Poker News

Phil Bellante is “All In” With Poker Themed Song

"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em." Thanks to Kenny Rogers and his hit song, "The Gambler," those words will forever be ingrained in the game of poker. The song is more than 30 years old, but its popularity has maintained throughout the years as a staple in the ever-expanding poker community.

Phil Bellante hopes his new poker-themed song will have the same impact on the new crowd of poker players. The musician, songwriter, and producer from Cleveland released a new album in 2009 and on it is the track "All In," a catchy tune that he's attempting to market as the new theme song of poker. He's already receiving rave reviews from the poker media. (The song can be heard at http://philbellante.com/)

Bellante has been busy promoting "All In" and Poker News Daily had a chance to speak with him about the song, his poker history, and his friendship with a well-known poker pro.

Poker News Daily: So Phil, can we assume that you're a poker player and fan?

Phil Bellante: Absolutely, a poker player and a huge fan!

Poker News Daily: How long have you been playing and what game(s) do you prefer?

Phil Bellante: I have been playing for at least 10 years and I would have to say that No Limit Texas Hold'em is my game of choice.

Poker News Daily: You recently did an interview with your friend and Full Tilt Pro Phil Gordon on ESPN Radio's "Poker Edge". How did you become close with Phil?

Phil Bellante: Phil is my good friend’s brother-in-law, so every year for the past several years, we all get together at their place for Thanksgiving and have a poker tournament. It’s a lot of fun, especially when Phil doesn’t win and somebody that hardly knows what they are doing wins the whole thing. Part of the mass appeal, I think, of the game is the ability for anyone to win at any time because of the luck factor and getting dealt the right hand.

Poker News Daily: Are there any other poker players you like or admire?

Phil Bellante: I admire people like Annie Duke, who has also heard the song and given it a nice review on my site. She is a forerunner for women poker players who are now becoming more involved in the game. That takes some fortitude and guts when it’s a male-dominated sport. I also think the old timers like Doyle Brunson are to be admired, as they started playing the game when very few people could make a living at it like they do today. I think now the appeal is more the big winnings for people rather than a true love for the game.

Poker News Daily: What was your influence for creating the song "All In" and what are your aspirations for it?

Phil Bellante: To be honest, it wasn’t planned, which is usually the underlying ingredient to a great song because it comes from something beyond the intellect and usually connects with people on a deeper level. I was sitting around watching a tournament one afternoon and just put myself in the mind of one of the players who went all-in with his hand and then managed to write the song in less than 10 minutes. I then produced the song with a Grammy Award winning engineer a few months later.

While writing the song, I just pictured myself at a tournament performing it. It would be great to be the entertainment for some of these upcoming poker tournaments and really see it catching fire. I have many people working around the clock in various capacities to get maximum exposure for this song. We are looking at movies, video games, TV programs, Poker Tournaments, etc. I guess you can say, I am going “All In” with this song.

Poker News Daily: Is this going to be "the" poker song for the next generation of poker players to latch onto?

Phil Bellante: “All In” has great potential due to the size of the poker market and its very catchy chorus. Andrew Feldman said during my recent ESPN Poker Radio show interview that the song had been stuck in his head all day. I just received the same comment from some of the top people in Nashville who are very interested in it and choose hit songs for the platinum country artists.

I really feel the song speaks to the poker community. It has that emotional and intense build leading up to a huge swelling chorus that kind of releases all the tension. Every player knows what that adrenaline rush feels like, so they can definitely relate. That is why I think it would be so perfect to sing at a poker tournament.

In the end, only time and the fans/players will be able to determine whether this is the case. The last generation had Kenny Rogers’s song’ “The Gambler,” so I wouldn’t mind him passing the torch to me for the next generation. I think I am holding a good hand with this song and so do a lot of the higher ups in the music world so time will tell.

The song can be downloaded at www.thepokersong.com

Ziigmund Breaks $1.5 Million Mark

Sahamies is now up over $1.6 million for the year with the majority of the profit coming from the last eight days.

Despite his reputation as a wild gambler, Sahamies has not logged a losing day on the online tables since Jan. 20.

His session yesterday began at $100/$200 Pot-Limit Omaha where he lost $14k against regular opponents Cole South, Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Gus Hansen.

After an hour and 108 hands, Sahamies made the move to $300/$600 PLO heads-up against South. In just 28 minutes (55 hands) Sahamies took over $252k.

After an eight hour break, Sahamies returned to $300/$600 PLO to play Patrik Antonius heads-up, but once again only stayed for about 20 minutes and 59 hands.

In the short match Sahamies took $53k from Antonius bringing him up to $296k on the day.

Dwan, who has struggled at the tables since his $5 million dollar string of losses in late 2009, sat for over 2,000 hands, but only managed to finish the day up $27k.

Antonius still seems to be having trouble finding his footing this year, which is a stark contrast to his domination in 2009.

The Team Full Tilt pro played three matches of heads-up PLO losing $54k to Sahamies, $78k to South and winning a modest $5k from Dwan.

In total Antonius adds over $126k to his losses in 2010.

Despite losing over $134k, and finishing as the day's top loser, South remains one of the year's most profitable players, up over $1 million.

Below you can see three of the largest hands from the previous sessions, or head to MarketPulse for hundreds more.

Tiffany Michelle Talks Politics on Fox Business Network

If someone would have asked you who you thought would be a good person to appear on a national news program to discuss politics, we're guessing that UB.com's Tiffany Michelle would have been way down your list.  Sure enough, however, Michelle was Neil Cavuto's guest Tuesday on his Fox Business Network show, "Cavuto," comparing President Barack Obama's persistence with his health care plan to a poker player playing bad cards.

In the five-minute conversation, titled "Obama Making a Bad Bet?" on the Fox Business website, there was no debate on whether the proposed health care reform plan was good; it was simply assumed it was bad and that the majority of Americans are against it.  Cavuto's interview consisted of repeatedly asking Michelle to compare the President's health care efforts to playing poor hands.  For her part, Michelle came off fairly well, indulging Cavuto by using poker metaphor after poker metaphor to describe Obama's health care reform strategy.

Some tidbits:

Neil Cavuto: Taking a look at what the President's doing… a good gambler, I understand, or someone who bets a lot, understands, or thinks, that he or she has a good hand.  Am I right?
Tiffany Michelle: Yeah, generally you have a good hand, or you know if you have a bad hand, how to maneuver with that hand and take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses.

Cavuto: Now, the President, fairly or not Tiffany, is viewed to have a bad hand right now because prior cards he's dealt have turned out to be, you know, threes and fours.  They haven't really worked out.  Yet he continues playing the same hand.  What is the strategy behind that?
Michelle: [Preceding portion of answer snipped] What often happens for some players is you continue to push the issues, you continue to play the bad hands, you continue to get in sticky situations, and what really needs to happen is you need to step away from the table, you need to clear your head.

Tiffany Michelle laid it on thick, inserting poker comparisons at every turn.  Some of her best lines included:

"Here we are, let's say we're deep in the World Series, we're coming close to the bubble, you can taste that final table and the money and it's not looking like it's going to happen."

"Not only did Barack Obama in his first year in office decide to tackle one of the toughest issues in U.S. politics… it would be like me approaching Phil Hellmuth on my first day of my poker game and saying, 'Hey, Phil Hellmuth, you have 11 bracelets.  I want to challenge you heads-up.'"

"Talk about Scott Brown, that was a really bad beat for Barack Obama and the Democrats, who really thought they had a good chip lead there.  You know, they thought they had a lock on this tournament."

Members of the poker community universally panned the interview.  The reactions, however, were split between those who detested the fact that Michelle was chosen as the poker representative and those who simply thought that the interview itself was horrible.

He added, "I thought it was evenly presented, the gambling expert knew as much about gambling as the politics expert new abt politics," as well as, "I think it was more shady that TM passed herself off as a gambling expert with a clue abt politics to promote herself."

"Hollywood" Dave Stann, one of Tiffany Michelle's fellow UB.com pros, was more disgusted with Fox Business, Cavuto, and the interview itself, Tweeting, "WTF FoxNews? Generic gambling terms dissing Obama, then using pro gamblers as pawns 2 back it up? I dodged their invite 2day, thank fuck!"

Summing it up for someone who asked what the interview was all about, Stann tweeted, "fucking Fox presenting right-wing editorial talking points as 'news' then interviewing pros as 'evidence' of Obama ineptitude."

Some of the more entertaining comments on the interview came from the Two Plus Two forums.  Forum poster "TheTruthSpeaks" wrote, "While I was watching it I kept waiting to wake up as this certainly must be a dream or something. I mean surely I didn't really just see Tiffany Michelle on a news channel talking about politics while using horrible poker analogies to do it.  This has got to be the first sign of the Apocalypse."

"Randomness28" may have had two of the best quotes on how ridiculous the interview concept was, first saying, "Funny that the Q is 'How is Obama playing his hand?' .... so they decide to bring in a poker player for analysis. Someone should tell the staff of Cavuto's that 'playing his hand' is just a figure of speech.  Next on Cavuto: 'Are Republicans a move ahead of Democrats in setting up for 2012? We bring in chess GM to discuss this.'"

He later added, "Equivalent of this would be for Fox to pose the Q: How is the Obama administration going to kick off its second term in office? And to bring in a third string kicker of a Junior College to answer the Q."

Judge the Tiffany Michelle Fox Business interview for yourself.

Tiffany Michelle got her start in the poker world in 2006, when she served as an on-air host for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) coverage on Sirius Satellite Radio.  In 2007, she appeared on-camera, hosting various segments and conducting interviews for PokerNews.com.  Michelle officially turned heads the following year when she was the last woman remaining in the WSOP Main Event, eventually bowing out in 17th place and earning $334,534.  She was exposed to a nationwide audience in 2009 when she and fellow poker pro, Maria Ho, competed on the hit CBS show, "The Amazing Race."

T. J. Cloutier’s Championship Bracelets Up For Sale On eBay

Awards in the poker world can range from plaques to large trophies to even the head of an alligator (the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit’s Bayou Poker Classic trophy is the stuffed head of such an animal). One of the most cherished mementos of victory in poker is, of course, the WSOP bracelet that is awarded to each winner of an event in Las Vegas. For one of the most prized trophies in poker to appear for sale is almost unheard of.

This apparently is occurring at this moment and the former owner of the bracelet is none other than longtime poker veteran T.J. Cloutier. For sale on eBay, the popular online auction site, is a WSOP Bracelet won by Cloutier. The information on the site states that the bracelet is the last one that was won by the Texas road gambler in 2005. Information from the WSOP site shows that Cloutier won the last of his six bracelets in 2005 in the $5000 No Limit Hold’em event, where he defeated a final table that included Todd Brunson, John “World” Hennigan and the late John Bonetti to capture the championship.

On sale by the Plano Pawn Shop (which is approximately ten miles from T.J.’s hometown of Richardson, Texas), the auction on eBay has about two days left in the bidding. Asking for a minimum bid of $2999, the 2005 WSOP bracelet has yet to garner any interest from potential buyers. Perhaps anyone interested in the bracelet is wary of its authenticity (the Plano Pawn Shop has stated that the bracelet will come with a certificate of authenticity to prove it is real), but eBay sales are also notorious for not getting any action until the sale is almost over.

