Poker News

Poker PAC Endorsing 58 Lawmakers in U.S. Elections

On Thursday, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the major lobbying voice for poker players in the United States, released a list of 58 Congressman that its Poker Political Action Committee (PokerPAC) is endorsing in the general elections next month. The list includes incumbents and non-incumbents alike and consists of both Democrats and Republicans.

Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato and former Congressman Toby Moffett, the Chairmen of the PokerPAC, commented in a press release distributed by the PPA, “Through the efforts of the Poker Players Alliance and its members, more and more of our elected officials in Congress are seeing the value of establishing a safe, regulated market for online poker. This year’s election is critical to ensuring that candidates are elected who support the rights of poker players and who choose to take action to protect American consumers.”

The PAC’s endorsement of a lawmaker is primarily based on their support of pro-poker legislation in Congress. Bills favorable to internet poker like Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, lie dormant as the Congress turns over to 2011. The House Financial Services Committee approved HR 2267 in July. However, the bill has not yet been discussed on the floor of the House of Representatives and will be deemed “dead” if it is not acted on before the new Congress is seated in January.

Frank’s name is on the list of 58 Congressmen endorsed by PokerPAC. Others include familiar faces like Shelley Berkley (D-NV), a co-sponsor of HR 2267 who once proposed a bill to study the industry in detail. Also on the list is Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA). The Washington Congressman’s HR 2268 serves as the tax companion bill to HR 2267. Ironically, it is a Class C felony to play online poker on McDermott’s home turf due to a law that the Washington State Supreme Court recently upheld.

Republicans like Ron Paul (R-TX), Peter King (R-NY), and Pete Sessions (R-TX), whose names have popped up several times since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into law four years ago, are also endorsed by PokerPAC. In 2008, Sessions introduced a bill to clarify the UIGEA, but the PPA came out against it due to language asserting that there had been a “lack of authoritative court decisions on the applicability of other federal criminal statutes to internet poker and casino-style gambling.” Nevertheless, PokerPAC has its full weight behind the Texan this year.

General elections in the United States will take place on November 2nd. The entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be up for grabs. In the mid-term elections, the vote is expected to lean heavily towards Republicans. Here are the 58 Congressmen endorsed by PokerPAC:

John Adler (D-NJ)
Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
Joe Barton (R-TX)
Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Judy Biggert     (R-IL)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
John Callahan (D-PA)
John Campbell (R-CA)
Russ Carnahan (D-MO)
Lacy Clay (D-MO)
Steve Cohen (D-TN)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Joe Courtney (D-CT)
Steve Driehaus (D-OH)
Barney Frank (D-MA)
Joe Garcia (D-FL)
Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
Alan Grayson (D-FL)
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
Jim Himes (D-CT)
Paul Hodes (D-NH)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA)
Peter King (R-NY)
Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH)
Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL)
Leonard Lance (R-NJ)
John Larson (D-CT)
Christopher Lee (R-NY)
Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Connie Mack (R-FL)
Dan Maffei (D-NY)
Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
Betsy Markey (D-CO)
Jim McDermott (D-WA)
George Miller (D-CA)
Walt Minnick (D-ID)
Jim Moran (D-VA)
Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
Scott Murphy (D-NY)
Ron Paul (R-TX)
Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)
Tom Perriello (D-VA)
Gary Peters (D-MI)
Jared Polis (D-CO)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Robert Scott (D-VA)
Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
Dina Titus (D-NV)
Mel Watt (D-NC)
Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)

Callahan and Garcia, who are running in Pennsylvania and Florida, respectively, are not incumbents, while the other 56 are currently in office. The PPA has also released a full-blown Congressional Ratings Guide that grades each lawmaker on Capitol Hill based on their support of poker legislation.

PokerStars Launches Regional Championships of Online Poker

If you need another reason to play on PokerStars, check out the site’s 13 Regional Championships of Online Poker, or RCOOPs. Announced this week, 13 RCOOP series will run on the world’s largest online poker site and offer up over $7 million in total guaranteed prize money. The site already hosts its annual Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) and World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP).

RCOOP tournaments will play out in October, November, December, and February on PokerStars. The Russian Open Championship of Online Poker will see 11 events occur between October 31st and November 7th with a guarantee of $200,000. If you’re an online poker player in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan, this tournament series is for you.

Running from November 4th to 14th is the Nordic Championship of Online Poker. Eleven events comprise this series, which is open to PokerStars players in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Aland Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland, and at least $700,000 will be up for grabs. Running concurrently will be the Baltics Championship of Online Poker, which also offers 11 events and includes $43,000 in guaranteed prize money. The Baltics series is open to PokerStars members living in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.

For players in the United States, the USA Championship of Online Poker will pan out between November 21st and 28th. The U.S. RCOOP has the largest guaranteed prize pool at $3.3 million and offers 11 events. Only players in the United States and Virgin Islands are eligible to enter and the series concludes with a $530 buy-in Main Event that will have at least $1 million on the line.

Also running from November 21st to 28th is the Canadian Championship of Online Poker, whose 11 events will offer up $580,000 in guaranteed prize money. For players in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein, the PokerStars Germanics Championship of Online Poker will pony up a guarantee of €828,000.

A host of players will be able to partake in the Asia Pacific Championship of Online Poker, which takes place from November 21st to 28th. In the region, $100,000 will be up for grabs for players from three-dozen countries. On the other side of the world, PokerStars players from Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, and Malta can play in the Mediterranean Championship of Online Poker, which runs from November 18th to 28th.

The U.K. and Ireland Championship of Online Poker, which also welcomes members from the Isle of Man, will run from December 5th to 12th and dish out more than $500,000. Starting one day later is the Central and Eastern European Championship of Online Poker, whose 11 events will award at least $150,000.

Latin American players aren’t left out in the cold as part of the PokerStars RCOOP promotion. The Latin American Championship of Online Poker will be held from December 5th to 12th and $160,000 in guaranteed cash will be up for grabs. Rounding out the RCOOP schedule are the Iberian Championship of Online Poker and Benelux Championship of Online Poker. The former will take place from February 13th to 20th and offer up €113,000. The Benelux series’ dates haven’t been announced, but its tournaments will be open to PokerStars patrons in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands and distribute €235,500.

If you’re in the United States or Virgin Islands, here’s the schedule for the USA Championship of Online Poker, the largest RCOOP to be held:

Event #1: November 21st at 17:00 ET
$55 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max with Rebuys
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event #2: November 21st at 20:00 ET
$215 Pot Limit Omaha High/Low
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event #3: November 22nd at 21:30 ET
$215 No Limit Hold’em 2X Turbo
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event #4: November 23rd at 21:30 ET
$320 No Limit Hold’em
$750,000 Guaranteed

Event #5: November 24th at 21:30 ET
$215 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event #6: November 26th at 17:00 ET
$320 HORSE
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event #7: November 26th at 20:00 ET
$320 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event #8: November 27th at 17:00 ET
$215 Seven Card Stud High/Low
$75,000 Guaranteed

Event #9: November 27th at 20:00 ET
$215 No Limit Hold’em Cubed
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event #10: November 28th at 17:00 ET
$320 Pot Limit Omaha Cubed
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event #11: November 28th at 20:00 ET
$530 USACOOP Main Event
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

No tournaments will be held on November 25th, which is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Visit PokerStars for more details on the 13 RCOOP series.

Jason Mercier Outlasts Large Field In WCOOP Event #42 For $435K Bounty

Continuing to deliver in the live and online poker tournament worlds, Team PokerStars pro Jason Mercier outlasted a monster field in the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Event #42, $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em, to win the title and its $435,000 payout.

The two-day tournament drew an outstanding crowd of 3,122 players, which cracked the $3 million guarantee that PokerStars put up. As the tournament wound down, Mercier cranked up his activity on Twitter to let people know that he was potentially on the road to victory. “MASSIVE CHIPLEADER NOW! 22 left Have over double avg chips with 4.55 million,” he Tweeted late Monday night to his followers.

As Event #42 reached the final table, Mercier – who is in London for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe tournament schedule – continued to make inroads towards the championship. “Final table!,” he Tweeted upon making the final table. “5 of 9… stealthmunk just coolered dude AA vs AK… here we go!”

Chad Brown, also in London for the WSOPE, looked to challenge for the WCOOP bracelet, along with DoylesRoom Brunson 10 member Dani “ansky” Stern. Brown’s attempt to take down the title ended with his ninth place finish that he Tweeted about to his followers: “Busted 9th at the final table of the 1k WCOOP. Flopped top 2. player was drawing to 4 outs and hit. I would have been 2nd in chips. oh well.” Mercier continued his running commentary over Twitter in reporting the departure of Stern from the game: “anski gets cooled off to bust in 8th place… i’m hella short 7 of 7 here we go son!”

Although his massive chip lead had disappeared by the time the final seven were in action, Mercier continued to take the battle to his opponents. As the tournament approached the witching hour, he reported to his railbirds, “Grinding this short stack so hard!!!! 7 of 7 still… one guy with all the chips, 4 medium stacks, and one other shortie besides me.”

