament last year, the International Poker Open.

The €180+ €20 buy-in freezeout is set for Oct. 15-17, 2010 at the Regency Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.

Organizers are estimating the prize pool will reach up to €250,000 including €20,000 added by sponsors Boylepoker.

"Last year we set the record for the largest live tournament field ever assembled in Europe," said Paul Spillane, the site's head of poker.

"We're confident the 2010 event will prove just as popular and we expect another sell out field."

Aussie Millions Winner Tyron Krost Signs With PartyPoker

In January, Australian poker pro Tyron Krost took down the AUD $10,000 buy-in Aussie Millions Main Event. The nearly USD $1.8 million bankroll boost put Krost on the map. Three months later, he’s the newest member of Team PartyPoker.

A total of 746 players entered the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event. When the smoke cleared, the poker tournament featured a stacked final table that included Betfair pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, Peter Jetten, and 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event winner Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. Krost vaulted into the poker spotlight and told readers in his first PartyPoker blog, “I feel incredibly lucky to be a member of Team PartyPoker and offered the chance to help make PartyPoker one of the best places to play online.”

Appropriately, Krost won his seat to the Aussie Millions through a $640 satellite on PartyPoker and took his younger brother with him to the event in Melbourne. There, Krost busted Full Tilt Poker front man Gus Hansen, who had eliminated Krost from the 2008 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. Krost finished 249th in the 2008 running of the Las Vegas tournament, cashing for $35,000. Krost vividly recalled his experience down the stretch in the Aussie Millions Main Event: “I played against some of the best of the online world, won my fair share of coin-flips, and dealt with ice-cold room temperatures in the Crown Casino poker room and hellishly hot temperatures under the TV studio lights.”

One of the main faces of PartyPoker is industry veteran Tony G, who commented in a press release distributed by the site on Thursday, “Tyron crushed the field at the Aussie Millions and it is a pleasure to get him on the team. When I first saw him, I thought he may need a trike, but now I expect him to be a Tour de Force in the poker world! There is so much more to come from him.” On May 8th, Krost will debut in PartyPoker gear at the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Grand Prix de Paris, a televised event emanating from the Aviation Club in Paris.

Also a member of Team PartyPoker is WPT host and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, whose insight into Texas Hold’em strategy turned many onto the game after the WPT debuted on the Travel Channel in 2003. Sexton, a Poker News Daily Guest Columnist, scored a WSOP bracelet in 1989 after coming out on top in a $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud High-Low event. Sexton’s last WSOP final table appearance came in 2008, when he finished fourth in the World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em for $248,000 in an event televised by ESPN.

Joining Krost, Tony G, and Sexton on Team PartyPoker is Kara Scott, the floor reporter for the GSN cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker.” Season 6 of the popular cable series featured “High Stakes Poker” announcer A.J. Benza being given the boot in favor of Scott, who conducts interviews following key hands with players. Scott has also lent her face to broadcasts of the European Poker Tour (EPT), Sky Poker, and the World Series of Backgammon. She won the 2008 PartyPoker Sports Stars Challenge and was the runner-up in last year’s Irish Poker Open Main Event for over $400,000.

Other members of Team PartyPoker include Bodo Sbrzesny, Dragan Galic, Ian Frazer, and Felipe “Mojave” Ramos. According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the third largest site worldwide, boasting a seven-day running average of 4,500 real money ring game players. PartyPoker does not accept players from the United States, although its parent company, Party Gaming, has signed a Non-Prosecution Agreement with U.S. authorities that could pave the way for its return should internet gambling ever be legalized and regulated in the North American country.

Hachem Among Chip Leaders at ANZPT Sydney

Fifty-nine players remain in the event with the money bubble virtually guaranteed to burst today as every player in the final 54 will get paid.

The Team PokerStars Pro Australia member has been dominant on the ANZPT cashing in six of the seven events he has played so far.

Hachem, the brother of 2005 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Hachem, finished the day with 255,000 chips.

Everyone is chasing Michael O'Grady who accumulated 402,000 chips on Day 2. Some of the other notable chip leaders include Danny Yeung, PokerStars qualifier, and ANZPT Perth final table finisher Dale Marslund.

Team PokerStars Pro Lee "Final Table" Nelson is also in the running with 169,000 chips.

A total of 446 players bought into ANZPT Sydney for AUD$2,200 to create an overall prize pool of $892,000 and a first place prize of $219,432.

ANZPT Sydney continues all this week with the final table scheduled to play out on April 25.

Poker After Dark: Chris Ferguson Eliminated in First My Favorite Pro Episode

This week, the NBC franchise “Poker After Dark” is airing “My Favorite Pro.” The unique winner-take-all sit and go format pits Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth against a quartet of qualifiers. Ferguson lasted all of one episode.

Each player began with 20,000 in chips and blinds of 100-200. Premium pocket pairs were the name of the game, as tens, jacks, queens, kings, or aces were involved in 11 hands shown within the one-hour episode. Early on, James Ashby, who hails from Alabama and has been playing poker for less than a year, picked up aces, but did not receive any action.

Then, Steve Bartlett, who won his seat on “Poker After Dark” through a charity tournament at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas, called pre-flop with pocket queens and Hellmuth, a UB.com pro, raised the action to 500. Bartlett called and the flop came 7-8-9. Bartlett check-called a bet of 400 from Hellmuth, who asked if the qualifier held jacks.

The turn was an ace, giving Hellmuth aces-up, and Bartlett once again check-called a bet, this time 700. When a jack hit on the river, Bartlett led out for 1,200 and Hellmuth called, shipping the 5,900-chip pot to the 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. Hellmuth and Bartlett were at each other’s throats throughout much of the episode.

