Poker News

Celebrity Apprentice 3 Cast List Released, No Poker Players

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich headlines an ensemble “Celebrity Apprentice” cast. The 14 names announced by NBC on Monday do not include any poker players, as first reported by Poker News Daily in October.

Three months ago, the cast was spotted filming the show’s opening credits in the Meat Packing District of New York City. Embattled politician Blagojevich is perhaps the most controversial name on the list. NBC officials tried to land the former Governor for its Costa Rica-based “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here,” which aired in June, but legal woes kept him from competing. Instead, Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, appeared on the show. Blagojevich landed in hot water after allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat previously occupied by President Barack Obama.

Also on the new cast is comedian Carol Leifer, who will try to follow in the shoes of “Celebrity Apprentice” Season 2 winner Joan Rivers. The latter defeated UB.com poker pro Annie Duke in the finals last year. Leifer told the Associated Press, "I'm certainly not a household name. I'm not surprised that Joan Rivers won (last season), because, as a standup comic, you're a one-man band — it makes you very prepared for stressful situations to be able to react to a lot of pressure. Humor is a weapon anywhere and everywhere!" Leifer is 20 years younger than Rivers, but her television writing resume includes hits like “Seinfeld,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” and “Saturday Night Live.”

Poison hasn’t released an album since 2007, but that hasn’t stopped Bret Michaels from becoming a household name. The band’s lead singer will appear on the upcoming season of “Celebrity Apprentice” and currently can be found on the VH1 reality series “Rock of Love.” Joining him on the all-male team dubbed “Rocksolid” is Bill Goldberg, former World Heavyweight Champion of WWE and WCW. The former NFL player was last seen in a WWE ring six years ago during WrestleMania XX, when he squared off against Brock Lesnar. Goldberg told the Associated Press that he plans to keep his fiery edge in the boardroom with show host and real estate mogul Donald Trump: "I know I'm going to explode during this show at some point and say things I probably don't mean."

Another embattled celebrity to join the cast of the NBC reality show’s third cycle is Darryl Strawberry. The former New York Met, who dealt with child support non-payments, prostitution, probation violations, and drug use following his baseball career, is now 47 and will look to right the ship on “Celebrity Apprentice.” Competing opposite Strawberry will be “America’s Got Talent” judge Sharon Osbourne, whose fellow judge on the show, Piers Morgan, won the original installment of “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2008.

Last time out, Rivers defeated Duke amid a tidal wave of name-calling, including numerous references to Hitler. Rivers’ onslaught included such memorable lines as, “You’re a poker player. A poker player! That’s beyond white trash. Poker players are trash,” and, “You have a Nazi and a follower. I don’t work with scum.” Duke then fired back, telling “Celebrity Apprentice” cameras, “Joan is completely full of shit in everything she does. There’s a reason she got fired by the TV Guide Channel: She’s a bitch.”

For the most part, the poker world rallied behind one of their own and Duke raised a colossal $731,000 for Refugees International. However, Rivers, who was playing for God’s Love We Deliver, took down the title of “Celebrity Apprentice” and earned $526,000 for charity. Others who appeared on the show’s second installment with Rivers and Duke included Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, country music star Clint Black, reality star Khloe Kardashian, and comedian Tom Green.

Here’s the complete cast list for the third season of “Celebrity Apprentice:”

Rocksolid: Rod Blagojevich, Darryl Strawberry. Curtis Stone, Sinbad, Bret Michaels, Bill Goldberg, Michael Johnson

Tenacity: Sharon Osbourne, Cyndi Lauper, Summer Sanders, Holly Robinson Peete, Maria Kanellis, Carol Leifer, Selita Ebanks

The new season of “Celebrity Apprentice” kicks off on March 14th on NBC.

Poker2Nite Welcomes Gavin Smith

The final UB.com sponsored “Poker2Nite” of 2009 aired on Wednesday night and featured Gavin Smith along with a recap of the outgoing calendar year. In addition, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo broke down a hand from the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) on the Fox Sports Net poker news franchise.

“Poker2Nite” hosts Joe Sebok and Scott Huff ticked off their top three poker stories of 2009. For Sebok, the WSOP Main Event final table came in at number three, as he told viewers, “It had more suckouts than a Blow Pop factory.” Huff added, “It finally proved that the November Nine format can work.” Number two on Sebok’s best of 2009 list was the arrival of Isildur1, who stormed onto the high-stakes online poker scene late in the year. Sebok noted, “For somebody to come out of the mystery and take over is pretty unbelievable.” Sebok’s top story of 2009 was Phil Ivey, who won two WSOP bracelets and reached the final table of the Main Event. He also appeared on the cover of “ESPN: The Magazine.”

Huff then shared his top three poker news stories of the year. First up for the “Poker2Nite” host was Lada Gaga introducing her hit song “Poker Face” to the world. Huff explained, “You have the biggest pop star in the world making a song about her poker face.” Number two was the WSOP Main Event Day 1D lockout, which saw 500 players shut out of poker’s most prestigious tournament when it reached capacity. Huff questioned, “How do you shut people out of the Main Event of the WSOP?” Number one for Huff was the compliance delay of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). As it stands, the financial services industry in the United States has until June 1st to comply with the 2006 law.

“Poker2Nite” correspondent Lacey Jones interviewed players at the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic asking what their New Year’s resolutions are for 2010. Shawn Buchanan stated that he wanted to win a WSOP bracelet, while Shaun Deeb explained that he’d rent a house in Europe. Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar vowed to study the game more, while Steve “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer desired to be more organized. Finally, UB.com pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy told Jones that he would lose weight in 2010.

Smith, a Full Tilt Poker pro, then joined the show. He described 2009 as, “Awful. Atrocious. Terrible. It’s my very first ever losing year in tournament poker.” He added, “I don’t think I ever tried to win.” Smith took home $120,000 from an episode of NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and earned $30,000 at the 2009 WSOP. A man known for prop betting, Smith explained the origin of a tattoo featuring the initials “J.S.” on his shoulder: “At the L.A. Poker Classic a few years ago, [Sebok and I] had a last longer bet and the loser was supposed to get the other man’s initials on his butt.” Smith, upon hearing how painful a tattoo on his rear would be, instead immortalized Sebok’s initials on his shoulder.

Bonomo appeared in a segment entitled “In the Tank,” breaking down a hand from the 2008 WSOP against David “Chino” Rheem and Roland de Wolfe. The Bodog pro described his thought process on every street, although Bonomo ultimately dropped the pot to de Wolfe, who picked off Bonomo’s bluff. Bonomo bet after the river brought three clubs to the board, explaining, “Roland has to be afraid of that card,” but de Wolfe called with an underpair to the board.

Dana Workman doled out the “Weekly Misdeal,” a satirical look at recent poker headlines. Workman chose to recap the top offbeat stories of 2009, including Ivey’s numerous side bets involving bracelet wins at the 2009 WSOP, the Poker Hall of Fame nomination of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and UB.com pro Annie Duke’s feud with comedian Joan Rivers.

“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesdays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for more information, as the show is often pre-empted due to local sports programming.

Annie Duke Launches MyMixedNuts.com

Poker players looking for a last-minute present this Christmas season can check out MyMixedNuts.com, a custom, mail order trail mix company brought to life by Poker News Daily Guest Columnist and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke.

MyMixedNuts.com allows customers – poker players and non-poker players alike – to choose from a wide variety of fresh ingredients to create the ultimate bag of trail mix. Ingredients available in the “Seeds and Nuts” section of the site’s store include almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, soy nuts, sunflower seeds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and pecans. In the “Dry Goods” department, poker players craving foodstuffs like apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, cherries, coconut, cranberries, dates, figs, ginger, goji berries, mango, orange peel, papaya, pineapple, and raisins will go home happy.

When Poker News Daily visited the site, we went straight to the “Goodies” section, where we could add “healthy” items like chocolate covered fruit, chocolate chips, malt balls, jelly beans, licorice, pretzels, M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, and sesame seeds. Each trail mix ingredient varies in price and is measured by the ounce, ranging primarily between about $0.50 and $1.50. An easy-to-use front-end interface allows trail mix aficionados to create their ultimate concoction from the comfort of their couches.

A variety of pre-made mixes can be purchased for those who do not wish to create their own. “Annie’s Mix,” which includes raw cashews, raisins, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and banana chips, runs $12.99 for a 14-ounce bag, with $1 of every purchase going to Ante Up for Africa, a charity she founded along with actor Don Cheadle and Norman Epstein. Gummy fans can purchase a pre-made mix called “Gummy Delicious,” which contains sunny bears, dark chocolate chips, sour cherries, roasted and salted almonds, raw macadamia nuts, and golden raisins. This tasty treat will set you back $14.99. Sunny bears, by the way, are vegetarian and organic versions of the traditional junk food item.

Duke told Poker News Daily that when she used to purchase trail mix from the grocery store, she’d pick through it, tossing out components that did not sit well with her and leading to the idea to launch MyMixedNuts.com. Duke teamed up with “Apprentice” producer Ryan Simpkins and boyfriend Joe Reitman, with Simpkins’ mother handling the day-to-day operations of the site. Text found on MyMixedNuts.com explains, “You would understand that his mom must be supremely qualified to handle nutcases, so Annie and Joe were sold on the idea. Susan would handle each order with care and love.”

Free shipping is available for orders that surpass $40 and the site accepts PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. It became a reality in recent days and will seek to make its mark on the made-to-order food world. Poker players looking for a memorable Christmas gift, New Years’ treat, or Valentine’s Day present can even get their loved ones a Mix of the Month Club subscription or a copy of the latest Land of Fruit and Nuts newsletter.

Duke is a sponsored pro of UB.com, joining top-tier names like 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok, and 2009 CardPlayer Player of the Year winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, who joined the site on Tuesday. UB.com happily accepts players from the United States and makes its home on the CEREUS Network along with its sister site, Absolute Poker.

Duke finished as the runner-up on “Celebrity Apprentice” to comedian Joan Rivers, who compared the poker pro to Hitler on several occasions. Nevertheless, Duke helped raise well over $700,000 for Refugees International and will now put her business acumen to good use with MyMixedNuts.com.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Poker News Daily.

Doyle Brunson vs Joan Rivers live on radio

In a recent radio spot, Joan Rivers and Doyle Brunson went at it on air. "Who the hell is Doyle Brunson? When you’re 76 and successful like me then come and talk to me,” said the unfunny comedian to the 76-year-old poker legend.

Erik Seidel Appears on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm

Normally, poker players are seen on television only within their element, in a poker tournament or cash game. Recently, however, a top pro took the time to appear on one of the most popular programs on cable television.

