Poker News

Bodog Poker Open V Features Championship and Contender Series

The Bodog Poker Open (BPO) V returns at the end of September and the online poker room will offer something for every player this time around. Bodog’s largest series of the year will have two different ways to achieve poker glory and a spot in the Bodog Poker Open Hall of Fame: The Championship Series, for players with sizeable bankrolls and a thirst for big money, and the Contender Series, which will offer smaller buy-ins and larger fields for the average poker enthusiast.

The BPO V tournaments run from September 26th to October 3rd, with satellites to each event running daily in September. Players can win seats to an event for a little as $1 by qualifying through a satellite. Bodog will be also giving away 38 guaranteed seats to the $500 Championship Series Main Event on Saturday, October 2nd, a day before the Main Event kicks off.

The Championship Series begins on September 26th with a $109 No Limit Hold’em event with $15,000 added to the prize pool. In total, the BPO preliminary events will offer more than $55,000 in added and guaranteed cash and the Main Event on October 3rd will have a guaranteed prize pool of $200,000.

For players that don’t have the bankroll to take part in the Championship Series, Bodog will be offering a Contender Series with smaller buy-ins. It kicks off on Sunday, September 26th with an $11 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament and concludes with a $50 Main Event on October 3rd with a $15,000 guaranteed prize pool. The eight Contender Series Events offer more than $35,000 in guaranteed cash up for grabs.

On top of the prize money, Championship Series event winners will earn a seat into the $500 Championship Main Event. The Championship Series Main Event winner will also receive a Corum Championship watch valued at more than $5,000.

Here’s a look at the schedule for the Bodog Poker Open V:

Championship Series (All Times Eastern)
Sunday, Sept. 26 4:00 PM — $100+9 NLHE ($15,000 added)
Sunday, Sept. 26 7:00 PM — $100+9 NLHE Turbo ($20,000 Guar.)
Monday, Sept. 27 8:00 PM — $150+12 NLHE ($5,000 added)
Tuesday, Sept. 28 8:00 PM — $200+15 6-max NLHE ($5,000 added)
Wednesday, Sept. 29 8:00 PM — $30+3 NLHE w/ rebuys ($5,000 added)
Thursday, Sept. 30 8:00 PM — $100+9 PLHE ($5,000 added)
Friday, Oct. 1 8:00 PM — $100+9 Limit ($2,500 added)
Saturday, Oct. 2 — Satellite Day
Sunday, Oct. 3 4:00 PM — $470+30 NLHE Main Event ($200,000 Guar.)

Contender Series
Sunday, Sept. 26 4:30 PM — $10+1 NLHE ($7,500 Guar.)
Monday, Sept. 27 8:35 PM — $25+2.50 NLHE ($5,000 Guar.)
Tuesday, Sept. 28 8:35 PM — $15+1.50 6-max NLHE ($2,500 Guar.)
Wednesday, Sept. 29 8:35 PM — $5+1 NLHE w/ rebuys ($2,500 Guar.)
Thursday, Sept. 30 8:35 PM — $20+2 PLHE ($2,500 Guar.)
Friday, Oct. 1 8:35 PM — $15+1.50 LHE ($1,500 Guar.)
Saturday, Oct. 2 4:30 PM — $25+2.50 NLHE Turbo ($3,000 Guar.)
Sunday, Oct. 3 4:30 PM — $46+4 NLHE Main Event ($15,000 Guar.)

Hevad Khan, Gavin Griffin Out as PokerStars Sponsored Pros?

Given that the online poker community’s collective attention is focused on the ongoing PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), it comes as no surprise that the subject of players missing from the roster of Team PokerStars Pro surfaced on the forums. Among those pros reported as MIA were Hevad Khan, Gavin Griffin, and Peter Eastgate.

Griffin appears on the PokerStars.net website in a thumbnail for Team PokerStars USA. However, when the Team PokerStars USA roster is displayed, he is nowhere to be found. Griffin became poker’s first Triple Crown winner after taking down events on the World Poker Tour (WPT) and European Poker Tour (EPT) to go along with a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.

His WSOP hardware came in 2004, when Griffin won a $3,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event for $270,000, besting a final table that included Gabriel Thaler and UB.com front man Phil Hellmuth. Three years later, Griffin was off to the races again, this time after winning the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final for $2.4 million. He defeated Canadian Marc Karam heads-up in a final eight that also featured Søren Kongsgaard, bracelet winner Steve Jelinek, and Irishman Andy Black.

Griffin rounded out the high-stakes live poker Triple Crown by taking down the WPT Borgata Winter Open in 2008 for $1.4 million. Griffin turned heads after the rare feat and posters on TwoPlusTwo questioned the logic of PokerStars apparently not coming to terms with the 29 year-old: “Not resigning Gavin was a mistake, imho. Triple Crown winner not good enough?” Another TwoPlusTwo member added, “The dude’s still got plenty of credentials. I’d imagine his contract came up and they couldn’t agree to a new one, rather than him just getting the boot.”

Khan, meanwhile, burst onto the scene following his lively antics during the 2007 WSOP Main Event. His actions prompted a player celebration rule dubbed the “Hevad Khan Rule” due to his ape-like victory dances throughout the tournament. Khan wound up finishing sixth in the 2007 Main Event for nearly $1 million.

In late 2008, Khan followed up his performance by winning the Caesars Palace Classic Championship Event for an even $1 million, besting a pro-heavy final table that included Michael Kamran, Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar, Adam “A_Junglen” Junglen, and two-time bracelet winner John “World” Hennigan. The following January, Khan won a $1,850 preliminary event during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $200,000.

According to the HendonMob database, Khan has not cashed in a major live poker event since June 2009. Griffin, meanwhile, has just two live cashes to his credit this year, including a final table in the California State Poker Championship in Los Angeles.

The lack of results led some to believe that Khan and Griffin were simply burnt out from the poker grind. To that end, one TwoPlusTwo poster charged, “Am I the only one who got the impression that they just weren’t ever that big into poker? Or at least didn’t seem like they wanted to be doing it professionally for ten or so years? I can’t really explain why, but just kinda how they came across to me.”

During the 2010 WSOP, PokerStars brought onboard David Williams and Vanessa Selbst. Williams, a former Bodog pro, was fresh off winning the WPT Championship at the Bellagio, while Selbst took down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event. The site boasts a high-powered group of former Main Event champions including Tom McEvoy (1983), Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), and Joe Cada (2009).

Eastgate, who won the Main Event in 2008, may also be on the outs with PokerStars after announcing that he’s taking a break from poker. Eastgate is not on the Team PokerStars Pro roster, although, like Griffin, his image still appears in a thumbnail. An e-mail placed to PokerStars to clarify the pro situation was not returned as of press time.

PokerStars has increasingly diversified away from the United States, running live tournaments in Asia, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and Latin America.

PokerStars Champions Reception

Hosted by 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Winner Joe Hachem, PokerStars held a “PokerStars Champions Reception” and invited select media to attend. Hachem acted as the host and gave a speech about the site and how important the relationship is for him. He went on to talk about how many players that PokerStars sent to the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event (the number was over one thousand) and how the site is still going strong.

Later in the speech he welcomed 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Cada, who admitted he’s not much of a speech guy but thanked PokerStars for their sponsorship and to the media for attending the event. He talked about what winning the WSOP Main Event meant for him and how PokerStars has supported him every step of the way.

Cada then handed off the microphone to the first of the two newest members of Team PokerStars Pro in David Williams. Williams, who won the World Poker Tour‘s Five Diamond Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas earlier in the year, was able to opt out of his contract with his former sponsor at Bodog. He then went on to sign with the world’s largest poker site and become part of the team. Off the record it was overheard that Hachem, upon seeing Williams at the party for the first time, shook his hand and said with a big smile, “Welcome to a REAL poker site!” as Williams returned the handshake and smile, obviously excited for his new sponsorship.

Finally, the second new member of Team PokerStars Pro, Vanessa Selbst, came on the stage to say a few words. She talked about her win at the NAPT which was much publicized and how she came out of semi-retirement to play again full time once PokerStars made an offer for her to come aboard the team.

This reception speech was filmed just prior to the start of the 2010 WSOP Main Event from the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. We will be bringing interviews from this reception with members of Team PokerStars all through this week.