Approximately an hour after being on the short stack, Mercier was able to chirp to his Twitterpeeps, “HUGE DOUBLE UP! 3rd in chips,” which was quickly followed by his report of ascending to the chip lead: “o my bad HUGE DOUBLE UP AGAIN!!!! QQ beats AA CHIPLEADER!”

With action at three players, discussion of a chop began. Mercier gave the details of the deal as the clock struck 3:00am in the United States, Tweeting, “Just did a 3 way deal… I take 375k guaranteed and get 15k more if I finish 2nd and 60k more if I get 1st… LETS GO!” Approximately an hour later, Mercier finished the grueling two-day event by announcing to his Twitter fans, “THATS HOW WE DO SON! Ship the WCOOP bracelet baby! #WCOOP 1k… took 435k for first!” The final table ended up as such:

1st – JasonMercier (United States) $435,862.07*
2nd – osten (United States) $317,435.13*
3rd – loooser17 (Israel) $367,500.80*
4th – DHUSTLER15 (United States) $179,515
5th – Justin “APerfectGent” Schwartz (United States) $135,807
6th – Team Wispy (United States) $104,587
7th – bastet2004 (Germany) $73,367
8th – Dani “supernova9” Stern (United States) $42,209
9th – ChadBrownPRO (United States) $26,537

* – reflects three-way chop

With his victory in Event #42, Mercier catapulted himself into the middle of the WCOOP Leaderboard race. The 180 points he earned for winning the tournament put him in fifth place, with Russia’s “Kroko-dill” (winner of Event #13, the $215 PLO) at the top with 260 points. Closely following the Russian is Norway’s “Donald” (winner of Event #34, the $320 Triple Draw Deuce To Seven Lowball) at 210.

To date, the 2010 WCOOP has built prize pools totaling almost $38 million and welcomed 111,049 players to the virtual felt. There are still 16 events remaining on the 62-tournament schedule, with the WCOOP Main Event scheduled to start on September 26th.

Jeffrey Lisandro Wins Fifth World Series of Poker Bracelet

In Event #2 of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe, Jeffrey Lisandro captured his fifth gold bracelet, tied for the 12th highest total overall. Lisandro came out on top of the field in a ?5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament that attracted 120 players. The bracelet marked Lisandro’s first non-Stud title and he took down £159,000.

The 2009 WSOP Player of the Year knocked off Joe Serock heads-up after the latter was all-in with Ks-5h-6h-7s against Lisandro’s As-6s-Qs-2c. The flop fell 9s-Jh-8d, preserving Lisandro’s lead in the hand with ace-high, and a running 2d-Js gave the four-time bracelet winner victory number five on the WSOP circuit.

The tournament marked the fourth time that the ?5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event has been run as part of WSOP Europe. With the win, Lisandro joins Dario Alioto (2007), Theo Jorgensen (2008), and Jani Vilmunen (2009) as champs of the prestigious bracelet event in London. Over 20 former bracelet winners entered the contest, four of whom made the final table: Lisandro, Chris Bjorin, Willie Tann, and Jeff Madsen. According to WSOP officials, Lisandro refused to provide an interview following his win.

Tann was the tournament’s third place finisher. He was all-in before the flop with Ah-Kh-Kd-6h and up against Lisandro’s Ac-10c-7d-5h. Lisandro flopped a seven and a five for two pair. Then, he spiked another seven on the river for a boat and Tann collected £71,000 for his third place showing.

Madsen landed in fourth place after getting it in with a pair on a flop of Q-2-8. Serock called with kings in the hole and dodged a club flush draw on the river to knock out the wily youngster. The second event of WSOP Europe marked Madsen’s eighth in the money finish in a WSOP tournament. He was the Player of the Year in 2006 after scoring two pieces of hardware and recently concocted a fake trip to Israel as part of an elaborate April Fool’s Day ruse.

Rounding out the top five was WSOP November Niner John Racener, who picked up £39,000 for his fifth place run. Lisandro knocked him out as well, holding a pair of kings in the hole that held up for the win. Racener will hold the fourth largest chip stack when play resumes at the Rio in November with 19.1 million. Jonathan Duhamel will set out as the chip leader with more than three times that total.

Here’s how the top nine cashed out in Event #2 of the 2010 WSOP Europe schedule:

1. Jeffrey Lisandro – ?159,514
2. Joe Serock – ?98,262
3. Willie Tann – ?71,184
4. Jeff Madsen – 52,542
5. John Racener – ?39,486
6. Karl Mahrenholz – ?30,192
7. Felipe “Mojave” Ramos – ?23,478
8. Jeff Kimber – ?18,564
9. Chris Bjorin – ?14,916

Other players in the money included Erik Friberg (12th place), Sam “KingKobeMVP” Stein (14th place), and Steve Jelinek (15th place). Eighteen poker players walked away with cash overall. Last year, this tournament drew 154 players, meaning that attendance fell by 22%.

Three starting days in a £1,075 No Limit Hold’em tournament have played out since Friday. Among those in action today on Day 1C are Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler and Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010 nominee Erik Seidel. A multitude of brand name pros have been knocked off in recent action, including WSOP Europe bracelet winner Phil Laak, Full Tilt Poker pro Justin “Boosted J” Smith, Allen Cunningham, and Surinder Sunar.

The Emmys And Tournaments Around The World From Poker In Twitter

For those in the world of poker that weren’t involved in tournaments, the Emmy Awards on Sunday night provided a bit of a respite over Twitter. “Oh Crap! The Emmys,” Joe Reitman Tweeted as the show began. “I totally forgot 2 star on a show, hire a publicist & wear a tux so I could go 2 the awards & b judged on my looks 2nite.” Poker scribe Jess Welman was less than impressed when she chirped after the show’s start, “Not a good sign when we’re ten minutes into the Emmys and I’m already counting the minutes that could easily be shaved off the broadcast.”

The duo were able to find something to agree about during the Emmys, with both congratulating particular shows on the cable channel AMC that they enjoyed. “Big congrats to fellow USC Cinema School Class of ’05 alum Erin Levy for winning a frikkin Emmy for Mad Men,” Welman Tweeted in kudos to a friend. Reitman was proud for a former employee: “I am so happy my boy Aaron Paul of @breakingbad just won. I cast him in my short ‘LEO’ 5 years ago. He is the best actor of his generation.” UB.com’s Scott Ian also piped up about the run of the actors from “Breaking Bad,” Tweeting, “Bryan Cranston & Aaron Paul both won Emmy’s for Breaking Bad. You need to watch this show.”

Someone who had a memorable night for the Emmy Awards was online superstar Justin “Boosted J” Smith. “At Courtney Cox + David Arquette’s house in Malibu watching the Emmys on TV,” Smith Tweeted on Sunday evening. “Actors and producers here these guys are wild watching it! LOL.” Smith went on to describe the reactions of those in attendance: “It’s like watching European football and when an Emmy is awarded its like a GOALLLLLL!”

As the night wore on, Smith continued to channel his inner Phil Hellmuth with his Tweets. “Gave Jennifer Aniston a 4 hour poker lesson last night,” Smith recounted after the party on Monday. “If she learned a little bit more about who acts first and stuff, she’d be real good!”

There was plenty of action for those who were away from the television and on the felt over the weekend. The World Series of Poker Circuit event in Council Bluffs saw two prolific Tweeters, Bernard Lee and Blair Hinkle, making deep runs. “Money bubble broke – 27 players all in the $ – I have 450k,” reported Lee from the tables yesterday.

Both players continued their assault on the top of the leaderboard as the afternoon moved into the evening. “Unbelievable! After getting down to 275k, I sucked out again,” Lee Tweeted to his followers. “My 10-10 vs AA – 10 on flop – back up to 470k (aver 386k) – 13 players left. Play would be stopped soon after that with Lee reporting his stack as “339k.”

Hinkle had a slightly different adventure than Lee at the Iowa tables. “Ugh super crazy guy squeezes with 88 I shove with AT he calls I flop ace but he flopped 8 turn 8. 70k still,” he Tweeted during play on Monday. Although he didn’t detail how he did it, Hinkle was able to turn things around by the end of the night, Tweeting at the end of play, “Down to 13 players done for the night… 243k blinds starting at 2000ante 5-10000.”

Across the Atlantic, many top players were in the running at the European Poker Tour event in Vilamoura, Portugal, with Brandon Cantu – at first – having the time of his life. “I got 44 and shoved ak calls fours hold to break the bubble. 965k 56 left,” Cantu reported to his followers early Tuesday morning before the game took a fateful turn. “Unbelievable,” he Tweeted soon after the bubble burst. “331k aq with the ace of hearts vs 99 flop q32 all hearts turn 9… That’s the worst beat I have ever taken.” A couple of hours later, Cantu sounded the death knell by Tweeting, “Ak vs 99 ace in the door 9 to follow – out – most frustrating day I have ever had an indescribable feeling actually.”

