Poker News

Daniel Negreanu Comments on Phil Ivey Taking All-Time Money Lead

Over the weekend, Phil Ivey placed second to Dan Shak in the $100,000 Challenge at the 2010 Aussie Millions Poker Championship at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.  For his efforts, Ivey won $553,776 ($600,000 AUD), vaulting him into the top position on the all-time live tournament money list.  His total of $12,813,990 is now $381,623 ahead of Daniel Negreanu's $12,432,367.

For his part, Negreanu has been far from a sore "loser."  In fact, Negreanu expressed his admiration for Ivey in his poker journal on his website, FullContactPoker.com:

"It's my belief that Phil Ivey is the best poker player in the world, and that includes every format," wrote Negreanu.  "I've played live with him, and cash, Hold'em, Stud, Omaha, whatever, and he is just the most consistently good player at everything - include [sic] online based on what his results look like. I don't think anyone has won more money online, live play, or tournament poker, than Ivey. Pretty strong."

Fortunately, Negreanu does not feel like this turn of events diminishes his place in the poker world, nor should he.  Like any good competitor, Negreanu is using Ivey's success as an impetus to achieve even more in his career.

"It's actually kind of fun for me," Negreanu blogged after Day 1 of the 2010 WPT Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi.  "I'm glad he did so well because it motivates me to try and pass him again. I was up about $200,000 so I think I'll need to finish 2nd or 1st to regain the lead. Should be a fun year from that perspective."

"Kid Poker" also commented on Ivey's mindset, saying, "Another misconception about Ivey is that he 'Doesn't really care.' He does. He definitely cares, because he is a competitor. It's not all about the money for him, otherwise he wouldn't bother. I think he's got something to prove in 2010. Not to the poker world, everyone with half a brain knows that Ivey is the best. I think he has something to prove to himself. 2010 could be a monster year for him."

In the last half year, Phil Ivey has won nearly $2,000,000 on the live tournament circuit, allowing him to overtake such players as Phil Hellmuth, Jamie Gold, Joe Hachem, and Scotty Nguyen on the all-time money list (based on current money standings), in addition to Negreanu.  While his Aussie Millions take was sizable, Ivey's rise on the leader board was aided primarily by his seventh place finish in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he won $1,404,014.  He also won two bracelets during the 2009 WSOP, bringing his lifetime total to seven.

If it is any consolation for Negreanu, he remains ahead of Ivey on the inflation-adjusted money list (thanks to thehendonmob.com for this information), $13,816,957 to $13,305,078.  He is still second on that list, though, to Hellmuth, whose inflation-adjusted total is $13,876,255.

Hachem Hunts Aussie Millions Glory

But make no mistake about it, when the main event begins Sunday, 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Hachem would rather keep the Aussie Millions for himself.

“I look forward to it ever year,” the Team PokerStars Pro and Crown Casino Ambassador told PokerListings. “But it’s like a love-hate relationship. I’d love to win it and I’ve been close three or four years now, but I just haven’t been able to get there. Maybe it’s because I would love to win it so much.”

An Australian poker icon and worldwide superstar, Hachem’s $10,856,216 in career live tournament earnings puts him sixth on poker’s all-time leading money winners list.

Of course, he has the WSOP main event bracelet and his December 2006 win at the World Poker Tour’s Five Diamond World Poker Classic gave Hachem a WPT title, making him one of only five players to have both.

But earning a third jewel in his very own triple crown is what Hachem truly desires.

“That would really seal the deal for me,” he said. “I mean, I’d love to win an EPT, but to win the Aussie Millions; it would be unbelievable.”

In fact, the Lebanese-born, Melbourne-raised Hachem wants to win on his home soil so badly, he can almost taste it.

“I have to make a final table there, I just do, and if I do, I promise you if I make the final table there, I will win it,” he said.

A chiropractor in Melbourne for more than a decade before a rare blood disorder affecting his hands forced him to give up his career, Hachem actually started taking poker seriously playing tournaments at Crown a decade ago.

The Aussie Millions itself began when the Crown Australian Poker Championship moved to January in 2001 with just 40 entrants putting up the AUD$5,000 buy-in.

The event, along with the game of poker in Australia, has grown infinitely since, attracting a truly international field and peaking in 2008 when 780 players ponied up the now AUD$10,000 buy-in.

His 2005 WSOP win was a major catalyst for the poker boom in Australia, but Hachem believes the game itself has always been a perfect fit for Aussie culture.

“I think Australians really have that competitive nature and poker, especially tournament poker, it brings that out in you,” he said.

In 2009, the Aussie Millions title was kept on home soil for the first time when Adelaide chef-turned-poker player Stewart Scott beat a field of 681.

This year, with poker as popular as ever Down Under, organizers are estimating the field could reach as many as 800 players.

To follow all the action, tune into PokerListings’ Live Updates beginning at 12:30 p.m. Melbourne time Sunday.

Visit PokerListings.com

PokerStars Announces North American Poker Tour

Look out, North America! Long absent poker events sponsored by PokerStars, the continent will host the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) beginning on January 20th at the Venetian, with another stop planned for Mohegan Sun.

Model Joanna Krupa, who was introduced to the PokerStars family during the fourth installment of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” will serve as the NAPT’s on-screen host. A television deal is in the works and PokerStars officials have employed 411, the same company that produces the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN, to create each episode. The identity of a television partner should be released in the next two weeks.

PokerStars players from the United States and Canada currently have to hop on an airplane and travel to far away lands for PokerStars-sponsored tournaments. PokerStars-backed series include the European Poker Tour (EPT), Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), Russian Poker Tour (RPT), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), Italian Poker Tour (IPT) Czech-Slovak Poker Tour (CSPT), Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), and U.K. and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT).

At the Venetian in Las Vegas, the final tournament of the casino’s Deep Stack Extravaganza will be the $5,000 buy-in NAPT Main Event. The fun in Sin City will take place from February 20th to 24th and side events will also play out. From Las Vegas, PokerStars NAPT officials will travel 2,600 miles due east to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The tournament series in the popular East Coast casino will see its Main Event held from April 7th to 11th as the kickoff of a brand new poker festival.

Negreanu commented in a press release furnished by the world’s largest online poker site, “I'm really looking forward to the launch of the NAPT. PokerStars.net has done an excellent job sponsoring meaningful tournaments around the world with the EPT, LAPT, APPT, and various other local tours – and it’s exciting to see them coming to my home town of Las Vegas! With the addition of the NAPT, I'll have a chance to play some tournaments on home soil and I'm very excited about that.” 2009 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada and Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso are among the bevy of site pros who are expected to turn out.

Technically, the first tournament of the NAPT was the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which is ongoing from the Atlantis Resort and Casino across the harbor from Nassau in the Bahamas. Satellites to the Venetian and Mohegan Sun tournaments will take place on PokerStars, which happily accepts players from the United States. Besides Cada, other WSOP Main Event champions to call the site home include Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Peter Eastgate (2008), and Tom McEvoy (1983).

In North America, the NAPT will compete against several longstanding brands such as the World Poker Tour (WPT) and WSOP Circuit. The WPT is in the midst of filming its eighth season, the first with the backing of Party Gaming, which purchased the rights to the series in October. Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten continue to bring the WPT to life each week on Fox Sports Net. The WSOP Circuit has been crisscrossing the United States since 2004, stopping at various Harrah’s properties along the way. Circuit staffers are now camped out in Tunica, Mississippi for the fifth stop of the 2009-2010 season. The series gets underway in the Deep South on January 20th from Harrah’s Tunica.

Krupa has graced the covers of a handful of brand-name magazines, including “FHM,” “Maxim,” “Playboy,” and “Stuff.” She appeared on Season 9 of the ABC reality series “Dancing with the Stars” and also tested her sports skills in the network’s “Superstars.” Krupa defeated 9/11 first responder Mike Kosowski on the fourth episode of the “Million Dollar Challenge;” Kosowski would later go on to defeat Negreanu and earn the $1 million grand prize.

Additional stops for Season 1 of the NAPT will also be announced.

Top Ten Poker Events of the Decade: Part 1

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

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

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

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

10. Poker Rooms Make a Comeback

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

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

9. Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker Superuser Scandals

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

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

8. Amateurs Dominate WSOP Main Event

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

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

7. New Blood Infuses the Game

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

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

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

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

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

PokerStars Launches Team Pro Tuesdays

This week marks the second installment of Team Pro Tuesdays on PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. Every Tuesday through December 29th, PokerStars sponsored pros will be hitting the virtual felts in earnest.

Team PokerStars Pro includes the reigning champion of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Joe Cada, who became the youngest winner ever of the $10,000 buy-in tournament in November. Cada shattered fellow Team PokerStars Pro member Peter Eastgate’s standing record by a full year, as the site boasts the last two WSOP Main Event champions. Chris Moneymaker, widely considered to be the man responsible for starting the modern poker boom, is also a card-carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro. Moneymaker took down the feature tournament in 2003 as a little-known accountant from Tennessee, defeating established pro Sammy Farha heads-up.