According to other details included in the sale information for the WSOP bracelet, the Plano Pawn Shop also has another championship bracelet from Cloutier. This has been confirmed by Poker News Daily as the bracelet from Cloutier’s last major poker championship, the 2007 Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge IV, and the Plano Pawn Shop’s minimum bid for that bracelet is $2,499. Both of the items are not only for sale on eBay but are also being offered in the Plano Pawn Shop and can be viewed by appointment only.

The actual cash value of a WSOP bracelet is surprisingly easy to determine. From information provided by the Plano Pawn Shop about the Cloutier bracelet, Poker News Daily has determined an approximate value for such an item. With its 96 grams (3.38 ounces) of 14 karat gold (which is 58% gold, with 24K being solid gold) and 0.25 carats in diamonds, the cash value of the 2005 bracelet is roughly $2,350. The inherent value in a WSOP bracelet, of which only about 500 have been awarded, is priceless.

As far as what Cloutier may have received for the WSOP bracelet, an examination of the pawnshop industry would be necessary. When a pawnshop buys a piece of merchandise, it usually will pay anywhere from 30% to 50% of the actual value of an item to ensure that they get a significant return on their investment. With the Plano Pawn Shop putting a price tag of $2,999 on Cloutier’s 2005 WSOP bracelet, it can be logically assumed that the poker pro sold the bracelet for somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500.

The sale of the bracelet has the forums burning with questions about the bracelet and Cloutier’s current financial status. On TwoPlusTwo, players are assuming that Cloutier has gone broke and needs the finances to continue playing poker (at this time, Cloutier has no sponsorship deal) or, some posters imply, to take to the craps tables. Many, however, are lamenting that Cloutier would part with one of his six WSOP bracelets. Poster “Dan_Vincent” writes in his post, “That's sad. You know he didn't get anything close to $2K for this.”

Others, perhaps cruelly, are making jokes about the issue. Citing one of the currently popular reality television shows, poster “Tom Bayes” says, “TJ should have gone on 'Pawn Stars.' Then Corey and Chumlee could have drooled on the bracelet, Rick could call up one of his numerous 'buddies' to give an 'expert' appraisal and then lowball the hell out of TJ, and then the 'Old Man' could tell us how 'real' poker was played 'back in the day.'”

For whatever reason, Cloutier felt as though these two bracelets were items that he could live without. With slightly more than 48 hours left in the two auctions, it remains to be seen how many bids Cloutier’s bracelets will get or if they will even be sold through the eBay auctions at all.

Golf Magazine Features High-Stakes Golf with Poker Players

It is well-known that top poker players do not limit their bets to just the green felts. Many players like to step to the pits in a casino and hit the table games, like 2009 November Nine member Phil Ivey, whose craps exploits were featured in a recent issue of “ESPN: The Magazine.” Others like to make outlandish proposition bets to feed their adrenaline rush of high-stakes betting. A recent magazine article focused on one of the other betting outlets that poker players have flocked to.

In the November 2009 edition of “Golf Magazine,” an article entitled “The Golf Sharks” by Josh Sens documents a foursome that, if seen on the poker tables, would send most players heading for cover. Phil Hellmuth, Layne Flack, Erick Lindgren, and Gavin Smith are the featured players as they play at stakes of $10,000 per hole. The game is a two-man best ball event, with Hellmuth and Flack taking on Lindgren and Smith.

Because the focus of the article is on the quartet’s golfing abilities, Sens dissects each player’s style with an unwavering eye. For Hellmuth, Sens comments, “His stance is shut, his backswing is a spasm and he sways through impact.” Hellmuth is confident, though, that he and Flack can take the match, commenting, “(We’ll play) well enough to win.”

Flack was able to get the athletic Lindgren (who won almost $350,000 in a golf bet during the 2007 World Series of Poker) and the former hockey player Smith to give two shots a side. In addition, Hellmuth would hit off the white tees, which feature a shorter route to the green than the more difficult pro tees. Lindgren comments, “They (Hellmuth and Flack) have no shame.”

Sens then documents the historical connection between golf and poker (and its high-stakes wagering). He mentions the now-defunct Professional Gamblers Invitational, which was active in the 1970s, was run by Jack Binion and featured some of the top golfing gamblers from across the country. He also invokes the names of two of the legends of the game, Dewey Tomko and Doyle Brunson, as connections among golfing, gambling, and poker.

In the end, the match looks as if it is going to end “all square,” the golfing vernacular for tied, when Hellmuth pulls off an incredible shot into the wind and over water. Landing it ten feet from the pin, he guarantees that his team will hold onto its one-hole edge and take home the money. “How’s that for clutch,” Sens quotes Hellmuth as saying as the round ends with no money exchanged. “We’ll wait until the poker tables,” Smith says, “and pay them with chips.”

What was surprising about this outing is that one of the most golf-mad poker players around, Daniel Negreanu, wasn’t part of it. His attempts to perfect his game have led to a never-ending series of jokes from Brunson on his blog, such as the oldie but goodie, “Daniel: Do you think it’s a sin to play on Sunday? Caddie – The way you play, it’s a sin on any day.” Negreanu can often be found during poker tournaments pantomiming his swing, searching for tips in his approach.

With such events as the World Series of Golf and the continued escapades of foursomes like the ones Sens features in “Golf Magazine,” it is easy to see that the connection between golf and poker isn’t going away anytime soon.

The Top Winners and Losers of 2009

Below are summaries of the top five money earners, and top five losers of the year, including a month-by-month graph of their results.

To see more stats and hand replays from throughout the year, head to MarketPulse.

Patrik Antonius

It only makes sense to have the year’s top earner at the top of the list, so without further ado, we bring you the 2009 story of Patrik Antonius.

Patrik Antonius just might have hit the life jackpot. He was at one-time a model and tennis pro, before becoming one of the most respected, and feared, poker players in the world. He made the list of the top 10 top profit earners in 2007 under the username FinddaGrind with over $1.3 million earned.

In 2008, he made another $1.3 million, this time as part of Team Full Tilt.

This January Antonius made over $2 million and never dropped below that point. His year was filled with million dollar swings, but in the end, the Finnish pro always found a way to come out good.

On top of being the most profitable player on the year, Antonius was also busy breaking the records for the largest pots ever played online. Despite all of his profits, Antonius has fallen behind in the durrrr Challenge and needs to make close to $1 million in the second half to have a chance.

However, he finished 2009 as the top earner with a massive profit of over $8.9 million.

Phil Ivey

This year Phil Ivey has done exactly what Phil Ivey does every year: Win. In 2008, Ivey was the top online earner with over $7.3 million in profit. In 2007 he was the third largest earner with $1.9 million and this year he ends in second place with $6.3 million.

His story is the same every year: Any players, any game, any stakes. He’ll sit, and most of the time he’ll win. But even Ivey isn’t immune to the swings, starting off the year in the red he had to spend a couple of months getting back to even.

After an $800k loss in May, it was pretty much profit from that point on. Add these winnings to his two WSOP bracelets, Main Event final table appearance and prop bets won, and you have one hell of a good looking year.

Brian Hastings

CardRunners pro Brian Hastings has had one of the most interesting years out of anyone online. He started the year with a backing deal for playing the nose-bleed stakes against Gus Hansen.

Even with Hansen bleeding chips for months, Hastings struggled to get even for the majority of the year, finally showing a profit come August.

Come the end of November, it started to look as though Hastings would be having a positive year, but nothing too spectacular, or worth talking about. That was until he sat down with Isildur1 for possibly the biggest session in online poker history.

By the end of the single session with the game’s most explosive player, Hastings had made $4.2 million in profit; effectively ending Isildur1’s run at Full Tilt’s high-stakes tables.

The win was steeped in controversy when information came to light that Hastings, along with two fellow CardRunners pros Brian Townsend and Cole South, merged their hand history databases together to allow for an in-depth study of Isildur1’s heads up game.

For the full scoop on this controversy, head to: Full Tilt Suspends Brian Townsend.

theASHMAN103

Ashton “theASHMAN103” Griffin is only 20 years old, and began playing poker seriously in high-school. His downfall has always been bankroll management and tilt issues.

After a series of massive swings he went broke right at the beginning of the year, but Griffin finally got his head in the right spot coming in to April of 2009 when he was forced to get a stake to get back in the game.

Thanks to winning a prop bet for making $500k playing nothing higher than $25/$50 No-Limit immediately before the event was set to start, Griffin was able to enter into the $25k heads-up shootout, which he went on to win for another $500k.

Griffin’s heater continued over the next two months going from broke to the fifth most profitable player on the year. To read a full interview with Griffin about his heater, and life in poker, head to: Ashman103: The Interview Transcript.

Ilari Sahamies

Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies is one of the most well-known and entertaining online players in the world. Above all else he seems to have a love for gambling with sick amounts of money.

For a few days, Sahamies had convinced a few of the nosebleed players to convert the $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha tables into $3,000/$9,000. Along with all the massive flips Sahamies played over the year, it’s safe to say he is the biggest gambler at the tables.

But despite his love for gambling, Ziigmund is still one of the most profitable players in the world. The occasional swing aside, Ziigmund’s graph is mostly un-eventful, hovering around the $2-$3 million mark for the majority of the year.

It wasn’t until Ziigmund set his sights on Isildur1 that his graph took a violent swing upwards. After taking a few million from the unknown player, Ziigmund finished his year up an impressive $3.2 million.

Isildur1

True identity still unknown, Isildur1 showed up on the poker scene Sept. 16. He splashed around in medium to high-stakes for about a month before starting to take shots in the nosebleed games.

The true story of Isildur1 started on Nov. 7 when he began his first serious upswing by crushing well known players like Haseeb Qureshi and UgotaBanana. After these wins, Isildur1 seemed fearless, willing to play anyone at any stakes.

Soon Isildur1 set his sights on Tom “durrrr” Dwan and over the next three days he absolutely destroyed him for over $4 million. At his highest point on Nov. 15^, Isildur1 sat with over $5 million in profit, only to lose it all, mostly to Ivey and Antonius, by the 21^st.

After making another quick run back up to almost $3 million in just one week, Isildur1 began his largest downswing.

It was during the downswing where Isildur1 shattered all the records for the largest pots of all time. He first broke the record with an $878k pot versus Patrik Antonius, only to break that record a few days later losing the first pot worth over a million at $1,356,947. 

Mostly a result of losing over $4.2 million in a single session to Brian Hastings, Isildur1 saw his roll get almost entirely crushed, sitting down over $2 million for the remainder of the month.

With his only hands being played at the medium stakes tables, it appears at this point as if Isildur1’s run at the highest stakes games online is through.

David Benyamine

In 2008, David Benyamine was the sixth most profitable online player in the world. He finished the year having made almost $3 million profit and had snagged himself one of the most beautiful girls in poker, Erica Schoenberg.

At the very end of 2008, Full Tilt Poker dropped Benyamine as a red-name pro. As a result, he began 2009 playing under the username “MR B 2 U SON”. He played under that username until July of 2009 when his Team Full Tilt status was re-instated.

At the time of the username switch, Benyamine was down $731,128 on the year. Things continued to get worse for the French pro as he struggled throughout 2009, finishing down $2.9 million. To top it all off, many sources have reported an end to his relationship with Schoenberg.