To soothe his defeat, Cantu may want to head to Cannes for the Partouche Poker Tour’s event starting Thursday. Tweets were flying as many top poker pros announced their plans to head to the Mediterranean coast to play in the event. Eric Mizrachi (“Today is my last day in Israel, have a flight to catch in 8 hours to Romania then off to Cannes, France for main event!”), Mike Matusow (“Cannes is gonna be effing insane. Vitamins to. Lots and lots of vitamins”), Lacey Jones (“Vegas for less than 24hrs. Had the best time celebrating @DanFleyshman’s bday in 3 cities. Next stop… Cannes!”) and Liz Lieu (“Back in London for a couple days before heading to Cannes”) are just a few of the top pros who will be in France for the tournament.

For the best Tweets of the weekend, we have to start with “Hollywood” Dave Stann’s reports from his efforts in the Ultimate Bet Online Championship, or UBOC. “I like a challenge,” Stann Tweeted on Sunday. “Immediately out of 200k running my QQ into AA, then in UBOC main ran my QQ into KK for half my stack. Thanks for the memories, #UBOC. Should stand for Ur Bigpair Obv Cracked.”

Two players offered up their thoughts regarding Paris Hilton’s arrest in Las Vegas over the weekend for cocaine possession. “Really?,” Absolute Poker’s Trishelle Cannatella Tweeted. “The only thing that happened while I was away is Paris H is arrested for cocaine? SHOCKER! Drugs are gross. Especially if you’re 30.” Joe Sebok found the potential reason for his youthful indiscretions: “Paris thought the blow was gum. Now I know why I was so damn hyperactive in high school. Teachers, I TRIED to stop talking! I’m sorry!”

Finally, Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh decided to step away from the tables, Tweeting, “Laying out for a bit… Cyprus got me addicted to sun! Definitely not going to miss my monitor tan!”

Loser Wins European Masters of Poker Bulgaria

Loser started the day third in chips, but managed to work his way into a heads-up match with Israeli Shani Vahnun before sealing the €49,080 win.

260 players coughed up the €1,100 buy-in to play at Bulgaria's Crystal Crown Casino over the weekend.

Next up for the European Masters of Poker is the €1,100 Spanish leg of the tour at Gran Casino Barcelona from Sept. 23-26.

Online qualification is now underway on the Entraction network, including sites like 24hPoker.

There are 32 daily satellites feeding into the main weekly qualifiers and the Entraction network promises to send 200 online qualifiers to each of the EMOP main events.

Visit PokerListings.com

Last Woman Eliminated in 2010 Main Event

It ultimately came up short when she had the misfortune of moving all-in with king-ten against Eric Baldwin who picked up pocket aces.

In spite of her elimination, Zuckerman was upbeat about the potentially life-changing experience.

"It was pretty amazing," she said. "It's going to take a long time for any emotion to sink in. I'm completely overwhelmed."

It's been a remarkable journey for Zuckerman, who little more than a year ago was playing in a small home game with her female friends.

Born and raised in Israel, Zuckerman has a degree in sociology and graduated from law school there. She worked for a major newspaper for many years before emigrating to the U.S. approximately 14 years ago.

"I never knew what poker was and I didn't even know the hand values," she said. "I liked it though and eventually made it to the casino to play. The rest is history."

She now plays poker for a living but next month Zuckerman will be starting graduate school at Cal-Lutheran to get her Masters Degree in Psychology.

Right now she's still processing her 121st place finish, which earned her $57,102.

Although Zuckerman didn't have the flash of previous last woman standing winners such as Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, she more than proved she could play solid poker over the last six days.

"It was a nice treat," she said about being the last woman standing. "I mean I came here to play poker, it didn't matter if I played guys or girls."

Although Zuckerman admitted she was still reeling from her elimination as she left the Rio, she had a positive outlook on her journey.

 "It's not disappointment," she said. "Right now it hurts like hell and I'm trying to remind myself of the accomplishment and I'm hoping at some point soon I'm going to be able to marvel at what I achieved."

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

Visit PokerListings.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned for the latest news from World Team Poker.

World Team Poker Signs Annette Obrestad for Team Norway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pascal LeFrancois Wins WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #8

Canadian student Pascal LeFrancois collected his first bracelet and $568,974 by winning the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #8 on Friday evening. The Montreal, Quebec native took a massive chip lead to the final table and breezed through to add his name to the list of Canadian bracelet winners, joining the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Nenad Medic, and Greg “FBT” Mueller.

Day 3 of Event #8 began with 25 players, the most notable of which was UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth, who captured the attention of poker enthusiasts by amassing 565,000 chips entering the final day, the fifth most in the tournament. His bid for bracelet #12 was cut short, however, as Hellmuth was eliminated in 15th place, earning $25,472 and his all-time best 76th WSOP cash. Hellmuth winning a 12th bracelet would have potentially brought the roof down at the Rio.

Six different countries were represented at the final table, making for a unique rail and exciting atmosphere inside the Amazon Room. Israel’s Saar Wilf, who held the chip lead at the end of Day 2, and American Josh Brikis were the first two to exit the final table and it happened in the same hand. Both players got their remaining chips in pre-flop with A-K against the pocket jacks of Max Steinberg and when the pair held up, Wilf and Brikis were sent to the rail in ninth and eighth place, respectively (Brikis had more chips when the hand began).

Kurt Disessa was eliminated in seventh place and was followed by Aussie James Anderson in sixth. Collecting fifth place money was David Aue, who suffered a nasty beat to send him out of the tournament. Aue moved all-in preflop with and was called by Kevin Howe, who turned over . The flop was harmless for Aue, but the turn made things interesting, giving Aue a set and Howe more outs with a gutshot straight draw. Amazingly enough, the fell on the river to give Howe his straight and eliminate Aue.

The next player sent packing was Daniel Wjuniski, whose pocket sevens couldn’t outdraw Steinberg’s jacks after all of the chips went in pre-flop. The Brazilian earned $179,286 for his first ever WSOP cash. LeFrancois handled the dirty work on the next elimination when his pocked kings bested the of Howe, who went home with $249,351 for third place.

When heads-up play began, LeFrancois had more than nine million chips to Steinberg’s 1.4 million and it took less than 20 minutes for the Canadian to dispose of the American. On the final hand, the two players saw a flop of . Steinberg bet 140,000 and LeFrancois called. Steinberg fired again when the hit the turn for 340,000 and LeFrancois called. When the came on the river, Steinberg fired a third bullet by moving all-in. LeFrancois elected to call with and rushed over to his rail when he saw the of Steinberg, who finished as the runner-up for $352,916.

Following his victory, LeFrancois ripped off his shirt and posed bare-skinned in the traditional winner’s photo shot. It was the first time any player in the history of the WSOP had gone bare-chested for the champion’s portrait. “It was an inside joke with my friends,” said LeFrancois, who said he and his friends routinely wear v-neck t-shirts. “We always laugh about our v-necks. We are ‘Team V-Neck‘ because we wear those kinds of shirts. They were all cheering for me to take off my shirt. I was excited, so I did it.”

Event #8 results:

1. Pascal LeFrancois – $568,974
2. Max Steinberg – $352,916
3. Kevin Howe – $249,351
4. Daniel Wjuniski – $179,286
5. David Aue – $130,617
6. James Andersen – $96,422
7. Kurt Disessa – $72,087
8. Joshua Brikis – $54,579
9. Saar Wilf – $41,843

On Saturday, two more bracelets will be handed out at the Rio Hotel and Casino, as the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em (Event #9) and $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship (Event #10) will play down to a winner. Leading Event #9 with nine players left is Steve Chanthabouasy with 533,000 in chips. The lone woman left standing is J.J. Liu, who is third in chips with 479,000. The final table kicks off at 2:30pm PT, with the winner taking home $197,470.

The $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship will start up at 3:30pm PT and the remaining 12 players will duke it out for the celebrated bracelet and $394,800 in first place prize money. Vladimir Schmelev is the chip leader and Michael Mizrachi is third going into the final day. Mizrachi beat Schmelev heads-up to win the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship earlier this week, creating an exciting side story for the tournament.

Here’s a look at the top nine stacks in Event #10:

1. Vladimir Schmelev – 921,000
2. Sirious Jamshidi – 638,000
3. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi – 544,000
4. Nikolay Evdakov – 543,000
5. Steve “MrSmokey1″ Billirakis – 448,000
6. Joe Cassidy – 410,000
7. Men “The Master” Nguyen – 302,000
8. Dan Heimiller – 222,000
9. Eric Buchman – 142,000

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

Peter Gelencser Lowballs To WSOP Bracelet, Joshua Tieman Takes Event #6

Completing its first week of action at the Rio in Las Vegas, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) awarded two bracelets on Thursday night, with three other tournaments in action and two set to start their Day Ones on Friday.

