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Full Tilt Charity Event

Full Tilt Charity Event

Full Tilt Poker Hosts PokerGives.org Charity Tournament

On April 4th, Full Tilt Poker and PokerGives.org will team up for a $5+$5 charity tournament. Half of each player’s buy-in will build the tournament’s prize pool, while the other half will be donated to charity through PokerGives.org.

World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton, Jan Fisher, Lisa Tenner, and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson founded PokerGives.org, which is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. PokerGives.org is the charity of choice for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and offers an avenue for the poker community to give back. Beneficiary organizations include the Special Olympics, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Step by Step Foundation.

Poker players interested in entering the $5+$5 buy-in tournament should log into Full Tilt Poker, click over to the “Tournament” lobby, and then select “Private.” The event is listed in red and takes place on April 4th, about three weeks from now, and has the Tournament ID 137275439. The event’s password is “PokerNations,” which is sponsoring the charity contest along with the Twitter Poker Tour. Full Tilt Poker happily accepts action from the United States.

Johnson was already looking forward to bringing PokerGives.org to the virtual felts of Full Tilt, telling Poker News Daily, “You will be able to play and chat with many celebrities including Andy Bloch, T.J. Cloutier, Jena Delk, Jan Fisher, Susie Isaacs, Eric ‘Rizen’ Lynch, and me. To reward you for your donation, participants will have a shot at winning lots of bonus prizes, which currently have a value of more than $3,900.” The event kicks off at 2:00pm ET and promises to attract quite a crowd.

There are many prizes up for grabs, including poker sunglasses from Blue Shark Optics, a home game set from DB Dealer, a one-year subscription to Bluff Magazine, six months of poker coaching from Deuces Cracked, poker books, card protectors, a $200 gift certificate to Andrew Shirley and Company, and private coaching sessions with Johnson, Delk, PokerXFactor’s Chris “Fox” Wallace, and Michael "tuna_fish_tank" Stroh.

If that weren’t enough reason to play, entrants can also receive a one-month CardRunners Gold Subscription, Texas Hold’em strategy cards, a one-year membership to the Down to the Felt Club, a one-year subscription to Australia Poker Weekly, and a PMS PokerWear prize pack.

In order to be eligible for the barrage of bonus prizes, players should visit the PokerNations forums and post their Full Tilt user name in the tournament’s associated thread. Every player who participates will receive a one-month membership to the Down to the Felt Club, which has a retail value of $25.

This isn’t Full Tilt Poker’s first venture into the world of charity. In February, the industry’s second largest online poker site sponsored the Kandy Masquerade Charity Event at the Playboy Mansion. The gala had a price tag of $1,000 and its proceeds benefited the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The site also sent over $650,000 to the American Red Cross to benefit the victims of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti after matching $330,000 in player donations. In total, the online poker industry shipped more than $1.5 million to earthquake survivors.

In December, Full Tilt hosted the Justin Shronk Memorial Poker Tournament, which drew a crowd of 359 players to pay homage to the late poker media personality. In addition, during August’s running of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS), a $120 Ante Up for Africa charity event was run. Actor Don Cheadle, who co-founded the organization along with UB.com’s Annie Duke and Norman Epstein, hosted the online poker tournament.

Visit PokerGives.org today to see how you can donate.

Poker Predictions for 2010 by Mike Sexton

2009 was an amazing poker year.  The first thing that jumps out at me is the continuing trend of young guys doing so well in live events.  The two biggest events of the year were won by 21 year-olds.  Yevgeniy Timoshenko captured the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship and Joe Cada won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.  They were the youngest players to ever win those events.  By now, you must recognize that internet poker has developed a tremendous crux of terrific poker players and they continue to prove themselves in the biggest live events in the world.

I carried the torch for the old guys in 2009, the highlight being my induction into the Poker Hall of Fame on November 7th.  The Poker Hall of Fame is the one area in poker that old guys have a big edge.

I am happy to point out that two well-known, experienced, high-stakes players had the best WSOP in 2009.  Three bracelets and the best all-around player award went to Jeff Lisandro and poker superstar Phil Ivey won two bracelets and made the final table of the Main Event.  You have to salute both those guys.

A real buzz was created in 2009 by the nosebleed high-stakes games online.  It's difficult to follow the swings these guys take, which amounted to millions of dollars per week.   These guys have moxy (a polite way of saying “balls”) that is hard to believe.

It's always exciting to think about what's ahead for the poker world.  Here are some things I believe will happen in 2010:

1. The young guys will continue to dominate the big events in poker.  I say that because the big events take at least four or five days to play and I believe the younger guys can handle those long, tough, consecutive sessions better than the older guys.  Generally speaking, when stamina plays a role in something, young guys fare better.

2. The direction of online poker will finally come out of the "gray area."  I believe that legislation will finally come forth in some fashion, so we'll know whether or not online poker will become regulated.  If it's not on the federal level, I believe you'll see individual states, starting with California, attempt to legislate and regulate online poker.

3. More countries around the world will individually regulate online poker like Italy and France are doing.  For those who may not know, those countries are legalizing online poker, but you can only play against players from your own country.  This is the model I believe that individual U.S. states will follow.

4. The WPT will expand its brand worldwide with more live tournaments in more countries around the world.  Party Gaming purchased the WPT, which bodes well for poker players around the world.  Players can qualify online for these events at PartyPoker.com and, hopefully, other sites as well.

5. The enforcement of Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) will come to an end.

6. Here's a good thing:  Far more money will be raised through poker charity events than has been in the past.  PokerGives.org is designating September "Poker Charity Month," where numerous live casinos as well as online sites will hold charity events for PokerGives.org.  In my mind, benefiting worthwhile charities is a big plus for the entire poker industry and players, management, and casinos should all do more to support charity events.

7. Two players will win two bracelets at the 2010 WSOP and no one will win three.  I don't know who they will be, but I know who I'd bet on to do it.

8. I'm afraid that the trend will continue for women on the WPT.  They won't win a $10,000 buy-in or higher event in 2010.  There just aren't enough aggressive women in poker to favor them winning a WPT event.  Incidentally, I hope I'm wrong about this prediction.  Go ladies!

9. Two people will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010.  The top candidates are Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and Tom McEvoy.  Who do you like?

10. Championship poker events will continue to thrive and television will continue to play a major role in bringing more players into the poker world.

Best of luck to everyone in 2010!

Online Satellite Winner Takes WPT Invitational Title

LeRon "Dream187" Washington, a 34-year-old West Virginia boxer and part-time poker player walked away with $75,000 in cash and a seat in the $25,000 WPT World Championship coming up this April.

"It's a dream come true," he said. "I've been waiting for this day a long time."

Washington beat 1,683 players in a tournament on ClubWPT Jan. 3 to secure the last seat available in the invite-only Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles

On February 20, he joined Hollywood A-listers including Teri Hatcher, Jenny McCarthy, Hank Azaria, Jerry Ferrara, and poker pros like Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Antonio Esfandiari, Mike Matusow and Phil Laak on the first day of the Invitational.

After two days of tournament play, Washington was one of six finalists who outlasted a record-setting field of 567 players to secure his place at the televised final table. He returned to Commerce March 3 to book the win.

"I've been trying to get out there to show what I can do, but you have to earn it," he said. "ClubWPT gave me the opportunity to make it happen, and here I am. The $20 a month subscription is definitely the best investment I've ever made."

Washington was joined at the final table by Commerce Casino qualifier Steve Elliott, poker pro Thor Hansen, fellow amateur player Neev Baram, Reality TV star Trishelle Cannatella and Bellagio satellite winner Sean Urban.

"One of the great highlights of the WPT Invitational for Commerce Casino is the opportunity to reward people who love poker, but may not be full time established professionals, whether they are Hollywood stars or people who earned their way through Commerce satellites or partners like ClubWPT.com," said John Griffo, Commerce Casino Director of Poker Operations.

"We applaud LeRon for the 'fight' he showed in getting through the field of more than 500 and becoming our new WPT Invitational champion."

This year's event was also an opportunity to raise money for charity and the Invitational pulled in $109,700 for Chrysalis, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities.