In 2004, Greg Raymer became poker’s newest star and Aussie Joe Hachem followed in 2005. Both are now sponsored by PokerStars and are benevolent ambassadors for the game. Text found on PokerStars’ website explains what players can expect as part of Team Pro Tuesdays: “On this day every week, scores of our pro players will be logging on and playing at the tables, covering everything from cash games to tournaments across a wide range of games and buy-in levels. You’ll be able to watch your favorite players in action and talk to them from the rail.”

PokerStars pros will take to the felts during two separate time blocks each Tuesday, from 12:00 to 15:00 ET and again from 19:00 to 22:00 ET. In order to figure out which pros are online, visit the “Team Pro” link at the bottom of the PokerStars lobby. You can also click “Requests” on the top menu bar and then hit “Find a Team PokerStars Player.” The concept of playing with the pros is similar to the main marketing message of rival online poker site Full Tilt, whose stable of players includes Howard Lederer, Gus Hansen, and Tom “durrrr” Dwan, the newest member of the team.

In addition to being able to play with pros in cash games, PokerStars is running a pair of Outlast the Pro tournaments. The first installment takes place at 13:00 ET on Tuesdays, while the second running issues its “Shuffle up and deal” command at 20:00 ET. Each tournament has a buy-in of $11 along with $1,000 in cash added to the prize pool. Players who remain in each tournament longer than every single one of the pros in the field will divvy up the $1,000 in added funds. For example, if Cada were the last pro standing and knocked out in 83rd place, the remaining players would each pocket $12.20, or $1,000 split 82 ways. The Outlast the Pro tournaments can be found by visiting “Tourney” and then “All” in the PokerStars lobby.

Other members of Team PokerStars Pro include “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” front man Daniel Negreanu, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Humberto Brenes. Its roster also includes top female pros like GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, Vicky Coren, Barry Greenstein, Chad Brown, Gavin Griffin, and Maridu Mayrinck, who was featured in this year’s WSOP Main Event coverage on cable station ESPN.

According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, PokerStars is the largest site worldwide with a seven-day running average of 28,600 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, well over 40,000 cash game aficionados call the site home. It happily accepts customers from the United States.

WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Kicks off Monday

The 2009 installment of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic will kick off on Monday from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The tournament’s namesake told UB.com’s “Poker2Nite” that a field of 400 players is expected.

Only one Day 1 in the $15,000 buy-in WPT event will occur, with the six-handed final table taking place on the 19th. In 2008, original World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member David “Chino” Rheem took down the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, besting Justin Young heads-up and earning $1.5 million. Young took $936,000 for his runner-up performance. Others who reached the feature table, which played out on cable station Fox Sports Net, included Evan McNiff (third place for $540,000), Steve Sung (fourth place for $396,000), Amnon Filippi (fifth place for $288,000), and DoylesRoom poker pro Hoyt Corkins (sixth place for $216,000).

The Five Diamond has been a staple of the WPT circuit and served as the series’ very first event back in May of 2002. That year, Full Tilt Poker pro Gus Hansen outlasted John Juanda heads-up in a talented final table that also featured Freddy Deeb, John “World” Hennigan, Chris Bigler, and Scotty Nguyen. A quaint field of 146 players turned out for the inaugural WPT tournament, creating a prize pool of $1.4 million.

In Season II of the WPT, Paul Phillips took down the Five Diamond in Las Vegas, besting Poker Hall of Fame member Dewey Tomko heads-up and banking $1.1 million. Hansen once again made the final table of the tournament and finished third this time around, while Mel Judah took sixth place and earned $101,000. The next season, a battle of PokerStars sponsored pros took place, as Daniel Negreanu trumped Costa Rican sensation Humberto Brenes heads-up in the event’s finale. The number of entrants jumped to 376 from 314.

In Season IV of the WPT, Rehne Pedersen earned over $2 million for his Five Diamond win and beat Patrik Antonius heads-up. Brunson made the final table of the event and finished third, while J.J. Liu took fourth place for $362,000. Also making waves were Darrell “Gigabet” Dicken and Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, who finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

In the December Bellagio tournament during Season V, Joe Hachem, winner of the 2005 WSOP Main Event, took down the title and its corresponding $2.2 million grand prize. Hachem and Negreanu made PokerStars proud by reaching the final table and the Aussie’s win solidified his name as one of the tops in the industry. In 2007, Eugene Katchalov banked $2.5 million for his WPT victory, outlasting a colossal field of 626 players. Also reaching the final table were Devilfish Poker namesake David Ulliott and former PokerStars Caribbean Adventure champion Ryan “Daut44” Daut.

After its annual Las Vegas stop, the WPT crew will break for the holidays and resume action in late January for the Southern Poker Championship. December’s Bellagio stop will mark the tournament series’ last trip to Sin City before the annual WPT Championship in April. Here’s a look at the remaining events in Season VIII:

Southern Poker Championship: January 24th to 27th
Beau Rivage (Biloxi, Mississippi)

WPT Celebrity Invitational: February 20th to 21st
Commerce Casino (Commerce, California)

L.A. Poker Classic: February 26th to March 4th
Commerce Casino (Commerce, California)

Bay 101 Shooting Star: March 8th to 12th
Bay 101 (San Jose, California)

Hollywood Poker Open: March 20th to 24th
Hollywood Casino (Lawrenceburg, Indiana)

WPT Championship: April 17th to 24th
Bellagio (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Joe Hachem Thinks Poker Will Get Bigger in Australia

In his article in The Sydney Morning Herald Joe Hachem reminds us that in just 23 years ago there was no poker being played in casinos in Australia. It is hard to imagine that poker, which is so prevalent game in Australian casinos nowadays, hit the floors in 1987.

The WSOP and WPT bracelet winner thinks that the popularity of poker has not yet reached the level of popularity that the sport has achieved in America, but the popularity and number of competitors are growing in Australia.

Joe Hachem is the godfather of the Australian poker scene.

As a professional poker player, the PokerStars pro is happy that the popularity of his profession is growing. He is satisfied about the growth of popularity so far, as the standard of the events available in Australia has continued to improve and tournaments also attracts more international talent.

Hachem thinks the key element to the growth of poker in Australia has been the internet and online poker, which he thinks is “a great way to learn, polish your game, and even compete in some serious tournaments”.

For Hachem, tournaments are the best format of poker. Today there is plenty of big tournaments for Australians to choose from. There is annual Aussie Millions in January and PokerStars sponsored Asia Pasific Poker Tour, the biggest poker tour in the region. Hachem thinks at the present a professional player could play a full season of events only in Australia without travelling to international tournaments “and boast an impressive record of events”.

Even though Hachem is pleased with the way things are now, he hopes that the wins of Australians Grant Levy and Martin Rowe in APPT in past years will produce more local talent. He believes that with more great local wins, more people will support poker and the popularity of poker will continue to rise in Australia.

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Joe Hachem Thinks Poker Will Get Bigger in Australia

Joe Cada Meets with More than 10 Lawmakers on Capitol Hill Visit

As the newest ambassador of the game, 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Cada met with more than 10 Congressmen on Capitol Hill on Monday in a visit sponsored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

Cada could be found speaking with Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Representative Allen Boyd (D-FL), Representative Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN), Representative Candice Miller (R-MI), Representative Joe Barton (R-TX), Representative Dean Heller (R-NV), Representative Gary Peters (D-MI), Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV), and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). Cada hails from Michigan and met with his two Senators and local Representative throughout the whirlwind one-day affair.

PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily, “There were a number of really good visits with lawmakers like Joe Barton and Linda Sanchez, who are avid poker players, so they got to talk a little poker and a little policy. Throughout the day, he probably met another half-dozen members of Congress.” Congressman Heller brought Cada onto the floor of the House of Representatives during a vote, giving the youngster a unique opportunity to witness the democratic process first-hand.

On Capitol Hill, Cada and his entourage bumped into Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and had a five-minute long conversation. Ensign serves as the counterpart to Harry Reid (D-NV), the current Senate Majority Leader. On Cada’s parade around Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Pappas commented, “He doesn’t have the recognition that other pros we bring do, but he's just becoming a face on the scene. He was great from our perspective. He wasn't here to do the hard sell on public policy; he was here to give a good face to poker and tell his story.”

Cada became the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever at age 21 in November, eclipsing Peter Eastgate’s standing record by one year. Cada and Eastgate are both card-carrying members of Team PokerStars Pro, which also includes other World Champions like Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), and Australian Joe Hachem (2005). A bevy of news outlets met with Cada during the day, including Politico, The Hill, and Roll Call, popular Capitol Hill publications.