In last Sunday’s episode of the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm” entitled “Officer Krupke,” Erik Seidel appeared in a non-speaking role on the show. Seidel was seated behind “Curb” star and creator Larry David and his on-screen wife, Cheryl Hines, as the couple dined in a restaurant. David and Hines discussed her auditioning for a role on the “Seinfeld” reunion, which has been a prominent part of this season’s storyline. Seidel’s prominence in the shot – he is framed by both David and Hines as they perform the scene – has led many to discuss how he got on the program.

On the poker forum TwoPlusTwo, some answers are given on how Seidel got his “moment in the sun.” A tweet from Seidel himself that was posted on the site admits, “Yes, that was my ugly mug on Curb. From a charity auction, I’m a huge fan of the show.” Also noted in the discussion on TwoPlusTwo were the appearance of actor/poker player Ben Affleck and that Daniel Negreanu will have a spin on another HBO program, “Entourage,” also because of a charitable cause.

Seidel’s charitable actions have been quite apparent over the past year. When poker pro and friend Annie Duke battled her way to the final two on the past season of the NBC reality series “Celebrity Apprentice,” Seidel was prominent in several of the tasks. Not only did he appear during the final episode pitting Duke against eventual winner Joan Rivers, but Seidel also contributed to one of the early tasks on the program. In that episode, Seidel was among several poker players that donated to Duke’s cupcake drive. Seidel purchased one of the cupcakes created by Duke’s Athena teammates for $5,000, helping the team to victory.

The latest sighting of Seidel on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” continues a long-running theme of poker players appearing in mainstream television, movies, and magazines. In addition to Duke’s “Celebrity Apprentice” appearance this year, the team of Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho on the current run of “The Amazing Race” has drawn attention to poker personalities. After battling valiantly through several difficult physical stunts, the duo was eliminated two weeks ago, finishing in sixth place on the Emmy Award-winning program.

Negreanu has been able to parlay his poker stardom into a cameo role in one of the top films of this year, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” where he played poker against the character Gambit. Fellow poker players Scotty Nguyen, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Hellmuth joined Negreanu in the recent “Body Issue” of “ESPN: The Magazine.” In addition, popular recent poker films and television series such as “The Grand,” “Lucky You,” and the highly controversial ESPN series “Tilt” have featured some of the biggest names in the game such as Doyle Brunson and Antonio Esfandiari.

It is good to see poker players such as Seidel in an arena outside of the poker table and even better that Seidel was able to parlay his appearance on the program into a charitable cause. The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode with Seidel appears nine more times between now and November 15th, so there are plenty of opportunities for poker fans to check out his turn on one of the most popular programs on cable television.

Annie Duke Recaps Aruba Poker Classic, Previews WSOP Main Event

Ultimate Bet’s Annie Duke, fresh off her trip to the annual Aruba Poker Classic, comments on the tournament, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table, and the latest cast list for “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Poker News Daily: You missed most of the Aruba Poker Classic last year to film the NBC reality series “Celebrity Apprentice.” Tell us about your trip this year.

Duke: I went into Aruba and was actually excited about playing. In the first two levels, I had aces seven times, kings twice, and queens twice, and I was out. I’d make a big re-raise and someone with 8-5 would call. That goes to show you when you have hands that good, you’ll end up with a huge stack or be out. I was sad because I was looking forward to playing in that tournament. I don’t think I’ve ever had that good of a run of cards, so I was sad to waste it.

PND: What did you do instead of playing in the Main Event in Aruba?

Duke: I ended up in a lot of meetings. I didn’t get to go out too much. At the opening night party, I’ve always managed to avoid getting thrown into the pool. It usually starts off with Phil Hellmuth offering people money to get thrown in. This year, a couple of UB pros came up to me and said they were going to throw me in the pool. I told them not to and they backed off, except for Joe Sebok, who threw me in. He was the first person to get me in the pool in my clothes in years. By the time the closing party came around, I was sick, so I asked people not to throw me in and they didn’t.

I scheduled one day on the back end of the trip where I knew everyone would be gone. I spent the whole day with my seven year-old and we decided to go tubing. She doesn’t like tubing, so [my boyfriend] Joe and I went and she stayed in the boat. The driver’s goal is to knock you off the tube, but Joe and I were in good shape. Finally, the driver began starting and stopping the boat to create turbulence and then pulled us over it. At that point, the tube was flipping over. Joe’s heel flew into my neck and snapped my head back. There was a progressive event of my lower jaw snapping into my upper jaw. We stopped and there was Annie sobbing in the water. The inside of my throat swelled up like I had a bad case of swollen glands. Joe said his only regret was that he didn’t do it on purpose.

PND: That’s quite a story. I notice you’re not playing in the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Festa al Lago. Can you talk about the tournament’s extended registration policy, which allows players to buy in until halfway through Day 2?

Duke: It’s excruciating to play with the number of blinds they give you, so you definitely want to show up late. The problem is that I’m not sure you can be better than even equity if you do. The soft players in there – the satellite winners – are not waiting until Day 2 to play. You’re given the choice between saving time and losing equity or torturing yourself and picking up equity. I’m not sure there’s a right answer. I don’t want to miss out on soft money, but it’s hard to sit there and play.

PND: It appears that the cast for the third season of “Celebrity Apprentice” will not include a poker player. Is that a good move by NBC officials?

Duke: In the end, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t have a poker player. I don’t know that tapping into that community again makes sense from a fundraising standpoint. On fundraising challenges, everyone conceded the fact that whatever team I was on would win. They might think that any poker player might be able to bring that to bear, so I’m not sure that creates any suspense for the show. In the finale, it was like they discounted the fact that I had raised so much more money than Joan Rivers. There wasn’t as much weight to it because people assumed that poker players would come through that way, which is amazing.

PND: The cast includes former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and “America’s Got Talent” judge Sharon Osbourne. Who’s your horse?

Duke: You have to decide between competence and fame and competence versus who will make for good television. My recollection of Helen Robinson Peete is that she’s smart. On competence, she’d be a good choice. Carol Leifer also seems like she’d be competent. If I had to predict, I’d say that it will be Sharon versus Rod in the finale. I don’t have a lot of interest in watching it, but I might because I have friends who work on the show. I developed some close friendships while filming.

PND: What are your thoughts heading into the WSOP Main Event final table?

Duke: Ivey has about 5% of the chips in play and he’s definitely much better than the average bear, but anyone who gets there is playing well. It’s a weird final table because it’s so top-heavy. When it’s top-heavy, the chip averages and table play get screwed up. You have Darvin Moon and then two others close to him. What people have to remember is that Darvin only has a 30% chance of winning (since he has 30% of the chips in play) if he’s a par player, so 70% of the time, he won’t win.

PND: We understand that you’re going to be doing some radio commentary during the final table. How are you preparing for that?

Duke: In the beginning, I’ll be looking at how people deal with the fact that there’s this monster at the table. It’ll be interesting to see who’s panicking and who’s not. There’s no reason to panic. You have a lot of people with around the same number of chips and they’ll be equally afraid of each other. None of them are true short stacks and any of them can damage any other player besides Darvin. They can play relatively straightforward poker and not short-stack poker, so it’ll be interesting to see who knows that.

PND: Is it fair to draw a comparison to the 2006 WSOP Main Event, when Jamie Gold held a monstrous chip lead over the rest of the table?

Duke: There are definitely some similarities. What you saw is that the people who were patient got rewarded.

Celebrity Apprentice 3 Cast May Not Feature Poker Players

In 2010, the third installment of the NBC reality franchise “Celebrity Apprentice” will hit television airwaves. The show, which featured comedian Joan Rivers best poker pro Annie Duke in the finale last time out, will likely not include a poker player this time around.

Ever since Duke finished as the runner-up to Rivers in May, the poker community has been abuzz that one of its own may appear in the third edition of the popular series. However, according to Huliq.com and the New York Post, the ensemble cast, which will likely once again pit men against women, does not appear to include a poker player. No official cast list has been released by NBC. The show is hosted by real estate mogul Donald Trump and raises money for charity.

Last season, Duke played for Refugees International, an organization that she worked closely with as part of her own charity, Ante Up for Africa. In the process, the poker community was instrumental in raising $730,000 for the charity. Poker players who made cameos throughout the season included Ultimate Bet front man Phil Hellmuth, Andy Bloch, Howard Lederer, 2009 Poker Hall of Fame nominee Erik Seidel, and Perry Friedman.

Embattled politician Rod Blagojevich headlines the “Celebrity Apprentice” cast in Season 3. His wife, Patty Blagojevich, appeared on NBC’s “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” when Rod was unable to attend due to ongoing legal action. Blagojevich is the former Governor of Illinois and was impeached in January for, among other misgivings, allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by current U.S. President Barack Obama.

Joining Blagojevich on the men’s team will be another controversial celebrity, former baseball great Darryl Strawberry, a member of the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees. Strawberry exited the league in 1999 and was the National League Rookie of the Year 16 years earlier. Chef Curtis Stone will join the “Celebrity Apprentice” cast, as will popular comedian Sinbad, whose credits include “A Different World” and “The Sinbad Show.” He has also appeared in movies such as “First Kid” and “Jingle All the Way.”

Former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, who stormed onto World Championship Wrestling (WCW) scene with an undefeated streak in the late 1990s, will be a part of the new “Celebrity Apprentice” cast. Rounding out the men’s team is “Rock of Love” star Bret Michaels, who is also known for his work with the band Poison.

The women’s team features “America’s Got Talent” judge Sharon Osborne, whose fellow judge on the show, Piers Morgan, was the winner of Season 1 of “Celebrity Apprentice.” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” signer Cyndi Lauper will join the squad. Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders, who took down hardware in swimming in 1992, will also make her way to New York City to film “Celebrity Apprentice.” There, actress Holly Robinson Peete, wife of former NFL great Rodney Peete, will join her.

World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Maria Kanellis will also be a part of “Celebrity Apprentice,” as will comedian Carol Leifer, who has written scripts for hits like “Seinfeld” and “The Larry Sanders Show.” Finally, Selita Ebanks, a model, will round out the new cast.

The names of more cast members may be released, but for the meantime, it appears that the poker community will not be a part of the upcoming season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Over on CBS, Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, respectively, are competing as part of the Emmy Award winning reality series “Amazing Race.” The show airs at 8:00pm ET on Sundays and viewers will see the poker playing duo race around Dubai, United Arab Emirates on this week’s edition.

The Post reported that the “Celebrity Apprentice” cast was seen recording the opening credits in the Meatpacking District of New York City and that the show would begin airing in March.

Tiffany Michelle Gives the Inside Scoop on Amazing Race

On September 27th, the 15th installment of the CBS reality franchise “Amazing Race” will kick off at 8:00pm ET. Appearing will be professional poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, respectively. Michelle sat down with Poker News Daily to preview the season.

Poker News Daily: Congratulations on appearing on “Amazing Race.” Tell us how the opportunity came up.