All in all, 2009 might just have been the worst year in Benyamine’s career.

LarsLuzak

Sami “LarsLuzak” Kelopuro is a 22-year-old Finnish poker pro who showed up on the high-stakes scene in 2007. He made over a million dollars in both 2007 and 2008, plus a rumored large profit from $250/$500 No-Limit sessions played on Betfair poker.

Despite hopes of cementing his name as one of the top players in the world, 2009 turned out to be a complete disaster for Kelopuro.

Starting the year with an $810k loss, Kelopuro was almost able to grind his way back to even in February before beginning a landslide of losses.

At no point in 2009 did Kelopuro show a profit, despite his continued efforts at the games highest stakes. After reaching nearly $4 million in losses on the year, Kelopuro disappeared from the high-stakes games, sparking rumors of a busted bankroll.

With a laundry list of impressive results from both cash games and tournaments, it’s safe to assume the poker world will hear more from Kelopuro in 2010.

Tom “durrrr” Dwan

Tom Dwan has to be considerd one of the most entertaining poker players in the world. As a result, there has been more time spent talking about Dwan in 2009 than any other online player.

His year began by losing over $4 million in the first two months, only to grind back up to over $1.4 million in profit just four months later. However, the massive swings were only one of Dwan’s many stories on the year.

The first came with the introduction of the durrrr Challenge. After almost two months of speculation and rumors, Patrik Antonius stepped up as the first competitor, and the challenge was underway.

After a short period of consistent play between the two competitors, the Challenge took a hiatus as both players chose to focus on busting a new fish splashing around at the highest stake tables available.

It didn’t take Dwan, and the rest of the online regulars, long to bust a new fish calling himself Martonas, and the challenge seemed as if it would resume.

But it wasn’t long before another new face showed up on the scene and began stirring the pot. Luke “fullflush1” Schwartz proved to be as strong at the table as he was mouthy, focusing the majority of his insults at Dwan, including the now infamous “cork it durrrrballs”.

Schwartz successfully made over $700k at the tables before cashing out, and buying a house with his profits.

The next big story for Dwan came with the third unknown player to splash around in the big game. Unfortunately for Dwan, this player, Isildur1, would end up taking him for over $5 million, before giving it all away to everyone else.

Shortly after losing the majority of his online roll, Dwan became the newest member of Team Full Tilt, and began grinding his way back towards even. By the end of 2009 Dwan had brought himself back to -$4.3 million from his November low point of -$6.8 million.

On the bright side, he is ahead in the durrrr Challenge by over $937k.

Gus Hansen

This year’s story for Gus Hansen is simple: He made $3 million in the first month, mostly off Tom Dwan, then proceeded to lose almost exclusively for the remainder of the year. Although there were months in which he showed a profit, Hansen’s graph on the year is anything but encouraging.

Due to his consistent negative results, Hansen has become one of the most popular online players amongst the other regular high-stakes grinders. As he explained in an interview with PokerListings, the high-stakes games on Full Tilt simply follow him from table to table.

As a result, Hansen chose to play almost exclusively 7-Game for the remainder of the year, at times killing absolutely all high-stakes action for all other variants.

For a look into high-stakes, and how some of the other players in the game view Hansen, head to: State of the High Stakes Poker Nation.

Inside Gaming: Fantasy Football Linked to Gambling; Tiger Woods May Be the World’s Biggest Gambler

PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge Winner Mike Kosowski Recaps Win

On the December 27th episode of the FOX poker game show “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” Mike Kosowski, a first responder on September 11th, 2001, defeats Daniel Negreanu heads-up to earn $1 million. He sat down with Poker News Daily to recap his run.

Poker News Daily: Tell us how you earned a spot on the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.”

Mike Kosowski: I think my dog, Joe DiMaggio, was one of the reasons I made it so far. When I won the 16,000-person online tournament, they tell you to make a video. I had an idea to use my dog. My son taped it and we put the dogs on the poker table with us. I said, “Sometimes, we can’t find enough people for a game.” The game happens to be Bella, my son’s dog, winning with a royal flush.

PokerStars liked it so much that they called me back. They re-interviewed me and told me I’d be an alternate. I flew to California hoping that I’d get on and, sure enough, I got picked as the first alternate. I lost and thought it was all over with, but they needed a fourth person for a sit and go to face Daniel Negreanu and I beat that field of three. I did well and got my shot against Negreanu, who is probably one of the best pros in the game today.

PND: How’d you convince your wife to let you film on your wedding anniversary?

Mike Kosowski: We were going out to put a down payment on a space for our 25th wedding anniversary when I got the e-mail saying that I was picked. She asked what I wanted to do and she knew it was my dream. She said when we get back, we’ll have the party, and that’s what happened. When you think about the odds, I have to consider myself to be one of the luckiest guys in the world. I survived 9/11 and the odds of me getting out of there that day were tremendous. Then, I won the show.

PND: Do you have any plans for the money?

Kosowski: The dog will get new bowls and bigger bones for Christmas. We’re talking to a financial planner right now. I was on a fixed income being retired before this. I’ll put away some for my son’s college and my daughter’s wedding. We’re also donating to two charities, the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund and City Harvest.

PND: How did you get started in poker?

Mike Kosowki: I read “Super System” 1 and 2 and started getting serious around 2005. That’s when I showed my wife. I was watching the World Series of Poker and playing online. I walked upstairs and changed the channel on the television. My wife watched for about a half-hour and said that Daniel Negreanu was pretty good. I said I’d be playing against him one day and will beat him. Seven to ten days later, I had a dream about it. She thought I was losing it.

PND: You seemed to get run over by Joanna Krupa in your first match of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.” Did you take away anything from it that helped you succeed down the stretch?

Mike Kosowski: I was very nervous. Daniel was my coach and I lost. What happened was that I out-bet myself out of the game. I was backing out of a lot of hands and, even when I had a decent hand right before the end with A-7, she re-raised me and I folded. I got stuck with 6-9 and had to call. I was that low on chips and she beat me.

After that, the nervousness was over with. I thought the tournament was over for me anyway. We did the sit and go for a spot at the final table in another location and I knew I wouldn’t lose if I sat back and played my game. The sit and go went well for me. I had trip tens and trip aces to knock people out. Everything worked well in the first sit and go. In the second sit and go, which was for the shot to play Daniel, I was nervous again. I told myself that if I don’t stay aggressive, then I’m a loser. I caught some great cards to start and when I was chip leader, it was easy to make a few calls.

PND: How often do you play poker? Will you play more as a result of this win?

Mike Kosowki: I play $1 and $2 games with a few buddies of mine once a week and I haven’t been to Atlantic City in about six months. I chopped a tournament down there three years ago and go about three times a year. I’m not much of a big gambler, but I like to play online. I don’t think that’ll change much now.

The great news was that after I won, PokerStars offered me the chance to go to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for the Main Event. I’ll be bringing the whole family and get a shot at that tournament. I never thought in my life I’d be in a $10,000 tournament. My dad always told me never to bet anything more than what is in your pocket. I’m grateful to the people at PokerStars for letting me go.

The Season 1 finale of “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” airs on Sunday, December 27th following NFL coverage on FOX.

CNBC Illegal Gambling Feature to Air on Wednesday

On Wednesday night at 9:00pm ET, CNBC will air a one-hour exposé entitled, “The Big Business of Illegal Gambling.” The report from CNBC’s Melissa Francis will put the multi-billion dollar industry into focus and include a segment on internet gambling.

Wednesday’s show marks one of the most high-profile television programs about internet gambling since “60 Minutes” aired a feature on the cheating scandals at the online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker one year ago. According to a preview found on CNBC’s website, the show will “take viewers inside this high-stakes business that brings some people immense wealth, while others pay the ultimate price.” Francis is co-anchor of the CNBC show “The Call,” which airs for one hour beginning at 11:00am ET during the week.

The CNBC description begins, “The one-hour program delivers an in-depth look at just how mainstream illegal gambling has become.” Francis will speak with a bevy of industry representatives, including a bookmaker simply named “Paul” and a professional gambler named "Vegas Runner." Among those CNBC will speak to with a first and last name is Nick Sarillo, whom the show describes as “a restaurant owner who freelances as a bookie [and] crosses the Mob and pays a heavy price.” These three will likely be offline gamblers.

Then, Francis and company will explore the world of internet gambling. The preview of the CNBC special explains, “Technology has made illegal gambling much more accessible and the same computer used for work or to connect with family and friends can also be used to wager outside the law.” Among those to be interviewed is Jay Cohen, the co-founder of the World Sports Exchange who was found guilty of violating the Wire Act of 1961. He was sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined $5,000; World Sports Exchange boasted revenues of $200 million and he was freed in 2004.

Also featured is Scott Damiani, the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation. The show’s website explains, “Illegal gambling costs Scott Damiani is home, business family... and almost cost him his life. After hitting rock bottom, he picked his life back up and now devotes his time to helping other gambling addicts as the Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation.”

Poker News Daily has also learned that Tokwiro Chief Operating Officer Paul Leggett filmed an interview for the CNBC program. The two Tokwiro-owned online poker rooms, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, were at the heart of a ten-minute feature by the CBS news program “60 Minutes” over Thanksgiving weekend in 2008. The report questioned why no one had been prosecuted in the case and ended with segment reporter Steve Kroft calling Russ Hamilton’s home in Las Vegas. Hamilton, who won the 1994 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, was fingered as the main man responsible in the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal. To date, no one has been convicted.

Finally, Francis will dive into a high-spirited internet gambling debate featuring Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Online poker players can thank the latter for helping to bring the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to life back in 2006. McDermott, meanwhile, has authored legislation seeking to extract 2% of deposits from licensed internet gambling companies in the United States under legislation proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Curiously, Frank’s name does not appear on the preview for the CNBC program despite being legalized internet gambling’s number one proponent on Capitol Hill. Also absent is the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the industry’s main lobbying group.

Poker News Daily will have a recap of the show after it airs on Wednesday night. Video clips, slideshows, and even an illegal gambling quiz can be found on CNBC’s website.

Top Ten Poker Events of the Decade: Part 1

As 2009 prepares to fade into the pages of history, it will also close the doors on a decade that has been like no other for the sport of poker.

When the Third Millennium began a short ten years ago, poker could arguably be said to be on life support. A poker room in a casino was hard to find, there was only one prominent tournament schedule on the poker professional’s calendar, and the game had no place in the media. Poker was reviled as a pursuit of degenerate gamblers; those considered to be the best at the game had very little attention paid to them.

A decade later, the situation has completely reversed itself. Even the smallest casino, wherever it may be in the world, has a poker room. Bookstores have dedicated sections to house their wares of poker books and poker programming airs daily on television. Instead of just one tournament schedule, there are several offerings that require players to choose which one to participate in. Finally, poker pros are respected as adventuresome mavericks whose abilities, education, and intelligence are critical to their success.

With this in mind, Poker News Daily decided to look back at the last decade in an attempt to figure out what were the catalysts for such a return to prominence and what nearly derailed it.

10. Poker Rooms Make a Comeback

At the start of the 21st century, casinos across the United States didn’t consider poker to be a moneymaker for their operations. With that in mind, poker rooms were closed and slot machines began to invade their territory.