On the future of Cada’s relationship with the PPA, Pappas told Poker News Daily, “When we do fly-ins and other events, we want to be able to work with him and have him be a face for us in Washington, D.C. We'd love for him to continue to promote the PPA to the poker playing community, particularly to the younger online players who look up to Joe. He recognizes the importance of what we’re doing.” Cada’s post-WSOP Main Event media appearances have included the “Late Show with David Letterman” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” He’s also featured on the current cover of Bluff Magazine.

Next up for Cada is a trip to Las Vegas, where he will donate a two-hour training session to the prize pool of the All In For CP charity poker tournament, which will be held at the Hard Rock. Cada told Poker News Daily, "The PPA really treated me like a champion and made my stay very enjoyable. It was awesome meeting various politicians, especially the ones from Michigan. I placed third in John Pappas' home game, which was a huge cash for me of $110. I'm looking forward to supporting the PPA in the fight. Next stop: Bellagio."

Next up for the PPA is a push to pass legislation to legalize and regulate online poker in the United States. Pappas revealed, “We've built a lot of momentum at the end of the year and anticipate a Committee vote on HR 2267 in late January or early February. Right now, we're focusing on the targets we need to get this legislation through.” HR 2267, proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), provides a framework for online gaming companies to solicit U.S. customers. It boasts 63 co-sponsors.

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

Joe Hachem Comments on the State of Australian Poker

With the conclusion of the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) in Sydney, Australia last week, another successful season came to an end and one more Aussie champion was born. Online qualifier Aaron Benton won the AUD $6,300 Grand Final Main Event to become the third straight Australian-born player to capture the title. Additionally, fellow Aussie and former APPT champion Van Marcus defeated a tough field to win the APPT Tournament of Champions.

2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion and Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Hachem recently wrote an article in the Sydney Morning Herald discussing the growth of poker in Australia. Hachem, who was born in Lebanon and moved to Melbourne at age six, talked about the APPT, the Aussie Millions, and the poker culture that has taken over Australia since his life-changing victory in 2005.

"Obviously we are yet to reach the heights of popularity that the sport has achieved in America, where every major tournament is televised and attracts thousands of live spectators, but the popularity and the competitors continue to grow," Hachem wrote. "For a professional player, I always hope we'll get to that point. The growth so far has been satisfying as the standard of the events available in Australia continue to improve, as we attract more international talent as well as retain our best home-grown players."

That home-grown talent has made some serious noise in 2009. Jeffrey Lisandro (born in Perth) won three WSOP bracelets in 2009 while capturing Player of the Year honors in a year that saw five different players win multiple events. Lisandro, known better as a successful cash game player, now has four bracelets and joins fellow Aussies Hachem, Mark Vos, Gary Benson, and Mel Juda as WSOP champions.

In January, Bilambil Heights native Stewart Scott earned $1,865,724 by winning the Crown Aussie Millions Main Event. Scott became the first Aussie to keep the prestigious title in his home country since the event went international in 2003. The event, which was first introduced in 1997 as a $1,000 buy-in Limit Hold'em tournament, has developed into one of the biggest poker events on the planet. The number of entrants has increased every year since 2003, helped greatly by Fox Sports Net's broadcast that reaches millions of homes internationally. Poker fans were able to watch Gus Hansen claim the title in 2007 and Alexander Kostritsyn defeat Erik Seidel to win it in 2008.

Benton, who already had a claim to fame coming into the APPT Grand Final as a former contestant in the Australian edition of “Big Brother,” collected AUD $594,000 for his victory in Sydney last week. Benton bested a field of 396 players, including seven Aussies at the final table. Though the tournament drew fewer entrants than the past two years (561 in 2007 and 477 in 2008), Hachem is still pleased with the direction the game is headed in his homeland.

"From the Aussie Millions and this weekend's Pokerstars.net APPT, (the largest poker tour in the region) to smaller events that still offer a genuine challenge like the ANZPT (Australia New Zealand Poker Tour), a professional player could quite happily now play a full season in this country and boast an impressive record of events," Hachem said.

The 2010 Aussie Millions gets underway on Thursday, January 14 with a $1,100 No Limit Hold'em event. Several similar preliminary events will take place up until the $10,500 Main Event kicks off on January 24.

APPT Sydney Title Stays in Australia

PokerStars online qualifier Aaron Benton outlasted 395 players to win a first place prize of $594,000 (AUD) in the Star City-hosted event.

"I used to play more for the entertainment in pub games, but I'm loving my poker and I wanted to take it to the next level," Benton said after his victory.

The 32-year-old recruitment consultant from Wollongong, New South Wales, had to get by well-known players like Mark Vos, Tony “bond18” Dunst and Joe Hachem before making it to the final table, which included Australian veteran Leo Boxell.

Boxell was eventually eliminated third and the final showdown was between Benton and fellow online qualifier Ernst Hermans from the Netherlands.

In the decisive hand of the tournament Herman open-shoved with 9-8 and Benton insta-called with pocket kings. The kings held up and Benton won his first APPT title.

The APPT Sydney Grand final has been won by an Australian in all three years of its existence. Last year Sydney local Martin Rowe outlasted 476 players to win $1 million (AUD).

APPT Sydney also marked the end to the third season of the tour. Winners were crowned in Australia, China, New Zealand and the Philippines although the Korean stop was postponed indefinitely due to construction of the venue.

Details for season four will soon be available on the APPT website and if last year was any indication the first event will likely take place this summer.

Here are the final table payouts for the $6,300 (AUD) buy-in APPT Sydney:

1. Aaron Benton - $594,000 (AUD)
2. Ernst Hermans - $381,000 (AUD)
3. Leo Boxell - $213,840 (AUD)
4. Wayne Carlson - $166,320 (AUD)
5. Tom Grigg - $130,680 (AUD)
6. Andrew Hiscox - $106,920 (AUD)
7. Barry Forrester - $83,160 (AUD)
8. David Formosa - $65,340 (AUD)
9. Thomas Slifka - $47,520 (AUD)

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PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final Day 1a: Tony “Bond18″ Dunst Leads

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final kicked off Tuesday afternoon in Sydney, with Team PokerStars Pro and former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Hachem kicking kicking things off with the official "shuffle up and deal." The first of...

PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final Day 1a: Tony “Bond18″ Dunst Leads

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final began Tuesday afternoon in Sydney with Team PokerStars Pro and former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Hachem kicking off play with the official call: "shuffle up and deal." The first of three...

PokerStars APPT to finish with a bang in Sydney

The PokerStars APPT is finishing up its 2009 run with a six-day tournament extravaganza at the Star City Casino in Sydney tomorrow, culminating in a $6,300 grand final at which PokerStars Pros and former world champions Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem are expected.

APPT Sydney Grand Final Kicks Off December 1st

The PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) is preparing to wrap up its 2009 schedule with the $6,300 AUD APPT Grand Final running from December 1st to 6th at the Star City Casino in Sydney. Team PokerStars Pros and former World Champions Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem are among the several hundred players expected to participate in the tour’s flagship tournament.

The APPT Sydney schedule kicked off with the $200 AUD Pink Diamond Ladies No Limit Hold’em tournament on November 22nd. Several other preliminary events are taking place before the Main Event gets underway, including a deep stack No Limit Hold’em tournament and a Pot Limit Omaha event. Once the Main Event is underway, side events include the $15,300 AUD High Roller, a $550 AUD Ladies Tournament, a $1,100 AUD team event, a $3,200 AUD Heads-Up event, and the $340 AUD Camp Quality Charity Event in aid of the Australian Children and Families Cancer Charity.

Last year, Martin Rowe defeated fellow Aussie Jason Gray for the APPT Grand Final title and $1 million AUD ($648,046) prize. The event was Aussie-dominated, as 39 of the 48 players who reached the money were from Down Under. The first ever APPT Grand Final was won by Grant Levy, who snagged USD $850,000 for his achievement and is now a member of Team PokerStars Pro Australia.

This season’s APPT champions – Dermot Blain, Simon Watt, and Dong-bin Han – won a seat to the APPT Grand Final as part of their victories. Blain collected $541,072 for his win at APPT Macau in August, while Watt earned $154,043 at APPT Auckland in October. Han took home $156,722 after claiming the APPT Cebu title earlier this month. The event in Cebu broke participation records for an event in the Philippines. The APPT Seoul event, scheduled for September 17th to 20th in South Korea, was postponed due to construction delays at the 7-Luck Casino and will be rescheduled once the construction is completed.

Overall, the APPT has been very pleased with the tour in 2009. Jeffrey Haas, President of the APPT, said: “This season’s APPT has been a great success with over a thousand players competing in the three events already held in Macau, Auckland, and Cebu. This has been made possible by massive enthusiasm for the tour right across the region. This season’s Grand Final in Sydney is set to cement the tour’s reputation for providing incredible events in great locations.”