Michelle: Maria Ho and I have been friends for a while and bonded even more recently. There was lots of talk of us doing a reality television show. We agreed that if we did anything, it’d be “Amazing Race.” We thought we’d be an interesting team. With the competition and challenge of the show, it’d be right up our alley. We could take our poker playing background and use it on “Amazing Race.” We had a chance to go through the casting process and were in Las Vegas playing tournaments when we got the call. It was definitely hard to head back to the tables during the WSOP knowing we’d be traveling the world soon.

PND: Had you watched previous seasons of “Amazing Race”?

Michelle: I hadn’t seen a full season, but saw the show on different occasions. It looked challenging and was out of my league. I think it looked fun.

PND: The cast features Harlem Globetrotters and a former Miss America. Talk about the competition that you’ll face on “Amazing Race.”

Michelle: We were surprised to learn that we were the only all-female team this season. We felt pressure to represent women and knew that no all-female team had ever won “Amazing Race.” We thought that our competition consisted of young, big, athletic people. That was going to be our weakness, but we knew that the race tests your mental and physical skills.

PND: Past seasons of “Amazing Race” have included stops in the four corners of the globe. Talk about being able to travel the world.

Michelle: It was a very life-changing experience. I live a wonderful and blessed life. I get to travel and stay in nice hotels. We have a life of luxury and don’t have to sweat it out. It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, mentally and emotionally. I came home and had a whole new appreciation for my life. I feel like I’m so full after the experience.

PND: Talk about your relationship with Maria Ho.

Michelle: I wouldn’t have done “Amazing Race” without her. You have to trust and feel comfortable with your partner. I was excited to share this experience with her. We travel together on the poker circuit already. We’re 10 times closer now.

PND: Is there anything you can take away from Annie Duke’s appearance on “Celebrity Apprentice” that could have helped you on “Amazing Race”?

Michelle: “Celebrity Apprentice” is a different format than “Amazing Race.” You’re competing against different people on your own. On the race, you have a team. There’s not that direct competition and you have the opportunity to work together in a group. We wanted to represent poker well after what happened between Annie and Joan Rivers. We wanted to come off the best that we could. We wanted to play a clean game and give poker players a good name. Also for us, we’re controversial and wanted to show people a different side.

PND: You’re hosting a Hollywood premier of “Amazing Race” that will likely include Tammy and Victor, who won last season’s installment of the reality show. Did they provide any advice before you set out?

Michelle: We got to go to a Labor Day barbeque at Victor’s house. A lot of people who were on “Amazing Race” were there and you felt like a big family. These people know exactly what you went through. Within a few minutes of being there, I felt like I had known them forever. It’s wonderful being a part of something special.

PND: What preparations did you make before the show began filming?

Michelle: I ran out and bought running shoes. I got my cardio up because I knew there was a lot of running involved. Also, we learned how to drive a stick shift. Maria was much better than I was at that, so she was responsible. We watched past episodes and talked about them. We prepped for the unknown as much as we could. I got my butt in the gym and got in touch with the outdoors.

PND: You mentioned in a blog entry before you left that poker will always be around, but doing “Amazing Race” was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Was it hard walking away from this year’s WSOP Main Event to film?

Michelle: There wasn’t even a doubt in my mind that I wanted to do the show. What I did last year in the Main Event was amazing. As hopeful as I could be to repeat that, I was happy with that punctuation. The Main Event comes around every year and poker is always there. Not only was this an amazing challenge, but it was also an opportunity to be a part of an Emmy Award winning show. To get to do it with someone else sounded like a fun time.

Michelle, Ho confirmed for <i>Amazing Race</i>

CBS officially released a list of the cast on Wednesday and both Michelle and Ho were featured prominently on the The Amazing Race website.

"We're excited to go out there and represent for the women," said Michelle in a video available on CBS.com. "No female team has ever won and we're used to doing what no other women are doing."

Also taking part in the season are two members of the Harlem Globetrotters, a former Miss America and her husband, dating aspiring country singers and eight other teams.

In the poker world Michelle and Ho are famous for being the last woman standing in the World Series of Poker Main Event in consecutive years. Ho came in 38th in the 2007 Main Event to score $237,865 while Michelle won $334,534 for coming in 17th in the 2009 Main Event.

This summer Ho narrowly missed out on the final table of the $10,000 WSOP Limit event by coming in 11th for $41,040.

Ho and Michelle are active in the entertainment industry and both have worked as on-camera talent for various poker news outlets.

The announcement isn't all that shocking considering that Michelle and Ho were rumored to be taking part in the show in mid-July and both were notably absent from the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

Michelle even mentioned on her Twitter that she would be gone filming a new project for several months in the summer.

Reality TV is nothing new for poker players as Jean-Robert Bellande appeared on Survivor: China in 2007 and Annie Duke was a cast-member of Celebrity Apprentice earlier this year. Bellande was eliminated early in Survivor but Duke made it all the way to the last two players in Apprentice before losing to Joan Rivers.

Season 15 of the The Amazing Race premieres Sept 27 on CBS.

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Poker Players on Reality TV: Good or Bad for the Game?

Several poker superstars have joined the cast of reality shows in recent years. Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande was a castaway on the CBS reality hallmark “Survivor.” Annie Duke finished as the runner-up to Joan Rivers on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” Now, Tiffany Michelle will likely join Maria Ho on “Amazing Race.” Poker News Daily sat down with former PokerStars Vice President of Marketing Dan Goldman to discuss whether these appearances are beneficial or hurtful to the game.

Poker News Daily: What are your thoughts on Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho appearing on the 15th installment of CBS’ “Amazing Race”?

Goldman: These are two interesting characters. Tiffany is controversial, but I don’t think that makes her appearance negative. She’s controversial, but not despised, which could make for interesting television. My personal sense is that among people who know what’s going on with Ultimate Bet, I’m not sure there’s not a lot that can be done to rehabilitate the site’s image. One of the advantages of shows like “Amazing Race” is that they’re reaching an audience wider than poker and that’s what Ultimate Bet needs.

PND: Can you compare Tiffany Michelle’s “Amazing Race” appearance to Annie Duke’s performance on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice”?

Goldman: Annie is tightly associated with poker. Tiffany and Maria have their own aura that potentially transcends poker. They are two young, attractive women and will be a bit more interesting to a wider audience than Annie. They are, for the most part, unknown outside of poker.

PND: Tiffany Michelle is a member of Team UB. Is there any downside to the online poker site for her to appear on the show?

Goldman: I don’t think there’s a downside for Ultimate Bet. What’s the worst thing that could happen? It’s not like people are going to flee Ultimate Bet because her team didn’t act well. Their worst-case scenario for Ultimate Bet is that nothing happens. The best-case scenario is that a new audience will learn about them.

PND: Do you plan to watch “Amazing Race” when it debuts on September 27th on CBS?

Goldman: I watched the first season of the show and sort of liked it. I’m not a big fan of reality shows in general. If I watched one, it’d be this because it’s the best of an uninteresting brand of television. I’m obviously in the minority here, but the fact that a poker player is on it doesn’t affect me.

PND: When you were with PokerStars, was there any talk of using reality television as a marketing vehicle for your players?

Goldman: We talked about it, but briefly. We always stayed fairly close to poker. We did talk at length about doing a reality show centered on poker or one that had significant components of poker. We talked about doing a “Big Brother”-type show with a handful of poker players and a handful of people who were smart, but weren’t poker players. The goal was see if we could educate a non-poker crowd. We investigated it and there was some interest from networks, but not enough for them to fund development. It would have been a significant expense.

PND: What was the feedback you received from networks?

Goldman: It was poker and this was in 2004. Their feeling was if the show had poker, they wanted to hear about it. At least one of the networks was willing to do it as a partnership, but we decided that there were other ways to invest the millions of dollars that would have had more impact. PokerStars was a much different company back then than it is now.

PND: ESPN.com releases a weekly poker news show, “Inside Deal,” with Bernard Lee and Laura Lane that is sponsored by PokerStars. Have you watched it?

Goldman: It’s not bad. I think there’s a lot more they could do with it. If I were doing it, the show would be in smaller doses and more like “Entertainment Weekly.” It’d be a 15 minute show with short two to four minute segments, but it’s interesting. Bernard Lee is better than I thought he would be.

PND: Do you think there’s a market for a show like “Inside Deal” on television?

Goldman: I don’t think there’s a broad enough audience. If you did it once or twice a week for 15 minutes, it could attract an audience if you figured out where to put it. The show probably should tag along with a World Poker Tour or World Series of Poker episode. Stuff like this does better online and has longer legs. If it can be promoted properly, it has a lot of potential.

Harlem Globetrotters, Miss America May Join Tiffany Michelle on Amazing Race

According to an article that appeared this week in The Examiner, two members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and Miss America 2004 may join poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho on Season 15 of the CBS reality show “Amazing Race.”

Poker News Daily can confirm that Tiffany Michelle is among the cast for the 15th cycle of the reality series, citing anonymous sources inside the industry. Her rumored partner is Maria Ho, who Reality Fan Forum snapped a picture of at Los Angeles International Airport on the day that “Amazing Race” filming allegedly began. In the image, she did not appear to be donning a backpack (as is customary for “Amazing Race” teams); instead, she was pulling a suitcase. Michelle and Ho represent the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, respectively.

The Examiner speculates that Harlem Globetrotters members Nate “Big Easy” Lofton and Herbert “Flight Time” Lang are members of the “Amazing Race” cast. Lang attended Centenary College in Louisiana and wears #4 for the showcase basketball team. His biography found on the Harlem Globetrotters website appropriately reads, “He is a self-proclaimed reality TV junkie… What Flight Time likes about reality TV is that, even though he knows parts are staged and scripted for dramatic effect, ‘After a certain amount of time, you really get to see what people are like.’” Lang was roped into reality television after catching an episode of CBS staple “Survivor.”

Lofton attended Southeast Louisiana and grew up in New Orleans. His biography notes, “His gregarious personality and thunderous dunks entertain Globetrotter fans young and old.” A total of 26 players make up the current roster of the Harlem Globetrotters, which showcase unusual basketball skills at venues around the world. Several members of the team, including Lang, appeared on the ABC reality series “The Bachelorette” in May. The Globetrotters challenged the seven remaining bachelors to a pick-up game of basketball, with bachelorette Jillian Harris looking on intently. “The Bachelorette” wrapped up on Monday night with Harris riding off into the sunset with Ed Swiderski.

Joining Lang, Lofton, Michelle, and Ho will likely be Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap. The Examiner notes that “Amazing Race” has featured pageant winners before, as Dustin-Leigh Konzelman and Kandice Pelletier competed as part of Season 10 and All-Stars. Dunlap hails from Florida; the reigning Miss America is Katie Stern, a native of Indiana. No indication was given as to who will partner with Dunlap for “Amazing Race.”