World Team Poker Adds New Countries

In preparation for its forthcoming Championship Event, World Team Poker has added 19 countries to its lineup, including Canada, Pakistan, and Spain. World Team Poker will even receive face time on Fox Sports Net when its tournaments begin debuting in January on Sunday nights for 13 weeks.

Team Canada promises to be among the fiercest in the 30-team field. Shawn Buchanan, Kyle Wilson, Eric Cloutier, Owen “ocrowe” Crowe, Daniel Idema, and Terrence “Unassigned” Chan will comprise the group, which features two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Greg “FBT” Mueller as its captain. Buchanan finished as the runner-up to new DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Dan “djk123” Kelly in the $25,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max event at the 2010 WSOP, banking $813,000.

Hasan Habib and Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka will co-captain Team Pakistan. A press release distributed by World Team Poker delicately explains, “Pakistan, which is known more for its cricket than poker players, has formed a formidable team of excellent poker talent.” Jaka is the reigning World Poker Tour (WPT) Player of the Year after recording two final tables and four top 20 finishes last season. Also on Team Pakistan are Ayaz Mahmood, Ozzy Sheikh, Owais Ahmed, Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania, and former Ultimate Bet Online Championship (UBOC) Main Event winner Hafiz Khan.

Carlos Mortensen, the WPT’s all-time money leader, will captain Team Spain. Mortensen was the only announced player for the Spanish World Team Poker contingent, but the former WSOP Main Event champ has four WPT final tables to his credit along with three titles. Mortensen has $5.7 million in career WPT earnings along with $2.4 million from the WSOP felts, where he’s a two-time bracelet winner.

Team Caribbean Islands is also taking form, with three players having signed up to be part of the fun. Jean-Robert Bellande, a former Bodog pro and “Survivor: China” castaway, will compete for the island nation team alongside Jean “Prince” Gaspard and Amnon Filippi. Among their competition will be Team Germany, which consists of Dan Heimiller, John Galbraith, Kathy Liebert, Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh, and Cyndy Violette. Liebert is being inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame this evening, while Violette is already a member.

Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari will captain Team Iran. Backing him up is an eclectic group of players that includes Reza Golestani, Mojgan Stringham, Shawn “Sheiky” Sheikhan, and Soheil Shamseddin.

Team USA has largely already been determined, with Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Erik Seidel taking the floor for the North American nation. Three online poker sites – DoylesRoom, UB.com, and Full Tilt Poker – will be represented.

The 30-team Championship Event will likely occur next month from Las Vegas, although the dates, times, and a location have not yet been announced. The inaugural World Team Poker tournament took place at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas earlier this year and was won by Team China, whose impressive roster of pros includes former WPT Championship winner David Chiu, 10-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan, Winfred Yu, former “Amazing Race” contestant Maria Ho, Chau Giang, Rich Zhu, and Derek Cheung.

Here are the new team captains along with the countries they represent as announced by World Team Poker on Friday:

Greg Mueller: Canada
Hasan Habib and Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka: Pakistan
Jean-Robert Bellande: Caribbean Islands
Peter Costa: Cyprus
Max Stern: Costa Rica
Chris Bjorin: Sweden
Martin Pollak: Austria
Dan Heimiller: Germany
Bruno Fitoussi: France
Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar: India
Toto Leonidas: Philippines
Antonio Esfandiari: Iran
Kevin Song: Korea
Marco Traniello: Italy
Lenny Martin: Russia
Carlos Mortensen: Spain
Roberto Rominelli: Wales
Padraig Parkinson and Donnacha O’Dea: Ireland
Vladimir Shchemelev: Ukraine

Visit WorldTeamPoker.com for more details.

PokerNews $1k Added Open Series on Bodog Starts this Weekend - Open to All!

UBOC 5 Championship Kicks off Sunday

On Sunday, the Championship Event of the fifth Ultimate Bet Online Championship, or UBOC, kicks off on the virtual felts of the CEREUS Poker Network. Players on the CEREUS Network sites UB.com and Absolute Poker will be vying for their share of a $1 million guaranteed UBOC 5 Championship prize pool. The tournament boasts a price tag of $1,050 and begins promptly at 4:00pm ET.

As if the seven-figure purse weren’t enough of a reason to sign up, the UBOC 5 Championship Event features 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth as its host. The tournament comes with a Monster Stack format and a six-figure first place prize, so head to UB.com or Absolute Poker today at 4:00pm ET to get in on the fun. Both sites happily take action from United States online poker players.

The UBOC 5 Championship Event is the culmination of a 20-event tournament series that began back on August 18th. Since then, CEREUS Network pros like Annie Duke, Tiffany Michelle, and Mark Seif have hosted UBOC 5 tournaments, featuring poker games like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and HORSE. This is the second time the UBOC has run in 2010, with the first cycle occurring back in January.

The lone six-figure payday of UBOC 5 so far went to Jeremy “DUHDUHDAISY” Fitzpatrick, who came out on top of the pack in a $1,050 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Deep Stack event, the eighth on the schedule. A total of 583 players created a $583,000 prize pool, the largest to date heading into the Championship Event. Fitzpatrick owns the eighth spot on the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings and has also recorded wins in the Full Tilt $1K Monday and Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed.

In Event #8, Fitzpatrick edged out Danny “dannyills” Illingworth, whose second place consolation prize was worth $81,000. Illingworth calls Carlsbad, California home and finished second in the Absolute Poker $200,000 Guaranteed last month for $27,000.

Others at the final table of Event #8 of UBOC 5 included “UPAY4RHINOS” (third place for $54,219), “JOAOMATHIAS” (fourth place for $37,895), “LOCKDOWNTEX” (fifth place for $32,065), “POOLI” (sixth place for $26,235), “CRACKIN_TY” (seventh place for $21,571), “N0VASKY” (eighth place for $15,741), and “GR8PKRPLAYA” (ninth place for $9,911).

The opening tournament of UBOC 5 featured a field of 903 players for a $320 No Limit Hold’em Sniper event. A total of $200,000 was guaranteed, but the 900-plus player field swelled the total prize pool to nearly $250,000. The final table was stacked with brand name pros, including eventual winner Joshua “pbdrunks” Van Duyn, who banked $54,000. Rounding out the top three were Felipe “improved” Montenegro and Darren “darrenelias” Elias, who cashed in for $32,000 and $22,000, respectively.

Also taking place today on UB.com and Absolute Poker is the Championship Event of MiniUBOC 5. The smaller version of the grand finale comes with a $55 buy-in and a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool. “GUIGUI_88” will serve as its host and the MiniUBOC 5 Championship begins at 4:00pm ET. MiniUBOC 5 has featured the same slate of events as its high-stakes counterpart, but with reduced buy-ins for those players lacking deep pockets.

Blanca Games recently acquired the CEREUS Network, although the terms of the transaction remain a mystery. Tokwiro Enterprises, the former owners of UB.com and Absolute Poker, will likely send out a press release with additional details on the acquisition this week. Stuart Gordon is the main face behind Blanca Games, whose website simply notes that its operations “are conducted by subsidiaries and associated companies.” Blanca Games is based in Antigua and has offices in Costa Rica, where UB.com and Absolute Poker are located.

Visit UB or AbsolutePoker to sign up for the UBOC 5 Championship Event.

Liv Boeree to Open London’s Poker in the Park

European Poker Tour (EPT) San Remo champion Liv Boeree is among several poker stars and celebrities expected to appear in London for Poker in the Park this September. Boeree, born in the United Kingdom, will open the festivities in Leicester Square on Thursday, September 2nd, with the festival running until late on Friday, September 3rd.

In its fourth year, Poker in the Park expects to attract 20,000 poker fans over two days, with tournaments, lectures from big name pros, tuition tents, stalls selling the latest poker merchandise, and much more. Bodog, one of the sponsors of the event, will host the Bodog Poker Dome, offering free hourly sit-and-gos at eight tables with the world famous Bodog Girls in attendance. Other attractions include the Red Hot Poker Plex, the Bluff Europe Heads-Up Challenge, and Victory Poker’s Wet ‘N Wild Dunk Poker, where players will have an opportunity to send a Victory Poker model into the dunk tank.