On December 7th, the annual APPT Tournament of Champions event will take place. This invitation-only tournament features winners from the APPT as well as some of the biggest names in poker competing to help their favorite charities. The first year the tournament was held, Joe Hachem won; last season PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso took home the title.

Overheard at High Stakes Poker Season 6 Taping

Last week, the sixth season of GSN’s cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker” was filmed at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. Some of the game’s best turned out for the three days of taping and sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss their thoughts headed into the suite.

Barry Greenstein will once again raise money for charity during Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker,” which will feature tournament hostess Kara Scott conducting interviews from the floor and Gabe Kaplan flying solo in the booth sans A.J. Benza. Greenstein is set to utter the most feared three words in all of poker sometime during the sixth season, “bing, bang blaow,” for charity. He told Poker News Daily, “One of the problems with it is that it’s like trash talking. Normally, it’s not classy to beat someone in a big pot and then talk trash. Each of the last couple of years, with the ‘Math is idiotic,’ I beat Tom Dwan and drew out. With the ‘lol donkaments,’ I told Erick Lindgren ahead of time that I was going to do it.” For uttering popular phrases throughout the years, Greenstein has truly earned his nickname as the “Robin Hood of Poker.”

Besides “High Stakes Poker,” Daniel Negreanu has taken to the television airwaves for the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” which returns this Sunday following NFL football on Fox. Negreanu discussed how the show has been received so far: “We couldn’t be happier. It came in off ‘Face the Ace,’ which got bad ratings. ‘Million Dollar Challenge’ was one of the highest rated shows and did amazingly well. The time slot is perfect following football and the production quality is so much better. Everything has a game show feel.”

On the mind of “High Stakes Poker” newcomer Dennis Phillips was the win by fellow Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Cada in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Phillips finished third in the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament last year to the tune of $4.5 million; Cada’s win this year was worth $8.5 million. Phillips explained, “He was 21 and just won $8.5 million. He has a good head, talks well with the media, and wants to promote poker. We just need to make sure it goes the right way and he and I will be talking off and on.” PokerStars has produced several recent WSOP Main Event champions, including Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Peter Eastgate (2008), and Cada (2009).

Phil Laak, who was an alternate for the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker” and wound up filming, told Poker News Daily about his experience at the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table, which unfolded at the Rio: “It was the second time in 10 years that I went to see it. I had never been in the Penn and Teller Theater in my life and I haven’t seen the show either.” Laak and Antonio Esfandiari instigated a number of prop bets during Season 5 of “High Stakes Poker,” one-off events that producer Mori Eskandani has apparently frowned upon during the show’s most recent installment.

Besides Phillips, another newcomer to the GSN poker series this time around is Lex “RaSZi” Veldhuis, who final tabled the $40,000 buy-in tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP in 2009. Veldhuis told Poker News Daily how he stacks up against the talented competition: “I’ve played with these guys before, so I’m comfortable with them and I’m comfortable with my game. I just hope I can win some money because the show is a small sample. There’s going to be really high variance and I won’t have a lot of hands. It’s gambling, so in that respect, I think it’s higher stakes.”

Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker” will begin airing on Sunday, February 14th on GSN.

Yang says Cada got lucky to win WSOP Main Event

Jerry Yang, who won the 2007 WSOP Main Event, is certainly one.

Yang watched it all go down on ESPN the very next night from his newly opened Pocket 8's Sushi & Grill restaurant in Merced, California and enjoyed every minute of it.

"It was very interesting," Yang told PokerListings from Harvey's Lake Tahoe, where he had come to play in the WSOP Circuit event this weekend. "Overall I think it was a great tournament. It was very exciting."

Yang has always admitted his path to the 2007 title and its $8.25 million prize was paved with a lot of luck.

What he saw on this year's ESPN broadcast appeared no different to him.

"I think all the guys played really well and obviously two of them got really lucky," he said.

"Joe Cada is a good player, but he got incredibly lucky. Especially with the pocket threes (all in pre-flop against Jeff Shulman's pocket jacks) and the pocket deuces (all in pre-flop against Antoine Saout's pocket queens). I'm happy it worked out for him.

"Moon had a good shot, but I think he made a couple of mistakes and I'm sure he's thinking about them right now."

Yang was criticized by some in the poker media for not playing as many major tournaments as they would have liked in the year following his win.

However, the father of six children, who escaped war-torn Laos as a child and spent four-and-a-half years in a Thai refugee camp before immigrating to the United States, makes no apologies for following a different path.

"Since winning I have personally helped raised more than $700,000 for charity, namely the Make-A-Wish foundation, the Ronald McDonald House and Feed the Children, so that took a lot of my time away," he said.

"I made a promise that I would donate a lot of my time and money to charity. That's what I'm passionate about; giving back to the community, especially underprivileged kids."

If he has any advice for the new World Champion, it's that he follow his heart as well.

"Just follow your passion," Yang said. "If poker is your passion, then hey, you know what, be a good ambassador. Do whatever you can to promote poker and carry the game to the next level.

"I know a lot of young players today look up to somebody like me or Joe Hachem, or whoever the champion is and they want to follow in our footsteps. So do whatever you can to really help that community."

Yang's victory came in the final year before the WSOP began delaying the final table four months, creating what is now known as the November Nine.

The 2007 World Champion says he loves the idea and the boxing-style hype that is created during the four-month break.

"I wish they had done it a couple of years before I won, although it may have changed my results," he laughed. "I think it will only help poker grow, survive and thrive even more."

These days, Yang spends the majority of his time at his restaurant, with his family, playing poker for charity and putting the finishing touches on his biography, All In: The Jerry Yang Story, expected to be published sometime in early 2010.

But a passion for the game still got him out of bed at 4 a.m. Sunday to make the drive to Lake Tahoe from his Fresno home to play a little poker on the World Series Circuit.

"The bottom line is I love poker," he said.

To follow Yang and all the action from the Lake Tahoe World Series of Poker Circuit championship event, click through to PokerListings' Live Coverage.

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Jeffrey Pollack Resigns from Harrah’s, WSOP

In breaking news from Las Vegas, World Series of Poker (WSOP) Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack has resigned from his post at the WSOP and Harrah’s, according to the Associated Press and his Twitter feed. Today, Friday, November 13th, is Pollack’s last day on the job.

Pollack told the news service on Friday, “It’s bittersweet, but I’m leaving with just great memories and a really nice sense of it being a great run. More than anything else, I’m just appreciative of the opportunity to have been part of the WSOP.” The WSOP entered its 40th year in 2009, with Michigan pro Joe Cada having been crowned its latest champion earlier this week. The youngster became the youngest WSOP Main Event winner ever at age 21 and defeated Maryland logger Darvin Moon heads-up. Cada will celebrate his 22nd birthday next week.

The Associated Press reported, “Series spokesman Seth Palansky said there were no immediate intentions to replace Pollack.” Back in May, Pollack teamed with former Party Gaming CEO Mitch Garber to lead Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, the casino giant’s newly-formed online arm. Pollack was slated to be its President and Harrah’s CEO Gary Loveman commented in a press release announcing the launch, “As the world’s largest gaming company, Harrah’s is taking a proactive approach toward international and interactive expansion. It is important we position ourselves to explore new markets as well as new technologies with our best in class brands.”

Pollack was instrumental in growing the WSOP since 2005. The annual festivities from Las Vegas picked up shop and moved from Binion’s in the Downtown area to the Harrah’s-owned Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino off the Strip. 2005 saw Australian Joe Hachem take down the $10,000 buy-in Main Event to the tune of $7.5 million. A total of 5,619 players entered, a number that would swell to 8,773 in 2006, the year that Hollywood agent Jamie Gold claimed victory.

Pollack told the Associated Press that his next career move remains up in the air: “I really wanted to see this year through, see this series through. I’m leaving on an absolute high note.” No indication was given to media on-hand at the Rio last weekend that Pollack was departing, as the Commissioner seemed in high spirits. Pollack awarded Mike Sexton his Poker Hall of Fame trophy in a ceremony held during Saturday’s play in the Main Event that saw the field trimmed from nine players to two, Cada and Moon.

Under Pollack’s leadership, the WSOP brand hopped “The Pond” for WSOP Europe. The festivities began in 2007, with Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad becoming the youngest bracelet winner ever by taking down the Main Event, defeating fellow Betfair pro John “Kunkuwap” Tabatabai heads-up. The inaugural Main Event drew 362 entrants. In 2008, Full Tilt Poker pro John Juanda took down the title, defeating Russian poker players Stanislav Alekhin and Ivan Demidov. In 2009, Barry Shulman, father of WSOP November Nine member Jeff Shulman, claimed victory in the WSOP Europe feature tournament. A total of 57 events in Las Vegas and four more in Europe were held this year.