By the end of the decade, poker rooms, which had been near extinction only ten years earlier, obtained a greater prominence than they ever had in a casino. The live poker room should continue to be a staple of the casino world in the future.

9. Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker Superuser Scandals

The ugly head of corruption and scandal arose when two of the most popular online poker rooms in the industry, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker, succumbed to “superuser” cheating rings. These cheating scandals allowed players to see their opponents’ hole cards, making it impossible to lose a hand. These rings - the Ultimate Bet group, which was allegedly led by former World Champion Russ Hamilton, and the Absolute Poker team allegedly led by former employees Scott Tom and A. J. Green - took millions of dollars off of unsuspecting players and gave ammunition to anti-poker zealots in the war against the game.

After outrage from the online poker community, both organizations made financial amends to those affected, but didn’t prosecute anyone for the operation of either scam. Today, the two sites are part of the same network and have seemingly recovered some of their former respect (including the recent certification from eCOGRA, the online gaming watchdog). Still, the scandal could have had a devastating effect on the online game and it has cast doubt as to the legitimacy of online poker, much like the Mississippi riverboat games of centuries ago almost stopped poker from becoming what it is today.

8. Amateurs Dominate WSOP Main Event

Throughout its early history, poker, and in particular the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it was the bastion of professional rounders willing to live life on the edge, to take thousands of dollars out of their own pockets and risk that they were the greatest poker player in the world. With the advent of satellites and online poker, where a player could get into a tournament for a significantly smaller fee, amateur poker players began to take a shot at the upper echelons of the game.

Since 2002, an amateur or previously unknown player has won the $10,000 Main Event at the WSOP and been crowned World Champion. Some, such as Jerry Yang and Jamie Gold, have stayed on the peripheral of the poker world and have arguably not done much since their victories. Others, such as Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, and Chris Moneymaker, have continued to be at the forefront of the game, advocating in political circles for the regulation of online poker as respected professionals in their own right. Whether they have experience or not, amateurs have become a part of the WSOP.

7. New Blood Infuses the Game

All forms of business need an infusion of new customers to continue to drive their endeavors. Poker is no different. For some time, older players, mostly men, populated the game and the required influx of “new blood” was seemingly missing. Through the development of online poker, new players, both male and female, have made their marks.

In what was perhaps the most stunning tournament win of the decade, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad’s victory at the inaugural WSOP Europe Main Event made her the youngest player to win a major championship and demonstrated that the youth movement in poker had arrived. In the last two WSOP Main Events, Phil Hellmuth’s longstanding record as the youngest ever champion has been eclipsed twice. As we look at the next decade, young players will continue to make their names in an arena that previously had been dominated by the “Old Guard” of the game.

6. Twice is Nice – Dan Harrington, Mike Matusow, and Jeff Shulman

With the growth of the WSOP Main Event, the odds of a player repeating as champion, as Johnny Chan did in 1987 and 1988, are nearly infinitesimal. The feat of making two final tables is nearly as difficult, but three men - Dan Harrington, Mike Matusow, and Jeff Shulman - managed to pull off the feat. While none won the tournament, the ability to make two final tables during the decade, against such sizeable fields, is definitely a significant achievement.

Harrington’s feat is arguably the best of the three players. Battling through, at the time, the two largest WSOP Main Event fields ever, the 1995 champion nearly captured his second title in consecutive years (2003 and 2004). Matusow announced his presence on the game with his first final table in 2001 and marked his resurrection as a poker player by returning in 2005. Shulman finished seventh in 2000 and came back in 2009 with a fifth place finish.

2009 WSOP Year in Review

When the late gaming legend Benny Binion brought the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on the world, little did he know what it would become. What began 40 years ago as a gathering of Texas road gamblers in a quaint Las Vegas hotel has grown to become a behemoth that now spans an entire calendar year. By 2009, the WSOP was no longer a week-long reunion, but rather a year-long caravan that traverses the United States and ventures across the Atlantic to play in England.

While many may still think the WSOP begins in June, it truly takes place year-round with the WSOP Circuit. Now in its fifth year, the WSOP Circuit was created to combat the drawing power and success of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and, for the most part, has been successful. In 2009, many Circuit events took place that brought special moments.

The WSOP Circuit could be considered the minor leagues of poker, offering previously unknown players a chance to make their name in the game. In addition, such professional players as Gavin Smith, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Matt “All In At 420” Stout, and Alex Bolotin made final tables during the run of the 2009 WSOP Circuit schedule prior to the start of the Las Vegas WSOP in May. Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo and Los Angeles poker veteran Jean “Prince” Gaspard took home WSOP Circuit championships, but perhaps the person who can say he “pwns” the Circuit is Dwyte Pilgrim.

Pilgrim began an unprecedented run by capturing the title at Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego in April and rolled off four consecutive cashes in WSOP Circuit Championship Events, something that no other player had ever done. With this performance, the Brooklyn, New York poker player established himself as one of the up and coming stars of poker.

Days after Gaspard’s triumph at the New Orleans WSOP Circuit Championship Event, the 40th Anniversary WSOP kicked off in Las Vegas at the Rio. With a new sponsor in Jack Links Beef Jerky, the 57 bracelet events drew combatants from around the world, with over 120 nations represented. While it wasn’t known when the cards first flew in late May, the 40th WSOP would go down as arguably one of the best of all time.

For the first time ever at the WSOP, a No Limit Texas Hold’em event was held that exceeded the traditional $10,000 Championship Event. The $40,000 Anniversary Special drew some of the top names in the game. Former World Champion Greg Raymer drove deep into the event before falling in third place. Eventual champion Vitaly Lunkin bested Isaac Haxton to take down the once in a lifetime championship.

In such a combative field over the multitude of events, there were an astounding four multiple bracelet winners during the 2009 WSOP. Full Tilt Poker could claim two in Phil Ivey and Greg “FBT” Mueller and Brock Parker announced his arrival on the poker world with his two bracelet victories. Making history, though, was poker veteran Jeffrey Lisandro; his three bracelet wins in different Stud disciplines were enough to enable him to capture the 2009 WSOP Player of the Year award.

The $10,000 Main Event drew a substantial field of 6,494, which would have been larger except for a Day 1D fiasco that prevented an estimated additional 500 players from participating. After two weeks of play, the poker world was once again set for the November Nine, with amateur poker player Darvin Moon leading a pack of players that included Ivey and fellow poker notable Jeff Shulman.

The £10,000 WSOP Europe Main Event drew 334 players and saw two members of the 2009 “November Nine,” Antoine Saout and James Akenhead, make the final table. Eventual champion Barry Shulman, the father of Jeff, defeated crowd favorite Daniel Negreanu via a stunning, rivered two-outer on the next to last hand of the tournament.

After the furor of WSOP Europe calmed down, the November Nine came back to the felt on November 7th to determine the next World Champion. Moon held his own at the final table, as Ivey was dismissed in seventh and Shulman departed in fifth. Saout made a stirring run at the title, starting as the short stack, but battling through adversity to finish third. The true story of the November Nine, though, was Joe Cada.

Cada rode a roller coaster through the final table, his chip stack surging up and down throughout the 14-hour battle. At one point, his stack was at 2.5 million, but he began a comeback for the ages.

With a tremendous chip lead, the youthful Cada, who was weaned on online play, seemed to be the odds-on favorite to take out Moon, who eschewed sponsorship from online poker rooms. It took a rousing two and a half hours of play, with the chip lead shifting back and forth, before Cada emerged as the champion. With the victory, Cada eclipsed the record for youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever, set in 2008 by Peter Eastgate.

The most stunning development of the year in the WSOP occurred after the completion of the November Nine. Longtime WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced on November 13th that he would step down as the leader of the penultimate event in poker after a four-year run. During his time as Commissioner, Pollack increased the visibility of the WSOP, brought huge sponsorships to the tournament, and introduced the November Nine concept to the Main Event. While there were some low points in his tenure as commissioner, Pollack helped to enrich the history of the WSOP and left his mark on the venerable institution. As of December, there has been no move to replace Pollack in the position of WSOP Commissioner.

As the calendar turns to 2010, the WSOP continues to roll along. Even now, people are already in preparation for the event, much as it has been for the past 40 years and will continue to be for decades to come.

Palms to Use Lady Gaga’s Poker Face in Ad Campaign

Building upon its reputation as one of the hip spots in Las Vegas, the Palms Hotel and Casino will be introducing a new ad campaign that will feature musician Lady Gaga’s song “Poker Face.”

The ad, which can be found on the website of KVVU television in Las Vegas, puts Lady Gaga’s popular song beside some of the best features that the Palms has to offer. In particular, it focuses on the nightlife that occurs at the hotel, including its highly popular Playboy Club, Fantasy Towers, and various entertainment and gambling options. The ad finishes with the tag line “Show Us Your Poker Face,” as the song cuts abruptly.

“We feel that this is a special and unique opportunity to connect the Palms brand with one of the most respected and talented artists of our time,” said Palms owner George Maloof during the announcement this week. While the ad campaign focuses exclusively on the Palms itself, there is an ulterior motive for the promotion as well; Lady Gaga is set to perform at the Palms Pearl Theater on December 17th and 18th.

Lady Gaga, besides becoming the latest to tap into the poker phenomenon through tying in references to the game, has had quite a year on her own. She was signed to a record contract four years ago at the age of 19 and went on to write songs for several top recording artists including Akon, who encouraged her Interscope label to give her a chance to perform solo. Her debut album, “The Fame,” was released in late 2008 and contained “Poker Face,” which has given the young artist three Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for 2009.

There has long been a connection between poker and music. Musicians, with long road trips and plenty of downtime, have been known to enjoy a poker game while en route. Anthrax’s Scott Ian, who is a sponsored celebrity player at UB.com, is one of the most notable musicians to step to the felt and Motley Crue front man Vince Neil is well known for his charity poker tournament, which has run for four years and raised money for The Skylar Neil Memorial Fund, an organization which has raised charitable contributions to support innovative cancer, leukemia, and AIDS research.

Poker has also found its way into the music of many of the top artists in rock and country music history. One of the legendary bands in rock history, the Grateful Dead, penned the song “Deal,” which is known for the following lyric:

Since it costs a lot to win, and even more to lose,
You and me bound to spend some time wond'rin' what to choose.
Goes to show, you don't ever know,
Watch each card you play and play it slow,
Wait until that deal come round,
Don't you let that deal go down, no, no.

Another band that found their way to the poker world, albeit much louder than the Dead did, is the legendary metal band Motorhead and its song, “Ace of Spades.” While also taking into account the alleged myths around the card itself, band front man Lemmy Kilmister put in the following poker references:

Pushing up the ante, I know you've got to see me,
Read 'em and weep, the dead man's hand again,
I see it in your eyes, take one look and die,
The only thing you see, you know it's gonna be,
The ace of spades
The ace of spades

Finally, there is the one song that could be directly related to poker and delivers life lessons. Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” directly told the story of a lifelong poker player as he reflected his words of wisdom in the chorus of the song:

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Whether Lady Gaga will ever be held in the same regard as these legends of music remains to be seen, but “Poker Face” has definitely earned her a great deal of notoriety, prestige, and money. With the Palms gig and the ad campaign, it seems we will be hearing “Poker Face” for a little while longer.