Among the stars already confirmed to appear at the Poker in the Park lecture theater are Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Roland De Wolfe, Jamie Gold, Neil Channing, Nik Persaud, and Phil Laak, with more big names expected to be confirmed soon. Boeree, Gold, John Tabatabai, and 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate were among the speakers at last year’s event.

“Having guest speakers of such caliber is an incredibly important part of what we’re offering at Poker in the Park,” said event founder and organizer Michael Caselli. “For the fourth year running, we’re honored, and humbled, to have so many star names turn out to give their advice and share their fascinating stories to the possible poker stars of the future.”

Five-time World Heavyweight Champion, Evander ‘The Real Deal” Holyfield, will also be on site at The Real Deal Poker Arena, where players can go heads-up against the current WBF world titleholder. Players can work their way through qualifying rounds from the Lightweight division all the way up to the Heavyweight Championship, where they will play Holyfield for the belt. Said Holyfield, “Poker is a lot like boxing in that the mental preparation needs to be there for both. I will be focused, ready, and down to my fighting weight for this match.”

Here’s a full schedule of all of the tournaments taking place at this year’s Poker in the Park (All times BST):

Thursday, September 2nd

Bodog Poker Dome

16:30 – 18:30 Nuts Magazine

17:30 – 19:30 Masters Poker League

18:30 – 20:30 London Poker Meetup

19:30 – 21:30 REDTOOTH

20:30 – 21:30 BLAPO

Red Hot Poker Plex

16:30 – 18:30 Bluff Europe

17:30 – 19:30 Gambling.com

18:30 – 20:30 Rake The Rake

19:30 – 21:30 Punters Lounge

20:30 – 21:30 Red Hot Poker

Friday, September 3rd

Bodog Poker Dome

12:30 – 14:30 Nuts Magazine

13:30 – 15:30 The Royal Surrey

14:30 – 16:30 London Poker Circuit

15:30 – 17:30 Poker in the Pub

16:30 – 18:30 Get Noticed Poker

17:30 – 19:30 Champions Poker League

18:30 – 20:30 Nuts Poker League

19:30 – 21:30 The Poker Tree

20:30 – 21:30 Casino at the Empire

Red Hot Poker Plex

12:30 – 14:30 Red Hot Poker

16:30 – 18:30 Sport.co.uk

18:30 – 20:30 Poker news

19:30 – 21:30 Win Me A Seat

20:30 – 21:30 Red Hot Poker

The new Poker in the Park Website went live this month and has details on all of the events and attractions taking place. Visit www.pokerinthepark.com for more information.

Mac Poker Sites More Popular Than Ever

If you own a Mac, then your options for playing online poker on a Mac are growing quickly. Existing rooms are offering a variety of ways for you to fire up the virtual felts, ranging from a fully downloadable client similar to what your Windows counterparts use to a browser-based alternative. The latter – dubbed “Instant Play” by most sites – has become one of the most widely used ways for Mac online poker players to access the world’s top sites. It’s safe to say mac poker sites are more popular than ever.

Web-based clients have a lot of drawbacks, however. On Bodog, for example, only one cash game table can be opened at a time, cutting off Mac tournament players entirely and limiting the potential to “grind.” On UB.com and Absolute Poker, several features are lacking and, although the web-based client receives upgrades, its capabilities are capped. PartyPoker, which does not accept real money action from the United States, was one of the first sites to offer an “Instant Play” option.

Despite its limitations, web-play clients are convenient. Most of them are compatible with Safari and Firefox; just make sure you have the latest version of each browser installed on your Mac. Many Windows and Linux users have even employed “Instant Play” to avoid having to download any software. If you’re away from your home computer or are in a situation where downloading UB.com, for example, may be frowned upon, web-based interfaces provide an easy way to access major sites.

Two online poker rooms, however, have gone well above their counterparts and offered a fully functional downloadable client, the best solution that a Mac poker player can hope for. Surprisingly, the two sites to offer feature-packed downloads are the two largest in the industry and home to a variety of high-stakes pros.

PokerStars

PokerStars is the world’s largest online poker site and is home to tens of thousands of cash game players at any given moment. PokerStars is where Main Event champions play, including Tom McEvoy (1984), Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Peter Eastgate (2008), and Joe Cada (2009), all of whom are sponsored site pros.

PokerStars offers some of the industry’s richest promotions and runs two major tournament series annually, the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) and World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). Total prize pools for these have topped $50 million in the past, making for life-changing paydays and challenging competition. PokerStars also sports one of the top customer service teams in the business.

Another reason to play on PokerStars is access to major live poker tournaments. PokerStars sponsors roving tournament series in North America, Latin America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, and the entire European continent. Its signature event is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, held each January in the Bahamas. It’s a prime opportunity for cold weather poker players to make their way to one of the globe’s top tropical destinations and, with a legal gambling age of 18, the event attracts a variety of young guns from North America.

For more information about Poker Stars, please read our Poker Stars Review.

Full Tilt Poker

Play with the pros – literally – at Full Tilt Poker. If you’re looking for the industry’s most recognized professionals, then look no further. Play alongside Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Huck Seed, Erick Lindgren, Phil Gordon, and others at the world’s second largest online poker site.

Full Tilt is a tournament player’s haven four times a year during the Full Tilt Online Poker Series, or FTOPS as it’s commonly called. The quarterly tournament extravaganza attracts the top players in the industry and features a variety of games including Hold’em, Omaha, HORSE, Stud, and Razz.

Full Tilt also is a Mecca for high-stakes players. With David Benyamine, Dwan, Ivey, and Antonius headlining much of the action, Full Tilt has also had players like Justin “Boosted J” Smith and Mike Matusow join its team to liven up the high-stakes scene. The only drawback to playing on Full Tilt Poker – and its fully downloadable Mac client – is a lax customer service team that falls well short of PokerStars’.

Nevertheless, if you’re a Mac online poker player, be sure to sign up for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Both happily accept players from the United States and host games that will fit your bankroll and budget around-the-clock.

For more information about Full Tilt Poker, please read our Full Tilt Poker Review.

Visit Apple.com for more information about Mac computers or to buy your Mac today.

Lonesome Shark Week Continues on Poker After Dark

Six of poker’s most eligible bachelors took to the felts as part of Lonesome Shark week on the NBC franchise “Poker After Dark.” The series airs nightly on NBC at 2:05am ET and each player began with a stack of 20,000 in chips. The winner of the six-man sit and go will pocket $120,000, enough to trick out any man’s bachelor pad.

Newly minted PokerStars pro David Williams raised to 600 pre-flop with pocket aces and Victory Poker’s Antonio Esfandiari 3bet to 1,700 with pocket queens. Williams made the call and the flop came 5-8-8, giving both players two pair. Esfandiari led out for 2,600 and Williams called, bringing a king on the turn. This time, Esfandiari check-called a bet of 4,200 and a ten hit on the river. Esfandiari checked, Williams continued firing, and Esfandiari got out of the way. The pot was worth 22,200.

Then, Williams bet 1,000 with Q-J and the board showing 10-J-6-8. Brad Booth, with 10-9 in the hole, called with second pair and the river was another eight. Both players checked and Williams won his second straight hand to move north of 30,000 in chips. Williams is a former “Poker After Dark” winner and joined PokerStars at the same time as Vanessa Selbst.

With four-way action and the board reading 8-J-7-4, Booth bet out 900 holding K-4 and Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren made the call with J-10 of hearts for top pair. Booth struck gold on the river, as another four hit to give him trips. He bet 1,600 and Lindgren mumbled, “You do bluff a lot,” before Booth asked if he wanted to see one of his cards. Lindgren picked the king and instantly called, shipping the small but entertaining pot worth 5,800 to Booth.

The group of six bachelors shared several interesting stories about why they might not be hitched. Lindgren, for example, told his tablemates, “I always tell my mom that I’m waiting for the right stripper.” Mike Matusow relayed a story about taking his girlfriend to Australia. Matusow flew first class and made his girlfriend camp out in coach because he didn’t realize you could trade a first class ticket in for two business class tickets. Matusow neither wanted to sit in coach nor pay to upgrade his girlfriend to the front of the plane.