World Poker Tour LA Poker Classic: LeRon Washington Wins Celebrity Invitational

The Nightly Turbo: NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship Betting Odds, a Charity Poker Tournament, and More

Stars Align for Paralyzed Vets Charity Poker Event

World Series of Poker bracelet winner Mike Sexton and First Lady of Poker Linda Johnson are helping host a charity tournament for the Paralyzed Veterans of America organization Wednesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt in the U.S. Capital.

The aim of the event is to raise awareness and funds for Paralyzed Veterans and its mission to help those who have served in the U.S. armed forces, although a $10,000 seat in the 2010 WSOP Main Event is also on the line.

Tournament chairs include poker players Andy Bloch, Lee Childs, Kenna "Cowboy" James and film star Ben Affleck with a host of other pros, politicians and stars expected to attend.

The Poker Players Alliance is sponsoring the event, along with Walmart, Reynolds America, Orchestrate Technology, Merkle, Data Management Inc. and Midwest Direct Mailers.

All proceeds from the tournament and a silent auction at the event will benefit Paralyzed Veterans of America, founded 63 years ago by a band of spinal cord injured service members returning home from World War II.

For more on the organization click through to it's website.

PaddyPowerPoker.com to sponsor poker fundraiser for Irish homeless charity

NBA Star Tony Parker Signs with BetClic

"A great adventure begins," said Parker. "BetClic is a leading company with big ambitions and I am very happy to contribute to its development in the sport during the coming years."

Three-time NBA champion Parker was born in Bruges, Belgium to an American father and a Dutch mother but raised in France. He began his professional basketball career in Paris and played with the French national team before joining the San Antonio Spurs in 2001.

The 27-year-old point guard won the NBA Finals MVP award in 2007 and married Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria in the same year.

Parker and Longoria have taken part in several high-profile poker charity poker nights over the past few years and Parker has proven to be an avid player, so the leap to BetClic is a natural one.

Created in 2005 by Nicolas Beraud, BetClic has risen to prominence in the European online gaming market over the past five years.

After signing former Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier in 2009, the company has made a push into the ever-growing European poker market by purchasing both the Expekt and Everest Poker brands.

Now, the company is hoping that having a high-profile star like Parker in an ambassador role will help it grow even further, particularly in France, where new legislation is expected to open up the French poker market.

"We are delighted to welcome Tony Parker in the team BetClic,"said Beraud. "He is a great ambassador for the brand. Tony represents the strong values of excellence and ethics in sports that we share. This new partnership reflects our commitment to continue our development in the sport by adding great champions to our team."

-With files from Fred G.

Full Tilt Poker Sponsors Kandy Masquerade Charity Event at the Playboy Mansion

FullTiltPoker.net will be one of the sponsors of the Kandy Masquerade, a sexy costume ball whose proceeds will benefit the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA). This will be the second annual production of the Kandy Masquerade, which will be held at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, February 27th at 8:00pm. The gala is presented by the Karma Foundation.

The timing will work perfectly for poker players at the World Poker Tour's (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic, whose six-day $10,000 Main Event begins on Friday. In an effort to allow any competitor who wishes to attend, L.A. Poker Classic tournament director Matt Savage has scheduled an 8:00pm break in the tournament that day, the second day of the event.

Entrance to an extravagant charity ball is, of course, not free. Kandy Masquerade tickets cost $1,000 apiece in advance. Organizers make no promises of ticket availability on the day of the event and have warned of a "very premium price." For the four-figure sum, attendees will receive admission into the Masquerade, free parking at the Roosevelt Hotel, along with a shuttle to the party, heavy hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, dinner, dessert, and entertainment. Celebrity DJ Paul Oakenfold and DJ Mister E will be on-hand to keep the festivities hopping.

All party goers are required to wear masks. Women are asked to wear "sexy, masquerade themed clothing," while men must wear all black. Anyone who has seen pictures or video of a Playboy Mansion party should have an idea of what to expect. It's not for children. Personal cameras are allowed for those who wish to share the sights with their friends.

The Karma Foundation is a social networking membership-only club best known for throwing extravagant, outrageous themed events like the Kandy Masquerade. Past events include the Kandyland and Kandy Halloween parties, both held at the Playboy Mansion, as well as the Kandy Kruise and Kandy Vegas, which was held at the Palms Casino Resort last year. Proceeds from the events go to charity. The Karma Foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for such organizations as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, March of Dimes, Children's Hospital of Orange County, and AIDS Walk Los Angeles. Membership dues for the Karma Foundation are $5,000 annually.

The NSPCA is a non-profit, no-kill animal sanctuary in Las Vegas. It is no stranger to the generosity of poker players. Full Tilt Poker pro Jennifer Harman has hosted three charity poker tournaments, two of which benefited the NSPCA to the tune of $450,000.

Poker In Twitter: The Tiger Woods Apology and WPT Invitational

With plenty of action on the felt and away from the tables, the crème of the poker world’s Twitter accounts were buzzing about their activities. Poker News Daily has gleaned the best of these Tweets to let you know what is going on in many poker players’ lives.

On Friday, the poker community was gripped – much like the rest of the world – by the live statement from professional golfer Tiger Woods. After an auto accident on Thanksgiving, Woods disappeared for three months with no comments on the allegations of marital infidelity and any details on what happened on that night. Friday brought Woods’ 13 minute speech in which he earnestly apologized to many in the golf and business worlds; his act of contrition brought out comments from the poker community as to his sincerity.

Former FBI agent Joe Navarro, who has made tremendous inroads in the world of poker tells through his book with Phil Hellmuth called “Read ‘Em And Reap,” used his analytical skills in reading Woods’ body language during the speech. Navarro noted in his Tweet, “In re woods, yes he looked honest, contrite, pained, genuinely sorry. He just took too long. Should have done this weeks ago, bad advisers.” Poker pro Alex Outhred had a warning for those who backed away from Woods during this time, Tweeting, “In the golf world, there are those that had Tigers back through his ordeal, and those that didn't. The latter are gonna get their comeuppins.” Poker2Nite’s Scott Huff brought a different look at the Woods apology when he Tweeted, “It would really be something if Tiger just came out and said, “f*** y’all.”

After the Woods press conference, attention of many poker players in the Twitterverse turned to what they do best – play poker. The L.A. Poker Classic opened the doors for the World Poker Tour (WPT) Celebrity Invitational and drew in 567 players, vastly outpacing last year’s 433 runners. The invitational drew in many participants from the music, movie, and television arenas and it seemed that the professional poker players in attendance were star struck by who they were playing against.

Prior to the start of the festivities on Saturday, Full Tilt Poker’s Mike Matusow indicated that he was ready for action when he Tweeted, “About to relax for a bit before I bust all these celebrity idiots in the invitational tonight.” Fellow Full Tilt pro Andy Bloch noted that he had a familiar adversary at the tables in his Tweet, saying “Playing WPT Inv with naked guy from Borat (actor Ken Davitian) who busted me at charity event at Hard Rock a few months ago.” Perhaps noted poker player/tournament director Linda Johnson was joking when she pointed out in her Tweet that she “(had) Shannon Elizabeth seated next to me. I'm probably the only one in the room who didn't know who she was.:)”

Poker pro Yuval Bronshtein Tweeted, “Just jumped in the celeb tourney. Jenny McCarthy and Toto Leonidas at my table. Pretty fun last few days for me!” Matthew Glantz had two celebrities who he recognized by their characters on television, although he did not know their real names. Glantz opened his Tweet saying, “Dr Hunt from Grey's Anatomy (actor Kevin McKidd) and Carlton Banks from Bel Air (actor Antonio Ribero) at the table now.”

As the play in the WPT Celebrity Invitational moved into action on Sunday, many of the top pros Tweeted about their departure from the event. Joe Reitman reported his demise by Tweeting, “Just got knocked out....clearly Teri Hatcher is a better player than me.” Perhaps poking some fun at his opponent’s television appearance, Jeff Madsen related through the Twitterscape, “Well, that was fast. All my chips belong to Tiffany Michelle now. She won an amazing race. Haha.” Michelle would drop out during play on Sunday also, Tweeting, “Out in 60th-ish of 500+ players. Ricki Lake called my all in with A7 & busted my AK. Nice. I deserve that when playing a CELEB tourney!” The final table of the WPT Celebrity Invitational will play out on March 3rd, with celebrity Trishelle Cannatella and Scandinavian poker legend Thor Hansen chasing chip leader Steve Elliott.