Poker Industry Reacts to House Financial Services Committee Hearing

On Thursday, the House Financial Services Committee, Chaired by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), hosted a hearing on two internet gambling bills. Twenty-four hours later, the online poker industry has had a chance to respond.

In one portion of Thursday’s hearing, Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) referenced a letter he received from the FBI noting that the integrity of online poker games could be compromised. On the letter sent by Shawn Henry, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) retorted, “The PPA takes issue with certain representations made by Mr. Henry, but believes that the larger point is the more important one: Mr. Henry’s letter makes a compelling case for licensing and regulation of internet poker as proposed in HR 2267.” Bachus is the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and a staunch opponent of internet gambling interests.

Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) spokesperson Michael Waxman gave Poker News Daily his two cents on the 90-minute long hearing that took place on Thursday morning in one of Congress’ most powerful committees: “The hearing and witness testimony clearly portrayed why Congress should scrap an unrealistic attempt to ban internet gambling and regulate the burgeoning underground marketplace since it is the only effective way to protect consumers.” Witnesses covered the gamut, ranging from the banking industry to problem gambling interests.

Early on in the proceedings, Bachus questioned Frank as to why no representatives from the U.S. Treasury or Federal Reserve were present at the hearing. Frank responded that he had not received any such request. However, the Committee’s Chairman later recanted his statement after producing an e-mail dated 40 hours before the hearing began from Bachus’ staff calling for the Treasury or Fed to be present. The awkward exchange ultimately led to agreement that an additional hearing should take place featuring members of the two government organizations, setting up more debate on the internet gambling issue in 2010. The Treasury and Fed granted a six-month delay in compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

On the proceedings, Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan told Poker News Daily, “It’s good to see that the ball is rolling again. The trick is going to be if things are sustained beyond the hearing. The industry has this pace of getting a public hearing every six months, but there seems to be little follow-up. Seeing that the minority wanted to hear from the Treasury and Fed, it may be the opposition who keeps the ball rolling.” No hearing has been scheduled, although PPA Executive Director John Pappas expected swift movement to mark up HR 2267.

Bachus’ generalizations about millions of young Americans becoming addicted to online gaming if legalization were to occur rubbed many in the industry the wrong way. On some of the claims made by the high-ranking Alabama Congressman, PocketFives.com poster “RI Tony” commented, “This Bachus guy is a classic example of why I hate politicians. There would be no way to change this guy’s mind. He’s simple minded and arrogant, thinking he can legislate morality. Oh yeah, and like I’m going to play poker on my Blackberry as I’m driving or waiting in line at the supermarket as he suggested people would. Idiot.” Online sites like Cake Poker already offer a mobile client.

Bachus asserted, “If Congress repeals the law, online casinos will proliferate. In the next five years, I feel that if [we] are successful in creating a federal right to gamble on the internet, we will create a generation of millions of Americans who from their youth will be addicted to internet gambling and, therefore, life-long problem gamblers.” Frank labeled Bachus’ comments “hyperbole” and “based on no factual basis whatsoever.”

In June of 2008 during a separate committee hearing, Bachus relayed a study from McGill University claiming that one-third of college students who gambled on the internet attempted suicide. In fact, no such study had ever taken place. A representative for the university quipped, “I am confident the Congressman doesn’t read research – he could not misinterpret this.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Capitol Hill.

Lodden: “Isildur1 is young and doesn’t understand the value of the cash”

Johnny Lodden was the online poker player everybody was talking about few years ago, when he played online under the nickname “bad_ip”. Nowadays Lodden doesn’t play online high stakes anymore and has focused more on competing in live tournaments. But the PokerStars pro still remembers the time when he was young and reckless high stakes gambler.

“It was pretty crazy,” says Lodden about the record pot that he lost to Kowssarie. “I might have smashed my computer. I smashed a lot of computers back in the day.”

In 2006, games were lot smaller than today and highest games were played with $200/$400 blinds, mostly at Microgaming Network, formerly known as Prima Poker Network. Just 21 years old at the time, Lodden couldn’t properly understand the value of money he was winning or losing.

“When you have the money online it’s different,” Lodden said. “If I had a briefcase in front of me with $3 million it would be different thing. When you just have chips and numbers on a computer, you just treat it differently.”

Lodden feels that Isildur1 is in a same place where he was three years ago, playing against best in the world in Patrik Antonius, Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, all players which Lodden has played against when he was active in high stakes circuit.

“I think he’s young and doesn’t understand the value of the cash,” he said. “But I love his No-Limit (Hold’em) game. I mean, he’s really good at (Pot-Limit Omaha) but he’s much better at No-Limit (Hold’em).”

Even though norwegian Lodden made a reputation as being one of the most fearsome cash game players in the world, he says he is more than happy playing live tournaments these days.

“I really want to do well in live tournaments because this is the thing everybody cares about.” Lodden says. “I love to play tournaments, especially the EPTs and nowadays I’m not playing so high, so I have to grind it out in these.”

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Lodden: “Isildur1 is young and doesn’t understand the value of the cash”

National Council on Problem Gambling Head Discusses Internet Research

Given that compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has been delayed six months to June 1st, 2010, research on the effects of online gaming may now take center stage as lawmakers craft sensible legislation. At the helm of the National Council on Problem Gambling is Keith Whyte, who sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss the internet side of problem gambling research.

In June, Congressmen Jim Moran (D-VA), Lee Terry (R-NE), and Frank Wolf (R-VA) introduced HR 2906, the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act. The bill boasts 26 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle and allocates $71 million over five years for problem gambling awareness, research, and treatment. Its language was incorporated into Senator Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) S 1597, the Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act.

Poker News Daily: Thank you for joining us. Talk a little bit about the differences between live and online problem gambling research.

Whyte: A lot of the research we have is not online and there may be some significant differences between online and live players. When we think about online players, one of the ways I try to break it down is to look at the risk factors for gambling problems: high speed of play, social isolation, use of credit cards, higher limits, and easy access. Those can all be found in the online arena. All of the studies have found that internet gambling users tend to be younger and male. Also cited is that online gamblers are not necessarily losing a lot of money; they are just on there 14 hours a day to the detriment of their work and family life. Problem gambling is not just about the money.

PND: Online gamblers have access to a wide variety of options like poker, blackjack, sports, and casino carnival games. Does that increase, decrease, or not affect the propensity for problem gambling to occur?

Whyte: It’s a pretty robust finding that the more types of things you gamble on, the more likely you are to have a gambling problem. The fact that online gamblers tend to play more types of games means that they are more likely to develop a gambling problem.

PND: Is an online problem gambling study in the works?

Whyte: As we work on Capitol Hill, there are a lot of people asking questions about the online environment. One of the reasons we haven’t done the research is funding and resources. As an advocacy organization for programs that assist problem gamblers, a lot of our focus is on prevention and treatment. For example, we’re still trying to build a safety net for problem gamblers at the state level. We are keen on trying to understand this better and I’d like to see the National Council in a position to support that research.

PND: Have any online poker or internet gambling sites come to you looking for research or offering assistance?

Whyte: bwin has collaborated with Harvard University. Other examples have included the involvement of eCOGRA, but it’s nothing that we’ve done directly.

PND: Will regulation of the industry through a bill like Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, deter problem gambling?

Whyte: That’s one of the concerns we have at the state level right now. We have no confirmation that regulated gambling is more responsible; it’s how that regulation is done. We’ve had problems with state governments not collecting and releasing information, which makes it much more difficult for us to act.

Poker Pros Comment on Isildur1 and High-Stakes Online Poker

Online railbirds have been thrilled to watch the continuing battle between the online poker newcomer Isildur1 and several of the top professionals from the Full Tilt Poker stable. While Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, and Tom “durrrr” Dwan have swapped six-figure pots with the Swedish phenomenon, online poker fans and players have been offering their thoughts on Isildur1 and high-stakes play. Poker News Daily sought out the opinion of two top professionals in the game today for their outlook on this week’s battles on the virtual felts.

Tom Schneider, who is the proud owner of two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and captured the Player of the Year award in 2007, believes that there is a dominant factor in the gentlemen engaged in this game. “I think a part of this game is ego for everyone,” Schneider told Poker News Daily. “Keeping it in check is important for good play and bankroll management, however. Good players and even great players are susceptible to go broke if they’re not careful.”

“Most all of us are guilty of playing higher than our bankroll would suggest,” Schneider continued. “I don’t know how deep these guys are, but I can’t imagine that both of them can continue to play for this kind of money for too long, especially if there aren’t some really bad players in the game.”

Many have suggested that the players in this high-stakes game are perhaps the best in the world, but Schneider respectfully disagrees. “I can’t comment on whether these players are better than the rest because I haven’t played with them,” Schneider admitted with a laugh. “Confidence is key in poker. If you have built your bankroll up enough to play at this level, one has to be incredibly confident. Having said that, one of the best poker players in the world might be playing in a $1/$2 game right now. He or she may never play higher because they don’t want to.”

“Is there really a best player in the world,” Schneider continued during our discussion. “I don’t think so. It is much like saying, ‘Is there a best artist in the world?’ Poker is too much art to have a best player. A list of great players could be written, but the word ‘best’ shouldn’t be used. No offense to Phil Ivey, but I would use the term ‘amazing’ to describe him. Did he play better than anyone at the final table (at the WSOP Main Event)? I’m not sure.”

Joe Sebok, who drove deep in the 2009 WSOP Main Event (finishing 56th) and is a sponsored pro with UB.com, is one who admits to being amazed about the players and the high-stakes game that is occurring. “There’s no denying that they have sick skills,” Sebok stated, “They also have a certain amount of sick gamble in them. That’s a trait that you just can’t teach to people. These guys want to gamble as high as they possibly can, working the smallest edges imaginable. You have to take your hat off to that.”

Sebok coins a new term for the players that the online world is transfixed with. “They are a different breed, for sure,” he says. “A lot of factors all combine to create these ‘super gamblers.’ There is definitely a lot of ego involved.” When asked if he would be playing at these levels, Sebok laughed. “I think they are insane! I can’t imagine that I would ever play that high. I don’t think I would even want to if I had unlimited bankroll. I just don’t have it at that high of a level. As I’ve said before, it takes an innate sick amount of gamble and I don’t have it at that level.”

2009 WSOP Main Event Champ Joe Cada Appears on Late Show with David Letterman

On Tuesday night, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Joe Cada appeared in an abbreviated segment of the “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS. Also taking to the stage were actress Penelope Cruz and musical guests The Script.

Cada appeared after Cruz as Letterman’s second guest around 12:25am ET for a four-minute stint. The 2009 WSOP Main Event winner came out to a rendition of Lady Gaga’s hit song “Poker Face” donning a black collared shirt and a pair of blue jeans. No PokerStars logo was visible and Cada wore his bracelet on his left hand. Letterman asked the 21 year-old to show it to the camera and called it a “watch.”

Letterman began the informal interview by noting that he remembered the WSOP being at Binion’s, where it was housed until 2005, when the festivities picked up and moved across town to the Rio. Cada plugged PokerStars, where he is a sponsored pro, when Letterman asked how he got started in the game and the “Late Show” host then candidly asked what the largest sum of money that Cada had lost in a day was. His response was $100,000, which made Letterman cringe “Oh my God.”