Back on the felt, Williams raised to 800 pre-flop with 9-7 of clubs and Booth made the call with A-2 suited to hearts. The flop came 4-9-4, giving Williams nines-up, and he led out for 1,200. Booth called and the turn was a three. Williams once again fired, this time 1,700 in chips, and Booth once again called behind to bring a jack on the river. The action went check-check, sending the sizable 7,850-chip pot to Williams, who was sporting a Bodog logo since the show was taped prior to signing with the world’s largest online poker site.

In the final major pot of Monday night’s kickoff episode, Lindgren called the big blind pre-flop with K-10 and 2009 World Series of Poker November Niner James Akenhead raised to 900 with K-Q. Lindgren called and the flop came K-J-9, giving both players top pair. Lindgren check-called a bet of 1,400 with a worse kicker and an ace hit on the turn. Lindgren checked, Akenhead pushed out a bet of 2,700, and Lindgren deliberated before making a well-timed laydown. Akenhead, a former train conductor, was making his “Poker After Dark” debut and was largely quiet throughout Monday’s episode.

Lonesome Shark week continues nightly at 2:05am ET on NBC. Check your local listings for more details.

$500 Freeroll on Bodog this Weekend - Open to All!

Bodog Poker King of the Felt Sit and Go Challenge

Play Sit and Go’s at Bodog Poker for a chance to be King of the Felt and be in the weekly money, big time!

To become King of the Felt, all you have to do is be placed (that means being paid) in 3 sit and go tournaments in a week, you then get one ticket into the Monday weekly draw – the more tickets you earn then the more chances you have to win in the weekly draws.

That’s not all! (more…)

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Markup of HR 2267 to Occur Week of July 26th

A lengthy hearing in the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday featured discussion of HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. After a fairly standard hearing by internet gambling standards, Congressman John Campbell (R-CA) dropped a bombshell, alluding to a markup hearing of the bill next week. As of the time of writing, no such hearing has been announced.

Rescheduled to 2:00pm ET, the proceedings in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building did not commence until 2:30pm ET. Then, Ranking Member Spencer Bachus (R-AL) gave his take on the hours to come: “The timing of today’s hearing strikes some of us as ironic, to say the least. After all of the talk about shutting down the casinos on Wall Street, it makes no sense why we would open casinos on every… computer in America.” Earlier in the day, President Barack Obama signed a major financial overhaul measure into law.

Campbell, despite being a Republican, seemed to be HR 2267 author and Committee Chairman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) right-hand man. Campbell told the assembled committee, “I don’t gamble. I don’t partake in it, but freedom is not about legislating what I like to do. Freedom is about allowing Americans to do what they want to do.” In her testimony, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, who represented the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), noted that 70 million Americans play poker.

Michael Fagan, Law Enforcement and Anti-Terrorism Consultant, spoke out ardently against HR 2267 and called into question a stat that Duke contributed saying that 1% of gamblers could be classified as problem gamblers. Fagan noted that offshore sites are subject to U.S. excise taxes now, but don’t pay them. He summed up his testimony by concluding, “The costs of regulating and taxing don’t outweigh the negatives.”

Perhaps amenable to a bill like HR 2267 was soon-to-be-Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe, who told the panel, “Our tribe has a philosophy known as the Mohegan Way, which stresses cooperation rather than conflict.” Malerba noted that Frank had worked hand-in-hand with Indian tribes to create the components of HR 2267. She added that hundreds of thousands of new jobs have been created from tribal gaming and that the Mohegan Tribe was still studying its optimal strategy.

Tom Malkasian, Vice Chairman and Director of Strategic Planning for the Commerce Casino, told the House Financial Services Committee, “We believe limited forms of online poker can provide safe play for our patrons, but only if the legislation is done the right way.” He called HR 2267 “fundamentally flawed” and “based on false revenue assumptions.” Malkasian claimed that HR 2267 rewards foreign operators purportedly operating illegally in the United States now. Once the market opens up, they would have a leg up on their competition in terms of a learning curve if they were granted a license.

The last witness was Ed Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Discovery Federal Credit Union, who spoke on behalf of the Credit Union National Association. Williams told the Committee that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) “represents an inappropriate and unreasonable compliance burden. It does not provide us with the definition of unlawful internet gambling.”

Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA) lashed out against his colleague’s bill, saying, “The only thing this bill will do is create problems for California and our economy. It threatens to close 22,000 jobs in California.” Baca also expressed concern that a direct federal tax on Indian tribes would threaten their sovereignty, at one point raising his voice and pointing at Malerba before reiterating his concerns about job losses.

One new point that surfaced during the hearing was whether sites like PokerStars, Bodog, and UB.com, which have continued to operate in the United States since the passage of the UIGEA in 2006, should be eligible to receive licenses under HR 2267. Malerba responded, “I think that all sites should be located in the USA. In terms of what has happened in the past with the internet gambling operators, I’m sure that there are internet gambling operators offshore that are legitimate and have been licensed by legitimate governments.

Then, it was Campbell’s turn to shine. At the tail end of a hearing that was delayed by 30 minutes to start and had a 45 minute respite in the middle, Campbell told the audience in a largely empty conference room that he’ll offer an amendment in a markup hearing next week that will add use of sophisticated technologies to HR 2267. He’ll also propose a loss limit: “Most brick and mortar casinos don’t have those things.”

The hearing came to a close around 5:00pm ET. PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily that the markup hearing directive would come from Frank’s office.

Bodog set for Poker in the Park

$500 Freeroll on Bodog Today!

Let Me Google That For You

Because of what I do for living, I spend much of my free time and almost all of my “at-work” time on the internet.  Now, I know that the people I run into online are really just a representative sample of the general real-life population, but man, I could swear sometimes that the intelligence quotient of the average internet message board poster is a tick below people I see everyday with my own eyes.  Case in, point, this guy.

A member of a popular poker forum had a question eating away at him.  It was so important and so impossible to have answered through basic, logical thought or simple Google searches that he had to create a new thread to bother everyone with it.

“Why is poker stars so popular?” he queried.  “Besides from the good client, and good support i dont understand why the majority of the players, who most play micro and such play there and they get next to nothing on rakeback?”

I did not respond to this guy in his forum thread, but I am going to briefly take a stab at an answer here in this column.  I actually could just stop right now and say that he answered his own question, but I am going to expand on it a bit.  To me, first and foremost, PokerStars is popular because it’s big.  And we’re not just talking big, we’re talking the biggest poker room in the known universe.  And we’re not just talking the biggest, we’re talking the biggest by far.  As I write this, the average number of cash game players at PokerStars in the past seven days is 25,000 according to PokerScout.com.  Full Tilt, the number two site, has just barely more than half that, 13,200.  At its 24-hour peak, PokerStars had over 41,000 cash game players online simultaneously, more than twice what Full Tilt had at its peak.  In fact, PokerStars is bigger that the next five poker rooms combined and is bigger than all of its competitors combined if you take Full Tilt out of the equation.

It should be obvious, but the benefit of this is that players know they will always be able to find a game, or two, or three, or twenty, at PokerStars.  This is in stark contrast to a site like, say, Cake Poker, which I have really enjoyed, but which has gotten to the point where I can only find one table of my preferred game if I’m lucky.  Casual players and multi-tabling grinders alike can login to Stars at any given time and find exactly what they want in an instant.  Note, as well, that the stats I presented only reference cash games.  PokerStars (as well as Full Tilt, which does also have excellent player traffic) has tons of tournaments, night and day.

Before I continue, I should mention that I am not hyping up PokerStars for any reason except to point out the silliness of the message board post I quoted earlier.  There are many poker rooms out there and all have their advantages and disadvantages.  Stars just happens to be the most popular.  In fact, I haven’t even played at PokerStars in months – I have a different room of choice.

As to the poster’s point about rakeback, I do understand where he is coming from there, but his logic is partially flawed.  He says most players play micro stakes, which I believe is true, so they would be better off earning rakeback elsewhere because PokerStars’ VIP program does little for them.  First, I think he is overestimating how much rakeback a microstakes player can earn.  Second, he is forgetting that serious players amongst the microstakes population are in the extreme minority.  Casual players are in the vast majority, and casual players generally don’t care or even know about rakeback.  Therefore, were they to play somewhere else, chances are they wouldn’t be getting rakeback because they wouldn’t know to sign up through an affiliate, so the little boost they can get in VIP rewards at PokerStars is better, anyway.