Palansky told Poker News Daily, “We appreciate Jeffrey’s contributions over the past four years and wish him the best in the future. The World Series of Poker remains the market leader with this year’s tournament exceeding all expectations and we are well positioned for the future. There is no intention at this time to replace the Commissioner role.”

Pollack also held positions with the NBA and NASCAR and is the half-brother of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. On his Twitter page, Pollack boasted on Friday, “Thank you for allowing me to be part of the #WSOP these last few years. I will always be a fan and friend to the poker community.”

WSOP Main Event TV ratings down on 2008

Joe Cada has broken records – one of the best final table comebacks seen since Joe Hachem took down the event in 2005; the youngest player to win the Main Event (with two nines, too – take that, Hellmuth) but unfortunately not the most-watched.

Detroit Media Debates Joe Cada 2009 WSOP Main Event Victory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WSOP 2009 Main Event Results

After 57 tournaments in Las Vegas, four more held in London, and a grand total of 157 days (counting the delay to the November Nine), the 2009 World Series of Poker has come to an end. While there are many things that will be memorable about this year’s schedule, perhaps the best way to look back at the 2009 WSOP is by the numbers.

One of the biggest statistics comes from our new world champion’s age. After last year’s winner, Peter Eastgate, ended the nearly 20-year reign of Phil Hellmuth as the youngest ever, it only took one year for Joe Cada to knock Eastgate off the top of the rankings for the Las Vegas event. Cada should be able to hold this record for some time; at 21 years, 11 months, and 21 days old, he passed up Eastgate by 340 days (this does not take into account Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad’s win at a day under 19 in the inaugural WSOP Europe).

All totaled, the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table was the longest in WSOP history. On Saturday, the nine men played for 14 hours and 55 minutes before determining the final two players. On Monday night, Cada and runner up Darvin Moon came back and battled for another two hours and 21 minutes before determining a champion. The grand total of 17 hours and 16 minutes eclipses the previous record of 14 hours and 30 minutes, set at the 2005 WSOP Main Event final table won by Joe Hachem.

A total of 276 hands were dealt during final table play on Saturday night alone, ensuring another record would be set in total hands played. During last year’s final table, 274 hands were played before Eastgate recorded the championship. Moon and Cada went nearly 90 hands to amass a grand total of 363, and a new record, before Cada was able to grab the championship this year.

James Akenhead, who traveled from England to battle it out at the WSOP Main Event final table, did not receive any additional money for finishing in ninth place. He did, however, seal his name in history along with Antoine Saout as only the second and third players to final table both the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and the WSOP Europe in London in the same year. In 2008, Ivan Demidov pulled off the trick (finishing in third in London and the runner up in Las Vegas); Akenhead (ninth in both) and Saout (seventh in London, third in Las Vegas) were able to add their names to that list this year.

While many in the Penn and Teller Theater were rooting for Phil Ivey to take the Main Event title, the acclaimed pro does have something to hold onto from his 2009 run. With the seventh place prize of $1,404,014 and his other two bracelet wins, the man considered by many to be the finest poker player in the world increased his lifetime tournament earnings to $12,236,714. This leaves the Full Tilt Poker pro only slightly over $190,000 behind fellow top professional and PokerStars sponsored player Daniel Negreanu for the most money earned in a career.

Finally, the WSOP crossed an important threshold. With the $174,013,315 in prize pools paid out to winners this year, the WSOP crossed the $1 billion mark in prize pools in its history. In the past four years, there has been approximately $685 million in prize pools generated; in the years from 1970 to 2005, only $354 million was generated. The grand total of prize pools in the history of the WSOP now stands at $1,041,266,592.

With the end of the tournament early this morning in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the 2009 WSOP has come to a close. Fret not, though, as it is only roughly 200 days until the cards will fly again.

Joe Cada Supported by 150 Friends and Family at 2009 WSOP Main Event

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, or in the case of Joe Cada, the squeaky wheel gets $8.5 million. After nearly 90 hands of heads-up play in the overnight hours on Monday, Cada emerged as the youngest WSOP Main Event Champion ever.

His 22nd birthday is one week from Wednesday and we suspect that his party will be one for the ages. Last year, Peter Eastgate shattered Phil Hellmuth’s longstanding record to become the youngest winner of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, a distinction Hellmuth held for 19 years. Cada had over 150 of his closest friends and family rally behind him at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio. On his troops, Cada told WSOP officials, “They meant everything to me. They cheered me on when I was very low on chips. Then, I got down by 3:1 tonight and they were still sitting there cheering and going crazy. That helped me to get back in this and focus. Momentum is a big thing in poker. A lot of these people took off of school and work and came out here just to support me and I am so grateful.”

Cada’s faithful were decked out in neon yellow long sleeve shirts and hats in a scene reminiscent of a University of Michigan football game. Many had questioned whether Moon, a logger from Maryland, would be a viable ambassador for the game. On his new role as the face of the 2009 WSOP, Cada told reporters, “I will embrace it. I hope to help poker grow and represent it well.”

Cada donned a PokerStars logo throughout the Main Event final table after holding out for a logo deal from the world’s largest online poker site. In July, he could be spotted in images with Ultimate Bet gear on. Since Chris Moneymaker in 2003, PokerStars has procured four Main Event Champions to its ranks: Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Eastgate (2008), and now Cada.

Rallying him over the weekend were Cada’s parents, Ann and Jerry. The latter could be found taking pictures in earnest in a WSOP press conference on the Masquerade Stage at the Rio on Monday afternoon. His mother, Ann, shared her thoughts following her son’s $8.5 million score and WSOP bracelet win: “I’m elated. I’m dumbfounded. It’s just a dream. We wanted him to get his education first but when he started doing well, we wanted him to follow his dream. He loves it. How many people can say they love what they do?”

Amid rising unemployment and a professional football team that is 1-7 in 2009 and went a record 0-16 last year, Cada’s win marks a watershed moment for the state of Michigan and city of Detroit. Cada’s father echoed the point and added why his son has been so successful on the live and online poker felts in such a short amount of time: “I think where he really has talent is in the math area. When he was a kid, we used to just throw numbers at him and he would give us the answer right back. He knew percentages. Then, he got into poker and bang! It all came together.”

Among those thrilled for Cada is PokerStars, which asked Cada about playing Moon heads-up. Moon had run hot for much of the tournament, but, like his fortunes at Texas Hold’em Bonus at the Rio on Monday, his luck finally turned for the worse. Cada told PokerStars, “Darvin played a great game. He put me in a lot of tough spots. He did really well. Props to Darvin. He played great. He had my back against the wall, but luckily I came through.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2009 WSOP Main Event results and coverage.

High Stakes Poker, GSN Officials Preview Season 6

Making waves in the poker world this week has been the announcement of the “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 cast. Set to debut in February on the cable station, “High Stakes Poker” will feature Gabe Kaplan alongside new co-host Kara Scott.

During the first five seasons of the high-dollar cash game show, A.J. Benza provided color commentary with Kaplan. Now, Scott, a television veteran, will furnish insight and interviews from the poker room floor. On the change from Benza to Scott, GSN Vice President of Programming and Development David Schiff told Poker News Daily, “We’re into the sixth season and we felt like it was time to freshen it up. Our feeling was that we wanted viewers to be in the room with the players. Gabe and A.J. did a good job, but they were disconnected from the action.”

Scott is one of only two women to cash in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in back-to-back years and, as such, provides a unique level of insight. She’s fresh off bringing the PokerStars.net Ante Up for Africa charity tournament to life on CBS in the United States and serves as eye candy for ESPN announcer Norman Chad. Schiff explained the allure of hiring Scott, as opposed to other rumored co-hosts like Shana Hiatt and Vanessa Rousso: “Kara is really the full package. She’s a great player and has had deep runs in the Main Event the last two years. We think she can add a lot of insight to the broadcast.”

Seventeen players have been announced as part of the “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 cast, including newcomers Dennis Phillips, Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, Lex Veldhuis, Andreas Hoivold, and Sammy “Any Two” George. On the stable of pros lined up for Season 6, “High Stakes Poker” Executive Producer Mori Eskandani told Poker News Daily, We are going to have possibly the most colorful and strongest cast we’ve had to date.” The newcomers will take to the felts alongside regulars like Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, and Antonio Esfandiari.

Also in the mix for Season 6 is WSOP November Nine member Phil Ivey, who has only appeared once in the show’s five previous seasons. Schiff examined the addition of Ivey to the impressive lineup of poker pros and recreational players: “Arguably, this is the best cast of players we have ever had. To have Phil Ivey off the November Nine and all of the other great players, I think it’ll be great poker action.” The series premieres on Sunday, February 14th at 8:00pm ET and replays twice each night.