An entry appearing on Wikipedia adds that two newscasters from the television network C-SPAN will also take part in “Amazing Race” when the 15th season kicks off in September. The show pits teams of two against each other in a race around the world. Along the way, they’ll complete various challenges as part of “Detours” (a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons) and “Road Blocks” (a task that only one team member can perform). Each leg typically consists of one Detour and one Road Block; many of the legs end with the last team arriving at the “Pit Stop” being eliminated.

“Amazing Race” will once again air on Sunday nights, debuting on September 27th for two hours. The popular reality program follows CBS News program “60 Minutes” and will serve as the lead-in for the new drama “Three Rivers.” “Amazing Race” is an Emmy-winning reality show whose reigning champions are lawyers and siblings Tammy and Victor. In seasons past, the top prize has been $1 million and to date, no “celebrity” installment of “Amazing Race” has taken place.

Other poker players who have appeared on major reality shows include Annie Duke, who finished as the runner-up to comedian Joan Rivers on the second season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” In addition, Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande competed on “Survivor: China,” the 15th cycle of the cornerstone CBS show. Bellande was the eighth player voted out of “Survivor: China” and served as a member of the jury.

What I Learned from Annie Duke

My favorite part about watching “The Celebrity Apprentice” this season was to watch how Annie Duke played the game. It was obvious that she was a poker player (and no, not because she was “two-faced” or “conniving”) because she was the only one who seemed to have any sort of plan. The only one who knew how to actually play the game. As the show went on, I realized many strategies Duke used on the show could also apply to poker (it did help that Duke made the comparisons herself at times). What follows are four poker lessons I learned from watching Annie Duke.

Have a Purpose

The cupcake selling task was the first one of the season.  Right off the bat, Annie Duke made her presence felt, both running the show in the kitchen and raising a lot of money.  I’ll let her explain the rest:

“I wanted to get on the show and make sure that Trump knew me. The bigger the celebrity, the more you are in his eyes. I’m not a big mainstream celebrity, so I needed to make noise right away.”

“It’s just like poker. You don’t raise because you want to raise. There has to be a reason for what you’re doing. I needed to get noticed, but also needed to do it with a purpose. In that sense, I’m playing a game.”

That isn’t to say that every decision in a poker game can only be made for one reason. After all, a raise can be made to make everyone fold, to bolster the pot, to narrow the field, and more. But you need to pick a reason for the raise in order to execute it properly.

Know Your Competition

Several episodes in, Duke had yet to be Project Manager, despite becoming the most controlling player on her team. In an interview on this site, she was asked about eventually taking the head position for a task.

“I really like being Project Manager to knowing your table in poker. They are very similar conceptually. When you first sit down in a table, you’re not looking to get involved in a huge decision. You try to avoid big decisions early on because those are where you can make mistakes. The more information you have about your opponents, the better off you are when you take a more aggressive stance.”

“I don’t know any of these people on Celebrity Apprentice. Being Project Manager is like that big decision in poker. There is no other point where you have a bigger risk of getting fired. You’re automatically in the board room if you lose. If you are Project Manager, you want to have the best chance of winning the task because you don’t end up in the board room and you end up with a win, which is important in the long-run.”

Um…what she said.  I really don’t have anything else to add.

Don’t Worry About What You Can’t Control

Any “Celebrity Apprentice” fan with half a brain knows that Annie Duke dominated Joan Rivers in every aspect of the game. It wasn’t remotely close. But Rivers still won.

Why? We may never truly know, but I, along with many others, honestly feel that Rivers’ victory was preordained by Donald Trump. I won’t go into the reasons in this article, but suffice it to say that I don’t believe Duke had a chance to win. Even though she still got a chance to argue her case in the final episode, the trophy was already engraved. It was beyond her control.

And that’s the final lesson. Don’t worry about what you can’t control. Annie Duke did everything she needed to do to win, but she couldn’t control Donald Trump or his decision process. While the loss was disappointing to her, hopefully she was able to feel proud about how she played the game and realize that most people felt she should have won.

In poker, it’s the same way. Your job, put very simply, is to make good poker decisions. Once all your chips are in the pot, there is nothing more you can do. If you got your money in with the best of it, you did your job. There is no point in worrying too much about what other cards may fall.  There is nothing you can do about it.

Be Yourself

Annie Duke, by her own admission, had her flaws during the show. She didn’t “suffer fools”, she lacked diplomacy at times, she was often too blunt with her teammates, and she came across as focused on nothing but herself (really, these aren’t necessarily flaws – they are just aspects of her personality that rubbed the other celebs the wrong way). But you know what? Even though she wasn’t a beloved competitor, she made it to the final two. Annie Duke stayed true to herself; she didn’t change who she was for television. Because of this, she was able to focus on the task at hand, rather than worrying about appearances.

In poker, you definitely want to mix up your play at times to keep your opponents off guard, but in the long run, you still need to play your game. You are going to have your own personal style that works for you. Stray from it too frequently and it will be hard to play optimally simply because you aren’t accustomed to the new style of play.

Bodog Opens 2009 WSOP Ante Up for Africa Betting

Online poker room, sports book, and casino Bodog has opened up betting lines for the Ante Up for Africa event held as part of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). The tournament kicks off on July 2nd and is expected to last five hours.

The event will become part of ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP, joining the $40,000 buy-in tournament commemorating the Series’ 40th running, the Champions Invitational, and the Main Event. Viewers can tune into ESPN on Tuesday, August 11th to catch all of the action from the Ante Up for Africa fundraiser. The charity was founded by “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke, actor Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein to generate money and awareness for victims of the crisis in Darfur. It raised over $2 million in its first two years after being founded in 2006. Duke raised over $730,000 for Refugees International on “Celebrity Apprentice” after finishing second in the reality series to comedian Joan Rivers.

Bodog asks potential bettors, “Which Celebrity will last longest in the 2009 Ante Up for Africa Tournament starting on July 2nd?” Leading the way at the time of writing is Cheadle, who is going off at 7:1 odds. The “Oceans Eleven” and “Crash” actor is a sponsored pro of Full Tilt Poker after signing with the site last month. “Rounders” star Matt Damon sits at 9:1 odds, tied with “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander. The 1998 film “Rounders” turned many of today’s established superstars onto the game of poker. Alexander took 10th in the inaugural Ante Up for Africa charity tournament in 2007, cashing for $12,000 in the $5,000 buy-in event.

Basketball legends Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith are both fetching 10:1 odds. Barkley played in last year’s running of the Ante Up for Africa event and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1993 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. The Auburn University alum was an 11-time NBA All-Star. Smith graduated from the University of North Carolina and won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995 with the Houston Rockets. Smith and Barkley are both NBA analysts for cable station TNT.

Montel Williams, Hank Azaria, and Casey Affleck are each going off at 8:1. At one point, Williams was the chip leader of the 2007 WSOP Main Event, but fell by the wayside on Day 2. Azaria voices several characters on “The Simpsons” animated series, including Apu, Moe, Chief Wiggum, and Duffman. Affleck also lent his name to the “Oceans Eleven” franchise and finished ninth in the Ante Up for Africa tournament last year for $16,000, an event ultimately won by John “World” Hennigan.

Two former “Celebrity Apprentice” contestants are available for betting. Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, whose suggestion to Rivers that she use celebrity impersonators on the show’s final task may have propelled the talk show host to victory, is going off at 9:1. Dennis Rodman, who was fired after a boardroom that centered on his alcohol abuse, is fetching 10:1 odds. Rodman won five NBA titles as a member of the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls.

“Everybody Loves Raymond” actor Brad Garrett has 9:1 odds on his head. Garrett was a former winner on “Celebrity Poker Showdown” after defeating his original table, which included Curt Schilling, Catherine O’Hara, Sara Rue, and fellow “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Ray Romano. He then defeated Jason Alexander, Bonnie Hunt, Colin Quinn, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in the season finale. Former NBA star Reggie Miller is also generating 9:1 odds. Joining him are actress Sarah Silverman and comedian Marlon Wayans.

Other celebrities slated to appear in the 2009 Ante Up for Africa event during the 2009 WSOP include Ben Affleck, Mekhi Phifer, Cedric The Entertainer, Tia Carrere, Danny Masterson, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Cheryl Hines, and Rob Schneider. Representing the poker world will be Phil Hellmuth, Howard Lederer, Tiffany Michelle, Andy Bloch, and Erik Seidel. More participants are expected to be announced.

Brandon Cantu Joins Team UB

Ultimate Bet, one-half of the CEREUS Network, has signed World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Brandon Cantu to become the newest member of Team UB. He can be found playing under the screen name “brandon_cantu” on the USA-friendly site.

Cantu burst onto the live poker scene by winning a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament during the 2006 WSOP for $757,000. He stormed through the 2,776 player field and a final table that also included Carlos Mortensen. He finished 20th in the 2008 WSOP Main Event for $257,000 and has a total of eight in the money finishes in the Las Vegas tournament series. Cantu is also a World Poker Tour (WPT) event winner, having taken down the Season VI Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament for $1 million. In that event, Cantu defeated WSOP Stimulus Special winner Steve Sung heads-up and squeaked by John “The Razor” Phan and Jennifer Harman at the final table. He’s one of only a handful of players to have won WSOP and WPT events.

Ultimate Bet Card Room Consultant and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke commented in a press release, “This is an exhilarating time for Team UB. We’re constantly on the lookout for poker players who have real integrity, unquestionable talent, and an incredible passion for the game and we’ve found it all in Brandon Cantu.” Cantu’s poker resume also includes a victory in a $300 buy-in tournament held as part of the 2006 Ultimate Poker Challenge for $9,000 and a runner-up showing in the Scotty Nguyen Poker Classic $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event in 2007.

Cantu will be donning Ultimate Bet gear in this year’s tournament series, including the Main Event, which kicks off on July 3rd with the first of four starting days. In a trend that began last year, the 2009 WSOP Main Event’s final table will once again be pushed back until November in order to coincide with television coverage on ESPN. Among those in the field also sporting Ultimate Bet gear will be Duke and Phil Hellmuth. The former finished as the runner-up to comedian Joan Rivers in the finale of NBC’s second season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” The reality show helped raise $730,000 for Refugees International, Duke’s chosen charity. Hellmuth is an 11-time WSOP bracelet winner, the most all-time.

Team UB also includes online poker aficionado Adam “Roothlus” Levy, blackjack expert “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Gary “Debo34″ DeBernardi, Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon, Anthrax’s Scott Ian, Tracy “Fatcats” Scala, and Tiffany Michelle. The latter was the last woman standing in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, where she earned $334,000 for her 17th place showing. Scala won the first season of Ultimate Bet’s “Best Damn Poker Show,” which airs on Fox Sports Net and recently completed its second season. Patrick Karst won the series’ newest installment.