Event #6, the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Shootout, began on Tuesday with 358 runners coming to the line. The unique format of the event – where a player has to defeat his entire table to move onto the next round – drew some of the top players in the game. Top players such as 2009 Main Event final tablist James Akenhead, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Faraz “The_Toilet” Jaka, Dario Minieri, and Blair Hinkle all walked away with an official cash from the tournament, but fell short of the final table.

The six-handed final table was split between the countries represented, with top English pro Neil “Bad Beat” Channing leading fellow countrymen Stuart Rutter and Nicolas Levi against a trio of Americans that included Brent “bhanks11″ Hanks, Joshua Tieman, and Joseph Elpayaa. Because of the Shootout format of the event, each player began the final table with 1.5 million in chips, but the players wasted little time in shifting the sands of chip counts over the course of the four-hour final table.

After eliminating Hanks in sixth place, Levi took on Tieman in one of the biggest hands of the final table. Showing pocket jacks against Tieman’s pocket eights, Levi was crushed when an eight appeared in the window, leaving him drawing thin to two outs. Once the board ran out with no help, Levi took the fifth place prize and, barely an hour and a half into the final table, play was four-handed.

It would take an additional two hours before the bustouts came fast and furious. Over the course of the final 50 minutes of the tournament, Tieman eliminated Elpayaa (fourth) and Rutter (third) to reach the heads-up battle against the veteran Channing. Holding a 7-1 chip advantage, Tieman ground Channing down during a 35-minute fight. In the final hand, the chips went to the center with Channing holding an inferior A-7 to Tieman’s A-J. The board provided no miracles for Channing, giving the gold and diamond WSOP bracelet and $441,692 first place prize to Tieman.

1. Joshua Tieman (Chicago, IL) $441,692

2. Neil Channing (London, United Kingdom) $273,153

3. Stuart Rutter (Moseley, United Kingdom) $179,617

4. Joseph Elpayaa (Forest Park, IL) $125,387

5. Nicolas Levi (London, United Kingdom) $92,543

6. Brent Hanks (Fillmore, NY) $71,998

Another final table – for Event #7, the $2,500 Deuce to Seven Lowball Triple Draw – also closed action on Thursday. Top cash game pro David Chiu led the eight players who survived the 291 player field, with experienced lowball players such as Raphael Zimmerman (sixth in last year’s lowball event won by Phil Ivey), Leonard Martin (second in 2007’s version of the tournament), and Tad Jurgens. When Jurgens was eliminated in eighth place, the final table was set for action.

After another eight hours of battle, it was Peter Gelencser, a Hungarian pro who came to the final table with the second largest chip stack, going up against Zimmerman for the WSOP bracelet. After an hour-long heads up match, Gelencser was able to capture the crown when, holding an excellent 9-7-4-3-2, Zimmerman paired on his last draw.

1. Peter Gelencser (Budapest, Hungary) $180,730

2. Raphael Zimmerman (Henderson, NV) $111,686

3. Don McNamara (San Jose, CA) $73,803

4. David Chiu (Las Vegas, NV) $50,157

5. Jameson Painter (Las Vegas, NV) $34,843

6. Leonard Martin (Las Vegas, NV) $24,723

7. Shujiro Uchida (Kamodaminamimachi, Japan) $17,903

8. Tad Jurgens (Tempe, AZ) $17,903

Three other tournaments were in various stages of their play on Thursday. The $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament, Event #8 on the WSOP schedule, will come back for its final day of play on Friday with Phil Hellmuth in the hunt for Bracelet #12. Hellmuth is sitting with 556,000 chips, good for fifth place among the 25 players remaining. Israel’s Saar Wilf leads the pack with his 1.2 million chip stack.

Event #9, the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament, brought out a strong crowd of 650 participants for its first day of action. In a particularly brutal day, the money bubble was burst by the close of business late Thursday night. 65 players come back on Friday for the continuation of the tournament, with the U.K.’s James Dempsey leading a field that includes such notable players as Joanne “J. J.” Liu, Melissa Hayden, Chris Moore, Cornel Cimpan, and Victory Poker pro Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little.

Event #10 is one of the World Championship events, the $10,000 Seven Card Stud tournament, which brought out 150 of the strongest Stud players in the world. Coming off his victory in the $50,000 Player’s Championship, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi is at the top of the 88 players that remain in the tournament. Challenges await the recent WSOP bracelet winner, however, as none other than Doyle Brunson sits in fifth place. Others who could be an obstacle to “The Grinder’s” second bracelet this year include Men “The Master” Nguyen, Nick Shulman, brother Robert Mizrachi, and the dreaded Phil Ivey.

Two events will kick off action in the crowded Pavilion Room at the Rio today. Two $1,500 tournaments, Event #11’s No Limit Hold’em and Event #12’s Limit Hold’em, will start at Noon and 5:00pm PT, respectively. Along with the tournaments in action, five events will be running simultaneously this afternoon, making this the first truly “busy” Friday as the World Series of Poker closes out its first week of play.

Justin Bonomo’s Panorama Towers WSOP prop bet

With the 2010 World Series of Poker fast approaching the prop bets are pouring in, from Jeff Madsen attempting to live in Israel to Phil Ivey betting $5m with Howard Lederer on his bracelet chances.

World Team Poker Planning World Championship Event

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eli Elezra Poker Player Profile

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, Eli Elezra first learned to play cards with his friends. Upon graduating from high school he trained to become a member of Israel’s elite commando unit, the Golani Brigade. In his fourth year of service, he was injured in the Lebanon War and was confined to a hospital bed. During his recovery, Elezra took up poker and the rest, as they say, is history.

After healing, Elezra moved to Alaska and began working as a cab driver and convenience store owner. In 1988, he moved to Las Vegas, where he opened various businesses and invested in property, all the while honing his poker skills in his off-hours. As his net worth grew, he slowly moved up in stakes; before long, he was playing on the same tables as Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim.

Initially a cash game player, Elezra first got a taste of live tournament money when he made the final table of the 2001 World Series of Poker $2K Limit event, cashing in sixth for $41K. Three years later, he hit it big at the 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown by winning the tournament for $1 million. In 2007, he won his first WSOP bracelet, claiming first place in $3K World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low split-8 or Better for $198K. He made another final table at the 2008 WSOP, finishing fifth in the $10K Mixed Event for $108K. All told, he has over $2 million in live tournament earnings.

Currently, Eli Elezra spends as much time at the tables as he can, but the game does not take priority. He owns and operates over 20 businesses in the Las Vegas area, including the popular night club Seven. Most importantly, he is devoted to  his wife, Hila, and their five children: Jonathan, Guy, Sean, Ryan and Maya.

Poker in Twitter: Volcano Disrupts EPT San Remo Travel

For players traveling to the European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in San Remo, Italy, this week, the recent eruption of a volcano in Iceland threw a kink into their plans. The Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in southeast Iceland, which erupted just after Midnight on Wednesday, has caused thousands of flights to be delayed or cancelled and its effects could be felt on the European continent this weekend. Just after the eruption, however, several players found themselves seeking other methods of travel to Italy.

One of the people who was able to get to Italy before flights were disrupted was EPT and “High Stakes Poker” announcer Kara Scott. “Because of a volcanic eruption in Iceland, most flights from London are cancelled. I’m on one of the few squeaking through – phew,” tweeted Scott prior to arrival in San Remo. Barry Greenstein, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as fortunate. “San Remo EPT has started, but London airports were shut down because of volcanic ash from Iceland,” Greenstein tweeted prior to the start of Day 1B action early this morning. “So we had to drive. We are in the Alps in Italy as our chips are being blinded off. ETA 4:30 PM.”

Players were also finishing their preparations for the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship, which starts on Sunday from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Many players were taking part in a host of events in Sin City, including the final preliminary events of the Five Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio, the Venetian Deep Stack tournament series, and the start of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit stop at Caesars Palace. For many of them, the additional practice prior to the start of the WPT Championship has been profitable.

Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad has been one player who has done well in tournaments at the Bellagio. She has already cashed in two events and tweeted, “Headin to Bellagio soon to play the 500. Also playing the 5k tomorrow and then ME on the 18th WEEE poker.” After 15 hours of play on Thursday, Obrestad was able to once again tweet her followers about her success when she wrote, “Down to 9, playing FT and the 5k tomorrow!” The top prize in the $500 buy-in tournament is $21,000.

Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little also played masterful poker in a run during another preliminary event leading up to the WPT Championship. “Heads up between me and Rene Angelil,” Little tweeted on Thursday night prior to the start of heads-up action. “He has 1.3 mil I have 700k. Playing 600/1200-100. Hopefully it will be a long boring match.” It turned out that the battle would last less than two hours, with Little turning the tables against the man best known as Celine Dion’s husband and manager. “Shipped the belt, title, and $67000. Got lucky to hit a flush, then had Q2 hold against J8,” Little tweeted following his win.

On the other side of the equation, poker player Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler seemed to have a bit of a tough run for his day in Las Vegas. “Wow three events in vegas today, bellagio 500nl, venetian dse 300, caesars circuit opener,” the man known as “Chainsaw” tweeted as he started the day. After busting from the Bellagio tournament only two hours later, Kessler entered the Venetian tournament, which started a discussion featuring B.J. Nemeth and tournament director Matt Savage.