“High Stakes Poker” features a $200,000 buy-in and, as such, includes a bevy of well-known tournament players battling it out in a cash game. Eskandani explained, “We’ve never seen Dennis Phillips in cash games, yet he’s done super in tournaments. Now, he’s coming out to the cash game world to throw punches with the best of them.” Last season’s broadcast featured recent WSOP Main Event winners Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem; neither will take to the felts this time around.

Music mogul Allan Meltzer, who is among the regulars at Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, will likely be one of the only so-called “recreational” players on the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker.” During Season 5, “The Notebook” Director Nick Cassavettes and “The Simpsons” Co-Creator Sam Simon were among those who challenged poker superstars like Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius. Eskandani explained the dearth of recreational players this season: “This year, Meltzer will be playing, but we didn’t want to go to the same recreational players we always went to. Several that we went to ended up having cold feet.”

“High Stakes Poker” will film from November 11th to 13th at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas.

PokerStars Announces UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT)

PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, has introduced the UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT). A total of nine events will play out beginning in Galway on December 11th.

The first UK-based event will be held in Manchester on February 11th at the Grosvenor G Casino. The Galway event, which serves as the kickoff tournament of the inaugural UKIPT series, will be part of the Irish Poker Championships. Players will descend upon the Radisson Hotel for the €2,000 buy-in event and the tournament crowns a champion on December 14th. In 2009, The Irish Poker Championship was brought to you by PartyPoker and saw 24 year-old Rory Rees Brennan bank €160,000 for the win in its Main Event. Seven out of the top ten finishers were Irish.

Team PokerStars Pro member Vicky Coren, a Brit, discussed the newest poker tour in a press release distributed this week: “This is an incredibly exciting addition to the range of PokerStars live events. Here is our own local British and Irish tour, nicely accessible for those who can’t travel abroad very often or who save their foreign travel for larger international events.” Champions of UKIPT events will take home an entry into the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) London Main Event next October. PokerStars officials noted that EPT London will also serve as the UKIPT Championship Event.

Here is the schedule for the first-ever running of the UKIPT:

UKIPT Galway (Ireland): December 11th to 14th
Radisson Hotel
€2,000 buy-in (9% juice)

UKIPT Manchester (United Kingdom): February 11th to 14th
Grosvenor G Casino
£500+50 buy-in

UKIPT Coventry (United Kingdom): April 8th to 11th
Grosvenor G Casino
£500+50 buy-in

UKIPT Nottingham (United Kingdom): May 13th to 16th
Dusk Till Dawn
£500+50 buy-in

UKIPT Killarney (Ireland): June 24th to 27th
Gleneagles
€1,000+100 buy-in

UKIPT Brighton (United Kingdom): July 15th to 18th
Rendezvous
£1,000+100 buy-in

UKIPT Scotland: TBA
Venue is TBA
£1,000+100 buy-in

UKIPT Dublin (Ireland): September 9th to 12th
Burlington Hotel
€1,000+100 buy-in

UKIPT London (United Kingdom): October 1st to 10th
Hilton Metropole
£5,000+250 buy-in

UKIPT tournaments are expected to attract some of the top names in the poker industry, including PokerStars sponsored pros Coren and Teddy Sheringham. The former added that the presence of the UKIPT in Northern Europe will continue to grow the game: “The buy-ins are great: big enough to make chunky prize pools, not so big that they’re a huge drain on resources. It’s about time there was a serious, respected tournament with a £500 buy-in, like the new ones in Manchester, Coventry, and Nottingham.”

Ireland has laid claim to a crop of accomplished poker players, including Andy Black, who finished fifth in the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for $1.75 million, a tournament ultimately won by Joe Hachem. Black finished seventh in the 2007 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final for nearly $320,000 and won an event during the PartyPoker Premier League in London in early 2008 for $250,000. Other top-tier Irish players include Liam Flood, bracelet winner Noel Furlong, Ciarán O’Leary, Marty Smyth, and Padraig Parkinson.

PokerStars also sponsors the EPT, Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), Russian Poker Tour (RPT), Czech-Slovak Poker Tour (CSPT), and Italian Poker Tour (IPT). Its marquee land-based event is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which takes place each January at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas. In 2010, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is a stop on the LAPT and EPT circuits.

PokerStars will host a £10,000 freeroll for the top 100 players on the UKIPT leaderboard at the end of its first season. The top three players will also receive sponsorship opportunities to play in the second UKIPT season. Visit PokerStars for satellite information.

Poker News in Brief: Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2009

Of course not every piece of poker news makes it to the front page of PokerListings.com, which is why we've compiled a list of lesser-known stories below as part of our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we'll take a look at yet another PokerStars heads-up style TV show, a former ladies champion suing the WSOP, new features on the CEREUS poker network and more.

PokerStars introduces new ((UK poker)) TV show

UK poker fans will get a crack at Team PokerStars Pros and sporting celebrities as part of a new poker TV show on Sky Sports 2 airing this November.

The PokerStars.com Bounty Stars of Poker will see contestants compete against each other for a chance to play a best-of-three heads-up match against a poker pro or a sporting celebrity. Contestants won't know who they are playing until they take their seat.

If a player manages to win their best-of-three match they will win a £5,000 cash prize.

Poker pros taking part include 2008 World Champion Peter Eastgate, EPT London winner Victoria Coren and the illustrious Marcel "Flying Dutchman" Luske.

The sports celebrities include ex-England test cricketer Phil Tufnell, English rugby star Mike Tindall and Welsh football legend Gary Speed.

"This is an excellent opportunity for previously unknown poker players to make a name for themselves and play against some of the best in the business," said Team PokerStars Pro Coren.

PokerStars.com sponsors several TV shows around the globe with Daniel Negreanu's Million Dollar Challenge in the U.S. and Joe Hachem's The Poker Star in Australia.

Study finds U.S. could generate $41 billion from legalizing internet gambling

A new study released by Rep. Jim McDermott this week estimates the U.S. government would generate more than $41 billion over the next decade by taxing online poker.

The study was performed by the Joint Committee on Taxation and McDermott said the revenue could go to critical social and economic recovery programs.

"I suspect that many of my colleagues, especially those on the fence, will take more interest in this issue once they see $41 billion available that they can match up with any number of worthy programs," said Rep. McDermott.

"I suspect it's only a matter of time before Congress appropriately moves to regulate the industry in order to protect consumers and reverse the flow of billions of dollars currently lost offshore as Americans gamble billions online despite attempts to prohibit the activity."

Both Rep. McDermott and Rep. Barney Frank have introduced bills that would legalize online poker. Frank's bill currently has 62 co-signers.

New features on the CEREUS poker network

UltimateBet and Absolute Poker players will benefit from synchronized tournament breaks and a new raising feature thanks to a recent software update.

Both sites run on the CEREUS poker network and the latest update will give multi-table tournament players a synchronized break at the 55th minute of every hour.

That means players involved in multiple tournaments will finally be able to step away from their computers at least once an hour.

In addition, players will be able to utilize a new "RAISE TO" button, which should significantly speed up the betting process on both Absolute and UltimateBet.

Sally Ann Boyer sues WSOP Academy

WSOP bracelet winner Sally Ann Boyer is suing the WSOP Academy for allegedly using her name and image in advertisements without her permission.

Boyer won the 2007 WSOP Ladies event for $262,077 and was subsequently featured in ads by the WSOP Academy that featured a picture of Boyer calling her a graduate of the program and a tagline that read, "The quickest way to a WSOP bracelet."

Boyer is seeking unspecified damages and recovery of the profits earned from using her name.

Visit PokerListings.com

Sally Anne Boyer Sues WSOP Academy and Harrah’s

2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Women’s Champion Sally Anne Boyer has filed a lawsuit against Harrah’s Entertainment, the WSOP Academy, and other related companies for misuse of her image for advertising purposes.

According to a report in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, Boyer filed the lawsuit on Monday against the casino giant and the poker training school alleging that her name and likeness have been used in advertising without her permission and that the WSOP Academy states she endorses the school. Also named in the lawsuit were Post Oak Productions of Toronto, Canada (managers of the WSOP Academy) and Post Oak owners Brandon Rosen and Jeff Goldenberg.

After winning the 2007 Women’s Championship during the WSOP, earning slightly over $260,000 and her first WSOP bracelet, Boyer appeared in ads for the WSOP Academy with the byline, “The quickest way to your WSOP bracelet,” and was billed as a graduate of the school. These ads, alleges Boyer’s attorneys Bowler, Dixon, and Twitchell, LLP, appeared in poker magazines, on the WSOP’s website, and in the Academy’s newsletters. The bone of contention between the companies is whether Boyer acquiesced to allow use of her name and image for such purposes and whether she completed the Academy’s classes.