Letterman called Cada a “professional gambler” multiple times, but Cada responded, “It’s not like I’m in over my head. It sucks losing that money, but you don’t want to play anything really big.” Letterman then joked that Cada should “get a real job” and the $8.5 million winner retorted, “That sounds like my mother.” Cada lamented that several players fell ill during the 2009 WSOP and that play at the Rio was exhausting.

The CBS talk show host recalled how poker players used to be treated: “In my mind, the winner of a big pot, they found dead in a rental car.” Cada, however, explained that poker exploded after Chris Moneymaker took down the 2003 WSOP Main Event: “It’s a fun thing to do socially. I grew up playing with my friends at the table.” Letterman inquired about the camaraderie at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio for the final table of this year’s feature tournament. On the mood at the marathon final table, Cada noted, “It was very friendly.”

Curiously, Letterman brought up Cada’s backing arrangement, asking if other professional players bought him into the $10,000 tournament. With a smile across his face, Cada explained, “Something along those lines.” He did not mention Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy or Eric “sheets” Haber by name, but Letterman asked, “So you have to split [the $8.5 million prize] up with those guys?” Cada responded, “Yeah.” Letterman then quipped, “Or that’s where the rental car comes in.” It appeared to be a fairly uncomfortable exchange given that the interview only lasted four minutes overall.

On Cada’s motivation to repeat as champion when the 2010 WSOP Main Event plays out, Letterman explained, “It’s like an Academy Award. Once you’ve won it, what do you care? You’re the World Champion of Poker.”

Some in the online poker community speculated that Cada would plug the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the 1.2 million member strong lobbying organization that he is a proponent of, but that failed to materialize. In addition, none of the other eight November Nine members was mentioned by name and a short clip of the moment Cada won aired prior to his appearance.

The “Late Show with David Letterman” airs Monday through Friday at 11:35pm ET.

Detroit Media Debates Joe Cada 2009 WSOP Main Event Victory

While many in the industry have been celebrating Michigan native Joe Cada becoming the youngest World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner ever, Cada’s local media in Detroit have debated the impact of his feat on society.

Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press weighed in on the issue in an editorial piece appropriately titled, “Joe Cada’s poker win won’t corrupt our society.” Addressing readers in a state where the unemployment rate has soared to above 15%, Samuelsen cautioned critics, “I’m not simply encouraging your sons and daughters to follow in his footsteps. I’m just saying that it’s not quite as bad as others will make it out to be. As long as you’re not losing money, there’s nothing wrong with sharpening your mind.” Cada shattered Peter Eastgate’s record as youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever at age 21. In fact, his 22nd birthday is next week.

In a separate Free Press article, Cada gave his disclaimer for area youth looking to turn to poker in order to make a living. He told the paper, “You have to be very careful when you decide to make it a living. More people lose than win.”

Ron Dzwonkowski, also of the Free Press, gave his frank opinion on the impact that Cada may have on the local market: “I hope Cada doesn’t become an inspiration. He’s an exception. Most gamblers lose. If they didn’t, Las Vegas wouldn’t exist and the three casinos in Detroit wouldn’t be holding up as well as they are in the nation’s worst economy.” Many in the poker industry would counter that Cada wasn’t “gambling;” instead, he was excelling at a game of skill like bridge, chess, or mahjong.

Dzwonkowski’s Free Press article cited a study from Michigan State University that surveyed students asking whether internet gaming is affecting their studies. A total of 18.5% answered yes, although the results included computer games in addition to gambling. He concluded, “So congratulations to Joe Cada, whose card-playing acumen — and luck — made him a multimillionaire at 21. I hope he spends most of it in Michigan. But most 21-year-olds — heck, most people — are not going to have the ride that Joe Cada did. He’s a winner all right. But he shouldn’t become an inspiration.”

Meanwhile, Cada’s friends and family have rallied behind the champion of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. His uncle told the same Detroit newspaper, “He’s pretty level-headed. He’s a cool-headed kid. He’s always been a wonderful kid – quiet and polite – and just a good person. So he deserves it.”

Cada appeared on the CBS morning franchise “The Early Show” and candidly recalled his mother’s reaction to his poker playing aspirations: “She’d always see people gambling and you know, lose money, so she was always kind of nervous about me playing poker for a living. It brought her to tears when I won the thing. She said she was really proud of me.”

Play concluded at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino late Monday night and saw Cada best Maryland logger Darvin Moon heads-up. Cada entered heads-up play as a 2:1 chip leader before relinquishing his edge to Moon, who took a 3:1 margin of his own. Cada’s win was worth $8.5 million, although a chunk of his funds went to backers who fronted his $10,000 Main Event entry fee. Cada became the fifth PokerStars pro since 2003 to take down the title, joining Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), and Peter Eastgate (2008).

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PokerNews Op-Ed: Anatomy of the Rail

Atlantic City Gaming Revenue Falls 5.8% in September

According to figures released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, Atlantic City casinos posted revenues, or “win,” of $335.4 million in September, representing a drop of 5.8% year over year.

A total of $231.8 million was generated from slot machines last month and another $103.5 million came from gamblers staked out at table games, representing declines of 5.2% and 6.9%, respectively, compared to September of 2008. The Atlantic City Hilton posted total casino win of $15.66 million in September, a drop of 16.3% from the $18.72 million posted last year. Bally’s, meanwhile, suffered a similar fate, as revenues of $39.69 million in September meant that win had fallen 13.3% year over year.

The Borgata, home of the annual World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Poker Open, posted total casino win of $63.14 million in September, the month in which it hosted the annual high-stakes tournament. That sum meant that Borgata revenues had actually grown year over year by 6.0% from the $59.57 million generated in September of 2008. At Caesars Atlantic City, which will host a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event in March, overall revenues were $39.52 million, a slide of 6.3% from the $42.16 million posted last year.

At Harrah’s Marina, win in September totaled $43.68 million, representing an increase of 3.1% from the $42.38 million raked in last year. Also coming out in the black was Resorts, one of Atlantic City’s smaller properties, which posted revenues of $16.37 million in September, a gain of 3.9% compared to the same period in 2008. The final property listed by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission that posted a rise year over year was Tropicana, which saw a modest growth of 1.0% to $26.68 million.

Besides the Atlantic City Hilton and Bally’s, four other casinos posted double-digit slides in revenue in September. At Showboat, gamblers dried up, as the gaming establishment posted a win of $26.02 million, a 13.6% dip from the $30.13 million posted in 2008. The three Trump properties each saw sizable hits as well, as Trump Marina’s revenues dove 14.2% in September to $13.13 million. At Trump Plaza, casino win in September was $15.54 million, down 16.5% from the $18.60 million posted in September of 2008. Finally, Trump Taj Mahal posted revenues of $35.98 million, a drop of 12.4% from the $41.09 million generated last year.

Year-to-date through the end of September, each of Atlantic City’s 11 gaming properties has posted losses compared to the same period in 2008, manifesting the impact of the severe global recession. Trump Plaza’s 23.8% slide year over year through the end of September represents the greatest loss, while the Borgata’s revenues are off just 4.8% to $540 million in 2009, the largest total of any casino in the New Jersey city. Also posting single-digit losses was Trump Taj Mahal, whose revenues have slid by just 5.0% in 2009 to $345 million.

Casinos paid $23.94 million in taxes to the State of New Jersey in September, representing 8% of gross revenue. The money is deposited into the Casino Revenue Fund, which the Commission explains, “pays for programs that benefit qualifying senior citizens and people with disabilities.” Overall, the 11 Atlantic City casinos combined for $3.05 billion in revenue over the first nine months of 2009, down 14.2% from the $3.55 billion posted in 2008. Table game revenue is off 14.1% year over year, while slot machine win is down 14.2% in a fairly even split.

The news of continued drop in casino gaming revenues on the East Coast coincides with the 20th straight month of decline in win posted in Nevada, where revenues in August dove 9.32% in 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. The last month that Nevada casinos posted a rise in win year over year was December of 2007.

Nevada Gaming Revenues Fall for 20th Straight Month

According to figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, statewide casino revenue, or “win,” fell 9.32% in August of 2009 compared to August of 2008. The total gaming win reported was $847.0 million, representing the 20th straight month of decline. Read the Board’s August revenue report.

Last year, Nevada casino licensees hauled in a gaming win of $934.1 million. In Clark County, which includes the famed Las Vegas Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, Laughlin, Boulder, and Mesquite, gaming win in August was $708.1 million, down 6.73% year over year. On the Strip, which includes a bevy of poker-friendly gaming establishments like the Bellagio and Venetian, revenues were $449.5 million in August, off 9.00% from the same period in 2008. In Downtown Las Vegas, which includes the Golden Nugget, home of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Face the Ace,” revenues were $41.9 million. That total represented a decline of 3.87% year over year.

The news wasn’t so grim in North Las Vegas or the Boulder Strip, where revenues were up in August of 2009 in comparison to August of 2008. In the former, gaming win came in at $22.1 million, up 21.93% year over year. In Boulder, a similar increase occurred, as revenues of $63.4 million represented a 21.53% rise over the $52.2 million posted last August. North Las Vegas and the Boulder Strip were the only two locales to post revenue gains year over year. In Laughlin, revenues sank 13.85% in August to $38.1 million, while Mesquite saw its gaming win tumble 21.59% to $8.5 million.

In Washoe County, which includes Reno, Sparks, and North Lake Tahoe, combined casino revenues were $73.9 million in August, a drop of 20.95% compared to the $93.4 million posted last year. In “The Biggest Little City in the World,” residents saw the influx of money from casino gamblers dive 21.19% in August to $53.6 million. In Sparks, revenues sank 19.66% to $11.5 million. Meanwhile, North Lake Tahoe casinos suffered a similar fate, as revenues of $3.4 million two months ago represented a 24.69% dip year over year. In South Lake Tahoe, revenues plummeted 28.92% in August from $30.9 million in 2008 to $21.9 million in 2009.

In Elko County, gaming win in August totaled $22.2 million, a sum that meant a fall of 14.98% year over year. In Wendover, revenues dipped 17.61% to $13.4 million in August. Rounding out the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s report was the Carson Valley Area, which includes Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and all other areas of Douglas County except South Lake Tahoe. That location saw its revenue slide 17.12% in August to $8.7 million.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board also reported fee collection figures for the month of September that are derived from revenues accrued by casinos in August. In September, the State raked in $49.6 million in fees, which equated to a slide of 9.03% year over year. Last September, the month before the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted from 10,800 to 8,400, fee collections totaled $54.6 million.

August marked the 20th straight month of casino gaming win in Nevada decreasing year over year. The last month that casinos posted a rise in revenue from one year to the next was December of 2007. Here are the results since then:

August, 2009: (9.32%)
July, 2009: (12.48%)
June, 2009: (13.82%)
May, 2009: (8.34%)
April, 2009: (14.07%)
March, 2009: (11.61%)
February, 2009: (18.12%)
January, 2009: (14.62%)
December, 2008: (18.94%)
November, 2008: (14.80%)
October, 2008: (22.33%)
September, 2008: (5.44%)
August, 2008: (8.10%)
July, 2008: (12.97%)
June, 2008: (1.11%)
May, 2008: (15.17%)
April, 2008: (5.05%)
March, 2008: (1.52%)
February, 2008: (3.93%)
January, 2008: (4.75%)

Doyle Brunson’s Twitter Account Gaining Fans by the Thousands

A recent tweet from Doyle Brunson “The Texas Dolly” summed up what many skeptics had to say when they learned the 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner has taken to the microblogging site Twitter: “Can it be that you guys really like the blonde jokes? My followers are going up at an alarming rate…never thought I’d be a tweeeter:-)”

If the parenthetical smiley face is any indication, Brunson, also known as @TexDolly on Twitter, not only uses the popular social networking site, but also is down with the Twitter lingo.  Brunson has been known to tweet at fellow users, bust out acronyms typically seen on internet poker forums, and even drop smiley faces from time to time, especially when doling out a stream of dumb blonde jokes.