“Venetian deepstack is hardly a deepstack,” Kessler, who is known for his prickly demeanor about poker’s rules and structures, tweeted while playing at the Venetian. “6 levels in the avg stack has only 25 blinds.” This prompted Nemeth to tweet, and Savage to re-tweet, “That’s what @SavagePoker & I have been saying! If you add play to start a tourney, it has to come from somewhere!”

On a couple of fronts not poker-related, Jeff Madsen’s reported prop bet about him going to Israel seems to be a long-running April Fool’s joke. Madsen tweeted on Thursday, “I’ve landed safely here in Israel everybody! This will be a great adventure!,” and included a doctored Twitpic of himself standing alongside actor Sasha Baron Cohen’s character Borat in what appears to be Israel. “Hollywood” Dave Stann was the first to comment on Madsen’s joke, tweeting, “Damn you @JeffMadsenobv!! I knew it was April Fool’s from the jump.”

On the hockey betting front, noted fan Daniel Negreanu was avidly watching the opening of the National Hockey League playoffs. Of particular interest to Negreanu was the Western Conference quarterfinal pitting the Vancouver Canucks against the Los Angeles Kings. “I bet another 5k on Vancouver tonight,” Negreanu tweeted to his followers. “If they lose game 1, I’ll be shocked.” The game was hard fought and went into overtime before Mikael Samuelsson netted the game winner, pushing the Canucks to a 3-2 victory. “Canucks win,” “Kid Poker” happily chirped after the game. “Phew close one. Loving the hockey games. So fun!”

Whether it is the action on the felt or other happenings in their lives, poker’s elite always keep their followers up-to-date through Twitter. Poker News Daily does the same with the latest poker news, so be sure to add @pokernewsdaily to follow the latest from the poker world through the medium of Twitter.

Team Australia Finalizes Squad for World Team Poker Tournament

In an announcement from the officials at World Team Poker on Wednesday, the final lineup for players who will represent Team Australia was revealed.

The inaugural World Team Poker tournament will take place on May 19th at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas with some of the best poker players in the world battling for their country’s pride. Over a format that consists of Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit Hold’em as well as Omaha and Stud, five players from the confirmed list of eight countries – Team USA, Team China, Team Vietnam, Team Israel, Team England, Australia, Team Brazil, and Team Greece – will play a one-day event for worldwide bragging rights. Team Australia is the latest team that has announced its roster of seven players who will compete for the Land Down Under.

Serving as co-captains for Team Australia are two of the most talented and intimidating players in the poker world today. 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro comes to the World Team Poker event still riding high from his three bracelet run at last year’s WSOP. The three bracelets he won were all in Stud events, but the player known as “The Iceman” has considerable skills in all poker disciplines. His most recent cash came at the Aussie Millions in the $10,000 HORSE Championship, where he finished second for $64,792 U. S., according to the Hendon Mob database.

While Lisandro is known for being cool at the tables, his co-captain should bring the combativeness needed for a team event. Antanas “Tony G” Guoga has been a stalwart of the tournament poker scene worldwide since he entered the game in 2002. His table talk, over-the-top behavior, and intimidating demeanor have had some consider him to be one of the “bad boys” of the poker world. This only masks a player that is adept across the poker spectrum and who has garnered earnings of over $4 million in his career.

The team that Lisandro and Guoga have built has veteran skills mixed with newer players who represent the aggressive style of poker. Billy “The Croc” Argyros, Gary Benson,  Mel Judah, and Marsha Waggoner bring a wealth of experience to the felt in a multitude of poker backgrounds. All four veterans have tournament experience that dates back to the early 1980s and have significant highlights on their resumes. Benson was the first Australian born WSOP bracelet winner, Judah won the first of his two WSOP bracelets in 1989, Argyros has traveled the Pacific Rim winning tournaments in Australia and New Zealand, and Waggoner is a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and was the first woman inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame.

The three other members of the team – Grant Levy, David “Superman” Saab, and Stephen Topakas – represent the new blood of today’s poker, which puts a premium on aggressive play. Since he turned pro in 2005, Levy has won over $1.2 million primarily through play at his home casino, the Crown Casino in Melbourne. Saab has taken down two of the biggest championships on the Pacific Rim: the 2007 $5,000 Aussie Millions Heads-Up Championship and the 2008 Asian Poker Tour $2,500 No Limit Hold’em event in Manila. Topakas is a relative newcomer to poker, with a tournament history that only goes back to 2007, but he has been a terror in tournaments throughout Australia.

Well-versed in all forms of the game, a solid background in tournament poker, and just the right amount of attitude should make Team Australia a dangerous foe when the event starts on May 19th. Poker News Daily will continue to follow the news from World Team Poker headquarters and continue to update the teams as they are announced.

World Team Poker’s Team Lebanon Signs Shannon Elizabeth

According to unnamed sources inside the operations of World Team Poker, Hollywood actress and poker player Shannon Elizabeth has been chosen to compete in the event as a member of Team Lebanon. The actress, noted for her appearance in the hit movie “American Pie,” is eligible for membership on the Lebanese team since her parents are from the Middle Eastern country. The tournament kicks off next month from the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas.

Elizabeth has been a part of the poker community for several years, playing not only in high-profile celebrity tournaments, but also stepping to the felt in some of the premier events in the poker world. It may surprise some in the poker community, but Elizabeth has earned four cashes in World Series of Poker (WSOP) events over the past four years and has been expanding her game outside of the No Limit Hold’em discipline. She has cashed in other forms of poker such as Stud and Omaha High-Low, with her most recent cash at the Spring Poker Classic at the Hustler Casino coming in a No Limit tournament.

Along with the rumored addition of Elizabeth, Team Lebanon is building what could be a dark horse lineup for the World Team Poker tournament. The co-captains of the group, Dany Georges and former WSOP HORSE champion Freddy Deeb, have also named veteran poker professionals Joe Awada and Mark Betor as members of the team. All totaled, the players announced for Team Lebanon have made over $7.5 million in career tournament poker earnings.

In other rumors from insiders at World Team Poker headquarters, the May 19th tournament, which has a television deal set for broadcast, can be seen by poker fans online. World Team Poker and LiveStream.com, one of the foremost interactive video streaming outlets in the business, will band together to broadcast the festivities live as they occur from the Golden Palace in Las Vegas. Insiders have also indicated that Rob George has been hired to serve as the television director for the event. In addition, John Colville, Director of Poker Operations for the Golden Nugget, will serve as the event’s Tournament Director.

The May 19th tournament looks to have some of the top names in the game for its inaugural event, ensuring that fans will be entertained not only by skillful poker, but also by some of the most colorful personalities in the poker world. World Team Poker officials have set the structure of the event up so that it is a true test of poker abilities, as players will have to navigate through several different games including Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Hold’em, Stud, and Omaha. The format of the tournament will also be unique, as team captains will be able to shuttle players in and out of play according to their individual strengths.

There are 16 countries involved in World Team Poker: Armenia, Australia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland, Turkey, United States, and Vietnam. With just over a month to go before the cards hit the air, the lineups are beginning to take shape and the stars of the game are coming out to represent their respective countries.

The United States has the legendary Doyle Brunson at the helm after Phil Hellmuth gave up his co-captaincy in honor of the former World Champion. Joining them will be Mike Matusow, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, and Poker News Daily guest columnist Annie Duke. Team USA will face several strong countries in the World Team Poker event, however.

Team Vietnam has assembled an all-star team in their own right, with Men “The Master” Nguyen, Scotty Nguyen, John “The Razor” Phan, David “The Dragon” Pham, Kenny Tran, and Karina Jett. Team England captain Ben Roberts has called on David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Ram Vaswani, David “El Blondie” Colclough, Joe Beevers, and Surinder Sunar to represent the Union Jack. Team China, with captain Johnny Chan and team members Chau Giang, David Chiu, and Maria Ho, and Team Australia, with Jeffrey Lisandro and Antanas “Tony G” Guoga heading up a squad including Mel Judah and Billy Argyros, appear to have built teams that will be highly competitive.

With the World Team Poker event set to begin in just over a month, other team announcements should be forthcoming. Poker News Daily will continue to keep you updated as the world comes together to battle it out for global superiority.

The Weekly Turbo: Full Tilt Under Investigation, Jeff Madsen’s Israel Prop Bet, and More

This week in the poker world, Full Tilt Poker is being investigated, Jeff Madsen is taking a trip to Israel, and more. You can read all about this and other news in the Weekly Turbo.

Vanessa Selbst Leads NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event After Day 3

Three days of play are in the books in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun Main Event. Vanessa Selbst, who was in third place entering Day 3, sat atop the leaderboard when play concluded.