The stakes could be high if Boyer’s attorneys can prove that her likeness was misused. The lawsuit is seeking restitution from the use of her visage and unspecified damages. The WSOP Academy, which has been in existence since early 2007, charges participants anywhere from $1,899 to $2,999, depending upon the intensity of the training, what type of instruction is being conducted, and the instructors involved.

According to sources inside of Harrah’s who requested anonymity due to policies on pending litigation, Boyer’s litigation team contacted the company earlier this year regarding these issues. As Harrah’s and the WSOP do not have any ownership of the Academy, the issue was forwarded onto Post Oak Productions.

As reported also in the Sun, an e-mail dated August 30th, 2007 is a discussion between Rosen and Boyer as to the advertising that would feature Boyer. In the e-mail, which was obtained by Poker News Daily, Boyer states that the ad “looks fine” and offers to send “better” pictures in her “poker… attire” for future advertising. According to sources, Boyer’s attorneys were unaware of this e-mail when the suit was filed and, as of press time, had not returned calls to Poker News Daily.

Poker professional Mark Seif, who is one of the instructors for the Academy, stated to Poker News Daily, “With respect to the recent Sally Anne Boyer filing, I think its best to refer you to a statement Jeff Goldenberg, the CEO of Post-Oak Productions, made yesterday regarding the case.” In that statement, Goldenberg was quoted as saying, “I would like to comment in detail, but our attorneys won’t let us. Suffice it to say we were absolutely shocked that this suit was filed. The suit is entirely baseless and we look forward to being entirely vindicated when all of the facts come out in court.”

Boyer’s lawsuit is reminiscent of the lawsuit filed by seven top poker professionals against the World Poker Tour (WPT) a few years ago. In 2006, the seven players – Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, and Greg Raymer – alleged that the WPT’s standard release forms required for participation in its tournaments were a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

The seven players argued that the forms were anti-competitive and conflicted with their contractual obligations to other companies and organizations. After a great deal of posturing, Hachem and Raymer dropped out of the lawsuit (with Hachem notably going on to win the 2006 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic) and the remaining five players eventually settled out of court in April of 2008.

WSOP on ESPN: Antonio Esfandiari Featured on Day 7 Coverage

With 64 players left, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event played out Day 7 on ESPN on Tuesday night. The feature table included Antonio Esfandiari, Ryan Fair, Steven Begleiter, and James Akenhead.

In the first hand shown at the feature table, Esfandiari raised to 135,000 pre-flop with A-3 and Akenhead pushed for 1.5 million with pocket nines. Hung Pham folded pocket tens and Mark Ader shoved with A-K. Akenhead was all-in for his tournament life against Ader after Esfandiari got out of the way and the flop came nine-high, giving Akenhead a set. Elsewhere in the Amazon Room, Prahlad Friedman pushed all-in with K-Q pre-flop and was called by Bradley Craig, who held A-K. The board ran out 7-9-2-8-9 and Friedman was sent packing in 64th place.

The lone woman remaining in the field, Leo Margets, doubled up Grayson Ramage with pocket fours versus pocket eights when Ramage spiked a third eight on the flop. Meanwhile, Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp scooped a 6.3 million chip pot at the expense of John Martin, who shoved on a board of A-6-9-K with two diamonds holding 8-7 of the suit for flush and straight draws. Kopp had pocket sixes for a set and watched as the river came the jack of spades. Kopp added Martin to his list of knockouts, which also included WSOP Main Event champions Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem.

Joe Sebok hit the rails in 56th place when his A-9 ran into Nick Maimone’s A-Q. Then, Akenhead doubled up again, this time with pocket kings against Adam York’s A-J. Also doubling up was 2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who check-raised Steve Sanders all-in on a 2-A-6 (all clubs) board holding pocket queens, including the queen of clubs. Sanders held pocket aces for top set and watched as the river came another club, giving Phillips a flush.

The longtime ESPN segment “The Nuts” reviewed the origin of the term “donkey” and then Tom Schneider hit the skids in 52nd after running A-7 into pocket nines. Jonathan Tamayo scooped a 6.7 million chip pot holding pocket kings against Craig’s A-K and, at the feature table, Fair became agitated in a hand against Pham. In it, Fair raised to 150,000 pre-flop with pocket tens and Pham re-raised to 550,000 with kings. Fair shoved and Pham, after some deliberation, made the call. Fair exclaimed, “Such a slowroll,” but sucked out when a ten hit the flop. Fair did a chest bump with a person in the audience after the hand was over and explained, “I don’t feel that bad.”

Adam Bilzerian, one-half of the Norman Chad-dubbed “Flying Bilzerian Brothers,” found the exit in 47th place after running tens into kings; his brother, Dan Bilzerian, took 180th. Phillips’ run through the 2009 WSOP Main Event ended after he was all-in pre-flop with A-K of diamonds against Francois Balmigere’s A-K of spades. The board included three spades, sending the crowd favorite out in horrific fashion after back-to-back runs in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament. Meanwhile, Kopp, the chip leader, padded his stack after busting a player with pocket jacks against pocket tens.

Darvin Moon, sporting his signature New Orleans Saints hat, was moved to the feature table and, while arranging his chips, was involved in a hand against Eugene Katchalov. In it, Katchalov shoved with A-10 pre-flop and Moon isolated with pocket kings by raising to five million. Esfandiari peeked down at pocket jacks and, after much deliberation, tossed them into the muck. The board ran out 8-6-10-2-K and Moon sent Katchalov packing in 39th place. His run of cards continued against Balmigere, who flopped a set with pocket tens, but Moon hit the nuts, an ace-high straight. Balmigere surrendered by the river, but Moon’s stack still grew to over 15 million.

Joe “LatestLines2” Ward sent Martin Lapostelle (pocket queens) and Gabriel Vezina (pocket jacks) packing in the same hand holding pocket kings. A king hit the flop, making Ward a 98% favorite to win the hand, and the turn and river blanked out. Although Ward scooped a 6.1 million chip pot, he’d ship much of it to Phil Ivey. In the end, Ward was all-in against Jamie Robbins holding A-K against Robbins’ A-Q. Both players hit an ace on the flop, but a queen on the river secured Ward’s exit in 28th place, ending play on Day 7.

WSOP on ESPN coverage continues next week with Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. The action gets underway at 9:00pm ET.

Dennis Phillips, Peter Eastgate Featured on WSOP on ESPN Coverage

Two original November Nine members, Dennis Phillips and 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate, took center stage on ESPN on Tuesday night. Play from Day 6 of the 2009 Main Event wrapped up from the Rio in Las Vegas.

Eastgate and Phillips were seated at the feature table during the first hour of ESPN’s WSOP coverage, which aired at 9:00pm ET. Joining them were J.C. Tran, Joe Hachem, and one of the chip leaders throughout much of the day, Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp. In the first hand shown at the feature table, Hachem raised to 55,000 pre-flop with A-K and Thai Tran made it 305,000 with pocket kings. Hachem noted, “It doesn’t feel right” and promptly mucked.

2009 November Nine members Phil Ivey and Steven Begleiter could be found at Table Two. Ivey raised to 54,000 holding K-J and Begleiter made the call with 8-7 of diamonds to see the flop came 9-A-6. Begleiter check-called an 80,000 chip bet from Ivey to see a three hit the turn. The action went check-check to a queen on the river. Begleiter bet out 175,000 to build a 490,000 chip pot with his busted straight draw and Ivey folded.

Kopp continued to build his stack, sending Nasr El Nasr home in 137th place with pocket aces against pocket queens. After the board fell 2-4-10-10-3, Kopp raked in the 3.2 million chip pot to hold the second largest stack in the room. Incidentally, Phillips held pocket fours in the hand and would have turned a boat. Meanwhile, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier was sent packing with A-K against the pocket kings of online poker pro Scott Sitron.

“The Nuts” examined the use of the phrases “nice hand” and “good luck,” while out in the field, 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider doubled up with pocket aces against John Martin’s A-K. Bradley Craig, who was once down to just 400 chips during the Main Event, doubled up with A-Q versus the pocket kings of Noah Boeken to balloon his stack to 2.6 million. Back at the feature table, J.C. Tran was sent packing at the hands of Phillips for his fourth Main Event cash since 2004.

Hachem’s run through the 2009 WSOP Main Event came to an abrupt halt when he shoved his five big blind stack with J-9 of clubs. Kopp made the call with pocket fours, setting up a race situation. By the river, Hachem was rooting for an ace, king, jack, nine, or club to double up, but the three of hearts sealed the 2005 Main Event Champion’s fate. Eastgate represented the lone winner of the $10,000 buy-in tournament left in the field.