The top Tweets over the weekend were by female players this week. In a rarity from her, top poker player Kathy Liebert pointed out some of the idiosyncrasies in the online poker world when she Tweeted, “Who wouldn't want a playboy model endorsing their site? Why are women chosen on sex appeal and men chosen on ability?” As she prepared to leave Las Vegas after her work on the PartyPoker Premier League IV was completed, Kara Scott happily tweeted, “After almost 2 weeks in killer heels/makeup for work, I'm off to the airport with hair scraped back and wearing my fuzzy slippers.”

The poker world continues to provide detailed reports of its activities through its Twitter posts. Poker News Daily not only continues to bring you the best of those thoughts, but is also involved in the Twitterverse. Be sure to add @pokernewsdaily for the latest on the world of poker in Twitter.

Celebrities Flock to Weekend Charity Poker Events

First, names like Christian Slater, Jason Alexander, Slash and T-Pain rocked the Pokerstars.Net NAPT Venetian Charity Tournament in Las Vegas on Friday, raising more than $42,000 for Southern Nevada's Three Square food bank.

Then, the WPT's Celebrity Invitational drew a list of stars a half-mile long Saturday, bringing a host of railbirds and paparazzi to the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.

This time around the charity was Chrysalis, a non-profit organization helping homeless and economically disadvantaged people get jobs. While the final numbers aren't in yet, every $200 rebuy and add-on from a record 567-player field full of poker dignitaries and household names will head in its direction.

Emmy nominated actress Teri Hatcher, Entourage star Jerry Ferrar and Sam Levine from Quentin Tarantino's Academy Award nominated film Inglourious Basterds were just a few of the famous faces seen in L.A.

Donnie Wahlberg and Marlon Wayans also dropped by - two of a few who played in both events back-to-back.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Alfonso Ribeiro said he really doesn't play poker but figured he'd give it a shot at Commerce for a good cause.

"A couple of buddies of mine were like, let's go play and have a good time and I said, 'let's do it, why not?'" he said. "They helped me sort of brush up to get ready. I'm a quick study, so we'll see what happens."

Emmy-winning actress Camryn Manheim is a veteran of these events and the game itself.

She plays in a number of Hollywood home games, including one that's all-female with Hatcher, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi and Ricki Lake among others.

"People go home with four or five thousand bucks," she said. "It's not too serious, but it's not bad and some of the tournaments we've had, people have gone home with twenty grand."

Manheim even played host to her own charity tournament at Commerce this past October raising thousands for traumatized children in the Los Angeles area.

"I love poker," she said. "I love to play poker, I play in a couple of home games and as many of these events as I can. I'm a mom first though and I have a full time job, so I'm not like a freak."

Wayne's World babe Tia Carrere is a bit of a regular at the Celebrity Invitational as well, but she's no expert rounder.

"It's the only time I play," she admitted. "I used to do these small home games in between with other actors, but not really anymore."

In truth, it was the charity that drew Carrere.

"Chrysalis is a great organization because they teach people how to take care of themselves," she said. "People who were previously homeless or drug addicted. They teach them a skill so that they can be employable."

"This is what we need to do. Help people get back on their feet again instead of doling out welfare. That doesn't help anybody. You know? Teach a man to fish."

The WPT Celebrity Invitational will continue Sunday until just six players remain then return Mar. 3 for the televised final table with a $100,000 first-place prize on the line.

Stratosphere Hosting Dale Earnhardt Charity Tournament

Kerry Earnhardt, eldest son of NASCAR racing legend and seven time champion Dale Earnhardt, will host the tournament while Nationwide driver and TV personality Kenny Wallace will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

Already confirmed to attend are former Dale Earnhardt race team crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine and NASCAR drivers Casey Mears, Matt Crafton, Regan Smith, Aric Almirola, Eric McClure, Todd Bodine, Mike Bliss, Scott Lagasse Jr, Andy Ponstein, and Danny Efland.

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation's mission is to continue Earnhardt's legacy through charitable programs and grants that sustain his lifelong commitment to children, education and environmental/wildlife preservation.

NASCAR and poker fans can support the foundation by dropping the $150 buy-in for the event giving them a chance to play with and meet their favorite drivers, collect autographs, and win cash or valuable driver merchandise.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $2,500 in cash, Dale Earnhardt souvenir merchandise and a one year VIP account with the online racing game iRacing.com.

Advance tickets are available to watch the tournament and get driver autographs for a $20 donation to the foundation. Additional tickets will be available for a $30 donation at the door, but space limited to the first 500 people.

"Dale would be honored to know that so many drivers and fans have come forward to participate in this exciting fundraising event that will serve to benefit his designated charitable programs," said Teresa Earnhardt.

For reservations or more information about the tournament, contact the Stratosphere at 702-380-7777 or through the hotel's website.

For more on the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, please visit the organization's website.

L.A. Poker Classic Experience by Linda Johnson

I just got back from a week at the Commerce Casino playing in the L.A. Poker Classic (LAPC) and its live games. It was the best poker trip I’ve had in a long time. The tournament schedule was awesome! There were a few tournaments to choose from each day and they weren’t all No Limit. Split Pot junkies like me were able to play Omaha, Stud/8, and even HORSE. By the way, I think it was genius of Matt Savage to order numbered buttons to make it easier to keep track of how many hands had been played in the Mixed Game tournaments.

Matt and his tournament staff did an amazing job of handling the big fields. I got a chuckle out of hearing him announce midway through one event, “Raising your thumb in the air does not signify a raise.” Despite having more than 1,000 players in some events, they still started either on time or very, very close to it. Satellites were running constantly, which helped increase the fields and allowed many players to have a shot at big money for a small buy-in.

The slow-rising structures allowed for a lot of play. Despite this, I found myself almost never winning a hand and busting out early in four out of five events. As it turned out, my early tournament departures were a good thing since I was able to capitalize on the juicy live games downstairs. Los Angeles is poker heaven in my opinion. The game selection is incredible. During the week I was at Commerce, I played mostly $40-$80 Omaha/8, $40-$80 Hold’em, $25 to $100 a point Chinese Poker, $75-$150 Omaha/8, and $100-$200 Omaha/8. Caution: These games are not for the weak at heart. Most pots are raised three or four times pre-flop, with multiple players going along to the river. You have to be prepared for some very big swings, but you will love the action.

Staying at the Crowne Plaza and commuting via elevator to the poker room was awesome. The dealers were very good and the floor people excelled at their jobs. The food was incredible and was free in the high-limit section.

The only thing I didn’t like about my poker trip was the behavior of some of the players. Although the instances of abuse are less frequent than they were years ago due to an outstanding effort by management to improve playing conditions, some players still think it’s acceptable to throw cards, use profanity, and yell at the dealers. Some like to blame the dealers for their losses instead of acknowledging that perhaps 7-5 offsuit isn’t really a good enough hand to put in four bets pre-flop.

The dealers don’t usually stick up for themselves, which made the following incident very funny. A middle-aged woman was dealing and made a mistake that wasn’t her fault; a player wanted to buy the button, but didn’t announce it or put his chips in, so she dealt around him. He went ballistic and started screaming at her and calling her names. She said, “I’m sorry.” He continued scolding her for several hands until she finally yelled back at him, “I said I’m sorry. I’m tired! I’ve been dealing 10 hours. Don’t talk to me!” With a stunned look on his face, he shut up temporarily.

In another incident, I was sitting in the nine seat and a player who had been extremely out of line threw his cards at the dealer for the third time in three hands while muttering something about her heritage. One of the cards went on the floor. The dealer didn’t see the card go off the table, so she put the deck in the shuffling machine. The red light came on to signify a malfunction and she tried to straighten the same deck and put it back in the machine again. Obviously, the light came on again, at which point I said, “It’s never going to work because there are only 51 cards in the deck.”

She looked down and saw the card on the floor and started to pick it up. I put my foot on the card and said, “Don’t touch that card. That gentleman, and I use the term loosely, threw it off the table and he should come pick it up.” He just sat there, so I asked the dealer to call the floor man. When he got there, the player tried to say it was an accident. The other players at the table spoke up and let the floor man know that this was no accident; in fact, it was common behavior for him to throw the cards and threaten the dealers. Congratulations to the supervisor for telling the player that this would not be tolerated and that the player would have to change his behavior if he wanted to continue playing.