Selbst sent Ryan Bambrick out in 33rd place. Selbst pushed all-in over the top of a bet by Bambrick on a board of 8-4-6-3-7. Bambrick called for his tournament life, only to see Selbst turn over the nuts, 9-10 for a straight. Coverage found on PokerNews.com details the rather unfortunate ending to Bambrick’s tournament run: ““I'm sorry,’ said Selbst. ‘I was floating you on the turn.’ She turned up the nuts, a ten-high straight. Bambrick saw the hand, muttered ‘so sick,’ and mucked his cards.” Selbst, appropriately, is a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and she’ll hold a field-pacing stack of 2.3 million when play kicks off today.

Scott Seiver began the day with a quaint stack of 10 big blinds before mounting a furious comeback. Seiver doubled through Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey early on before committing his chips on a board of Q-Q-10-6-4 against Lars Bonding. Seiver’s opponent eventually called and he flipped up pocket fours for a full house on the river. The hand boosted Seiver to nearly 700,000 in chips. Seiver is only about 40,000 chips behind Selbst on the leaderboard entering play on Saturday.

Friday marked the end of the line for Ivey. On a flop of A-9-4 with two hearts, Ivey bet 30,000 and Elio Fox made the call. The turn was the 10 of diamonds and, after a check by Fox, Ivey moved all-in. Fox called and turned over A-8 for top pair, while Ivey showed K-10 of hearts for a pair and a flush draw. The river was a black eight and Ivey was bounced in 19th place for $16,000 from the $5,000 buy-in poker tournament.

Online poker legend Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy remains in the hunt for the $750,000 top prize. He holds the sixth largest chip stack in the room as play kicks off on Saturday at 1.3 million. Josephy check-raised to 50,000 on a board reading 10-7-3-8 with two diamonds. Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso called to bring the ace of clubs on the river. Josephy fired another shell, this time worth 100,000, and Rousso called after some deliberation. Josephy turned over J-9 for the nut straight. For all of you Rousso fans out there, don’t fear. The GoDaddy Girl survived Day 3 and owns the 14th largest stack at 720,000.

Also sent packing was two-time bracelet winner Jeff Madsen, who will head to Israel next week as part of a prop bet leading up to the 2010 WSOP. Tab Duchateau and Francis Vizza had Madsen covered, with the former holding A-3 of hearts. Madsen held pocket sixes and Vizza had pocket sevens. The board came down 10-9-2-10-5 and Madsen, the smallest stack of the three, was eliminated in 91st place for $7,500.

The bubble boy in the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event was Nicholas Kamen, who came out on the short end of a race against Ryan “g0lfa” D’Angelo with A-K against pocket eights. The flop of Q-10-2 gave Kamen a straight draw in addition to two overcards, but a running 7-9 preserved his fate. The top 104 players finished in the money out of the 716 who entered.

A total of 24 players remain in the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event. Here’s how the field looks entering Day 4 on Saturday, which will see the group chopped to eight:

1. Vanessa Selbst – 2,285,000
2. Scott Seiver – 2,241,000
3. Dale Jamison – 1,687,000
4. Jordan “iMsoLucky0” Morgan – 1,667,000
5. Brandon “AreTheseUtz” Hall – 1,650,000
6. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy – 1,326,000
7. Derek Raymond – 1,300,000
8. Alan Sternberg – 1,151,000
9. Zachary Fritz – 925,000
10. Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar – 899,000
11. Michael Woods – 890,000
12. Ian Palomo – 798,000
13. Peter Jetten – 785,000
14. Vanessa Rousso – 720,000
15. Taha Maruf – 550,000
16. James Casement – 548,000
17. Andrew Ferguson – 535,000
18. Alistar Melville – 529,000
19. Elio Fox – 523,000
20. Mark Ader – 374,000
21. Bob Lauria – 343,000
22. Travis Klein – 295,000
23. Mike Beasley – 250,000
24. Michael Sedore – 57,000

When play wrapped up for the night on Friday, the blinds were 8,000-16,000 with an ante of 2,000. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event.

Hellmuth Unveils Team USA WTP Roster

"If he accepts I'm going to give him the captain jersey because he deserves it, and I'll play the number two spot," Hellmuth said.

Brunson, himself a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner, gladly accepted and will join forces with Hellmuth at the World Team Poker's inaugural event in Las Vegas next month.

Hellmuth owns Team USA and was originally slated to be Team Captain.

Joining Hellmuth and Brunson on Team USA will be 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Champion Annie Duke, her brother and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Howard Lederer, five-time WSOP bracelet winner Allen Cunningham, 2000 WSOP Main Event champ Chris Ferguson, high-stakes cash game pro Jennifer Harman, three-time WSOP bracelet winner Mike Matusow, and eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel.

World Team Poker squads competing against the USA will included China, co-captained by Johnny Chan and David Chiu, Australia, co-captained by Jeffrey Lisandro and Tony G, Israel, captained by Eli Elezra, Vietnam, captained by Men "The Master" Nguyen, England captain by Ben Roberts, Brazil, captained by Juliano Maesano, and Greece co-captained by George Kapalas and George Theofanopoulos.

The $50,000 one-day TV event will feature 40 of the world's top poker pros, representing eight different countries, on five-man teams. 

It will be a five table shoot out format consisting of rounds of Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha and No-Limit Hold'em. The last two players from each shoot will compete in a final-table showdown. Team Captains can make substitutions throughout the event.

Set for May 19 at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, viewers from around the world will be able to watch live streaming coverage of the event at www.worldteampoker.com.

Visit PokerListings.com

Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson Select Team USA for World Team Poker Event

The Team USA roster for the inaugural World Team Poker event is now in place, as Phil Hellmuth and Doyle Brunson selected their group of nine players for the one-day event, which takes place on May 19th at the Golden Nugget. The $50,000 buy-in event will feature 40 of the world’s top poker pros representing eight different countries.

Hellmuth, who holds the record for most number of bracelets won at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) with 11, is the Team USA front man, but kindly deferred his captaincy to Brunson. “If (Brunson) accepts, I’m going to give him the captain jersey because he deserves it and I’ll play the number two spot,” Hellmuth said at a World Team Poker press conference. Brunson, who has 10 WSOP bracelets of his own, gladly accepted the role.

On Monday, Brunson selected his roster to represent Team USA: Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, and Mike "The Mouth" Matusow.

Duke and Lederer provide a sister-brother combo. Duke recently won the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, defeating fellow Team USA member Seidel for the title. She also won the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions and appeared on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2009, finishing second to Joan Rivers. Lederer is a two-time WSOP bracelet holder with more than $5 million in career tournament earnings.

The aforementioned Seidel holds eight WSOP bracelets and won the 2008 World Poker Tour (WPT) Foxwoods event. Cunningham has five WSOP bracelets and was the 2005 ESPN/Toyota Player of the Year, but might be best known for his fourth place finish in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, where he collected $3,628,513.

Matusow is one of the most popular players in the world, known for his loud mouth and tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve. He won the 2005 WSOP Tournament of Champions and owns three WSOP bracelets. Ferguson is the quietest member of the team, but lets his play at the tables do the talking. He won the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship and the 2000 WSOP Main Event and has five WSOP bracelets. Rounding out the roster is Harman, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner and regular at the "Big Game" at the Bellagio.

Lederer, Ferguson, Harman, Cunningham, Matusow, and Seidel are all members of Team Full Tilt Poker. Hellmuth and Duke represent Team UB.com, while Brunson is the namesake of DoylesRoom.

World Team Poker squads competing against the USA will be China (Co-Captains Johnny Chan and David Chiu), Australia (Co-Captains Jeff Lisandro and Tony G), Israel (Captain Eli Elezra), Vietnam (Captain Men “The Master” Nguyen), England (Captain Ben Roberts), Brazil (Captain Juliano Maesano), and Greece (Co-Captains George Kapalas and George Theofanopoulos)

The World Team Poker Event will be a five-table shootout format consisting of rounds of Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and No Limit Hold’em. The last two players from each shootout will compete in a final-table showdown. The twist is that captains will have the option of making substitutions throughout the event, allowing for a level of team strategy not normally seen in poker, as matches will be set up based on expertise in different games. It adds a dynamic to the game that should generate excellent viewership for the event, which will be televised.

World Team Poker will host a press party the night before the event on May 18th to introduce the teams. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for announcement of the other rosters competing in the inaugural event.

Poker Channel, Poker Heaven Potentially for Sale

In a Telegraph article by Ben Harrington from Saturday evening, Gaming Media Group, which owns the television outlet The Poker Channel and online poker site Poker Heaven, is looking into the possibility of selling both of the highly respected poker outlets. To further advance the sale of these outlets, Gaming Media Group has hired Cavendish Corporate Finance LLP to solicit bids and map out a strategy for the business plan of The Poker Channel and Poker Heaven. Cavendish Corporate Finance LLP is one of the top business advisors in England and has previously consulted in the gaming arena on the sale of Cecure Gaming to PokerStars.