Ultimate Bet is fiercely qualifying its members to head to the 2009 WSOP Main Event. To date, it has stamped the entry forms of 113 players to the $10,000 buy-in tournament. A 50 Package Guaranteed event will take place this Sunday, June 21st, at 5:30pm ET. The tournament boasts a $530 buy-in and a bevy of satellites are available.

Players who qualify through Ultimate Bet and win the WSOP Main Event by wearing the site’s gear at the final table will qualify for an extra $10 million prize. Online qualifiers will also receive 15% off their stay at the MGM Grand and free shuttle service to and from the Rio; as well as be included in the exclusive guest list for the Ultimate Bet party at Studio 54 on Monday, June 29th. Finally, players will receive access to the Phil Hellmuth Suite at the Rio to unwind during breaks during the Main Event.

Uncensored Poker Show to Debut on Playboy TV

Television producer Sam Simon, who is best known for his work on “The Simpsons” animated series, will bring his home game to Playboy TV, according to the Associated Press. The show is uncensored and features some of the entertainment industry’s marquee names.

Simon described his home game to the Associated Press: “The stakes aren’t the biggest, the players aren’t the best, but the game is definitely the funniest.” The show, dubbed “Sam’s Game,” currently airs on Thursday nights on Playboy TV and was filmed at the Palms in Las Vegas. Poker fans will remember that the off-Strip casino played host to the second season of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” ESPN followed Simon in paparazzi fashion during his World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event run in 2007, which ended with “The Simpsons” producer hitting the exits in 329th place for $39,000.

In addition to his five-figure Main Event cash two years ago, Simon took 16th in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys tournament in 2007 for $35,000. Three of his four WSOP cashes are in rebuy events, which were stricken from the schedule in 2009 on the grounds that they favor deep-pocketed players. Simon appeared on the recently-completed Season 5 of “High Stakes Poker,” but abruptly left the show and was replaced by Tom “durrrr” Dwan. In his final hand, Simon dropped a $128,000 pot to Patrik Antonius after his A-Q was out-flopped by Antonius’ A-2. No explanation for his departure was given.

Besides Simon, a host of other combatants will take to the felts of Playboy TV’s “Sam’s Game.” They include comedian and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Norm MacDonald, who took 20th in a $3,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event during the 2007 WSOP for $14,000. Also appearing are Dave Attell, Artie Lange, and Jeff Ross. Fans of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” will recognize former Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick, whose friendship with show runner-up Annie Duke ignited a storm of conspiracy theories from television producer Melissa Rivers. Upon being fired, Rivers went on a profanity-laced tirade against Roderick, Duke, and “Celebrity Apprentice” staff that unfolded in front of a national viewing audience. Joan Rivers ultimately won the NBC reality show.

Poker fans will recognize Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly. The latter was formerly married to Simon, but the couple divorced in the early 1990s. Tilly won a bracelet during the 2005 WSOP in the $1,000 buy-in Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship, banking $158,000 and besting a final table that included Cecelia Mortensen, 2008 Ladies Event runner-up Anh Le, and Beth Shak. Laak has yet to win a coveted gold bracelet. In fact, he’s only made two final tables at the WSOP during his poker career. The first came in 2005, when he finished in second in a $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament for $156,000, falling to 10-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan heads-up. In 2008, he received television time on ESPN for his ninth place showing in the World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em, the first bracelet win for Full Tilt Poker pro Nenad Medic.

According to the Associated Press, the concept of “Sam’s Game” came from Playboy TV executives. Simon explained, “I’ve spent years in development to try to get shows on the air. When a network calls and says we want to shoot this…. the answer is yes.”  According to the Internet Movie Database, Simon was a Consulting Producer on the “Drew Carey Show” and was the Executive Producer of the “George Carlin Show.” However, he is best known for being a Co-Creator of “The Simpsons,” which has aired for 20 years. The franchise even released a feature length movie in 2007.

Catch “Sam’s Game” featuring producer Sam Simon every Thursday night on Playboy TV.

Annie Duke’s “Sucking Out on the Rivers” Charity Event

Celebrity Apprentice runner-up Annie Duke held a charity tournament and was joined by a bevy of Joan Rivers impersonators in raising money for charity.

Annie Duke Pokes Fun of Joan Rivers in Charity Poker Event

More “blood-stained money” is about to go to another charity, courtesy of Annie Duke and poker players. Duke, the …

Celebrity Apprentice to Return Mid-Season, Retain 9:00pm ET Time Slot

NBC’s hit reality show, Celebrity Apprentice, will return mid-season in 2010, according to a recent article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune. The show’s second season, and eighth overall, saw poker pro Annie Duke reach the finals and square off against comedian Joan Rivers.

The finale of Celebrity Apprentice, which played out on Sunday, May 10th, averaged 8.73 million viewers, according to TV Guide. It ran against stiff competition, as the season finale of CBS’ Amazing Race aired from 8:00pm to 9:00pm ET and drew 10.43 million. Lawyers Tammy and Victor earned the “W” on that show’s 14th installment. Also airing during the first of three hours of the Celebrity Apprentice season finale was Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which generated 8.2 million viewers. During the 9:00pm ET hour, the Donald Trump-led reality series had to contend against both Cold Case and Desperate Housewives. The two shows saw 11.78 and 12.13 million viewers, respectively, tune in.

The final hour of Celebrity Apprentice, which included about a half-hour of live programming from New York City, attracted an audience of 10.24 million. It “trumped” the season finales of The Unit and Brothers and Sisters, outdrawing both shows by at least 500,000. Celebrity Apprentice ran during the season from 9:00pm to 11:00pm ET, being truncated to one hour on just one occasion, which was for the series premiere of Southland, a drama from the creators of E.R. According to the Tribune, Dateline NBC will occupy the 7:00pm to 8:00pm ET time slot in early 2010. It will be followed by The Marriage Ref, which airs from 8:00pm to 9:00pm ET. Celebrity Apprentice will then be beamed into homes around the country for two hours.

In its Fall 2009 schedule, NBC will air Sunday Night Football in the time slot previously occupied by Celebrity Apprentice. Its pre-game show, Football Night in America, will run from 7:00pm to 8:20pm ET, with kickoff of the feature game occurring shortly thereafter. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will have the call every Sunday. Collinsworth replaces football legend John Madden, who recently retired. Celebrity Apprentice fans may also have to wait until after the 2010 Winter Olympics, which will emanate from Vancouver and air between February 12th and 28th.

Duke raised over $730,000 for her charity, Refugees International, during NBC’s second season of Celebrity Apprentice. She raised $460,000 in the final episode alone, which challenged Duke and Rivers to hold a silent auction featuring celebrity experiences prior to a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show Wintuk. The task also entailed incorporating the event’s corporate sponsor, Kodak. In the end, the two finalists were judged on five criteria, with Rivers winning Kodak integration, celebrities in attendance, and overall guest experience. Duke won by a 3:1 margin in money raised and also won charity incorporation.

In a recently blog, 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson remarked, “The Celebrity Apprentice is over. What a joke! If Donald Trump was really hiring someone, who do you think he would pick? I think that when Joan Rivers threatened to not come back, Trump assured her she would be the winner.” Time will only tell if the third installment of Celebrity Apprentice will feature a poker player. Duke is one of several to appear on a major reality series. In 2007, Bodog Poker pro Jean-Robert Bellande appeared on CBS’ Survivor: China. Bellande was the eighth person voted out and became the second member of the jury. In Survivor, ousted contestants choose the winner of the $1 million first place prize. Flight attendant Todd Herzog took down Survivor: China, besting Courtney Yates and Amanda Kimmel in a three-way final tribal council.

Duke will re-enter the poker spotlight during the 2009 WSOP, which kicks off next week from the Rio in Las Vegas. A $5,000 buy-in charity poker tournament benefiting Ante Up for Africa will take place on July 2nd in the Amazon Room and be televised by ESPN. Celebrity Apprentice contestants Dennis Rodman and Herschel Walker are both confirmed to appear in the event, which raises money for the victims of the crisis in Darfur. Ante Up for Africa was founded in 2006 by Duke, actor Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein.

Duke charity tourney pokes fun at Joan Rivers

The tournament will benefit Refugees International, the same charity Annie Dukes raised money for on Celebrity Apprentice, plus it will be cohosted by Frank Marino, a well-known Joan Rivers impersonator.

Marino won't be the only Joan Rivers in attendance either. More than 20 Joan Rivers impersonators will also be playing in the event, and each will have a bounty on his or her head.

"I think that after this poker tournament, the real Joan Rivers will quickly realize that poker players are good-natured people - professional people with respected occupations and families - who really want to change the lives of those less fortunate," Duke said.

"As poker players, we're banding together, not just to prove a point to Joan, but to actually change the world."

Anyone who watched Celebrity Apprentice this season knows there was some animosity between Duke and Rivers.

Rivers made plenty of comments about poker players as well, including calling them white trash and suggesting they're all connected to organized crime.

She managed to draw the ire of plenty of people in the poker world. According to UltimateBet, nearly all the top players in Las Vegas are coming out for the charity tournament to show that a lot of good comes from the poker world.

"Sucking out on the Rivers" will take place May 27. It will kick off with a red carpet ceremony at 5 p.m. and the charity poker tournament will start at 6 p.m.

The charity tournament has a $200 buy-in with rebuys and add-ons available. For more information or to register, call the Hard Rock Poker Lounge at (702) 693-5874.

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WSOP Commissioner talks to PND about the Impending 2009 WSOP

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will kick off in exactly one week on May 27th. The traditional $500 Casino Employees event is the first to play out, followed by the new $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. Poker News Daily sat down with WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack to gauge the mood at the Rio with just seven days remaining.

A total of 57 bracelet events will play out inside the mammoth Amazon Room at the Rio. This year, the festivities are presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, which just signed on for a multi-year agreement. Pollack described the mood inside the all-suite hotel in Sin City: “The mood is really good. Operationally, it’s been a smooth year for planning and preparation. We started last summer and the work is paying off. From a sponsorship standpoint, the partnership with Jack Link’s is tremendous. We can have a lot of fun with them.”

Daily at 2:20pm, bracelets will be awarded to winners of the previous day’s tournaments in front of the gathered crowd in the Amazon Room. The national anthem of the winner’s country will be played in a scene that is likely to be reminiscent of the Olympics. Pollack explained the rationale for adding in the daily bracelet ceremony, which is scheduled to take place at the end of the first break: “I’ve said that we need to do a better job of promoting our bracelet winners. We’ll do an awards ceremony every day. If you win in the middle of the night, you’ll receive you bracelet in the spotlight in the Amazon Room.” It is not uncommon for tournaments to wrap up during the pre-dawn hours. Now, winners will receive their time in the sun.