I heard a few funny comments while playing live poker like “I love Chinese Poker. It’s like crack… very addicting!” After raising and then folding to a re-raise, a player said, “Hey, that’s like inviting me for a drink and then throwing away the booze!”

I can’t wait to get back to Los Angeles to play some poker. On February 19th at 7:00pm, I’m playing in a charity event at the Bicycle Casino to benefit families of firemen and policemen killed in the line of duty. Please come support this worthwhile cause. The buy-in is $130 and dinner is included starting at 5:00pm. If you are on the East Coast, please join me for a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. on March 3rd to benefit Paralyzed Veterans of America. Email me at Linda@cardplayercruises.com if you want more info on either of these events.

Poker News in Brief: Feb. 8-14, 2010

However, there were several stories that almost fell through the cracks here at PokerListings.com and as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature, we’ve compiled a list of them below.

This week we’ll look at a former world champion returning to Full Tilt, the PokerStars Macau Poker Cup and more.

Mortensen Returns to Full Tilt

The enigmatic Carlos Mortensen has apparently returned to Full Tilt Poker as a red pro.

Mortensen, who is the only player in history win both the WSOP Main Event and the WPT World Championship, disappeared from the Full Tilt roster after the 2008 WSOP.

Although Full Tilt has yet to officially confirm that Mortensen has returned, he is once again listed as a red pro on the company’s website.

Despite his impressive tournament results, which include more than $8.8 million in lifetime earnings, Mortensen has stayed out of the limelight and limits the number of live tournaments he plays every year.

Record Prizepool at PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide

PokerStars kicked off the second season of the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour with a tournament in Adelaide this week that drew a record number of players.

A total of 236 players bought into the event to create a prize pool of AUD$644,280, which beat last year’s tournament by AUD$57,330.

The final table of ANZPT Adelaide is scheduled to take place later today. The next event on the ANZPT schedule will take place in Perth on March 17-21.

World Poker Tour to Reach Landmark Episode

The World Poker Tour's eighth season will climax with the 178th episode of the show, putting it ahead of long-running U.S. TV stalwarts like L.A. Law (171 episodes), The Flintstones (166 episodes) and Magnum P.I. (162 episodes).

“WPT’s production team is no stranger to making history - their show propelled the game into the thriving global industry it is today,” said George Greenberg, executive vice president of programming and production Fox Sports.

“The WPT production team broke new ground in translating the game of poker to audiences worldwide through innovative formats and high-quality production.”

After the conclusion of the eighth season the WPT will be right behind classics like Seinfeld, which ran for 179 episodes and I Love Lucy, which went 179.

Songwriter Offers Half WSOP Winnings

Jason Mershon, a professional poker pro and songwriter, has come up with an unusual plan to promote his new song “Playin’ Poker for a Livin’.”

If Mershon makes the final table of the 2010 WSOP Main Event, he has agreed to give 50% of his winnings to the first 15,000 fans that purchase the song from his website.

“It’s just my way of saying ‘thank you’ to those fans who really like my new song,” said Mershon.

Mershon plans on updating his progress at the 2010 WSOP via Twitter so fans can sweat their horse.

Macau Poker Cup Coming in March

PokerStars released the schedule for an upcoming Macau Poker Cup this week.

The tournament series will run March 3-7 with six events including the $1 million Hong Kong dollar guaranteed Red Dragon event.

The series will also include a HKD$3,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event, a Knockout Bounty event, a charity event and a Rebuy tournament.

All the events take place in the PokerStars Macau poker room in the Lisboa Hotel and Casino.

PokerStars-sponsored player Kitty Kuo outlasted 246 players to win HKD$557,230 in the last Macau Poker Cup event, which took place in October.

All results in Macau Poker Cup events count towards the Asia Player of the Year and this year PokerStars will award a one-year sponsorship deal to the APOY winner.

Victory Poker Officials Recap First Two Weeks

On February 6th, the crew from Victory Poker celebrated the launch of the new Everleaf/UPN network site at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Now, one week after the festivities and two weeks after its debut, Victory Poker appears to be chugging along.

The diverse team of pros at Victory Poker includes Andrew “good2cu” Robl, who finished third in a $5,000 Limit/No Limit Hold’em event during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $144,000, outlasting everyone except for poker superstars Erick Lindgren and Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo in the 332-player field. Robl told Poker News Daily how Victory Poker has been faring in its first few days in operation: “The launch went really well and there was a lot of buzz and hype in the poker community. Overall, people’s reactions have been positive and the website has been getting a lot of traffic.”

Officials from the USA-facing room told Poker News Daily that Victory Poker’s website has been seeing 1,500 visitors per day. According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Everleaf/UPN family of sites has seen its traffic grow steadily since the end of January. On February 1st, a peak of 623 real money ring game players took to the network’s felts. Now, that number sits at 698 and is growing steadily. Robl added that the traffic figures were “better than we expected.”

Winning a date with Sara Underwood is one of the promotional opportunities on the horizon for Victory Poker users. Underwood, the 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year, is a sponsored pro of Victory Poker and finished fourth in a charity poker tournament held during the site’s kickoff party in Sin City. Other promotions that allow customers to interact with Victory Poker pros in a live setting will follow.

Some in the industry questioned why Victory Poker would join the relatively small Everleaf/UPN network rather than a larger USA-facing entity like the Cake Poker Network. Robl explained, “A lot of sites have become so big and so corporate that there’s no real feeling of a community. Our pros will be playing on the site and even playing small stakes. You can come on Victory Poker and play $0.50/$1 with Antonio Esfandiari. That’s pretty cool.”

Other Victory Poker pros include former DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Alec “traheho” Torelli, former Full Tilt Poker pros Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt, Chinese Poker guru Danny Wong, “Flying Bilzerian Brother” Dan Bilzerian, and online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast. Despite the strong group, Robl commented that the site will expand its roster of pros: “We definitely want to get more pros involved – maybe some foreign players – but we’re going to be very selective. We only want elite players. We don’t want to be like PokerStars or Full Tilt and have 200 pros.”

Despite being in business for less than half a month, Victory Poker has already had a considerable amount of exposure in the live arena. Wasicka recently took down the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Championship in Tunica, earning $139,000. He defeated Larry Gurner heads-up in a final table that also included Lock Poker’s Matt “All In At 420” Stout, Carter “BdyBldngpkrplyr” Phillips, and Dwyte Pilgrim. Wasicka earned his first gold ring as a result, but gained fame in the poker world for finishing as the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event for $6.1 million. Wasicka donned a Victory Poker patch in Tunica, giving the nascent room some much-needed face time.

Robl is passionate about Victory Poker succeeding. He explained that the team at Victory Poker is dedicated to seeing the site flourish: “We all want Victory Poker to do really well. We really believe in our vision for the company and we’re all going to work very hard to bring Victory Poker into the top five or 10 poker sites.”

Other Everleaf/UPN network sites include flagship room Everleaf Poker, Minted Poker, and Poker4Ever.

Trishelle Cannatella Wins Trash Talk Championships

The name Trash Talk Championship may lead you to believe that poker at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was down and dirt Saturday afternoon, but in reality it was all smiles, fun, and money for a good cause as celebrities and poker pros alike took part in the charity poker event. The $1,000 + $70 event drew more than 60 participants and helped to raise money for the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The tournament’s field included a host of celebrities like “Curb our Enthusiasm’s” Cheryl Hines, artist Michael Godard, "The Simpsons" voice Nancy Cartwright, Shaun Sipos of “Melrose Place”, Nicholas Gonzalez, director Joe Reitman, and Dennis Haskins, better known to most as Mr. Belding on “Saved By the Bell.”

Big poker names turned up as well, including Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Kathy Liebert, and the stable of Victory Poker sponsored pros. The latter group includes Antonio Esfandiari, Andrew “good2cu” Robl, Alec “traheho” Torelli, Lee Markholt, Paul Wasicka, Brian "tsarrast" Rast, and Dan “Blitz” Bilzerian, just to name a few. Victory served as one of the sponsors for the event, which included a red carpet walk, silent auction, cash games, and an after-party officially launching the site.