Gaming Media Group, founded by Crispin Nieboer and Shaun Barron along with a group of venture capitalists in 2005, is rumored to be looking at a healthy price tag for both operations. The Telegraph reports that the price for both business units is £25 million, which a potential buyer could be able to recoup rather quickly with continued improvement and building of both businesses. One of the top consultants at Cavendish Corporate Finance LLP, Paul Herman, would not state who was bidding, but indicated that there was interest from Asia and other foreign companies. The Telegraph states that the competition is wide open, with such online gaming outlets such as Full Tilt Poker, 888 Holdings, and Party Gaming in the mix along with two long-running bookmaking operations in the U.K., Ladbrokes and Paddy Power.

Poker Heaven is a part of the 48-site IPN/Boss Media Poker Network that includes Paradise Poker and Yahoo! Poker in the United Kingdom. The network is the seventh largest worldwide, according to PokerScout.com. Poker Heaven is looking to earn somewhere in the neighborhood of £1.5 million this year from revenues of £11.3 million, according to the Telegraph story. Poker Heaven has a television outlet, PokerHeavenTV.com, which uses much of the material that is generated for The Poker Channel.

The Poker Channel may be the more desirable part of the package. The Poker Channel is a 24/7 poker television outlet that is broadcast across Europe, reaching over 17 million viewers in 20 different countries. The Poker Channel has aired some of the top poker tournaments in Europe, including the Irish Open, Grosvenor U.K. Poker Tour, and Great British Poker Tour, and also has contractual rights to broadcast the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour. The Poker Channel also captivates its viewers with cash game play from the Million Dollar Cash Game and the PokerHeaven.com European Cash Game.

Another segment of The Poker Channel’s success has been in its own online site. In September 2008, Gaming Media Group re-launched its online arm, PokerChannelEurope.com, which provides tutorial videos and segments of tournaments and cash games seen on The Poker Channel. PokerChannelEurope.com is one of the top 30,000 sites in such countries as Malta, Israel and the United Kingdom, according to Alexa.com.

The Nightly Turbo: Full Tilt Under Investigation, Jeff Madsen Moves to Israel, and More

Full Tilt Poker is being investigated by a federal grand jury, Jeff Madsen's latest prop bet isn't as permanent as his last, and more in tonight's Nightly Turbo.

Jeff Madsen in another prop bet – moving to Israel

Jeff Madsen is one for the weird prop bets – we’ve reported on his tattoo bet from the LAPC this year and now he’s got another lined up. The multiple WSOP bracelet-winner is moving to Israel for six weeks and having no contact with friends or family, earning himself $50,000 in the process.

Poker Pro Jeff Madsen Moves to Israel for Prop Bet

In a prop bet that many believed to be an April Fools Day joke, two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Jeff Madsen will move to Israel, temporarily of course. The bet is for $50,000 and begins on April 15th.

On March 31st, 24 hours prior to April Fools Day, Madsen alerted cyberspace via Twitter, “Just accepted a sick prop bet: I have to move to Israel until the World Series, no outside contact with friends, no cell phone, etc. 50k bet.” He’ll start his quest for $50,000 on April 15th; the 2010 WSOP does not begin until May 28th in Las Vegas. Madsen told Poker News Daily that Tel Aviv would likely be his base while in the Middle East.

In an industry inundated by prop bets, Madsen relocating to Israel is one of the more memorable ones in recent years. Madsen told Poker News Daily how his unique bet came about: “I met a guy a couple of weeks ago at a charity event. He was a rich businessman who played high stakes and we started talking about how I make crazy prop bets. One thing led to another and it came up that I needed some extra money. I agreed do a bet where I’d move to another country.” The challenger is “Manny B,” whom Madsen met at a Talk About Curing Autism fundraiser.

This won’t be Madsen’s first trip to Israel. Five years ago, he journeyed to the sovereign nation. He recalled, “There were a lot of countries for our prop bet that would have been too easy. Israel is an interesting place and I was there in 2005. This time, I’m picking Tel Aviv, but I’ll probably do a tour of the whole country.” Madsen admitted that not using a cell phone or contacting friends may be tough for Manny B to monitor, but he is on the honor system to uphold his end of the bet: “I want this $50,000. I think I’ll be okay and a month isn’t too long.”

Madsen recently came out on the losing end of a prop bet with Gavin Smith and Joe Sebok involving tattoos. In the unique L.A. Poker Classic last longer bet, Sebok was eliminated first and must now tattoo the faces of Smith and Madsen on his body. Madsen was eliminated second and must tattoo Smith’s handsome mug. Madsen burst onto the poker scene in 2006, winning two bracelets for a combined $1.3 million in prize money. He’s made five final tables during his WSOP career.

Due to the timing of the announcement that he’d be heading to Israel for a month, many in the industry perceived the bet to be nothing more than an April Fools Day ploy. Madsen noted, “It’s 50-50. A lot of people think it’s a joke and a lot of people don’t.” On TwoPlusTwo, speculation poured in from all sides. Poster “rossi094” candidly pondered, “Do they have April Fools in Israel?” Meanwhile, “UncleKraut” questioned the location: “Iraq or Iran would have been more interesting.”

Several TwoPlusTwo posters have asserted that Madsen’s Israeli prop bet is nothing more than a paid vacation for the youngster. “surgeon23” claimed, “This is definitely a vacation. I wonder if they have any places to play poker though. Well, I guess the prop bet said nothing about laptops, so it’s a cakewalk if you ask me. Way too easy.” Poker News Daily asked Madsen if he’d be playing poker while in Israel in the weeks leading up to the 2010 WSOP: “I don’t know how much poker I’ll be playing, so I’ll be focused and can take time off before the grind of the WSOP. It’ll probably be good for me.”

Madsen has been counting down the days until Israel on his Twitter account (@JeffMadsenobv). We’ll keep you posted right here on Poker News Daily.

Isildur1 April Fools Day Rumors Engulf Online Poker Industry

Yesterday was April 1st, which marks a day of trickery in celebration of April Fools Day. In the poker industry, rumors of the true identity of the mystery Swede Isildur1 spread like wildfire.

On March 31st, one day before April Fools Day, the Cake Poker Blog set the tone for the de-facto holiday by publishing a story revealing that Isildur1 is actually former Swedish hockey star Mats Sundin. However, Sundin is a sponsored pro of PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, leading some players to cry foul almost immediately. The Cake Poker Blog noted that several Swedish news outlets had reported the news and an official announcement was expected from Sundin’s agent later in the day. Needless to say, no announcement came.

Also on Wednesday, Isildur1 agreed to appear in the PartyPoker Big Game IV, news confirmed by representatives from PartyPoker and event organizers Matchroom Sport. The Cake Poker Blog explained Sundin’s presence in the Big Game IV: “According to the reports, Sundin will be playing for the charity The Human Fund and deliberately used the notoriety of his enigmatic online poker handle to help raise the profile of his appearance at the Big Game IV in support of his charitable work.”

On the TwoPlusTwo forums, a 10-page thread reacting to the April Fools Day gag featured many posters scratching their heads. Community member "Ridin2Aces" boasted, “I posted a couple weeks ago that I thought it was Mats Sundin. Do I win a prize? No one I said this to believed me, just seemed to fit. He’s loaded.” Also falling for the ruse was “nuisance,” who rationalized, “If it’s Mats, that would make sense since his bankroll seemed to be huge and from what I know he seemed to have came out of nowhere.”

Twenty-four hours after its original article, the Cake Poker Blog came clean, publishing a story entitled “Isildur1 is (Probably) Not Mats Sundin.” A graph of Sundin’s lackluster performance online courtesy of PokerTableRatings.com was displayed along with text reading, “Yes, as many of you guessed by now, our Isildur1 is Mats Sundin post was a joke. As far as we know, Isildur1 is still maintaining his secret identity.” Meanwhile, PokerListings got in on the action by affirming that Isildur1 is Sundin and even posted a video backing up its claims.

On April Fools Day, BoylePoker asserted that “high-stakes poker degenerate” Niklas Power, a 40 year-old Swedish transplant now living in Ireland, is the man behind the Isildur1 moniker. Power told BoylePoker officials why he allegedly chose to come out of hiding: “Well, I couldn’t let that Blom fella get all the credit, so I decided to reveal myself to the world.” Power was expected to turn out to this weekend’s Irish Poker Open. How did he get his riches, you ask? BoylePoker had this question covered as well, explaining, “Power is alleged to have deposited €2,000 and ran it up to $1.5 million in two weeks with his hyper-aggressive style.”

Making headlines on April Fools Day was a rumored key role by Tom “durrrr” Dwan in the movie “Rounders 2.” The story, which appeared on the Full Tilt Poker Blog, read in part, “The sequel is expected to focus on the world of online poker, so the role would be a natural fit for durrrr. This morning, a TwoPlusTwo poster identifying himself as ‘a Miramax talent coordinator authorized to disclose limited information’ said the screenplay features durrrr in an intense early scene.” Allegedly, Dwan makes a major misclick. Images doctored using Photoshop showed Dwan facing off against actor Matt Damon.