As he alluded to in the aforementioned tweet, Brunson has seen a major spike in followers over the past month, jumping from 16,000 less than two weeks ago to nearly 45,000 as of Friday morning.  The recent jump puts Brunson ahead of other big name players like Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu and suggests that the “old timer” of the poker world still has a big influence on the industry.  In a statement from DoylesRoom, Brunson’s online poker site, the longtime pro suggested that his deep run in the WSOP Europe Main Event and an appearance at an affiliate convention in Budapest are to blame for the spike, but there may be more to Brunson’s popularity in the Twitterverse than just a heightened profile.

There are plenty of celebrities from Hollywood, the sports world, and the poker community on Twitter, but not all of them pick up huge followings.  Some suggest that the hit and miss nature of celebrity Twitter accounts depends on the types of things a person elects to tweet about.  If celebrities tweet infrequently or only post mundane details about their lives, they are less likely to have a large following, even if they are on the “A List.”  Brunson’s account has its fair share of run-of-the-mill fare like when cash games are running on DoylesRoom, but he also includes his thoughts on current events, responses to other people’s tweets, and jokes (lots of jokes).

The recent stream of blonde jokes is the result of Brunson losing a bet on a recent Monday Night Football game.  He explained his reasoning with a tweet from Tuesday that read, “Lost the Monday night football game. I’m gonna tell dumb blonde jokes until I finally win one!! ya, that’s right, suffer along with me.”  Since then, he’s posted seven blonde jokes, but has found time to respond to the tweets of others, including socialite Nicky Hilton, who is one of Brunson’s many followers.

While Twitter and Texas Dolly may seem like an unusual combination, it makes sense when you consider how long he has been posting in his popular personal blog.  Past posts have proven that Brunson does not bite his tongue on issues, as he has spoken out on everything from politics to poker and it seems that people are paying attention.  A recent blog in which Brunson proposed candidates for a “Poker Hall of Shame” criticized several of his fellow old school gamblers for their bad poker behavior was picked up by several poker media outlets as a newsworthy event.  His blog endorsing World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame class has made its way into poker print as well.

Some of the other old school pros like Amarillo Slim prefer to lay low now that poker is part of the mainstream media, but the 76 year-old Brunson has elected to remain in the spotlight.  DoylesRoom’s team of online pros, dubbed the Brunson 10, are just another example of how the man who got his start playing cards in backrooms across the South keeps adapting and changing with the times.  The Brunson 10, which currently consists of Amit “amak316″ Makhija, Alec “traheho” Torelli, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and Chris “Moorman1″ Moorman, will feature online pros supposedly hand-picked by Brunson to represent his site.  The divide between live and online pros has been a major theme in the post-Moneymaker era of poker, but the Brunson 10 is the poker legend’s attempt to bridge the gap between the old and new guard of players.

Be it the Brunson 10, his blog, or his increasingly popular Twitter account, Brunson seems to have tapped into the younger generation of poker players and has become an unexpected new media success story.  While he still has a ways to go to catch some of Twitter’s most popular accounts, which possess more than one million followers, it seems as though Brunson may be onto something with those blonde jokes.

Pitbull Poker Posts Cashout Instructions, Affiliate Links for PokerStars, Cake Poker

In a curious twist, players logging into the Pitbull Poker client on Wednesday were met with news that the site was officially closed. However, five affiliate banners for other online poker sites also appeared.

On Tuesday, players were able to log into the PitBull Poker software. However, no games were available, nor were any messages announcing that the Flash Poker Network site had officially closed. That all changed on Wednesday, when players who made their way to Pitbull Poker were met with the following announcement: “It is with great sadness that we have closed Pitbull Poker.” The terse statement then addressed the concerns of players questioning the future of their funds held on the small online poker site: “To cash out your balance, please e-mail support@pitbullpoker.com.”

The two-sentence text appears in white on a black background at the top of the screen. Below that are five banners for other online poker rooms. The text above the graphics, written in red, reads, “Pitbull Poker Recommends the following Gaming Websites.” Each banner ad contains an affiliate code, presumably for Pitbull Poker. At the top of the page at the time of writing was an ad for Cake Poker, a USA friendly site and flagship room of its own network. Below Cake Poker was Rushmore Casino, whose banner proudly notes, “All USA Players are Welcome” in capital letters. Rushmore Casino’s banner also touts an $888 bonus.

The third banner given belongs to PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. PokerStars boasts former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champions Peter Eastgate, Joe Hachem, and Chris Moneymaker among its elite team of pros. Pitbull Poker is also hawking Bookmaker and Aladdin’s Gold to internet gamblers looking for a new home. The Bookmaker ad contains an image of a football.

Affiliate banners, when clicked, tie a player to a referral source. If a person signs up and makes a deposit, the source, in many cases, reaps a one-time finder’s fee or receives a percentage of their action in the future. For Pitbull Poker, which will now receive a tidal wave of player cashout requests, being an affiliate of Cake Poker, Rushmore Casino, PokerStars, Bookmaker, and Aladdin’s Gold can mean an influx of much-needed revenue.

Michael Scott, Operations Manager of PokerSource.com, one of the largest online poker affiliate sites in the industry, told Poker News Daily, “Becoming an affiliate of a poker room is not a difficult thing to do; however, I believe it is the affiliate’s responsibility to disclose to the customer that they are in fact operating as an affiliate. If Pitbull is doing this to try to raise revenue so they can pay out their customers, then that is a win-win situation for the customer, but if they are doing this to line their own pockets even more, that is inexcusable. I would hope that it is the former and not the latter. I guess time will tell as to what they are really trying to do.”

In other Pitbull Poker news, PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on traffic across the major online poker sites, noted that the room’s departure from the Flash Poker Network left the USA-friendly family of sites in shambles. An article posted by PokerScout.com on Sunday read in part, “The move left the Flash Poker Network practically deserted. The network also stopped providing accurate traffic data to PokerScout and was therefore removed from the Online Poker Traffic Report.” PokerScout.com listed the network’s headquarters as being in Costa Rica, with its servers housed in Panama City, Panama.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the Pitbull Poker closure.

Full_Flush Allegedly Banned from Grosvenor Casinos for Sandwich Theft

The recent antics of British online poker pro Luke “Full_Flush” Schwartz have only helped to cement his reputation as a bad boy and a poker brat, as he has supposedly been banned not once, but twice from Grosvenor Casino properties.  First, he received a ban from the Victoria Casino for improper headgear and now he has allegedly been banned from all Grosvenor Casinos for stealing a cheese sandwich.

According to the forums and several European poker outlets including the Betfair blog, the first incident at the Victoria Casino, known to locals as “The Vic,” came when Schwartz refused to remove his hat in the casino’s poker room.  Popular and influential local gambler Eddie Hearn stepped in on Schwartz’s behalf and convinced the casino to lift the ban on the young British pro in time for him to participate in the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) London stop.  While the tournament changed venues this year, moving from the Victoria to the Hilton London Metropole, the tournament staff was comprised of poker room employees from The Vic who were initially not keen on seeing Schwartz participate.

The high stakes pro’s troubles did not end there, though.  While he played in the EPT London Main Event, it took mere minutes after he busted out midway through Day Two before Schwartz found himself in hot water with the casino staff once again.  A blog post by one of Poker Listings’ tournament reporters, Martin Derbyshire, reported that Schwartz allegedly lifted a pickle and cheese sandwich from the food stand just outside the tournament area and walked away without paying for it.  Apparently, Schwartz insisted that he was a VIP player and did not deserve to be charged for the snack and refused to pay even after being stopped by security.

The act of thievery, combined with his unwillingness to pay for his food, led to Schwartz’s second ban from Grosvenor properties and this time it appears as though no reprieve is in sight.  Derbyshire also wrote that the word around the tournament area was that Schwartz received a warning from EPT staff about his behavior.

While Schwartz confirmed the details of the hat incident, he has yet to speak out on how much truth there is behind “Sandwichgate 2009.”  True or not, the stories only further cement Schwartz’s reputation as one of “bad boys” of online poker.  Schwartz first garnered attention earlier this year when he had choice words about some of the other high-stakes online cash game players, notably Tom “durrrr” Dwan.  Schwartz bashed Dwan in print and television interviews, commenting on both his style of play and social life.

Though Schwartz may have to deal with a ban from Grosvenor Casinos, he is not done playing live in London just yet.  He is set to take part in both the PKR Grand Slam Heads-Up festivities and the PartyPoker World Open V.  Dwan is also on tap to participate in the two events.  The draw for the PKR event’s first round is already complete and should Schwartz and Dwan both advance to the semi-finals, they would compete against each other in a highly-anticipated live match.  The World Open V does not pit the two players against each other in preliminary heats, but there is still the possibility that they will meet at the final table of the shootout-style event.

Hopefully, Schwartz won’t get himself banned from either of the events before they start, as the potential face-to-face encounter between Full_Flush and Dwan have had the online poker world buzzing for months.

ESPN Inside Deal Welcomes Phil Ivey, Steven Begleiter

This week, “Inside Deal,” which airs on ESPN.com, welcomes two of the 2009 November Nine, Phil Ivey and Steven Begleiter, both Full Tilt Poker pros. “Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday.

The show began with a recap of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event, which saw November Niners Antoine Saout and James Akenhead reach the final table. Last year, Ivan Demidov became the first player to make the feature tables of the WSOP Main Events in Las Vegas and London, prompting “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee to comment, “I previously said that I never thought Ivan Demidov’s performance making the WSOP final table and making the WSOP Europe final table would ever happen again in the same year.” Sure enough, two players proved Lee wrong this year.

“Inside Deal” then recapped three legal battles raging in the industry, headlined by the closure of Pitbull Poker, a Flash Poker Network site, amid superuser allegations. In addition, Lary “pokergirl z” Kennedy and Greg Omotoy have sued Full Tilt Poker over bot use, while funds destined for internet gamblers in Maryland were seized from six bank accounts by the Federal Government. On the latter, Lee remarked, “Players must be able to trust that their virtual money is safe. If not and they can’t turn this money into cold, hard cash at any moment, the money is pointless.”

Begleiter then joined Lee and “Inside Deal” host Laura Lane donning Full Tilt Poker and 1-800-WIRELESS logos. He’s seen fellow November Niners excel since play concluded in July, including Kevin Schaffel finishing as the runner-up to Prahlad Friedman in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker in August; Begleiter finished ninth. Begleiter noted, “I’m rooting for these guys. We’re all going to be linked forever and as time goes on and we’ve had this joint success, it raises the profile of the table.”