The second episode, which began at 10:00pm ET on ESPN, included the same feature and side tables, with poker pro Joe Sebok making his way to the former. At Table Two, Ivey drew out on Hac Dang with pocket jacks against Dang’s pocket queens when the flop came jack-high. Antonio Esfandiari also drew out on an opponent to send them to the rails, as “The Magician’s” K-Q found the nuts on a flop of 9-10-J to send Bobby Law packing with A-K in 91st place.

In the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, in which the hole cards of one player are concealed, Phillips raised to 70,000 pre-flop with pocket kings and Thai Tran made the call from the big blind. The flop came 10-A-3 and Tran check-raised Phillips to 440,000. Phillips called to see a six fall on the turn and the action went check-check. The river was an eight and Tran checked. Phillips checked behind and Tran showed a baby ace, A-2, to scoop the pot.

Out in the field, Darvin Moon sent Jamie Brown to the exits with pocket aces against pocket kings to scoop a 3.8 million chip pot and become the new chip leader. Shortly thereafter, Kenny Tran was all-in with A-5 of diamonds against Joe Cada’s pocket eights. The board ran out 4-3-3-9-6 and Tran busted in 86th place. It was then Eastgate’s turn to pack his bags after an impressive run in 2009 after winning it all one year ago. The 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion pushed all-in pre-flop with A-J; Kopp made the call with pocket eights, as did Phillips, who held K-Q. Kopp and Phillips checked the action to the river, which put four hearts on the board. Kopp held the only heart and sent Eastgate to the rails in 78th.

A new feature table was assembled featuring Moon, Phillips, and Schneider. In one hand, Schneider raised to 110,000 with A-J and Phillips made it 310,000 with pocket queens. Moon, holding A-K, pushed the action to 675,000, Schneider got out of the way, and Phillips made the call. ESPN announcer Norman Chad noted, “It’s the every man against the every man.” The flop came A-4-8 and Moon bet 750,000 with his top pair after Phillips checked. Phillips commented, “I have no idea if you’re pushing me around or not” and folded, showing his hole cards. The pot was worth 2.3 million chips.

Ivey made a flush to eliminate an opponent at Table Two, while Nichoel Peppe, one of two women remaining in the field, was all-in with her tournament life on the line holding J-4 of hearts against Adam York’s pocket aces. The board came with one heart and Peppe exited in 75th place, leaving Leo Margets as the last woman standing in the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

A total of 64 players remain. WSOP on ESPN coverage hits television airwaves on Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET and runs for two hours. The Main Event final table can be seen on November 10th.

High Stakes Poker Axes AJ Benza

According to his personal blog, A.J. Benza revealed that GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” will return for Season 6 featuring Gabe Kaplan and a female co-host. New episodes will begin airing in February on the popular cable station.

A flood of support from fans of Benza follows his High Stakes Poker blog entry, which was published on Sunday. In it, he noted that on a conference call last week, GSN executives Barry Nugent and David Shiff hinted that Benza might be replaced by a female co-host. Benza, as expected, did not take the news lightly, telling the two GSN “suits” on the call, “If you got the best pizza in town for 5 seasons, why try and add licorice to it?” The fifth cycle of “High Stakes Poker” began airing in March and featured a veritable “who’s who” of the poker world, including Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, and newcomers Peter Eastgate, Joe Hachem, and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Facing the possibility of being replaced, Benza reminded GSN officials that he publicizes the show on his own watch “because GSN has never set up not even as much as a radio interview for me.” Benza also asked if Nugent and Shiff were fathers, which the former host explained in his blog entry that they were. He continued, “So surely they would know the hardships of losing a top-rated gig while raising little children in the process. (Oh and did I mention that I have a son who is a Freshman in college). So armed with my track record on giving GSN 5 seasons of a No. 1 rated show, I decided to hit them in the spot where it’s supposed to make a father go mush.”

Benza told Nugent and Shiff that he would take a pay cut to remain the host of Season 6 of the popular poker cash game show, which survived a management change at GSN that resulted in the network declining to pick up its option to carry Season 7 of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Consequently, WPT officials were left scrambling to find a new television partner in the middle of 2008 before finally settling on Fox Sports Net, which will also air the eighth season of the WPT. Benza lamented, “I just want to put it out there y’all. This is the kind of shit that goes on in Hollywood.”

On his future, Benza told readers that he will have a face to face meeting with Nugent: “I will have my meeting with Nugent - and I promise I won’t stab him with a butter knife. He and I go way back to my E! days, and honestly, he’s a good guy.” As to who will sit alongside Kaplan in the “High Stakes Poker” booth this season, Benza hinted, “I hope you like the female they toss in front of you. And I hope the repartee between she and Gabe works likes ours did.”

As expected, the online poker forums have been buzzing with the news that Benza may soon find his way out of “High Stakes Poker,” although no official announcement has come down from GSN. Speculation on Benza’s replacement has ranged from Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso to ESPN announcer Norman Chad’s crush Kara Scott. Despite not necessarily footing the bill as “eye candy,” posters on the TwoPlusTwo forum clamored that Ali Nejad, who hosts “Poker After Dark” and the “National Heads-Up Poker Championship” on NBC, should be considered.

On October 6th, Rousso posted a curious Twitter entry that read, “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge is wrappppped! Woot! Meetings today about another TV project, will keep you all posted.” Just before the start of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas in March, Rousso inked an agreement to become the newest GoDaddy Girl, joining Danica Patrick, Anna Rawson, Marina Orlova, and original site symbol Candice Michelle.

We’ll keep you posted right here on Poker News Daily.

WSOP on ESPN Ratings up 11% in 2009

On Tuesday night, action from the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will continue on cable station ESPN. “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” has seen a ratings boom in 2009 down the stretch, with the Main Event final table on tap for November 10th.

According to ESPN officials, through 11 weeks of coverage of the 2009 WSOP, its broadcasts have delivered a 0.91 average household coverage rating, up 11% from last year, when the average rating was 0.82. ESPN coverage of the 2009 WSOP began on July 28th, when the network aired the brand new $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP. ESPN then went on to feature the WSOP Champions Invitational, a 20-person freeroll consisting of former Main Event winners, and the Ante Up for Africa charity gala, which included actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Last week, coverage of Day 5 of the Main Event was featured during the 9:00pm ET hour, followed by Day 6 at 10:00pm ET. Each episode lasted for one hour and the first garnered a 0.88 rating. The second hour began with a rap by Prahlad Friedman and had a feature table that included 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider. That episode generated a 1.17 rating, the second highest of the season. Last Tuesday marked the first week that the WSOP on ESPN moved to a 9:00pm ET kickoff, as it had previously started one hour earlier at 8:00pm ET. The Main Event final table will air on Tuesday, November 10th at 9:00pm ET and run for two-and-a-half hours.

Key for ESPN’s advertisers, which include online poker rooms PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker as well as Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, are two demographics. Males age 18 to 49 have tuned into the 2009 WSOP on ESPN in droves, rising 12% from the number that watched the 2008 broadcast. Among males age 25 to 54, the number of viewers is up 16% in 2009. PokerStars sponsors the “Straight from the Pros” segment as well as the program’s on-screen chip counts, while Full Tilt Poker sponsors the “Deal Me In” strategy segment during WSOP on ESPN broadcasts. Ultimate Bet has also been spotted airing commercials on the cable station. The site is fresh off the conclusion of its annual Aruba Poker Classic, which saw Brandon Hall and Robert Mizrachi chop heads-up.

Last year marked the first that the final table of the prestigious $10,000 buy-in Main Event was delayed until November in order to coincide with its broadcast on ESPN. As a result, ratings mushroomed by 50% for the final table airing. At the end of the day, Peter Eastgate bested Ivan Demidov in front of a packed house at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio and banked $9.1 million.

This year, another schedule change has the poker world talking. Play will resume in the Main Event final table on November 7th at 12:00 Noon PT and continue until two players remain. Then, the pair will play heads-up beginning on November 9th at 10:00pm PT to determine a winner. The gap in between will allow time for media interviews and further study by the heads-up participants of each other’s tendencies.

While WSOP on ESPN coverage has focused on players like Eastgate, Joe Hachem, Dennis Phillips, and Betrand “Elky” Grospellier, the following nine players will take to the felts in November:

1. Darvin Moon (Oakland, Maryland) – 58,930,000
2. Eric Buchman (Valley Stream, New York) – 34,800,000
3. Steven Begleiter (Chappaqua, New York) – 29,885,000
4. Jeff Shulman (Las Vegas, Nevada) – 19,580,000
5. Joe Cada (Shelby Township, Michigan) – 13,215,000
6. Kevin Schaffel (Coral Springs, Florida) – 12,390,000
7. Phil Ivey (Las Vegas, Nevada) – 9,765,000
8. Antoine Saout (Paris, France) – 9,500,000
9. James Akenhead (London, England) – 6,800,000

Check out the WSOP on ESPN every Tuesday at 9:00pm ET.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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