And then there are the two points the poster made, which would often be enough to make poker room popular without the size (although as the popularity would increase, so would the player traffic).  The site has excellent software.  It has never been my personal absolute favorite, but it typically runs very smoothly, can handle multitudes of open tables at once, and is much less buggy than most.  So of course players are going to gravitate more towards a site with quality software over one with a crappy offering.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise.  And as for customer service, who wouldn’t prefer to deal with a company like that?  This is one reason I have like the aforementioned Cake Network and one reason I used to play at Bodog (I haven’t played at Bodog in a while primarily because of a lack of traffic).  It seems that in PokerStars’ case, its reputation for consistently high quality customer service precedes it and does get players interesting in trying out the site.

It doesn’t take a genius to see why PokerStars is the 800-pound gorilla of the industry.  Unfortunately, some people fall on the end of the scale that is the opposite of genius, so I felt the need to step forward and explain it to them.  On the bright side, it gave me something to write about.

Vanessa Selbst Top 10 in World Series of Poker Main Event After Day 2B

Five days ago, Vanessa Selbst was introduced as the newest member of Team PokerStars along with former Bodog pro David Williams. The introduction took place at the Real World Suite at the Palms in Las Vegas, just across the street from the Rio, the site of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP). After Day 2B of the Main Event, Selbst sits in eighth on the leaderboard with a stack of 265,000, trailing chip leader David Assouline’s mountain of 387,800.

Selbst took down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour Mohegan Sun Main Event and told the assembled crowd at the Palms that she had partly come out of retirement from poker. However, in order to solidify her Main Event run, she’ll have to navigate through a gauntlet of talent when the combined Day 3 field takes to the felt on Monday. Among those left in the hunt for the nearly $9 million top prize is Kelly Kim, an original November Niner, who doubled up late in the day on Saturday with queens against A-K.

One of the final eliminations of Day 2B went to Tommy Vedes, who called all-in with Q-3 of spades on a flop of A-5-4 with two spades. Matt Reed showed A-Q for top pair and no spade came on the turn or river. Vedes took down the World Poker Tour’s Festa al Lago last year for $1.2 million. He owns over $550,000 in career WSOP earnings.

On a flop of 8-4-6, Tom Schneider pushed all-in with pocket sevens, but received a call from a player with a wired pair of aces, which held for the win. We won’t be hearing any cries of “Stack ‘em, stack ‘em, to the top” this year from the two-time bracelet winner’s wife, but Schneider finished the 2010 WSOP with four in the money finishes.

Three players who have made deep runs in the Main Event in previous years found the exit late in the day on Saturday. Jeff Shulman, who finished fifth in last year’s cycle for $1.9 million, and Josh Arieh, who took third in 2004 for $2.5 million, were both ousted from the Main Event yesterday. Joining them was original November Niner Ylon Schwartz, who bowed out in back-to-back hands after running a straight into a flush on his second-to-last pot.

One of our favorite moments of Day 2B involved Brandon Cantu. The UB.com pro announced via Twitter, “I’m shoving this hand no matter what, wish me luck.” True to his word, Cantu moved all-in and detailed what happened next on the popular social networking site: “Went raise 3000 call 3000 I get jt shove fold fold 31k.” Cantu, a dual WSOP bracelet winner, ended the day with a stack of 40,000.

Also bumped on Day 2B were DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Dan “djk123” Kelly, David “Bakes” Baker, Doyle Brunson, and Full Tilt pro Phil Ivey, who made the final table of this event last year. Ivey was eliminated in especially gut-wrenching fashion, as he ran pocket queens into pocket kings. Ivey hit a queen on the turn to surge into the lead, but Yuji Masaki re-sucked on the river when a king hit. Ivey’s stack took a beating as a result and he was eliminated shortly thereafter.

Here are the top 10 chip stacks after Day 2B according to figures found on WSOP.com:

1. David Assouline – 387,800
2. Ricardo Fasanaro – 380,000
3. Matt Reed – 337,800
4. Jim “Mr_BigQueso” Collopy – 305,100
5. Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet – 295,600
6. Charles Sylvestre – 292,300
7. Sasha Rosewood – 279,500
8. Vanessa Selbst – 265,000
9. Marc Sander – 265,000
10. Gabriel Walls – 241,000

Other players remaining after Day 2B include legendary gambler Archie Karas, Victory Poker pro Dan Bilzerian, Jason Mercier, UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, Eric Buchman, Humberto Brenes, “The Simpsons” voice Hank Azaria, and Lock Poker pro Matt “All In At 420” Stout.

Sunday is an off day for the 2010 WSOP Main Event. On Monday, the survivors from both Day 2s will reconvene at the Rio for a combined Day 3. The tournament’s field will be whittled down to the final nine next Saturday, July 17th.

Liv Boeree and UB.com Renegotiating Contract

Rumblings around the Amazon Room, site of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, have Liv Boeree and UB.com parting ways. However, Poker News Daily can independently confirm that the two sides are actively renegotiating Boeree’s contract.

Boeree made waves in April after taking down the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) San Remo Main Event for $1.7 million. She bested the largest European EPT field ever of 1,240 in the process and defeated Sweden’s Jakob Carlsson heads-up. Boeree’s win was the latest in the so-called Year of the Woman, which also included Annie Duke winning the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and Vanessa Selbst taking down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event.

Poker News Daily has learned that Boeree’s contract has expired, but the two sides are pursuing a new deal. A UB.com spokesperson explained on Thursday, “Liv’s contract has expired. We are in contract renegotiation discussions now.” The negotiations are expected to come to a head within a week.

Meanwhile, the 2010 WSOP Main Event is playing out at the Rio in Las Vegas. Boeree played on Day 1B on Tuesday, running into a set of kings during the first level to cripple her stack. Then, she was poised for a much-needed double up with pocket jacks, but an opponent with pocket eights found a set. Boeree has never cashed in a WSOP tournament with a buy-in greater than $2,000. This year, she turned in three in the money finishes for $8,000 total.

Boeree, who is dating fellow poker pro Allie Prescott, still appears on UB.com’s website as a sponsored pro. The U.K. native was born in 1984 and, 21 years later, appeared on “Ultimate Poker Showdown.” There, she received instruction from Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, and David “Devilfish” Ulliott and the rest, as they say, is history. Duke and Hellmuth now front Team UB, while Ulliott serves as the namesake behind the Entraction Network site Devilfish Poker.

In May 2008, Boeree took down the Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship for $42,000. Then, she final tabled a preliminary event held during the Aussie Millions in 2009 for another $13,000. The same year, Boeree took 37th in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship at the Bellagio for $40,000, nearly doubling her $25,000 buy-in. Her crowning glory remains her win in San Remo, where she became just the third woman ever to win an EPT title, joining Vicky Coren (EPT London in 2006) and Sandra Naujoks (EPT Dortmund in 2009).

Besides Hellmuth, Duke, and Boeree, UB.com’s roster of sponsored pros also includes former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok, “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle, two-time bracelet winner Brandon Cantu, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian. In early June, Cantu re-signed with UB.com for one year. UB.com pros were spotted at the site’s get-together at the Mandarin Oriental bar at CityCenter in Las Vegas on Monday. The night ended with a shotgun wedding as part of a site-sponsored prop bet contest.

Recent player signings include David Williams and Vanessa Selbst inking agreements with PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. In addition, PokerStars is sponsoring the stable of pros belonging to Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber during the Main Event, which includes well-known players like Nick “fu_15” Maimone, and Jamie “TheNew” Robbins. Back in May, Amanda Musumeci joined the ranks of Bodog, which parted ways with Williams, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and Jean-Robert Bellande.

Williams, Selbst Join PokerStars

The online poker room introduced the two players as members of Team PokerStars Pro during a press conference at the Palms on Tuesday.

Williams mentioned he was happy to be a part of the PokerStars family.

"It's quite special to be part of Team PokerStars," said Williams. "I've always felt it's the biggest and best site there is."

"Being part of a product that you can endorse whole-heartedly is amazing."

Both players are young but have experienced a lifetime of poker over the last decade.