An exclusive interview with Phil Ivey then aired. In it, Poker Edge host Phil Gordon asked the November Nine member about his recent success. Ivey explained, “I was very prepared and I was on a very good schedule. I was very in tune with poker.” On what makes him a force to be reckoned with at the tables, Ivey remarked, “There’s no perfect way to play against me because I make a lot of adjustments. I’m pretty good at adjusting to what my opponent is doing and I think that’s why I’ve had a lot of success heads-up.”

According to Wicked Chops Poker, Ivey placed a $20,000 bet with Andy Bloch at 200:1 odds that he’d take down the Main Event. The bet was made when 2,500 players remained and may soon pay off to the tune of $4 million. Ivey would not discuss his various Main Event prop bets with Gordon, saying that he wasn’t comfortable talking about them on camera.

Begleiter once again took center stage and commented on the similarities between the poker world and his profession in the financial industry: “Understanding risk, understanding limits, and understanding your bankroll matter when you make a [decision] at the felts or [a decision about] your IRA.” He revealed that he folded pocket kings pre-flop on Day 1 to a 5bet (his opponent showed aces) and flopped a flush on Day 5 to double up. On Day 7, he was all-in with A-Q and cracked pocket kings to vault him into the November Nine.

Begleiter earned his $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat from a recurring home game and owes league members 20% of his earnings, a figure that currently stands at nearly $250,000. Begleiter’s league boasts a buy-in of $300, $60 of which is reserved for a year-end prize pool; the other $240 is allocated for that week’s game. The 27 player league has played out three seasons, with Begleiter winning seven of 36 games, recording one final table title and one regular season championship.

Check out the rest of “Inside Deal” by visiting ESPN.com.

The Clown In Space - Guy Laliberté Takes Poker To The Sky

World famous Cirque du Soleil founder and a high stakes poker gambler Guy Laliberté heads to the sky.

The biggest high stakes donator of the past years, Guy Laliberté, wanted to be the first clown in space. Now his dream has come true as he is heading towards ISS (International Space Station). His 12-day trip didn’t come cheap as the ticket to space cost him about twenty million euros.

Laliberté doesn’t need to travel alone as he is accompanied by the US astronaut Jeffrey Williams and the Russian cosmonaut Alexei Surajev.

Between 2007 and 2008 Guy Laliberté has lost approximately 25 million dollars in the high stakes games on Full Tilt Poker. Then again, for a billionaire a sum like that is a small price to pay for a nice hobby.

Time will tell if other high stakes players will head after him to ISS or will Guy lose his fortune playing Chinese poker with the space station crew.

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The Clown In Space - Guy Laliberté Takes Poker To The Sky

The hits continue: martonas drops another $500k

If martonas is one thing, he's persistent. Last night he returned to the highest-stakes games online, and for the second night in a row, he managed to get beat out of half a million dollars.

Almost every nosebleed-stakes player in the game could smell the blood in the water, causing an absolute frenzy of action.

In fact, the top 25 pots of the night alone amounted to over $6.1 million wagered.

Patrik Antonius, whose appearances on Full Tilt's tables have been sparse in contrast to last year, has returned with a vengeance, proving once again he is one of the most prolific online players ever.

Last night Antonius was involved in four pots worth over $300k, including the largest pot of the night worth a massive $496,023. Antonius won the top pot by snapping off Marchese's bluff, making a $101k call on the river holding nothing but king-high.

Despite losing the half-million dollar pot, Marchese managed to minimize his losses down to just over $100k.

Playing on the same tables as Antonius and Marchese, POKERBLUFFS picked his spots well, playing fewer hands than his opponents but taking down the majority of those he chose to play.

At the end of the night, POKERBLUFFS finished with an impressive profit of $488k.

On top of all the No-Limit Hold'em action, Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies and Phil Ivey took turns pulling down massive pots while playing heads up $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha.

Even after winning all five of their largest heads-up pots, Sahamies was unable to leave the table with any more than $150k of Ivey's money. However, by winning some large pots in other games, Sahamies brought his final result on the night to just over $230k.

The night was a complete bust for Ashton "theASHMAN103" Griffin who cut his month's profit of nearly $1 million in half, losing close to $480k playing NLHE.

Regardless of who won or lost over the last few days, one thing is almost certain: As long as martonas continues to return to the tables, the action will be through the roof.

Here are the three largest pots of the night, head to MarketPulse to see the rest:

Both players knew they both had the draw.

$146k on a draw.

A nice turn for Antonius.

Las Vegas Mogul Bob Stupak Dies at 67

The poker and the Las Vegas communities lost one of their own last week, when entrepreneur and former World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Bob Stupak succumbed to a lengthy battle with leukemia.  He was 67 years-old.

To cite just one or two things Stupak will be best remembered for would be doing a disservice to a man whose long list of accomplishments ranges from building the iconic Stratosphere to winning a WSOP bracelet to placing a $1 million bet on the Super Bowl.

In addition to his reputation as an exceptional and well-rounded gambler, Stupak was also considered by many to be a master of publicity.  Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman summed up his legacy in a statement he gave to the Las Vegas Review Journal: “Bob was an impresario, a ringmaster in the mold of the promoters who made Las Vegas the great town that it is,” he said.  “His ingenuity got him into trouble sometimes, but that happens to folks who try to grab the brass ring.”

It is true that Stupak did not always have the easiest road to success.  After a failed attempt at running a restaurant, he opened Bob Stupak’s World Famous Historic Gambling Museum on the Las Vegas Strip.  Despite its less-than-stellar location on the northern portion of Las Vegas Boulevard, the museum drew patrons with slot machines, which promised huge payouts for a small investment.  Unfortunately, the building burned down just two months after opening.  In its place, Stupak built Las Vegas World, a casino with a space motif.  Years later, Stupak would pioneer the efforts to build the 1,149-foot tall Stratosphere.  While the project was seen to completion, it went bankrupt within its first year of operation and was sold off to Carl Ichan.

Stupak did not let these setbacks keep him down for long, though, and managed to keep himself in the spotlight via a series of outlandish sports bets and other gambling ventures.  The Las Vegas Sun reported that Stupak placed a $1 million bet on the 1989 Super Bowl, which garnered quite a bit of media attention, although the paper also suggested that he quietly made some side bets to compensate for the financial blow he would take should he lose.  Thankfully, he won.

In exchange for a $100,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund, Stupak was able to suit up for the Harlem Globetrotters in 1996.  Stupak’s official website features a video of the event highlighting his charitable contribution, but John L. Smith’s biography of Stupak, “No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and the Las Vegas Stratosphere,” suggests he could not help but set up some side bets on his basketball prowess for as much as $250,000.

Stupak’s charitable side extended beyond his Globetrotters adventure and he was known throughout Vegas for his philanthropic efforts, which included financing a local park and community center and helping to fight homelessness in the city.  He was a civic-minded individual as well, running for Las Vegas Mayor and Nevada Lt. Governor, among other posts, but he failed to win any of his campaigns.

The poker world knows Stupak as a man with a knack for 2-7 Triple Draw.  He won his bracelet in the now defunct $5,000 2-7 Triple Draw with rebuys event, a tournament that many of the pros cited as one of the more prestigious bracelets to win.  In addition to nabbing the bracelet in 1989, Stupak made three other appearances at 2-7 final tables in the 1980s and 1990s.  He also final tabled the World Poker Tour’s first trip to Commerce Casino for the L.A. Poker Classic and made an appearance on the popular “High Stakes Poker” television program.

Stupak is survived by his three children, daughters Summer and Nicole and son, Nevada, as well as two sisters and two ex-wives.  Stupak’s body was cremated and there were no plans for a funeral.

Andrew Feldman: Reformed and ready

"One night, I was coming home from the casino where'd I'd lost quite a bit of money, £2000 on 3-card poker, so I was a bit steamed up," he said.

"I thought yeah, whatever, I'll go and get it back from poker. So I played out of my bankroll at $25/$50. It took just one bad beat and then I started playing bad and by the end of the night I'd done half the roll.

"I went to bed, woke up, was in a bit of shock after only seeing half my balance there, and within the next few hours all that had been wiped out."

Suddenly broke and dejected, a then 18-year-old Feldman said the worst was yet to come.

"I had to come clean to my parents and tell them that everything had gone, which was very hard because they kept telling me to withdraw the funds and I wouldn't do it because I was a bit superstitious that if I'd taken it out I wouldn't be winning as much," he said.

"So they just said, 'right, no more gambling in the house, we want you to focus on your A-levels and go to university.' I was feeling like I really wanted to play, so they made me go to Gamblers Anonymous just to get it out of my system, but even when I was going, all I could think about was playing again.

"I just wanted to get back to it because I knew I had the potential to make it. I knew I needed another shot."

As luck would have it, Feldman found a few hundred pounds in rakeback money on one of the sites he'd been playing and started grinding again.

"I built it up to £1,000 after one day, £10,000 by the week, £30,000 by the end of the month and then my parents made me take out most of that," he said. "They made me put it away, gave me £5,000 pounds to do with what I like and made me get my exams out of the way, which is exactly what I did.

"I managed to scrape through my A-levels, not really caring to be honest. I got accepted to University, but all I wanted to do was just continue playing poker."

Continue playing poker is exactly what Feldman did, working mid-stakes games online, moving into the live arena on the GUKPT, and eventually stepping into the bright poker spotlight with a $250,000 win in the televised 2007 888.com UK Open.

"Then I got invited to other events like the Poker Den cash game and I was the biggest winner there," he said. "Now I've done a bunch of TV events and just filmed the Full Tilt cash game last week."

A poker prodigy of sorts, Feldman, now 22, was introduced to the game by his older brother, who'd been playing satellites online. But his poker education has come through on-the-job training rather than study.

"I didn't read any books," he said. "It's all sort of been through experience."

Fellow Brit and outspoken high-stakes player Luke "__FullFlush1__" Schwartz has criticized Feldman for dodging the top high-stakes players in the game.

But a now more mature Feldman insists he isn't looking to take on the poker's best at nosebleed stakes just to prove he's one of them.

"For me, playing cash games, I try and be very selective," he said. "I'm not like [Tom Dwan] or Phil Ivey who will play anyone high stakes.

"Obviously, the Full Tilt cash game there was no dead money there, but that was kind of to get my name out there, for the experience. I didn't expect to win. I just wanted the experience and to see what it's like.

"I'm not too worried about being the best. That just isn't my game, my game is to try and target the weaker players."

Feldman also has little interest in engaging in a war of words with Schwartz.

"[Schwartz] likes to conduct himself in that way," he said. "He's very opinionated and he doesn't hold back. It's not something that I would advocate, because you've got to have respect for your fellow poker players.

"But he likes to do that, he likes to get players on tilt and that's his strategy. If it works for him and he feels he's happy then, you know, that's up to him to decide."

These days, with a sponsorship from Full Tilt Poker, Feldman is much more interested in big-time live tournaments than proving himself in the high-stakes arena.

"I would like to get a big tournament win," he explained. "I haven't had any big results lately. I feel I'm due a big result and I want to win a big title. So predominantly I'm focusing on live tournaments.

"If cash games come up and I feel there's a bit of dead money in the game, then yeah, I'll go for it. But live, I'm focusing on tournaments. I'm just playing as many tournaments as possible."

To read the full transcript of the interview with Andrew Feldman check out the PokerListings Poker Reporter Blog.