Half of the prize pool was set aside for Osbourne’s foundation and, although Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne were not in attendance, they sent a message to the field expressing their gratitude that people were spending time and money supporting the cause. All told, more than $11,000 was raised to benefit the foundation.

As the tournament got underway, most of the participants had as much fun as possible, ordering drinks, making prop bets, and filming numerous segments for the forthcoming online television network, Victory.tv. To sweeten the prize pool, bounties ranging from a bottle of Ketel One Vodka to a free pair of shoes were placed on players’ heads.

The theme of the day appeared to be girl power, as a large number of women took part in the event. By the time the final table was set, the field was split between guys and girls, including reality television star and Absolute Poker sponsored pro Trishelle Cannatella, Playboy Playmate of the Year and Victory Poker Team Pro Sara Underwood, and Markholt. Valerie Torelli, mother of Torelli, also made the final table and seemed to be the crowd favorite with nine to go. Railbirds kept cheering on “Mama Torelli,” but she couldn’t overcome her short stack and made an early exit from final table play.

The fun and games continued even after the final table was set as a crowd gathered to take in the action. Some of the pros took to playing “Johnny Lodden Thinks,” but, oddly enough, the game’s co-founder, Esfandiari, was not one of the people taking part. In between Lodden Thinks bets, Markholt was doing his best to get wagers going on who was going to win it all. Despite being the most experienced poker player at the final table, Markholt put his money on the fact that one of the remaining ladies in the field would take the tournament down.

Markholt’s prediction was correct and it was a woman who ended up being the last player standing. Cannatella jumped out to a huge chip lead during four-handed play when her A-K held up against Underwood’s K-J to eliminate Underwood in fourth place. Cannatella inherited Underwood’s sizeable chip stack and began putting the advantage to use by moving in on her remaining two opponents. After eliminating Markholt in third place, it only took 15 minutes before the tournament was over and Cannatella was crowned the champion.

Cannatella almost didn’t make it to the final table, though. Thinking she would just make a brief appearance at the tournament, she booked her flight back to Los Angeles for 8:00pm and found herself facing a tough decision with two tables remaining: stay and play or make her flight. “I was playing really well, but I kind of donked off half my stack because I thought I was going to be leaving,” Cannatella told Poker News Daily. She was able to grind her way back into contention though and it paid off with a high-profile victory for a good cause. In addition to the prize money, Cannatella also received a seat in the upcoming World Poker Tour (WPT) Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce Casino and a 20-pound custom crystal trophy.

GSN to Air High Stakes Poker Marathon Leading Up to Season 6 Premiere

Cable station GSN will air an eight-hour marathon of its hit cash game show “High Stakes Poker” leading up to the premiere of Season 6. The action begins at Noon ET on Sunday, February 14th.

If you don’t have a valentine in 2010, don’t sweat. You can curl up beside the fireplace with your remote control and watch eight hours’ worth of highlights from “High Stakes Poker” Seasons 1 to 5 as part of GSN’s I Love Poker Marathon. The highlights will ramp viewers up for the kickoff episode of Season 6, which will air at 8:00pm ET. If you’re at a pricey Italian restaurant with your valentine and miss the premiere, encore episodes can be seen at 11:00pm ET and 2:00am ET on Sunday nights. The eight episodes leading up to the Season 6 premiere are some of the most memorable in “High Stakes Poker” history.

When Season 6 debuts, viewers will only hear Gabe Kaplan call the action on “High Stakes Poker.” His partner in crime for five seasons, A.J. Benza, will not return for the show’s sixth cycle after a messy divorce from GSN. Instead, seasoned tournament reporter Kara Scott will assume reporting duties from the floor of the “High Stakes Poker” suite. In 2009, Scott became only the second woman in history to cash in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in back-to-back years. She recently moved to California and is a sponsored pro of the popular online poker site PartyPoker.

An impressive lineup will take to the “High Stakes Poker” felts this season. Those who can be seen when the sixth installment of the show unfolds on GSN include Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Andreas Hoivold, Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Dennis Phillips, and Lex Veldhuis.

Neither Hellmuth nor Ivey appeared on the fifth season of “High Stakes Poker;” both will add a considerable level of interest to the show in 2010. Ivey only took to the felts as part of Season 3, while Hellmuth last appeared during Season 4. “High Stakes Poker” was filmed at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas in November for the second consecutive season. Just a few days prior, Ivey finished seventh in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, earning $1.4 million.

“High Stakes Poker” Season 6 has a $200,000 minimum buy-in. Past installments have featured a bevy of heavy hitters including L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Johnny Chan, Sammy Farha, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, Daniel Alaei, and Bodog pro David Williams. Last season featured the largest single pot awarded in “High Stakes Poker” history, with Dwan and Greenstein pushing their money into the center of the table after the flop came 2-4-Q with two spades. Greenstein held pocket aces for an overpair, while Dwan held K-Q of spades for top pair and a flush draw. The turn was another queen and the river blanked out for Greenstein, shipping the $919,000 pot to Dwan.

This time around, Dwan takes to the felts as a card-carrying member of Team Full Tilt. Dwan signed with the world’s second largest online poker site one week before filming began. The first season of “High Stakes Poker” aired in January 2006 and has become an industry staple. Among those who have made waves is Greenstein, who is set to udder the three most feared words in all of poker during Season 6 in the name of charity: “bing, blang blaow.” Previous catch phrases for Greenstein have included “Math is Idiotic” and “LOL donkaments.”

Catch the I Love Poker “High Stakes Poker” marathon beginning at Noon ET on Sunday, February 14th on GSN.

Dennis Rodman May Sign with Only Poker

The Cake Poker Network site Only Poker may sign former five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman. Rumors abound that the announcement of the NBA bad boy joining the site will be made in two weeks.

A source close to the USA-friendly Only Poker told Poker News Daily, “We have just signed a major sports celebrity who has won numerous championships during their career.” Whether the mystery man or woman will turn out to be Rodman remains to be seen, but Only Poker appears to be ramping up its efforts to become one of the online poker industry’s household names. The site makes its home on the Cake Poker Network alongside industry giants like Cake Poker, DoylesRoom, and Poker Host.

Rodman has five NBA championship rings after stints with the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for nearly a decade and has become one of the sports world’s most recognizable faces. He’s also been associated with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he teamed up with industry icon Hulk Hogan to fight former Utah Jazz great Karl Marlone and Diamond Dallas Page in 1998.

Rodman was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991 and was an All-Star in 1990 and 1992. His championships came in 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Last year, he appeared alongside UB.com poker pro Annie Duke in NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” Rodman lasted all of five weeks on the Donald Trump-led reality show and his final episode featured a real-life intervention. The “Celebrity Apprentice” cast grew leery of Rodman’s prolific drinking and confronted him in the boardroom. However, he was ultimately fired. The finale of “Celebrity Apprentice” featured Duke squaring off against comedian Joan Rivers.

Rodman has been tied to high-profile women like Madonna and Carmen Electra and is currently a member of the cast of “Celebrity Rehab 3.” The show features Dr. Drew Pinsky of MTV’s “Loveline” fame. Rodman’s housemates on the VH1 show include Lisa D’Amato, Heidi Fleiss, Joey Kovar, Mindy McCready, Kari Ann Peniche, Mackenzie Phillips, Mike Starr, and Tim Sizemore, whose list of credits includes the iconic war movies “Saving Private Ryan,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “Black Hawk Down.”

The Cake Poker Network will soon see the departure of PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com, which will likely head to the rival Merge Gaming Network around mid-April. The Cake Poker family of sites stands as the ninth largest worldwide in terms of real money ring game traffic, according to PokerScout.com, with a seven-day running average of 2,150 cash game players. During its peak hours, well over 3,000 call the site home. At the time of writing, which is around 11:00am ET on Friday, 1,748 cash game players are logged in. The Cake Poker Network happily accepts players from the United States.

If Rodman does not sign with Only Poker, other sports stars who match the description given by the site include Kenny Smith, Joe Montana, and Jose Conseco. The latter won World Series titles in 1989 and 2000 and has appeared on the roster of seven Major League Baseball franchises. Montana is a four-time Super Bowl champion and may be in attendance this weekend when the New Orleans Saints face the Indianapolis Colts in the 44th running of football’s biggest game. Smith appeared at the 2009 World Series of Poker Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and is a two-time NBA champion.