A former Magic: The Gathering player, Williams rose to poker stardom when he finished runner-up to current Team PokerStars member Greg Raymer in the 2004 WSOP Main Event.

It was the best ever finish for an African American in the Main Event and Williams earned $3.5 million for his second place finish.

Over the next few years Williams was never short of media exposure as Bodog Pro and was featured on reality game show King of Vegas and in his own Raw Vegas video blog.

His poker record is also impeccable with second place finish in the WPT Borgata Poker Open for $573,800 in 2004, a WSOP bracelet win in the 2006 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event.

Most recently Williams won the WPT World Championship at Bellagio for $1.5 million to bump his lifetime earnings to $7.9 million.

Williams is hopeful his game will only improve as a member Team PokerStars Pro.

"If I'm struggling or I have questions about my game I'm going to have world champions that I can turn to," he said.

Meanwhile Vanessa Selbst is one of the premier female players in the game with five WSOP final tables, a victory in the 2008 WSOP $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for $227,933.

Selbst won NAPT Mohegan Sun back in April for $750,000, which bumped her lifetime earnings up to $1.6 million.

Selbst was born in Brooklyn, New York, and cut her teeth playing online poker where she was known as fslexcduck.

She's currently a law student at Yale and an instructor at the online poker training site Deuces Cracked.

Selbst and Williams will join a team that already includes Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, Vanessa Rousso, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Jason Mercier, Barry Greenstein and many more players from around the globe.

Both players will play in the ongoing 2010 WSOP Main Event.

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

David Williams Signs with PokerStars

Poker News Daily can independently confirm that 2010 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner David Williams has signed with PokerStars. Williams’ agency, Poker Royalty, confirmed that a contract was forged in recent days and the former Bodog pro will now join the world’s largest online poker site.

Williams parted ways with Bodog shortly after taking down the WPT Championship at the Bellagio to the tune of $1.5 million. The tournament marked his fourth WPT final table and gave him nearly $3 million in career WPT earnings. Bodog, which has parted ways with Jean-Robert Bellande and Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo since 2010 began, promptly introduced Amanda Musumeci as its newest sponsored pro. Musumeci joins Evelyn Ng as the lone Bodog-backed pros.

On July 6th at the Palms, PokerStars is hosting a cocktail event featuring reigning World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Joe Cada, Williams, and North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event winner Vanessa Selbst. Neither Selbst nor Williams appears on PokerStars’ website as a sponsored pro at the time of writing. Selbst, a Yale law student, banked an even $750,000 by taking down the $5,000 NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event in April, besting a final table that included Scott Seiver and Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy.

Williams’ total live tournament winnings nearly top $8 million. The Panorama Towers resident finished as the runner-up to Greg Raymer in the 2004 WSOP Main Event for $3.5 million. Two years later, Williams landed at the final table of the WPT Bay 101 stop for $280,000. He won a gold bracelet at the 2006 WSOP in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud event and promptly took second in a $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball tournament for another quarter-million dollars.

Williams has been a staple of televised series like the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, NBC’s “Poker After Dark,” GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” and the PokerStars-backed “Big Game.” He celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month, noting on Twitter, “Thanks you to everyone for the Happy Birthday messages. 30 isn’t so bad… I guess.”

PokerStars issued a weekly news roundup on Tuesday morning that did not mention Williams’ signing. He’ll join a stable of pros that includes Cada, Raymer, Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker, Peter Eastgate, Barry Greenstein, and the site’s main face, Daniel Negreanu. Year-over-year, PokerStars has posted a 14% increase in online poker traffic according to PokerScout.com and currently owns a seven-day running average of 25,000 real money ring game players.

The PokerStars cocktail reception at the Palms is invite-only and designed for members of the media to conduct one-on-one interviews. It’s one of the many gatherings planned for this week in Las Vegas leading up to the 2010 WSOP Main Event, which begins next Monday, July 5th, with the first of four starting days. The tournament plays down to a final table on July 17th. Then, the nine survivors will disperse from the Rio until the first week of November. You can catch the Main Event, Tournament of Champions, and $50,000 Player’s Championship starting next month on ESPN.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest player signings.

Survivor Nicaragua May Feature a Poker Player

According to a post on TwoPlusTwo, the upcoming season of “Survivor: Nicaragua” may feature a poker player. During “Survivor: China,” former Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande tried to outwit, outlast, and outplay the competition, but was the eighth person voted out.

In mid-May, TwoPlusTwo poster “HeyIzDro” set the rumor mill ablaze by posting that a producer from the hallmark CBS reality series had contacted him “and told me they were looking for a high-stakes pro to go on the show.” However, in order to film “Survivor” in the Central American country, “HeyIzDro” would have been forced to miss the ongoing World Series of Poker (WSOP), his first, and so he declined. In his place, “HeyIzDro” pitched players like Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Tony “Bond18” Dunst, Shaun Deeb, and DoylesRoom pro Alex “AJKHoosier1” Kamberis to “Survivor” casters.

Posters weighed in on whether having a young internet gun would make for a compelling 21st season of “Survivor.” One responder argued, “I’d say almost close to zero 21 year-old online pro poker players would be very entertaining on ‘Survivor.’ Jean-Robert is a pretty electric and interesting character on the felt, but on ‘Survivor,’ he was a total dud.” Flight attendant Todd Herzog ultimately took down “Survivor: China,” banking $1 million.

Who could be the purported poker player on the show? Among those responding was Kamberis, who said that producers hadn’t yet called him to hop on a plane to Nicaragua. Players including Huck Seed, Tony G, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, and Phil Laak were tossed around as candidates. If a poker player fails to make it on the cast for Season 21, “Survivor” crew members are staying in Nicaragua to film Season 22 shortly thereafter.

According to “HeyIzDro,” who may have had a change of heart about putting the WSOP ahead of a once-in-a-lifetime television show, producers of the CBS reality series “told me they contacted a lot of other pros, but I watched every season, so I think they wanted people familiar with the game… If I don’t get on this season, I’m sure I or someone else will get on in upcoming seasons.”

“Survivor” is as much a social game as it is a physical one, leading TwoPlusTwo members to come around to Jamie Gold: “I agree that Gold possesses the social skill set that would thrive on ‘Survivor,’” wrote one poster. “Pure duplicity… Shameless to a degree. This would probably be enough to get to the final three, but based on the past few seasons, it doesn’t matter how much you outwit and outplay people strategically, the bitter and resentful jurors will vote for some nice floater to win the million.” The ruthless strategic player Russell Hantz, for example, made the top three of two consecutive “Survivor” cycles, but failed to win either.

“HeyIzDro” added that he was set to fly from New York City to San Diego to meet with “Survivor” host Jeff Probst and other staff members: “One of the 22 people selected had to drop out for personal reasons. So they told me I am in. I still have to go interview. But I was told, it’s a done deal I am in.” Whether he’ll make the on-air cast or simply be an alternate remains to be seen.

Now, the mystery is on as to his identity. Players like former WSOP Main Event champs Johnny Chan and Peter Eastgate have been largely absent from the Las Vegas tournament series, although the latter is rooting on his homeland of Denmark in the World Cup in South Africa. Prahlad Friedman is apparently in Vietnam and Patrik Antonius was last seen playing high-stakes cash games in Sin City. However, “HeyIzDro” stated that it was his first WSOP, meaning that these players would likely not fit the description.

“Survivor: Nicaragua” will air later this year on CBS.

Dakota Man Wins Bodog Champion Camp

The North Dakotan won the package earlier this month after he took part in a Bodog freeroll, which was exclusive to PokerListings.com players.

"Winning the WSOP package was awesome although it was a bit of a surprise," said Blair.

Blair originally finished second in the freeroll but thanks to the initial winner being disqualified due to age restrictions he was awarded the package.

Blair is now headed to the 2010 WSOP where he will not only play in the $10,000 Main Event but also experience Las Vegas like a high roller with extras like expensive dinners, shopping sprees and helicopter tours.

A six-year poker veteran, Blair has been to Vegas several times but this will be the first time he's going to experience the biggest tournament in the world.

"I've won many mid-stakes tournaments online but nothing really to brag about," said Blair.