Pollack confirmed that next Sunday, Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth will participate in special training with tournament staff. Last year’s festivities were marred by Hellmuth’s public tirades that played out on ESPN as well as Scotty Nguyen’s verbal abuse of players and Rio staff during the $50,000 HORSE Championship. According to the WSOP Commissioner, those incidents will be distant memories in 2009: “We’re going to be tracking penalties and warnings. Our officials will keep a more watchful eye than ever before. The result will be a greater degree of stability on the tournament floor. This is all just for a handful of people. The vast majority of players conduct themselves proudly and with respect.” A database will log infractions and identify repeat offenders.

Pre-registration numbers are up in 2009 in comparison to 2008. The number of hotel room bookings is also up year over year. Pollack explained, “We view those as very good indicators. Generally, the economic mood is a little better overall now than it was a few months ago.” Meanwhile, Nevada gaming revenues fell for the 15th straight month in March year over year. This time around, casino “win” dropped by 11% statewide.

When the festivities play out on ESPN, four tournaments will air: The $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event, the WSOP Champions Invitational, the Ante Up for Africa charity gala, and the Main Event. Pollack noted that the driving force behind this year’s programming has been the 40th running of the high-stakes tournament series. He explained, “A $40,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament will produce a final table for the ages. The Champions Invitational will be a truly historic event. Someone will walk out of that as the Champion of Champions. Because community relations are so important, Ante Up for Africa is a good addition. We think it’ll be a strong television year for us.” Tournament coverage on the cable station begins on July 28th.

Like readers of Poker News Daily, Pollack was closely following NBC’s hit reality series Celebrity Apprentice, which culminated with poker pro Annie Duke falling to comedian Joan Rivers. Many have questioned what impact Duke’s appearance on the highly rated network television show would have on WSOP attendance, if any. Pollack speculated, “I don’t know that we’ll see a bump because of it. However, poker has been re-injected into our pop culture thanks to Annie. We would have liked to see her win, but making it to the final two is no small beef. She will loom large at the WSOP this year.”

The 2009 WSOP Main Event begins on July 3rd with the first of four starting days. It will once again wrap up in November after a four month delay.

Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke Featured in Deal Me In Poker Book

Eleven-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke are two of 20 poker pros that tell their stories in “Deal Me In,” a brand new book available at PokerBrat.com.

The publication was released commemorating the 20th anniversary of Hellmuth’s WSOP Main Event win in 1989. Then, he was just 24 years-old and became the youngest winner ever of the world’s most prestigious poker tournament. Last year, Danish poker pro Peter Eastgate shattered Hellmuth’s mark, defeating Ivan Demidov heads-up and pocketing $9.1 million at the age of 22. Hellmuth last won a bracelet in 2007, besting the field in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament for $637,000 and defeating Andy Philachack heads-up. Each story told by a poker legend in “Deal Me In” chronicles anecdotes and milestone moments as they’ve climbed the ladder.

Duke is fresh off finishing as the runner up to comedian Joan Rivers on NBC’s hit reality series Celebrity Apprentice. In the process, the Ultimate Bet pro and top female poker player raised well over $700,000 for her chosen charity, Refugees International. Together with actor Don Cheadle and Norman Epstein, Duke founded Ante Up for Africa in 2006. The organization raised over $2 million in its first two years for the victims of the crisis in Darfur. Duke’s lone bracelet win came in 2004, when she grabbed the “W” in a $2,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Eight or Better tournament for $137,000, besting Ronald Graham heads-up. Duke won the inaugural WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2004, defeating Hellmuth and taking home $2 million.

About the brand new book, Hellmuth commented in a press release distributed on Monday, “Each chapter takes you behind the scenes into the early lives of poker’s biggest names. They cover their humble beginnings, the obstacles they overcame, the demons they faced, and ultimately the success they enjoyed. Deal Me In is packed with the musings of poker’s most colorful characters, surprising and insightful stories, plus inside poker tips.” Hellmuth was the ringleader behind “Deal Me In” coming to fruition. The 308 page book that includes 154 photos is available on his website, PokerBrat.com, for $24.95. Appropriately, Phil’s House Publishing, Inc. released it.

Hellmuth owns the record for the most number of WSOP in the money finishes with 69, edging out Men “The Master” Nguyen’s tally of 62. A bevy of poker legends appear in “Deal Me In” sharing their stories about the WSOP and other high-stakes events, including Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen, Chau Giang, Jennifer Harman, Allen Cunningham, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Chad Brown, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Layne Flack, and new Expekt Poker pro Scotty Nguyen.

CardPlayer Magazine reviewed “Deal Me In” and proclaimed, “A page-turner about the world’s most powerful poker players and their hardscrabble journeys from the backgammon games of Manhattan, the taverns of Wisconsin, the back alleys of Saigon, and the pubs of England. Unforgettable stories and valuable tips, Deal Me In is about dreaming big and the will to succeed.”

Also included in the publication are three of the game’s rising stars. Headlining the group is 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, a card-carrying member of Team Betfair. Obrestad is the youngest bracelet winner ever and earned $2 million for her efforts in the 2007 event. Also profiled in the book is Tom “durrrr” Dwan, who is currently battling in the Million Dollar Challenge against Patrik Antonius. Dwan is a regular on shows like “High Stakes Poker” and competed in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. The third young gun chronicled is Eastgate, the number two money winner in WSOP history behind Jamie Gold.

2009 Aruba Poker Classic Dates Announced

Mark your calendars. The 2009 Aruba Poker Classic will take place from October 3rd to 10th at the Radisson Resort on the sunny island. Officials from Ultimate Bet, which serves as the event’s presenting sponsor, are expecting 550 runners.

The Main Event in Aruba will carry a $5,500 buy-in and begin on October 5th, crowning a champion five days later. The event’s website has even received a makeover to mark the countdown to the festivities, which begin in just 170 days. In a press release distributed by Ultimate Bet this week, one of its main faces, 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, commented that he’s already ready to head to Aruba: “Aside from winning my 12th bracelet, the week-long Aruba Poker Classic poker experience is what I’m looking forward to the most this year. Millions in prize money, more players than ever, UB’s 10th birthday bash, and unbelievable parties. I mean, what’s not to love?”

Tournament Directors’ Association co-founder Matt Savage will serve as the officiate in Aruba. Also slated to appear is Ultimate Bet pro and Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke, who is fresh off reaching the final two of the popular NBC reality show. Ultimately, comedian Joan Rivers bested her in the season finale, but Duke raised over $730,000 for her charity, Refugees International. In addition to the Main Event, Duke, Hellmuth, and others in attendance will be battling it out in a series of preliminary tournaments. Here is the full schedule of events for the 2009 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic:

$5,000+500 Aruba Poker Classic Championship Event: October 5-10th
$2,000+100 Two-Day No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 7th
$1,000+60 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 8th
$2,000+100 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed Tournament: October 9th
$500+40 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: October 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th
Charity Poker Tournament to Benefit the Aruba Community: October 8th

The Aruba Poker Classic Main Event’s reigning champion is Matt Brady, who pocketed $1 million for the win last year. In 2007, Travis “TravestyFund” Rice emerged victorious from the field of 548 players en route to an $800,000 first place prize. In 2006, it was Devon Miller, who went toe to toe against then-Ultimate Bet pro Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, who parted ways with the site in December. In 2005, two-time WSOP bracelet holder Feddy Deeb took home the title for $1 million. Eric Brenes stole the show in 2004, besting 646 players, while another Eric, Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren, won it all in 2003. The very first installment of the Aruba Poker Classic took place in 2002 and was won by Juha Helppi, who defeated Phil Gordon.

Deeb’s win in 2005 marked the last time that the Aruba Poker Classic served as a stop on the World Poker Tour. In October of 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in the United States, leading to events like the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure looking for new tour partners. The latter is now part of the European Poker Tour (EPT); Ultimate Bet’s remains an independent event. Despite the flux, Ultimate Bet will celebrate its decade-long anniversary in Aruba and host a Welcome Party on Day 1, which it touts as the “don’t miss social event of the Aruba Poker Classic.”

Ultimate Bet, which comprises one-half of the CEREUS Network, recently rolled out a software update that includes ante games, a “final table view” design, and automatic tournament pop-ups in case the software client is closed or disconnected. Absolute Poker also makes its home on the CEREUS Network, the seventh largest worldwide in terms of cash game traffic according to PokerScout.com. The Network boasts a seven day running average of 2,150 real money ring game palayers with a 24 hour peak of nearly 3,000.

President of Refugees International Reacts to Celebrity Apprentice Contributions

During the course of NBC’s hit reality show Celebrity Apprentice, World Series of Poker bracelet winner Annie Duke played for Refugees International, an organization she works closely with through her own charity, Ante Up for Africa. As a result, Refugees International earned over $700,000 throughout the 11 week season and met its fundraising goal for 2008.

Kenneth Bacon, President of Refugees International, sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his reaction to show host Donald Trump hiring comedian Joan Rivers and the outpouring of support from the poker community.

Poker News Daily: Thank you for joining us. Share your thoughts on the ending of Celebrity Apprentice.

Bacon: I was certain that Annie was going to win and was shocked when Donald Trump fired her. The series is designed to test contestants for their entrepreneurial energy and effectiveness, which Annie demonstrated throughout the entire series. From my standpoint, both Annie and Refugees International were winners. Sixteen contestants started the second season of Celebrity Apprentice and the $700,000 Annie raised is substantially more than any of the others won for their charities. More importantly, in the final episode, Annie raised $465,725 for Refugees International during her auction, while Joan raised $150,830 for her charity. I was there with Annie throughout the planning for the silent auction and she did a fantastic job. Annie is smart, committed, and passionate about her causes. She is also a great organizer. That was clear throughout the series. We are extremely glad to have her on our team.

PND: Refugees International received over $700,000 from Celebrity Apprentice in an amazing showing. Talk about what that means to the organization.

Bacon: $700,000 is a huge amount of money for Refugees International. With this money, we can continue to save lives by witnessing firsthand the struggles faced by refugees in places like Sudan, Congo, Iraq, Pakistan, and Somalia and find solutions to their plight. Right now, representatives from Refugees International are in Chad getting ready to travel to the border with Darfur, one of the most remote and undeveloped places in the world. Next month, they will come back to Washington and demand more action to protect and assist Darfur’s refugees, who live in sprawling  camps, completely dependent on international agencies for food, water, and shelter. The money that Annie raised makes this work possible.

Let me put the amount in perspective: Over the last three years, Refugees International has spent less than $700,000 on our efforts to help displaced Iraqis, who comprise 20% of Iraq’s population. That money has generated several hundred million dollars of increased assistance for displaced Iraqis, worldwide publicity to their problems, and changes in U.S. and Iraqi policies. That is the leverage of advocacy.

PND: How did your relationship with Annie Duke begin?