To find out whether this mysterious sports celebrity is, in fact, Dennis Rodman, visit OnlyPoker.com.

The Nightly Turbo: Jennifer Harman’s Charity, A Poker Room Robbed, and More

Victory Poker Open For Business

February 1st marked the launch of a new online poker site, as Victory Poker opened its virtual doors for business. The site, which is represented by a team of highly-regarded professional players, makes its home on the merged Everleaf/UPN network. The new network has yet to take on an official name.

According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, the newly created network will boast traffic similar to that of Betfair. With several big names attached to Victory Poker, including Antonio Esfandiari, the site is expecting a substantial increase in traffic to the network, which will accept U.S. players. Victory Poker will offer cash game and tournament formats in a variety of games, including Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, and Seven Card Stud.

Victory Poker's website was unveiled early Monday morning. As expected, players in the community were curious about the new site and unloaded questions and concerns about matters such as security, support, rakeback, and glitches. A spokesperson from Victory Poker responded with some updates and answers in a thread on TwoPlusTwo:

1. Your personal email information is safe. We did accept emails to share information about Victory Poker as we move forward.
2. This is a soft launch and it's meant to have a few days to make sure everything is running smoothly and all areas of concern are addressed.
3. Our official launch is Super Bowl Weekend around the Trash Talk Championship of the World Poker Charity Tournament at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.
4. There is a "support" email issue that is being resolved as we speak.
5. Any questions regarding the affiliate program or rakeback can be sent to lupe@victorypoker.net.

One of the immediate topics of discussion on the forums was the site's logo, which features an olive in a martini glass taking the shape of the initials "VP" for Victory Poker. The logo drew harsh criticism from members on the TwoPlusTwo forums, but Team Victory Poker pro Andrew "good2cu" Robl came to the artists' defense. "I can see why some people don't like Victory Poker's logo as it's not for everyone," said Robl, a well-respected high-stakes cash game player. "But it was designed by Michael Godard, the No. 1 selling artist in the world; in general I think his work and logos are highly respected."

Joining Robl as representatives for Victory Poker are Esfandiari, Brian "tsarrast" Rast, Keith Gipson, Paul Wasicka, Dan Bilzerian, Danny Wong, Lee Markholt, Sander Lylloff, and David "The Maven" Chicotsky.

Chicotsky, the 2008 Bluff Magazine Online Player of the Year, talked about the launch of the new site with Poker News Daily: "The team of players and people working behind the scenes on Victory are second to none. I'm just so happy to be associated with such a great team and see great things for the future of the company."

"I plan on playing on Victory a ton," Chicotsky continued. "Just like with tournaments, I plan on working my way to the top in cash games. I've been offered cash game help from the likes of Andrew Robl, Keith Gipson, and Brian Rast… so, needless to say, I'm very excited to be learning new cash game tricks and using them on Victory Poker."

Alec "traheho" Torelli will also be a sponsored pro at Victory Poker after parting ways with DoylesRoom last month. The 22 year-old, who has more than $1 million in tournament earnings, discussed his decision to join Victory in his latest blog: "As a (Victory Poker) pro, we are given not only a great sponsorship deal but an input in marketing, advertising, budget control, signing new players along with personally knowing and trusting everyone involved. Although in its infancy, the site has big plans. With an unparalleled marketing campaign and plans to take Victory on an international level, the site looks promising."

For those interested in creating an account at Victory Poker, the site offers 24-hour live support to answer any questions about the launch. The site also has a sponsored support forum at TwoPlusTwo.com.

PokerStars, Full Tilt Lead the Way as Online Poker Donates Millions to Haiti Relief

Year in and year out, poker players have shown themselves to be among the most generous people around.  Whether it is through live charity tournaments to benefit worthwhile causes, mass donation drives to help the victims of the Katrina disaster, or even something as simple as helping a fellow player in a time of need, poker players are more than willing to share their bankrolls.  The poker community's mettle was on display once again in January after Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which left millions of the country's mostly poor citizens dead, injured, or homeless.

Last week, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) issued a press release stating that the online poker community had donated $1.5 million for earthquake victims.  Now that January has come to a close and the final tally is in, the donations have easily exceeded that figure.

PokerStars alone contributed $1,492,780.52, half donated by players and the other half a matching donation made by the world's largest poker room itself.  PokerStars players were able to donate by transferring money to a special account called "Haiti Fund," registering for special no-play Haiti relief tournaments, or by purchasing donations in the VIP Store.  The entire sum is going to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

PokerStars' closest rival, Full Tilt Poker, also stepped up in a big way for Haiti.  According to its website, the second largest online poker room in the industry received 23,161 donations totaling $329,736.64.  After matching the donations dollar for dollar, Full Tilt is sending $659,473.28 to the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and UNICEF.  Full Tilt's donation channels were essentially the same as those offered by PokerStars: a special "Aid for Haiti" account that accepted player transfers and several no-play tournaments.

While the total donation does not come close to the totals of PokerStars and Full Tilt, Cake Poker was one of the first to announce its plans for helping Haitian victims.  It set up "holding tank" tournaments at five different buy-in levels: $5, $25, $100, $200, and $500.  According to Lee Jones, Cake Poker's Card Room Manager, Cake players donated $16,000 and, after Cake's match, $32,000 will be contributed to relief efforts.

In addition to the preceding three poker rooms – as well as the numerous other online poker rooms that accepted donations from players – Bodog.com founder Calvin Ayre issued a challenge to members of the iGaming industry to open their wallets for Haiti.  In return, he promised that his private foundation, the Calvin Ayre Foundation, will match any documented donation to Oxfam up to $1 million.  To date, the Foundation has matched £155,316 ($247,911) from a variety of industry contributors, including the International Gaming Awards and online gaming watchdog site, Casinomeister.

Even though most of the online poker rooms have closed their donation drives, there is still an overwhelming need for aid in Haiti.  If you wish to donate money, please contact your favorite charitable organization directly to see what you can do.

Jennifer Harman Goes “All-In for a Cure”

Jennifer Harman has pledged to contribute one percent of her poker earnings to The NephCure Foundation, a charitable organization whose goal is to support research to fight two terrible kidney diseases, Nephrotic Syndrome and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).  The pledge is part of the "All-In for a Cure" program started by Poker Players International (PPI), a full service poker agency.  Other poker players who have pledged a portion of their earnings include Jason Young, who will be giving one percent like Harman, and Frank Vizza, who is donating five percent.

Harman is no stranger to kidney disease, having had two kidney transplants.  After her second procedure in 2004, she founded the non-profit organization Creating Organ Donation Awareness.  In a press release distributed by The NephCure Foundation, the Full Tilt Poker pro said, "Kidney disease is extremely difficult.  It is invisible and it affects kids and adults alike. NephCure is trying to find an answer and I'm here to help by joining 'All-in for a Cure.'"

As Harman said, kidney disease can affect anyone, even the most physically fit.  Both Alonzo Mourning, a seven-time NBA All-Star, and Sean Elliott, a two-time All-Star selection, suffered from FSGS.  Both had kidney transplants.  Ed Hearn, a former Major League Baseball player, has had to go through three transplants and still has FSGS, which damages the kidneys' filtering system.  

NephCure has committed $6 million towards research of both Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS, but unfortunately, there is still no cure for either disease.  According to NephCure's website, 84 percent of donations are put towards research, education, and advocacy, while 10 percent are used for further fundraising.  The remainder pays for management and general expenses.

The cause is also personally important for PPI's Marketing and Player Development Leader Eric Siegel, as his son has Nephrotic Syndrome.  "It is great to have someone with the pedigree and reputation of Jennifer joining PPI’s pledge program," he said.  "Having her involved in this program is a tremendous benefit to everyone and I expect it to lead to more players coming on board. She understands the responsibility to give back. By doing so hopefully we can find a cure for this horrible disease that affects thousands of people."

Siegel, himself, is a poker player and has pledged one percent of his earnings to "All-In for a Cure."  His wife, Jennifer Geisser Siegel, serves on the NephCure Board of Directors.

Harman has a history of being one of the most philanthropic poker players around.  She has hosted the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament three years running, raising over $450,000 for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and $111,000 for the National Kidney Foundation. 