A total of 6,494 players entered the Main Event last year creating a prize pool of $61 million and Blair will get a shot at taking home a life-changing amount of money this year.

"If I won the Main Event I'd buy a nice house in my home town and take a nice long vacation."

Although the 2010 Champion Camp freerolls are now complete, PokerListings is offering extensive coverage of this year's WSOP with live updates, news and videos.

Be sure to check our coverage as we follow Blair, and thousands of other players, as they attempt to win it all and become a poker world champion.

2010-2011 World Poker Tour Schedule Takes Shape

On July 11th, the 2010-2011 World Poker Tour (WPT) schedule will kick off with the annual running of the Bellagio Cup in Las Vegas. Its $10,300 buy-in is down from $15,400 last year, when PokerStars pro Alexandre Gomes took home the title and $1.2 million first place prize.

Next on the docket is the Bicycle Casino’s Legends of Poker, slated for August 20th to 25th. The $5,200 buy-in is half of last year’s price tag. In 2009, 279 players turned out and poker rapper Prahlad Friedman came out on top to bank a little over $1 million. After a trip across “The Pond” to London, WPT officials will return to U.S. soil on September 19th for the Borgata Poker Open. The $3,500 buy-in event is the cheapest on the 2010-2011 WPT schedule.

Last year at the Borgata, the $3,500 buy-in tournament attracted a massive starting grid of 1,018 players and Olivier Busquet emerged as its champion to collect $925,000. On October 18th, the WPT Festa al Lago will mark the tournament series’ second stop at the Bellagio, where a $10,400 buy-in Main Event will play out. In 2009, the Festa al Lago had a $15,400 buy-in and ended with Tommy Vedes taking home his first WPT title along with $1.2 million.

From October 28th to November 2nd, the Foxwoods World Poker Finals will pan out from the forests of Connecticut. This is one of the few tournaments on the 2010-2011 slate of events that carries the same buy-in as last year, an even $10,000. Cornel Andrew Cimpan took down the annual stop at Foxwoods last year for just over $900,000.

From December 13th to 19th, the WPT returns to its roots in Las Vegas at the Bellagio for the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Last year, this event carried a $15,400 buy-in. This time around, the price of poker has been slashed to $10,400. The event attracted a field of 329 players in 2009, with Daniel Alaei coming out on top for $1.4 million.

The Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi remains relatively unchanged for 2011. The action starts on January 23rd at the Gulf Coast casino and concludes four days later. In 2010, DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins trumped the field for $739,000.

From Mississippi, the WPT will pick up shop and head west to Los Angeles for the Commerce Casino’s Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic. The latter begins on February 25th and has a $10,000 buy-in, the same as in 2010. However, the 2010 tournament carried a $300 juice, whereas this season’s installment bumps the casino’s rake to $400.

The final 2010-2011 WPT stop listed on the tour’s website is the Bay 101 Shooting Star event, penciled in for March 14th to 18th. The event has a $10,000 buy-in, with the juice having been lowered from $500 in 2010 to $400 in 2011. The unique California bounty tournament featured McLean Karr winning during Season 8 to take home $878,000.

Dates for the 2011 Hollywood Poker Open and WPT Championship were not available at press time. Carlos Mortensen became the WPT’s all-time money leader after taking down the former in March for nearly $400,000, while David Williams brought home the title in the WPT Championship in April before parting ways with Bodog. According to WPT officials, both tournaments will be held during the upcoming season.

The new season of the WPT kicked off with the Grand Prix de Paris last month. The Party Gaming-owned WPT has already announced three events outside of the United States:

WPT London Poker Classic
August 30th to September 4th, 2010
Palm Beach Casino
London, England

WPT Marrakech
November, 2010
Casino de Marrakech
Hivernage, Marrakech

WPT Amneville
November 2nd to 6th, 2010
Casino Municipal D Amneville
Amneville, France

The London Poker Classic, brand new to the 2010-2011 schedule, will come complete with a High Roller Event. No information has been released as to whether the WPT will continue to air on Fox Sports Net, but an announcement is expected before the Bellagio Cup. The WPT has appeared on the sports-oriented station for the last two years. What is certain, however, is that Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will return to call the action from the felts.

The WPT is fresh off introducing Matt Savage as its Tour Director, which has created a considerable buzz entering Season 9. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for more WPT headlines.

Amanda Musumeci Interview

Amanda Musumeci is a sponsored pro at Bodog and a PocketFives member that recently won a competition to become the latest member of the Bodog stable of sponsored pros. She grinds small and medium stakes Sit N Gos and Tournaments and has been living in Las Vegas for the last few years. In this exclusive interview, we catch up with Musumeci at a local bar in town and get a great first look into what makes this budding poker superstar tick. She discusses the process of becoming a sponsored pro with Bodog, where she plays online and how she plans to integrate herself into the live poker Vegas scene as well as her WSOP plans.

PokerNews $500 Freeroll on Bodog

John “Tex” Barch Wins $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Event at World Series of Poker

The largest payday of Saturday’s action at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) went to John “Tex” Barch, who topped the field in Event #20, a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament. Barch, who made the final table of the 2005 WSOP Main Event, cashed for $256,000 and earned his first gold bracelet.

Event #20 marked the third largest Pot Limit Omaha in WSOP history at 885 players. Accordingly, Barch was quite elated to take home a bracelet in the rapidly growing poker genre. He told WSOP officials on Saturday night, “It’s nice to have one. It really is. We were talking earlier that we miss the old Horseshoe. But here, the tournaments are definitely deeper and harder to get through. I think it will be much harder for people to win multiple bracelets in the future.”

Despite not having a bracelet until Saturday, Barch owns nearly $3 million in career WSOP earnings. His third place finish in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event five years ago was worth $2.5 million and, all told, he’s reached three WSOP final tables. Here’s how the field shook out:

1. John “Tex” Barch – $256,919
2. Klinghammer Thibaut – $158,698
3. Trai Dang – $102,306
4. Nenad Medic – $74,946
5. Ashkan Razavi – $55,711
6. Chris Hyong Chang – $41,971
7. Blair Rodman – $32,007
8. Tyler Patterson – $24,695
9. Denton Pfister – $19,259

Also reaching a conclusion yesterday was Event #21, $1,500 Seven Card Stud. Richard Ashby became the third U.K. native to take home a bracelet at the 2010 WSOP, joining Praz Bansi and James “Flushy” Dempsey. On his proficiency in the age old game of Stud, Ashby commented to WSOP staff, “Stud was actually the first game I started playing. I’ve been playing it a very long time. There is a tournament in Baden (Germany) that I won earlier this year. I have been running very well in Stud lately.”

Christine Pietsch missed out on being the first female WSOP bracelet winner of 2010. Pietsch cashed for $86,000 and would have become the 16th woman to win an open WSOP event. Women have been shut out of an open event’s bracelet ceremony since 2008, when PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event winner Vanessa Selbst found gold.

Three acclaimed online poker players – Titan Poker’s Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, PokerStars’ Pat “TorontoToro” Pezzin, and poker author Jon “PearlJammer” Turner – took sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively, in Event #21:

1. Richard Ashby – $140,467
2. Christine Pietsch – $86,756
3. Darren Shebell – $55,955
4. Dan Heimiller – $40,544
5. Owais Ahmed – $29,809
6. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi – $22,235
7. Pat “TorontoToro” Pezzin – $16,826
8. Jon “PearlJammer” Turner – $12,916

Finally, the Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship has played down to its final table. Sidsel Boesen leads the way with a stack of 789,000, well ahead of American Kami Chisholm’s second place tally of 529,000. There are no bracelet winners in the surviving nine, who will duke it out for a $192,000 top prize.

Among those who cashed in the Ladies Event were Bodog pro Evelyn Ng, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, 2008 Ladies champ Svetlana Gromenkova, “Amazing Race” contestant Maria Ho, and Bluff reporter Jessica Welman. The final table will take to the felts today with the following chip stacks:

1. Sidsel Boesen – 789,000
2. Kami Chisholm – 529,000
3. Timmi Derosa – 437,000
4. Anne Whalen – 344,000
5. Holly Hodge – 279,000
6. Vanessa Hellebuyck – 277,000
7. Bonnie Overfield – 226,000
8. La Sengphet – 206,000
9. Loren Watterworth – 75,000

No new events begin on Sunday. Instead, Day 1B of the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event (#24) will fire up at Noon PT. Keep it tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest 2010 WSOP headlines.