Bacon: Annie was drawn to Refugees International because of her interest in Africa, particularly Darfur. In 2006, Annie, Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein founded Ante Up for Africa, a poker event that has raised about $2 million to help end or alleviate suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan. Ante Up for Africa will work closely with Refugees International during its next event on July 2nd. As Annie wrote in a blog on our site, she chose to work with us because “organizations like Refugees International affect lasting change. Governments can do more to help refugees in Africa and around the world, but that’s not going to happen without pressure.”

PND: When you heard that you had a chance to spread the word about Refugees International on Celebrity Apprentice, what were your thoughts?

Bacon: We were thrilled. Nationwide publicity like this is impossible for us to get with our budget. The amount of time devoted to our organization during the final episode and “The More You Know” ad that Annie filmed were great moments for us. A world without refugees is a more peaceful and prosperous one, something that everyone in the U.S. and beyond benefits from. The more people who know about the plight of refugees, the more they will be motivated to act.

PND: On Celebrity Apprentice, Duke noted that raising $700,000 helped Refugees International reach its 2008 fundraising goal. What is your fundraising goal for 2009?

Bacon: In 2009, we hope to raise $4.6 million to support our lifesaving work. This will support efforts to help the people of Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Burma, Colombia, Somalia, and Sudan and will enable our staff to travel to these regions to understand the needs of the displaced better.

PND: Talk about the outpouring of support from the poker community during Celebrity Apprentice.

Bacon: The poker community has been fantastic. Throughout the Celebrity Apprentice series, Annie stressed how generous professional poker players are and we certainly witnessed that. Over the last few months, we have been privileged to work with Annie and many of her friends who are well-known in the poker world. Two pros - Howard Lederer (Annie’s brother) and Phil Hellmuth - were the biggest contributors at the celebrity silent auction featured in the last episode. Many of Annie’s friends flew across the country that night to help raise money for Refugees International. Many more contributed during the auction of Ivanka Trump’s jewelry in Episode 8, where we received $245,000. In addition, Annie’s friends in the poker community have launched a campaign on Twitter to match the $250,000 prize that Joan Rivers won. We can’t thank them enough.

PND: What outreach activities does Refugees International have planned in the coming year?

Bacon: Refugees International will soon be releasing a short video directed by Matt Dillon calling for more assistance to displaced people in South Sudan, where people are attempting to rebuild their lives after 21 years of civil war. In an area larger than the state of Texas, there are only 10 miles of paved road.  Providing access to clean water, education, and health care there are all major issues. We will also be releasing reports on the needs of displaced people from Darfur, Colombia, Iraq, and Pakistan following trips to these areas.

PND: Piers Morgan and Trace Adkins, the finalists from Celebrity Apprentice Season 1, revealed that their charities have seen long-term growth as a result of the reality series. What residual effect from Celebrity Apprentice do you expect?

Bacon: The number of people who know about Refugees International’s work since Celebrity Apprentice has skyrocketed and people are continuing to send us donations in support of Annie. After the finale, the number of visits to our website tripled. Clearly, more people are learning about the struggles faced by refugees around the world. We hope that this translates into more lifesaving assistance and protection for the nearly 42 million people uprooted by conflict around the world.

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “In the valley of the blind, the one eyed man is king.”

The Celebrity Apprentice is over. What a joke! If Donald Trump was really hiring someone, who do you think he would pick? I think that when Joan Rivers threatened to not come back, Trump assured her she would be the winner. That’s just my opinion, …

WSOP Ante Up for Africa Celebrities Announced

The third annual Ante Up for Africa fundraiser will kick off on July 2nd from the Rio in Las Vegas as part of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) festivities. This week, Harrah’s officials announced a bevy of celebrities and poker players who are slated to attend.

Ante Up for Africa was founded in 2006 by Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke, “Crash” actor Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein. Since then, the organization has raised over $2 million for victims of the crisis in Darfur. On Celebrity Apprentice, which wrapped up on Sunday night with comedian Joan Rivers becoming its champion, Duke played for Refugees International, an organization that works closely with her own charity. Last year’s $5,000 buy-in Ante Up for Africa tournament held during the WSOP was won by John “World” Hennigan, a two-time bracelet winner and former World Poker Tour (WPT) champion.

Due to Nevada gaming laws, direct donations to Ante Up for Africa from its charity tournament are prohibited. Consequently, players who finish in the money typically donate half, or sometimes all, of their earnings to the organization. Joining Hennigan at the final table last year were Michael Degusta, Dan Shak, Phil Hellmuth, Matt Calhoun, Jerry Cantrell, Jordanna Schutz, Ray Romano, and Casey Affleck. In 2007, Shak became the inaugural champion of the Ante Up for Africa charity event, defeating Brandon Moran.

This year, several contestants from NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice will hit the felts in Las Vegas on July 2nd when the Ante Up for Africa tournament begins, as Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker and NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman will participate. Both appeared on the finale of the reality series; Rodman teamed up with Duke, while Walker provided invaluable support to Rivers. Also slated to appear from the world of sports are Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Reggie Miller, who is the former star of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. Celebrities confirmed to participate are “Rounders” actor Matt Damon, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, talk show host Montel Williams, “Simpsons” voice Hank Azaria, “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, comedian Marlon Wayans, actress Sarah Silverman, and “Oceans 11” co-star Casey Affleck.

Several high-profile poker players have also signed up for the charity tournament. Subject to availability, the list includes Duke’s brother, Howard Lederer. The Full Tilt Poker pro recently donated $100,000 during Celebrity Apprentice and is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner. Lederer owns over $1.2 million in earnings from WSOP felts and has battled on televised poker programming like GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Poker After Dark.” Former MIT Blackjack Team member and current Team Full Tilt pro Andy Bloch will also appear, as will eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel. The latter paid $5,000 for a single cupcake on the very first episode of Celebrity Apprentice Season 2.

Also slated to appear is Phil Hellmuth, Duke’s sidekick on Ultimate Bet. Hellmuth owns a record 11 WSOP bracelets and recently saw his reign as youngest Main Event Champion come to an end when Peter Eastgate took home the title in 2008 at the tender age of 22. Hellmuth, Bloch, Seidel, Lederer, and others will attend an Ante Up for Africa party at the PURE nightclub, which is located at Caesars Palace and is home to the selection festivities for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

The charity poker tournament will air on ESPN on Tuesday, August 11th from 8:00pm ET to 10:00pm ET. It is one of four events that will comprise the cable station’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP, joining the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP, the Champions Invitational, and the $10,000 buy-in Main Event. The Ante Up for Africa tournament is scheduled to run for five hours and is open to the public free of charge. This time, it will be held inside the Amazon Room; previously, it had taken place across the hall in the Brasilia Ballroom.

CEREUS Network Traffic Rises with Celebrity Apprentice

Among those tuned in to the season finale of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice was Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett. Finalist Annie Duke is a sponsored poker pro of Ultimate Bet, which is owned and operated by Leggett’s company. He watched as comedian Joan Rivers became the Celebrity Apprentice winner and shared his thoughts with Poker News Daily.

Sunday’s boardroom played out in front of a live studio audience in New York City. Show host Donald Trump asked the two finalists from last season’s Celebrity Apprentice, Piers Morgan and Trace Adkins, who should take home the show’s $250,000 check for charity that goes to its winner; both said that Rivers should. NBA star Dennis Rodman and figure skating legend Scott Hamilton agreed, while West Coast Choppers CEO Jesse James advised the real estate mogul to select Duke. Leggett told Poker News Daily who should have won Celebrity Apprentice: “I think Annie deserved to win. In my opinion, she was the best competitor with the most business acumen.”

Duke represented the poker community, whose members came out on multiple occasions to help raise money for charity. Perry Friedman paid $10,000 for a wedding dress in one episode. Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel purchased a single cupcake for $5,000, while Ultimate Bet’s Phil Hellmuth bid $25,000 for a round of golf with LPGA pro Natalie Gulbis, a contestant on the show. In a blog by Daniel Negreanu on Full Contact Poker, it was revealed that Howard Lederer, Duke’s brother, contributed $100,000 during the final episode to help his sibling.

On how poker was cast during Celebrity Apprentice, Leggett commented, “Annie showed that poker players are extremely intelligent and competitive. Despite the many negative comments from Joan Rivers, I think that Annie’s success on the show has cast poker in a positive light and shown players as a cohesive and generous group that has a sense of community and a charitable spirit.” A pre-taped segment that aired during the finale included “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and Matt “mattg1983” Graham sending their best wishes to Duke.

As a sponsored pro of Ultimate Bet, Duke serves as one of the main faces of the U.S.-friendly online poker room. As such, Leggett was overjoyed when he learned that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner would head to New York City to begin filming. Leggett told Poker News Daily, “We were excited about the prospect of seeing Duke compete on Celebrity Apprentice. We saw Annie’s appearance as an opportunity to go beyond our usual reach of the poker world to non-poker playing America for some fantastic brand exposure.”

Leggett revealed that a “a major increase in traffic” has occurred as a result of Duke’s weekly exposure during the two hour NBC reality series. The show began airing on March 1st. According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, between March 13th and March 25th, the CEREUS Network boasted over 4,000 real money ring game players on eight days. Since then, the 4,000 mark has been broken just once (April 13th). CEREUS is currently the seventh largest online poker network worldwide and the third largest that accepts U.S. players behind PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The new network was formed back in November after the player bases of Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker were merged. On Sunday nights, Ultimate Bet qualified players for an opportunity to win an Aruba Poker Classic prize package. The Main Event of the promotion, which takes place next Monday, is dubbed “Annie Duke’s Apprentice Challenge.”

In an interview with Poker News Daily last week, Hellmuth stated that he would consider becoming a member of the cast of Celebrity Apprentice Season 3 if asked. The series’ third celebrity version and ninth overall installment is slated to hit television airwaves in the beginning of 2010. Leggett gave his two cents on how Hellmuth would fare: “Phil would be great, but very different. He is much more expressive and explosive. The audience couldn’t help but be engaged by his antics and outbursts, which would be inevitable if he competed in Trump’s boardroom. Phil is passionate about everything he does and is just as charity-minded as Duke.  I think he’d go deep if he went on the show.” Hellmuth owns the record for number of WSOP bracelets won at 11 and has made three World Poker Tour final tables.

Duke and Hellmuth collaborate on Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Poker Show.” In addition, Duke has appeared on NBC’s “1 vs. 100,” serving in the “mob,” and also on a bevy of televised poker tournaments. Leggett noted that Duke’s vast experience in front of television cameras was beneficial during Celebrity Apprentice: “I think Annie’s experience with the Best Damn Poker Show has helped her in some ways because she was already comfortable in front of a camera. She was also very aware of how perceptions can be created or skewed by the editing process.”