On the felt, Jennifer Harman is one of the most respected poker players in the world.  In her live tournament career, she has earned over $2.3 million and is the only female to own two World Series of Poker bracelets.  Harman is widely regarded by her peers as one of the best poker players in the world, adept at any game, and a player to be feared in the highest stakes games in Las Vegas.

Jennifer Harman Goes “All-In for a Cure”

Jennifer Harman has pledged to contribute 1% of her poker earnings to The NephCure Foundation, a charitable organization whose goal is to support research to fight two terrible kidney diseases, Nephrotic Syndrome and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).  The pledge is part of the "All-In for a Cure" program started by Poker Players International (PPI), a full service poker agency.  Other poker players who have pledged a portion of their earnings include Jason Young, who will be giving 1% like Harman, and Frank Vizza, who is donating 5%.

Harman is no stranger to kidney disease, having had two kidney transplants.  After her second procedure in 2004, she founded the non-profit organization Creating Organ Donation Awareness.  In a press release distributed by The NephCure Foundation, the Full Tilt Poker pro said, "Kidney disease is extremely difficult.  It is invisible and it affects kids and adults alike. NephCure is trying to find an answer and I'm here to help by joining 'All-in for a Cure.'"

As Harman said, kidney disease can affect anyone, even the most physically fit.  Both Alonzo Mourning, a seven-time NBA All-Star, and Sean Elliott, a two-time All-Star selection, suffered from FSGS.  Both had kidney transplants.  Ed Hearn, a former Major League Baseball player, has had to go through three transplants and still has FSGS, which damages the kidneys' filtering system.

NephCure has committed $6 million towards research of both Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS, but there is still no cure for either disease.  According to NephCure's website, 84% of donations are put towards research, education, and advocacy, while 10% are used for further fundraising.  The remainder pays for management and general expenses.

The cause is also personally important for PPI's Marketing and Player Development Leader Eric Siegel, as his son has Nephrotic Syndrome.  "It is great to have someone with the pedigree and reputation of Jennifer joining PPI’s pledge program," he said. "Having her involved in this program is a tremendous benefit to everyone and I expect it to lead to more players coming on board. She understands the responsibility to give back. By doing so hopefully we can find a cure for this horrible disease that affects thousands of people."

Siegel is a poker player and has pledged 1% of his earnings to All-In for a Cure.  His wife, Jennifer Geisser Siegel, serves on the NephCure Board of Directors.

Harman has a history of being one of the most philanthropic poker players around.  She has hosted the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament three years running, raising over $450,000 for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and $111,000 for the National Kidney Foundation.

On the felt, Jennifer Harman is one of the most respected poker players in the world.  In her live tournament career, she has earned over $2.3 million and is the only female to own multiple World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets.  Harman is widely regarded by her peers as one of the best poker players in the world, adept at any game, and a player to be feared in the highest stakes games in Las Vegas.

Jennifer Harman donating 1% of winnings to charity

Team Full Tilt member Jennifer Harman has been one of the best poker players for years. According to Card Player, Jennifer Harman is going to donate 1 percent of her winnings to NephCure, an organization that funds the research of life-threatening kidney diseases.

Harman, who has undergone two kidney transplants tells that a kidney disease is extremely difficult. “It is invisible [the disease], and it affects kids and adults alike. NephCure is trying to find an answer, and I’m here to help by joining ‘All-in for a Cure.’”

“All-in for a cure”, a pledge program organized by the player representative group Poker Players International, asks pro players to donate 1 percent of their winnings to NephCure. Lee Childs, Matt Glantz, Frank Vizza and PPI founder Eugene Castro all have made the pledge alongside with Jennifer Harman.

Source: Card Player

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Jennifer Harman donating 1% of winnings to charity

Poker in Twitter: the iPad, J.D. Salinger, and Joe Sebok Jumps off a Plane

With all that was going on last weekend, it is a wonder that any poker was played at all. Poker players tweeted feverishly about a wide array of topics, from J.D. Salinger’s death to the Grammys to brown rice to Big Mac wraps. Someone offered $10,000 for an iPad, Doyle Brunson could not find food good enough for his dog, and Joe Sebok plans to jump off a plane.

The highly expected Apple iPad was presented by Steve Jobs and, as usual with Mac products, it polarized opinions all around. Alex Outhred was the voice of reason in a sea of “I wanna” when he tweeted, “Everybody runs to buy 1stGen #iPad's when we all know that 3rd Gens will have cameras and phone capablities #makesnosense”. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rafe Furst is pulling all the stops to get his hands on one at least two weeks before it is released officially: “Screw the haters & naysayers: I want an iPad ASAP. 1st person 2 secure me 1 gets a $10K donation 2 charity of their choice.”

J.D. Salinger, author of the classic “The Catcher in the Rye,” passed away age 91. The poker world waxed lyrical about the loss, while Joe Sebok went philosophical, musing, “one thing that i have found so absolute, albeit bitingly cold, about death...is that life just rolls right along. those alive still live...” Andy Bloch went musical, tweeting his version of "American Pie" to mourn the passing of Salinger: “Bye bye Mr Salinger bye, drove my chevy to the library but the library was dry / And good ol boys reading Catcher in the Rye, thinking this is the day JD died, this is the day Salinger died.”

With all the traveling and casino-going, food is a main concern for most poker players, who go about nurturing themselves in ways as different as their playing styles. Vegetarian Daniel Negreanu was glad to find healthy food in an unexpected place: “Bravo Dallas airport. Plenty of healthy food options. I was VERY surprised to see a brown rice tofu bowl at a fast food joint.” World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Joe Cada wondered about a meal on the opposite end of the health spectrum: “Has anyone had the new Big Mac wrap at McDonald's? It scares me a bit.” Brunson could not find food to his liking in London and he did not mince his words: “Got back from London and it was the same, overcast and cold. I simply can't find food there that I would give to Casper my dog. What's wrong.” Finally, Sebok and Amit "amak316" Makhija made an eccentric food-related prop bet: “bet is @amak316 has to eat a cake, this size, http://twitpic.com/10jeyd & then catch a duck in the allotted time. alli can say is, I AM IN.” No word on how the duck feels about this.

Many enjoyed watching the Grammy Awards (and tweeting about them), but musician and UB.com poker pro Scott Ian had some hefty criticism to voice: “The Grammy's? How about a show on how labels do nothing to stop the illegal downloading and the Musicians Union that does even less.” Annie Duke and Joe Reitman had the same objection to the showcase by Album of the Year winner Taylor Swift. Duke asked, “Oh please, I am begging you, don't make me listen to Taylor Swift sing Fleetwood Mac again. I will do anything. Please. Make it stop”, Reitman wondered, “i will never know how Stevie Nicks stopped herself from beating the living shit out of Taylor Swift on stage...” It seems the poker world is more partial to Lady Gaga’s "Poker Face" than to the new princess of country music.

Some poker players indeed played poker over the weekend, but it seems that luck was against most of them judging by the number of bitter tweets. We bring you a selection of the most painful ones, starting with Rob Perelman: “Another fun Poker Sunday... AA<QQ, QQ<KK, QQ<TT, and a guy snap-called my river shove w/33 after I missed a flush on a T2QK9 board. No joke.” Liv Boeree was tempted to throw her laptop: “well that was fun. Got a retard to overshove preflop from the BB with J8. I snap with AK. Flop J 8 8. Thanks.” Vanessa Rousso showed some resilience: “I'm out of Jacksonville event. Didn't win one pot all day : ( oh well, on to the Sunday Million on PokerStars!! : )” Jena Delk dealt with the bad hand blues the old fashioned way: “I think I'll scream if I see another 94 offsuit! Just had a shot of Jack Daniels to try to calm my anxiety.”

Like every week, there are some weird and wonderfully random tweets in the poker world. Who knows what Todd Brunson was on when he tweeted, “This lapc Is alright. If you complain enough matt savage will bring u a botttle of boiling hot water straight from the microwave.” Eric "basebaldy" Baldwin had a surprise celebration for his much-deserved CardPlayer Player of the Year award: “Oh no. Came over to justins for day after b-day cake to find a POY surprise party with friends from here and back home.” @DougLeePoker (who may or may not be the real Doug Lee) sent an acid tweet to Sebok regarding his latest promo, in which a lucky winner will get to skydive with Sebok over the Nevada desert: “@joesebok If I win, can I be in charge of packing your chute?”