Ferguson’s stack took a hit when the Full Tilt Poker pro raised to 700 pre-flop with K-10 and Bartlett smooth called with pocket kings. The flop came an intimidating A-A-5 and Bartlett check-called a bet of 700 from Ferguson. The turn was a six. Bartlett took control and fired out a bet of 1,200, but Ferguson wisely got out of the way. The pot totaled 4,150.

On the next hand, Australian poker player Craig Ivey raised to 800 pre-flop with A-10 and Bartlett once again woke up with a premium hand, this time pocket jacks. Bartlett just called and Hellmuth, in a squeeze play, raised to 2,800. Ivey got out of the way, but Bartlett made it 7,800 and Hellmuth deliberated before folding. In a rather comical exchange, Bartlett told Hellmuth, “I’ll tell you what I had after the show.” Hellmuth, in blunt fashion, responded, “I don’t care. I really don’t.”

Ferguson rebounded in a limped pot after firing out a bet with 4-3 of diamonds on a flop of 6-5-K, all diamonds. Hellmuth came along with K-10 for top pair and the turn was an offsuit six. Ferguson bet 2,000 and Hellmuth once again called to bring an offsuit three on the river. The action went check-check, shipping the 7,600-chip pot to the man simply known as “Jesus.”

In the defining hand of the night, German qualifier Jens Voertmann picked up pocket rockets and raised to 1,100 pre-flop and Ferguson bumped the price of poker to 3,100 with A-J. Voertmann called and the flop came J-7-2, giving Ferguson top pair, top kicker and Voertmann an overpair. Voertmann check-raised all-in and Ferguson coughed loudly before calling for his tournament life. The turn and river were a deuce and three, respectively, sending Ferguson out as the first casualty of “My Favorite Pro” week on “Poker After Dark.”

Hellmuth owns an overall record of 3-12 on “Poker After Dark,” but has been blanked in his last five appearances. Ferguson fell to 2-9 on the NBC series and is one of only three players to have ousted all five of his opponents on the show. “Poker After Dark” airs at 2:05am ET nightly on NBC. A special “Director’s Cut” episode will hit the airwaves on Saturday at 1:00am ET following the comedy staple “Saturday Night Live.”

Tzvetkoff Arrest is First Linked to UIGEA

Internet Gambling Payment Processor Arrested in Las Vegas

Australian native Daniel Tzvetkoff was arrested and charged with money laundering, gambling conspiracy, and bank fraud in conjunction with his role of operating an internet gambling payment processing outfit, according to the Dow Jones Newswire.

Tzvetkoff was picked up in Las Vegas on Friday and faces charges of laundering $500 million in funds destined for internet gambling sites. Last June, Kolyma Corporation AVV sued Tzvetkoff’s payment processor, Intabill, for $52 million. Intabill allegedly largely handled online poker-related transactions. The lawsuit was filed in Australia. Intabill had at one point amassed more than 5,000 customers spread across 70 counties and took in as much as $1 million per day.

The Dow Jones Newswire noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office brought on the legal action, which centers on “hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions with U.S. gamblers between February 2008 and March 2009.” Rather than file these transactions as being associated with internet gambling, Tzvetkoff reported that the cash was being used for “repayments of short-term loans, transfer of funds to prepaid debit cards, and e-commerce purchases.” Tzvetkoff opted out of the business in March 2009. The news report did not indicate why Tzvetkoff was in Las Vegas, although he was rumored to have a house in Sin City. He now faces up to 75 years in jail for his transgressions.

Details of Tzvetkoff’s life began to be known in a May 2009 article that appeared in the Courier-Mail, an Australian news outlet. Tzvetkoff purportedly owned numerous luxury cars and a $29 million house. The media outlet claimed that half of Intabill’s business was related to internet gambling and the company owed PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, the industry’s two largest online poker sites, a combined $25 million. Intabill also owed $3 million to Absolute Poker and another $2 million to Golden Palace.

Tzvetkoff soon began downsizing, citing credit card charge back issues and the overall worldwide economy. In January, Tzvetkoff filed for bankruptcy and was in the midst of addressing a $100 million lawsuit by his former business associate Sam Sciacca. On how his vast real estate holdings had fared, the Courier-Mail detailed, “The six-bedroom, 10-car garage mansion on four beachfront blocks was sold last November by receivers for $17 million – $10 million less than Mr Tzvetkoff had paid for the property only five months earlier.” He’s now just 27 years-old.

A source at a major online poker room who wished to remain anonymous told Poker News Daily that he was surprised to hear of Tzvetkoff’s arrest by U.S. officials: “He was going to get caught somewhere by someone. I’m just surprised it was in the U.S. by the Feds. Given the level and scale of the crimes he committed not only in the U.S., but also stealing from the online poker rooms, it would be the last place in the world he should be.” The Southern District of New York appears to be behind the action. The same U.S. Attorney’s Office has been behind other prosecutions related to internet gambling.

Last August, Douglas Rennick, who fronted the payment processor Account Services, was indicted on similar charges. Rennick is a Canadian and the Southern District of New York seized over $30 million in funds destined for online poker players prior to the indictment. Rennick and company processed about $350 million. One month later, Forshay Enterprises, Electracash, and HMD became the targets of federal investigations in Maryland. Now emerging is a rumored grand jury investigation of Full Tilt Poker, which, according to the Financial Times, fingers site pros Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson.

According to the Courtier-Mail, Tzvetkoff’s bail hearing is set for Wednesday. We’ll keep you posted on the latest legal developments right here on Poker News Daily.