Shaun Deeb, David Sesso Among WSOP Ladies Event Entrants

Whether for charity or not, male poker players Shaun Deeb and David “Blue Knight1” Sesso were among the entrants for the $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP). However, their involvement caused quite a stir across the poker world as Event #22 kicked off.

Among those Tweeting about the involvement of several male players in the Ladies only event was UB.com pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy, who remarked, “I love how all the ladies get so done up for the ladies event, but no one looks as good as @ShaunDeeb.” Also painting a picture of the scene for those not camped out at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok: “In the main poker pavilion at WSOP. Man, these ladies realllllly hate the dudes that played the event.”

Also weighing in was PokerStars sponsored pro Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck, who commented via her Twitter feed on Friday, “I see 6 guys playing the ladies event. I don’t mind too much, won’t make me play different, but the ladies are very upset.” Elsewhere in the Las Vegas casino, Absolute Poker sponsored pro Trishelle Cannatella noted, “They just made an announcement at #WSOP apologizing for the guys playing in the ladies event. One guy has full on drag. Amazing.”

Deeb is one of the top tournament pros in the game, although he announced his retirement earlier this year. However, he turned out in full on drag to the $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship purportedly in the name of charity. Deeb’s Twitter feed asserted, “Playing the ladies event. Liv [Boeree] dressed me and gave me makeup. New Photoshop thread will form from these photos.” Deeb was sent packing just before the dinner break much to the delight of the women in attendance after his A-J could not draw out on Niago Wilson’s wired pair of nines. Deeb gave $100 to Wilson as a bounty and exited the field.

Two males outlasted Deeb in the field. Coverage found on WSOP.com noted, “After competing a completely unscientific survey of the field, it looks as though we are down to our last two male entrants. The field has been erupting in applause whenever a male is sent to the rail. We’ll let you know when the last cheer arrives.”

Not everyone was perturbed at seeing men enter the event. UB.com pro and reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke told Poker News Daily, “I get that women would be upset, but I think it’s important for men to take that stand and also it’s for charity. It’s also making a point that poker is not like tennis. Men are not mentally stronger than we are, so it makes no sense to separate it out. If there were a men’s only event, people would be encouraging women to play.”

Early on Friday night, CardPlayer reported that one-year or lifetime bans from the WSOP may be in store for Deeb, Sesso, and other males to entered the Ladies event. When asked when the media could expect word of any sanctions, WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky told Poker News Daily, “You can report on them when they occur.” He added, “People aren’t respecting our tournaments. We have the ability to handle things any way we see fit as tournament operators.”

Among those still in the hunt for the bracelet in Event #22 at the time of writing are Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Bodog pro Evelyn Ng, and UB.com front woman Liv Boeree. First place will pay out $192,000.

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.

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The $50K Players’ Championship, Insomnia, and Doyle Tries Vegan from Poker in Twitter

Over the course of the weekend in the Twitterverse, poker players were naturally discussing the start of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). With the $50,000 Players’ Championship starting on Friday for the high rollers and the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament picking up action on Saturday, the top pros on Twitter kept their fans informed of their status in the events.

Railing boyfriend David Baker was PokerStars sponsored player Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck, who was torn between his deep run in the $50K and her contractual obligation to attend a Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) event. “I keep changing my flight to Peru, now I leave at 5am. We’re going all the way in the 50K 8 game, DAVID BAKER FTW!,” Maria tweeted late last night. Once the chips were bagged at the end of play, Mayrinck gave a last report before heading to the airport, “End of day 3, David finished with 725K, 21 players left, 16itm.”

Another player who was railing people close to his heart was Eric Mizrachi, who hustled between his brothers Robert and Michael to inform his followers of their status. “Both my brothers still in @WSOP event #2 50k buy in,” Mizrachi was pleased to report Sunday night. “22 players left, @TheGrinder44 is chip leader with 1.5m and @PokerRob24 with 1m!” Other players reporting their success in the $50K included John Juanda (“End of Day 3. I’ve got $788K and we are 5 players away from the money.”), Erik Seidel (“End of day 3. 374k. 21 left”), and Andy Bloch (“Ended day with 418k, about half average. We restart the 50k tomorrow at 3pm with 21 players remaining.”).

One of the best exchanges over Twitter during the $50,000 Player’s Championship developed between Daniel Negreanu and Lex “RaSZi” Veldhuis. “Earlier @texdolly tasted a piece of my Seitan,” Negreanu Tweeted after Doyle Brunson tried some of Negreanu’s Vegan meal prepared by his personal assistant. “You know it’s gotta be alright when a BBQ eatin’ Texan says he likes it.” This led Veldhuis to admonish, “@realkidpoker stop trying to convert people!” Negreanu replied, “@RaSZi ya cause Doyle is totally going Vegan now, right.”

Of particular interest in the $1000 No Limit Hold’em tournament was a battle between Gavin Griffin and Terrence Chan. “Out, my AA v @tchanpoker QQ, Q on river,” Tweeted Griffin after the particularly bad beat, which led Chan to respond, “First time in my life I’ve been genuinely unhappy to win an all-in in a big tourney.” Chan then chirped, “The seat of the departed @nhgg has been replaced by one Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture,” recognizing the arrival of one of the best MMA fighters in the world. The former UFC champion didn’t last long at the tables as, two hours later, Chan reported his demise: “Randy is out. Got it in drawing dead on the turn, J7 against AT on KJQx.”

Not surprisingly, many poker players are having sleep issues as the WSOP gets up and running. “So bummed. bad time for insomnia,” Phil Laak Tweeted early Monday morning. “I hear the birds chirping. need to sleep. had it all timed. oh no! 4 hrs now past bedtime. need to sleep!” Victory Poker’s Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little was another player battling sleep issues when he Tweeted, “Ugh. I am up way too early. Good thing I have business to attend to. Going to work out after that. Wsop day 2 of $1000 event later.” Devin “TranquilChaos” Porter was having trouble getting his WSOP clock worked out also: “Up since 6 am Vegas time… Safe to say I’m not on the right sleep schedule for WSOP yet.”

Jeff Madsen asked a particularly interesting question though the Twitterscape about the banners of previous WSOP Main Event champions that hang throughout the Rio. “So I want to get to the bottom of this, why is Bill Smith the 1985 world champion the only one without a banner around Amazon room?,” Madsen inquired about one of the most obscure World Champions the WSOP has crowned. Noted poker reporter B.J. Nemeth solved the mystery for Madsen when he Tweeted, “@JeffMadsenobv Nobody has any photos of Bill Smith to use for the banner. Binion’s won’t let Harrah’s use the pic from the Wall of Fame.”

Absent from the start of the WSOP was Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, who apparently was taking some time to spend with family before she comes to Las Vegas. “Visiting aunt and cousin. Goin home in a bit. Just gonna watch tv tonight and go to bed early,” Obrestad stated yesterday on Twitter. Obrestad did Tweet that her arrival was forthcoming: “Shooting for the documentary all day today, then Vegas tomorrow weee!”

Another player noted by their absence was David Williams. The former Bodog sponsored pro and current World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship titleholder let his followers know that he is deep in preparation for the WSOP: “Been gone a while. Resting up for the WSOP in Puerto Rico playing Magic. Finally home tomorrow. First event Tues. 5k NL shootout.” Williams also alluded to some big news over the next couple of days when he chirped, “Will be tweeting again and have should have some HUGE news to announce in the next day or so. Life is great!”

On the humorous side of poker players on Twitter, Annie Duke asked a philosophical question: “Here’s a weird but semi serious ? If an alien culture found a VHS tape, would they be able to reverse engineer a way to play it? CDs too?” Michele Lewis was preoccupied with her workout when she Tweeted, “Clearly my medication has worn off.. I watched the Braves for ten minutes before realizing it was the Twins. On stairmaster-doesn’t count.” Finally, UB.com pro Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire asked a pertinent question to users of iTunes: “Why in the hell would anybody pre-order an album on iTunes? I mean Dierks Bentley is dreamy and all, but they’re not gonna run out.”