Outhred takes the arguable honor of being our Tweet of the Day, with the following gem: “Flight attendant just said the seat cushions can be used as a flirtation device. This is gonna be an awesome trip. #howYOUdoin.” Smooth Tweeting!

If you are as addicted to Twitter as we are, be sure to follow us @PokerNewsDaily so you can stay up to date on all of the breaking news in the poker world and be a part of some PND Twitter exclusives in the coming weeks.

Mansion Poker Hosts Aid for Haiti Tournament

The outpouring of support to the millions of people affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti continues, as online poker room Mansion Poker is the latest site organizing an event to raise money for the cause.

Mansion Poker is partnering with Casino.com to host a charity online poker tournament on Sunday, January 31st in which all of the profits will be donated to the Red Cross.  Additionally, Mansion Poker and Casino.com plan to match all donations.  The tournament is scheduled to take place at 6:00pm GMT and will feature a $10 buy-in.  The top ten finishers will all make the money, with the winner of the event earning a $1,000 prize and fourth through tenth places each receiving $100.  The tournament will not include any additional registration fees and all of the residual prize pool after the top ten are paid will go to charity.

Should players on Mansion Poker not have time to play on Sunday, but still want to make a contribution, the site has set up a series of eight “Holding Tank” lobbies in which players can donate sums of money ranging from $1 to $500.  Like similar tournament lobbies set up on other online poker sites, players will register for a dummy poker tournament and the buy-in will go straight to the Red Cross.  Mansion Poker will also match donations to these Holding Tank lobbies.

Jeff Turner, Marketing Director for Mansion Poker and Casino.com, encouraged users to reach into their wallets and help out a worthy cause.  “Players can be confident that the donations generated from the online poker tournament will be used to the maximum benefit,” Turner explained in the official announcement of the event.  “Be sure to register for the tournament and help the victims of Haiti!”

The Aid For Haiti tournament is a network-wide event, so players on other iPoker Network rooms like William Hill Poker, Titan Poker, Paddy Power Poker, Blue Square Poker, and CD Poker can also take part.  The Holding Tank tournament lobbies will also be available on the various iPoker sites.  All of the rooms on the iPoker network do not accept customers from the United States.

So far, the online poker world has generated an impressive $1.5 million in donations thanks to similar charity tournaments at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, the Cake Poker Network, and UB.com.  The players themselves have also organized fundraising efforts, including pledging a percentage of their online tournament winnings and donating pieces of their live tournament scores at events like the Borgata Poker Open.

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, since the January 12th quake, more than $560 million has been raised worldwide to go towards the relief efforts.  Over $66 million was raised during the telethon hosted by actor George Clooney last week and another $6 million came from the text message campaign put on by the Red Cross.  Even though it has been over two weeks since the earthquake hit, Haiti still appears to be on the hearts and minds of people worldwide as the donations continue to pour in.

Mansion Poker Hosts Aid for Haiti Tournament

The outpouring of support to the millions of people affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti continues, as online poker room Mansion Poker is the latest site organizing an event to raise money for the cause.

Mansion Poker is partnering with Casino.com to host a charity online poker tournament on Sunday, January 31st in which all of the profits will be donated to the Red Cross.  Additionally, Mansion Poker and Casino.com plan to match all donations.  The tournament is scheduled to take place at 6:00pm GMT and will feature a $10 buy-in.  The top ten finishers will all make the money, with the winner of the event earning a $1,000 prize and fourth through tenth places each receiving $100.  The tournament will not include any additional registration fees and all of the residual prize pool after the top ten are paid will go to charity.

Should players on Mansion Poker not have time to play on Sunday, but still want to make a contribution, the site has set up a series of eight “Holding Tank” lobbies in which players can donate sums of money ranging from $1 to $500.  Like similar tournament lobbies set up on other online poker sites, players will register for a dummy poker tournament and the buy-in will go straight to the Red Cross.  Mansion Poker will also match donations to these Holding Tank lobbies.

Jeff Turner, Marketing Director for Mansion Poker and Casino.com, encouraged users to reach into their wallets and help out a worthy cause.  “Players can be confident that the donations generated from the online poker tournament will be used to the maximum benefit,” Turner explained in the official announcement of the event.  “Be sure to register for the tournament and help the victims of Haiti!”

The Aid For Haiti tournament is a network-wide event, so players on other iPoker Network rooms like William Hill Poker, Titan Poker, Paddy Power Poker, Blue Square Poker, and CD Poker can also take part.  The Holding Tank tournament lobbies will also be available on the various iPoker sites.  All of the rooms on the iPoker network do not accept customers from the United States.

So far, the online poker world has generated an impressive $1.5 million in donations thanks to similar charity tournaments at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, the Cake Poker Network, and UB.com.  The players themselves have also organized fundraising efforts, including pledging a percentage of their online tournament winnings and donating pieces of their live tournament scores at events like the Borgata Poker Open.

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, since the January 12th quake, more than $560 million has been raised worldwide to go towards the relief efforts.  Over $66 million was raised during the telethon hosted by actor George Clooney last week and another $6 million came from the text message campaign put on by the Red Cross.  Even though it has been over two weeks since the earthquake hit, Haiti still appears to be on the hearts and minds of people worldwide as the donations continue to pour in.

Victory Poker Launches February 1st

One day prior to Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, officials from Victory Poker will celebrate the site’s launch at a party at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. The online poker room will open for business on February 1st.

Victory Poker will make its home on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, which has yet to take on an official name. According to PokerScout.com, the newly created network will boast traffic similar to that of Betfair, which has a seven-day running average of 610 real money ring game players. A press release announcing the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on February 6th revealed that the Victory Poker launch party would occur at 10:00pm following the festivities.

UFC’s Randy Couture will be sporting a Victory Poker logo when he takes to the ring in UFC 109 against Mark Coleman. The bout emanates from the Mandalay Bay Events Center near the Hard Rock and will also feature Nate Marquardt facing off against Chael Sonnen and Matt Serra fighting Frank Trigg. The first brawl takes place at 4:45pm, while televised matches start at 7:00pm. Couture will don a dot-net logo for the new online poker room.

Antonio Esfandiari headlines the Victory Poker stable of pros. A World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Esfandiari has become widely known for his insatiable appetite for prop bets. He even co-starred with his close friend Phil Laak on the MOJO show “I Bet You,” which ran for two seasons on the cable station. Esfandiari has three WPT final tables to his credit and one title, which came in the Season 2 L.A. Poker Classic. At the tender age of 31, Esfandiari is one of the veterans of the game.

Jumping over from DoylesRoom to be a part of Victory Poker is Alec “traheho” Torelli. The Cake Poker Network site and Torelli severed ties two weeks ago. Torelli has made two WPT final tables, finishing fourth in both the Bellagio Cup V and Solvakia events. The former will air its finale at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net this Sunday in a one-hour episode. Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten will once again provide commentary for Season 8 of the WPT.

Coming over from Full Tilt Poker are Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The latter was removed in recent days as a Full Tilt Red Pro and finished fourth in the WSOP Circuit Championship in Tunica four years ago for $183,000. In addition, Markholt won the WPT Season 6 World Poker Challenge in Reno for $493,000 and owns $1.3 million in career earnings from the roving tournament series. Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, earning a colossal $6.1 million.

Also appearing in the Victory Poker pro lineup is Chinese Poker sensation Danny Wong. Owning the moniker “Chinese Poker Wizard,” Wong learned to play the game’s variation at age five. Despite his success in Chinese Poker, he’s also excelled in No Limit Texas Hold’em, making three WPT final tables. Joining Wong will be online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast.

Those who watched the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN will recall the deep run of the “Flying” Bilzerian brothers. Dan Bilzerian, who finished 180th, will become part of the Victory Poker cast. In his final hand of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, Bilzerian committed his stack with A-6, but could not best Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo’s pocket tens. His brother, Adam Bilzerian, renounced his U.S. citizenship and is now a passport holder of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Other Victory Poker pros include Andrew "good2cu" Robl, Keith Gipson, David “The Maven” Chicotsky, Sander Lylloff., and 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood. The site is scheduled to launch on February 1st and will accept players from the United States.

The Trash Talk Championship is a $1,000 buy-in charity poker tournament benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program and Cedars-Sinai.