Also popping up on Thursday was a prop bet purportedly forged by two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Jeff Madsen. The youngster Tweeted, “Just accepted a sick prop bet: I have to move to Israel until the World Series, no outside contact with friends no cell phone, etc. 50k bet.” TwoPlusTwo posters were disappointed in Madsen’s chosen destination as an April Fools Day joke, as one respondent contended, “Iraq or Iran would have been more interesting.”

Whether Madsen was really joking or not remains to be seen. On Thursday, he Tweeted, “My Israel prop bet is not with Dave and unfortunately is not a joke.” He allegedly leaves in two weeks.

EPT Awards Race Heats Up

It is currently a three-way tie for EPT Player of the Year with Maxim Lykov, Martin Kabrhel and Kevin MacPhee all sitting on 160 points.

MacPhee's Berlin win, a second-place finish in a side event and three main events cashes have propelled him to the top of the standings while Lykov joins him there courtesy wins in Kyiv and a $1k side event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Meanwhile, Czech star Martin Kabrhel has earned most of his points winning three side events, including the EPT Deauville High Roller.

However, any player currently in the top 21, including Team PokerStars Pros Peter Eastgate, William Thorson and Luca Pagano, could scoop the Player of the Year title if they win one of the last remaining main events.

So far, only one winner is clear. Team PokerStars Pro William Thorson will win Best Omaha Player after winning two out of the 11 Omaha events on the Season 6 schedule.

The tightest race may be the one for EPT Mixed Games Player.

At present, seven players are all tied on 50 points, including Team PokerStars Pros Benjamin Kang, Joe Hachem and Katja Thater.

The winner will be decided next month at the final Mixed Games side event during EPT San Remo.

The race for Best EPT Country is still being dominated by the Czech Republic, thanks to side event king Martin Kabrhel, EPT Prague winner Jan Skampa and Jiri Kulhanek, who won the PCA $1k PLO Six-Max event.

However, both Portugal and Israel are close behind.

The title of Best Online Qualifier is also an extremely close race with 68-year-old Pierre Neuville from Belgium, the retired director of Hasbro Games, right behind EPT Barcelona champ Carter Phillips.

At least two awards remain completely up for grabs. Shortlists for the EPT Achievement of the Year Award and the EPT People's Choice Award will be announced at the end of EPT San Remo on April 21 when online voting will open.

The EPT Awards will be presented on the final night of the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo on April 30.

Visit PokerListings.com

World Team Poker Hits Vegas

Set for May 19, the $50,000 one-day event will feature 40 of the world's top poker pros representing eight different countries on five man teams.

Each of the teams will be captained by superstars of poker in their respective countries, including Phil Hellmuth, Jr. (Team USA), co-captains Johnny Chan and David Chiu (Team China), Men "The Master" Nguyen (Team Vietnam), Eli Elezra (Team Israel) and co-captains Jeff Lisandro and Tony Guoga (Australia).

It will be a five-table shootout format consisting of rounds of Limit Hold'Em, Pot-Limit Hold'Em and No Limit Hold'Em.

Viewers from around the world will be able to watch live streaming coverage of the event at www.worldteampoker.com and it will be filmed for TV.

Visit PokerListings.com

Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Bill Gains 66th Co-Sponsor

Last week, Congressman Barney Frank (D–MA) garnered another co-sponsor to his internet gambling bill, bringing the total number of co-sponsors, including Frank himself, to 66.  HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, would establish the regulatory and licensing framework for online gambling in the United States, moving internet poker out of the gray legal area that it has long been in and into the light of complete legality.

The new co-sponsor is Charles Wilson, a Democrat from Ohio's 6th Congressional district, which starts in the Mahoning Valley in the north and runs 325 miles down the Ohio River.  Cities in the district include Bridgeport, Canfield, Wellsville, Ironton, and Ohio's first city, Marietta.  National Journal Magazine released its "Voting Ratings" issue last week, labeling Wilson as a centrist.  Out of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, he ranks as the 192nd most liberal and the 239th most conservative.  Wilson is the third Congressman from Ohio to co-sponsor HR 2267, joining fellow Democrats Steve Driehaus and Tim Ryan.

Below is the list of HR 2267's co-sponsors, organized by state:

Alaska
Don Young (R)

Arizona
Raul Grijalva (D)

California
Michael Thompson (D)
George Miller (D)
Michael Honda (D)
Linda Sanchez (D)
Bob Filner (D)
Adam Schiff (D)
Lynn Woolsey (D)

Colorado
Jared Polis (D)
Ed Perlmutter (D)
Betsy Markey (D)

Connecticut
Joe Courtney (D)
John Larson (D)
Christopher Murphy (D)

Florida
Robert Wexler (D)
Alcee Hastings (D)

Hawaii
Neil Abercrombie (D)

Idaho
Walt Minnick (D)

Illinois
Luis Gutierrez (D)
Bill Foster (D)

Indiana
Andre Carson (D)

Louisiana
Charlie Melancon (D)

Massachusetts
James McGovern (D)
Barney Frank (D)
Michael Capuano (D)
William Delahunt (D)

Michigan
John Conyers (D)

Missouri
Russ Carnahan (D)
William Lacy Clay (D)

Nevada
Shelley Berkley (D)

New Hampshire
Paul Hodes (D)

New Jersey
Robert Andrews (D)
Frank LoBiondo (R)
John Adler (D)
Steven Rothman (D)
Bill Pascrell (D)

New York
Tim Bishop (D)
Steve Israel (D)
Peter King (R)
Carolyn McCarthy (D)
Gary Ackerman (D)
Joseph Crowley (D)
Jerrold Nadler (D)
Edolphus Towns (D)
Mike McMahon (D)
Charles Rangel (D)
Paul Tonko (D)
Eliot Engel (D)
Daniel Maffei (D)
Anthony Weiner (D)

North Carolina
Melvin Watt (D)

Northern Mariana Islands
Gregorio Sablan (D)

Ohio
Steve Driehaus (D)
Tim Ryan (D)
Charles Wilson (D)

Oregon
Earl Blumenauer (D)

Tennessee
Steve Cohen (D)

Texas
Ron Paul (R)
Ciro Rodriguez (D)

Vermont
Peter Welch (D)

Virginia
Bobby Scott (D)
Tom Perriello (D)
James Moran (D)

Washington
Jim McDermott (D)
Adam Smith (D)

While Wilson has not issued a statement regarding the online gambling bill, he likely feels that one major positive aspect of regulation and legalization is the potential tax revenue to be collected.  In a recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Rep. William Lacy Clay (D–MO) gave part of his reasoning for supporting Frank's bill. "We should not be so naive to think that we are going to do away with gambling by passing that law (the UIGEA in 2006)," he said.  "I think $42 billion (the amount of tax revenue estimated from online gambling over the next ten years) is a significant sum that the federal government needs to fund some of the programs that are worthy and that Americans benefit from."

Added his colleague, Russ Carnahan (D–MO), "It's the kind of thing that requires clear rules and regulations so that it functions well."

Jan Skampa wins EPT in Prague

I’m sure every poker player sometimes dreams of winning a huge event in front of family and friends. Well, at least Young Chech Jan Skampa don’t have to dream about it anymore, as he achieved his dreams and took down the EPT Prague main event after beating the 583 other combatants for an €682,000 first-place prize.

After making it to his first ever EPT final table at Vilamoura, Portugal, couple weeks ago, Skampa didn’t have to wait long for another appearance in the final, showing the home crowd in the biggest tournament in Czech Republic ever that they have not come in vain to cheer for him. Back-to-back final tables in just third and fourth EPT events ever played by Skampa proves that he is a force to be reckoned with.

Italian Luca Pagano broke a record after making it to the final table, his sixth overall, that is the most final tables in history of EPT. Sixth time was no charm for the PokerStars pro, as Pagano busted out fittingly, yes you know it, in sixth place.

Swede Stefan Matsson, a WPT runner-up in Barcelona 2008, had a huge chip lead in the tournament after he busted Larry Ryan out of the tournament in fifth place with queens against jacks, but the tide turned when he and Skampa got all the chips in the middle, Skampa holding kings and Matsson queens.

Matsson was eventually out in third place and the heads-up started with Eyal Avitan leading having a 2:1 chip lead over Skampa. But the Chech grinded his way back to the lead and after three hours of heads up play Avitan moved in with J-9 only to see him being a huge dog against a pair of jack Skampa had in a hole. After the turn card the faith of the Israeli was sealed and the Chech crowd started to celebrate the win of their new poker hero.

Here is the final results and payouts of the EPT Prague:

1.Jan Skampa € 682,000
2.Eyal Avitan € 454,000
3.Stefan Mattsson € 255,000
4.Anthony Roux € 171,000
5.Larry Ryan € 135,000
6.Luca Pagano € 100,000
7.Gustav Ekerot € 71,000
8.Sven Eichelbaum € 55,500

Source

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Jan Skampa wins EPT in Prague