A special thank you from all of us here at Poker News Daily to Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett.

Annie Duke Discusses Outcome of Celebrity Apprentice Season 2

Sunday night marked the conclusion to the second season of NBC’s hit reality show Celebrity Apprentice. Falling to comedy icon Joan Rivers in the finale was none other than Annie Duke, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and one of the top names in the industry. She sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss the result.

Duke raised over $730,000 for Refugees International, her chosen charity, including $460,000 that was generated during the final episode alone. She told Poker News Daily that she was taken aback by the outpouring of support: “I am really happy that I was able to raise so much awareness for Refugees International. They are an extremely small charity and do amazing work. The money that my friends helped raise allowed Refugees International to reach its goal for 2008. In the end, I feel like that made them a winner.” Duke’s Ante Up for Africa, a charity that she founded along with Norman Epstein and actor Don Cheadle, works hand in hand with Refugees International to bring awareness and funding to help the victims of the crisis in Darfur and elsewhere.

The Ultimate Bet pro has gone one step further and is now spearheading an effort to raise an additional $250,000 for Refugees International, the amount she would have earned for winning Celebrity Apprentice. Duke explained, “Everyone who feels like Refugees International should have gotten the $250,000 and poker players who deserve not to be called members of the Mafia should donate anything they can, even if it’s just $1.” Rivers’ charity, God’s Love We Deliver, earned over $500,000 from the Celebrity Apprentice; Refugees International took in $730,000.

The reality series’ finale was promoted as an epic showdown between hated archrivals. Duke and Rivers had battled it out over the course of the 11 week season, with the poker pro holding an edge in total victories (7-6), record as a Project Manager (2-0 to 1-1), money raised, and even defeated Rivers heads-up in a fundraising challenge. This time around, out of five criteria judged during the final task, Rivers won three, propelling her to the win. Duke talked about her mood on Sunday night after show host Donald Trump announced his decision: “Obviously, I was disappointed, but I can’t say the result was unexpected. Whichever way the result went, I played the game well and represented poker players well. I can walk away with my head held high. I was really proud of the way I played the game. I went into Celebrity Apprentice saying that I didn’t want to trash talk anyone, didn’t want to lie to anyone, and didn’t want to be underhanded.”

Celebrity Apprentice Season 1 winner Piers Morgan and runner up Trace Adkins both recommended that Trump hire Rivers. In the end, the cast commended Rivers’ energy at the age of 75. Duke explained, “Trump decided who should be the Celebrity Apprentice on different criteria and I guess I misunderstood what the task was being judged on. It was his decision and he’s the one who gets to decide.”

Several in the poker industry, including Team PokerStars Pro staple Daniel Negreanu, questioned why Duke selected Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick to be on her team with her first pick, rather than wait in a similar strategy to Rivers. Duke explained, “If Melissa was on my team, she probably wouldn’t work. I’d get criticized if I lost because she didn’t work out. I felt like I only had five people to choose from and knew that Brande could bring in $90,000.” At the end of the day, Team Duke raised $460,000 from the silent auction, whereas Team Rivers mustered just $150,000.

Duke claims that she was not told about the process of picking teammates before it occurred, although Melissa Rivers explained to NBC cameras that she had discussed strategy with her mom beforehand. Consequently, the elder Rivers did not select her daughter until her last pick, knowing that Duke would not draft her. The WSOP bracelet winner observed, “It was very interesting that they were bragging about discussing it in advance. We weren’t told, but they were and got to discuss strategy. The fact that they had discussed strategy beforehand shows you why Melissa shouldn’t have been among the people able to be picked. I was disappointed that ‘Team Rivers’ carried over into the finals.” The heated environment led to Duke and Rivers occupying separate rooms to watch the finale.

Others have questioned Duke for supporting a charity that focuses on those in need outside of the United States. Refugees International works with not only those in Africa, but also around the world. In fact, during a short vignette that aired during the Celebrity Apprentice finale, a beneficiary from Iraq was interviewed. Duke responded to critics: “I wish that people would understand that political borders are artificial. It’s upsetting to say that political boundaries are somehow important to the human condition. Americans have no idea what it’s like to have your government try to kill you. We take for granted the protection of our government.”

With Celebrity Apprentice Season 3 slated to air in the beginning of 2010, speculation has already begun as to who will comprise its cast. When asked if Duke would consider a return to next season’s edition, she responded, “I would say that I’m past that.” However, Negreanu expressed interest in a recent Full Contact Poker blog in joining the show, while Phil Hellmuth told Poker News Daily that he would also consider being on it. Duke remarked, “I think it would be great if another poker player went on there. The poker community is so incredibly generous.”

Finally, last Friday night, Duke had dinner with the group of men she became friendly with during the Loews Hotel challenge this season. Appropriately, the group dined at a restaurant called Room Service, which is located on East 21st Street in New York City. Duke recalled, “My boyfriend Joe said to me, ‘That’s really funny. They picked a restaurant called Room Service.’ I didn’t understand, so Joe had to point out to me that it was funny.” Duke excelled in providing room service during the episode, leading to a lifelong friendship.

Rivers, meanwhile, told Poker News Daily that winning the Celebrity Apprentice was “like picking up your poker hand and finding out you’ve got a royal flush — but in my case, its a hot flush.”

A special thank you from all of us here at Poker News Daily to Annie Duke for taking time out of her week during Celebrity Apprentice to break down each episode. We look forward to reporting on her at the 2009 WSOP.

Duke fired on Celebrity Apprentice final

Joan Rivers and Annie Duke went to battle for the final time Sunday, tasked with organizing a VIP party and silent auction fundraiser for their respective charities.

The project leaders had to organize the event, procure donations for the auction and get celebrities to attend. They also had to help promote Kodak as the sponsor of the event.

As she's done all season, Duke clearly out-fundraised Rivers in the final task, raising $465,725 for her charity, Refugees International.

Rivers managed to pull in $150,830 for God's Love We Deliver.

In all, Duke told PokerListings she raised more than $730,000 for Refugees International during Celebrity Apprentice this season.

Looking back, Duke said she is going to take two things away from her experience on the show.

One is the friendships she formed and the reminder of how solid her friends in the poker world are.

"The second is the tremendous amount of awareness and money raised for my charity," Duke said.

But fundraising wasn't the only criteria for winning the final challenge and becoming the latest Celebrity Apprentice. The final task was judged on five criteria, of which Duke won just two.

With Rivers able to claim a win on the final task, the only thing left was for the two women to have their chance in the boardroom to defend themselves and give reasons why they would be the better apprentice.

It appeared Rivers was more convincing.

Duke was confident she had done the better job throughout the season. She'd raised the most money and won both of the tasks where she was project manager before losing in the final.

She said she wasn't surprised when Rivers was hired and she was fired, but there were quite a few stunned TV viewers who were, claiming Trump showed favoritism or that he simply chose the person with the biggest celebrity profile.

Celebrity Apprentice may have been a bad beat for Duke, but she's already well on her way to bouncing back.

She was in Boston Monday hosting a Children's Hospital of Boston fundraiser. Next she'll be jetting back home to California for a little break before the start of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas at the end of the month.

During the WSOP, Duke also plans to continue her charitable work with the Third Annual Ante Up for Africa Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament July 2.

"Refugees International is a small charity, and the awareness for the charity from me being on Celebrity Apprentice is huge," Duke said.

"I hope it will also help my efforts with Ante Up for Africa, which Refugees International has partnered with."

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Poker Industry Reacts to 2009 Celebrity Apprentice Winner Joan Rivers

On Sunday night, the finale of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice Season 2 saw comedy icon Joan Rivers defeat World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Annie Duke in a complex task featuring a silent auction prior to a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s Wintuk. On Monday, the poker industry reacted to the decision by real estate mogul and show host Donald Trump.

On the online poker community PocketFives.com, the mood was mixed. Many of poker’s faithful sided with Duke, while others noted that Rivers won the show’s featured task. One PocketFiver noted, “Joan did win the final task. Standard TV entertainment. At least some charities benefit.” In fact, Rivers’ charity (God’s Love We Deliver) and Duke’s charity (Refugees International) earned over $1.2 million combined from the reality series. They will also experience residual exposure from Celebrity Apprentice in the future. On the finale, Celebrity Apprentice Season 1 winner Piers Morgan boasted that his charity, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, was able to construct a $60 million wing at its offices by virtue of the publicity on popular reality program.

Other poker players took exception to the terms used by Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, to describe poker players during the season, which lasted 11 episodes. The Rivers family labeled Duke a “whore,” “pit viper,” and “Nazi” and called poker players “trash.” Duke compared Rivers to a “cancer” in a battle of words. One PocketFives.com poster noted, “Annie deserved to win. And I believe there are a LOT of poker players (who also dabble in the world of business) that may want to b**** slap Joan and Melissa sometime… borderline slanderous statements may come back to bite her.”

Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu weighed in on the outcome of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice. In a blog posted on Full Contact Poker, Negreanu noted, “Going into the last task, it was pretty clear that Annie was a huge favorite to win. Of the five criteria, she had one of them in the bag- fund raising.” Negreanu revealed that Duke’s brother, Howard Lederer, donated $100,000 during the silent auction. Ultimate Bet’s Phil Hellmuth told Poker News Daily that he contributed $80,000. In total, the event raised $460,000, which was triple the take of Rivers’ gala. Negreanu questioned Duke selecting ally and Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick with her first pick: “She could have picked Brande last, as Joan did. I was surprised to see this obvious mistake. Seriously, it was a major tactical error. Herschel ended up being a rock star on the challenge.” The elder Rivers selected her daughter with her third and final pick, knowing that Duke would not draft Melissa Rivers to her team.

In the final boardroom, which played out in front of a live studio audience in New York City, the two finalists from Season 1, Morgan and country music star Trace Adkins, were asked for their opinion on who should be the next Celebrity Apprentice. Both favored Rivers, with Morgan claiming that she deserved to win after taking down three of the five criteria on the final task. Adkins’ answer was more cryptic; the singer merely said that Rivers “had that charitable thing.” Negreanu hypothesized, “His vote, and this is all speculation, I think had a little bit to do with the charity chosen. That’s just a total guess on my part, but I think with him being a full-blooded American, he preferred a charity that would benefit people in the U.S.” Duke was playing for Refugees International, an organization that she works closely with as part of Ante Up for Africa.

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack extended his congratulations to Duke even though she did not win the reality program’s second celebrity installment. In his Twitter feed, Pollack commented, “Proud of [Duke] 4 an incredible season on C.A. + representing the poker community w/smarts, style + grace! U r our champion + hero!”

The Celebrity Apprentice will return in early 2010 for Season 3, the ninth installment of the show overall.

Rivers Defeats Duke in ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ Finale

After eleven weeks of contentious reality television, comedian Joan Rivers was chosen on Sunday night...