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EPT Berlin Poker Robbery: No New Leads, No Suspects

Although the entire incident was caught on tape and broadcasted around the world through social media outlets like Twitter and YouTube, German police still have no leads and no suspects in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin armed robbery.

According to the Berlin-based Berliner Zeitung newspaper, the suspects may have fled the scene in a swank black Mercedes. The Associated Press, a global media goliath, added that the crooks escaped through a nearby shopping mall before hopping into a getaway vehicle in a rare “Oceans 11”-like daytime casino heist. Meanwhile, as the story has gained attention around the world, the Toronto Star reported that the bandits looted EPT Berlin to the tune of $335,000. However, all prize money was ultimately paid out.

According to Bild.de, there are no new clues and no suspects in the case, which featured four gunmen assault the registration desk at EPT Berlin. No one was harmed during the incident, which marked one of the most bizarre series of events in modern tournament poker history. According to Berliner Zeitung, police in the German metropolis were busy examining every shred of evidence they could get their hands on, including footage from hotel surveillance cameras at the Grand Hyatt and a bevy of player and staff cell phone cameras.

Meanwhile, according to the same German news outlet, witnesses claimed that the gunmen threatened tournament staff with a hand grenade, although the PokerStars Blog reported that only pistols and a machete were present. Even claims of an inside job surfaced after The Local and the New York Times both reported that an accomplice inside of the Grand Hyatt might have tipped the assailants off as to the timing of the attack.

The German news media quoted a police spokesperson as saying that it was obvious from flyers and publicity material when the end of registration was and therefore an “inside job” may not be likely. The attack occurred at 2:15pm local time on Saturday as a roomful of poker players competed for a €1 million top prize in the EPT’s first visit to Berlin.

Meanwhile, Bild.de noted that a security guard who tackled one of the thieves was 6’8” tall and had a shoe size of 14. Tournament participant Frank Betsch told local media, "I could see everything very well since, at the time, I stood on the side of the room because I wanted to watch the ladies game that had just started. I have never seen such a crime scene. I heard a sound and thought, ‘That was a gunshot.’”

The Star revealed that German Police Chief Rainer Wendt chastised PokerStars, the tournament’s organizers, for not having enough security. Purportedly, its guards were unarmed and a bevy of cash was on-hand at the registration area.

A unique insight into the poker robbery came from 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, who commented in a recent blog on DoylesRoom that he’s been through five heists during his lifetime: “The guys that robbed the EPT in Berlin made a nice score. They took 800,000 Euros at gunpoint. I’ve been there and done that 5 times in my life and believe me, it’s no fun. I’ll bet everybody that was there will remember it for the rest of their lives.”

American poker player Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee took down the EPT Berlin Main Event for €1 million. Then, MacPhee appeared in interviews on CBS’ “The Early Show,” BBC, and CNN. The burglary even received face time on ESPN’s original series “Around the Horn.” Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the EPT Berlin robbery.

The Nightly Turbo: Maxim’s Hottest Girls of Poker, PokerStars Ladies Club, and More

Poker Predictions for 2010 by Mike Sexton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best of luck to everyone in 2010!

PokerStars Ladies Luxury Poker Club – EPT Monte Carlo

All PokerStars female poker players are invited to join PokerStars for five fabulous days of top poker and pampering in Monte Carlo at the Ladies Luxury Poker Club as part of the EPT Grand Final events. The party will take place this coming April 27th to May 2nd – be ready to travel!

This is an excellent event and one not to be missed, the action takes place in the Millionaire’s playground – Monte Carlo – during the EPT Grand Final which, in case you’ve just landed from another Planet, is Europe’s highlight of the Poker year! The Hotel you will be staying at, the Columbus Monaco, is one of Monaco’s finest and owned by F1 top driver David Coulthard.

The prize packages are worth €3,500 and includes

• €1,100 Ladies tournament buy in
• 5 nights top accommodation worth €1,300
• A place at Vanessa Rousso’s (top PokerStars pro) Bootcamp
• Perks such as free onsite manicures and treatments during tournaments
• Ladies goody bag (I want one!!)
• Opportunity to watch the 7th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique May 1st – 2nd

Well, ladies, I think this is one Event worth playing for and heres how:-

Easily found under Events then EPT through the PokerStars lobby.

If you haven’t yet got a PokerStars Account join the World’s largest online poker site NOW!!

Use the PokerStars Marketing Code DIRPOKER and the PokerStars Bonus Code STARS600 together for maximum bonus of 100% up to a very generous $600!

Bookmark to:

PokerStars Starts Luxury Ladies Poker Club, Offers Shot to Play in Monte Carlo

While the European Poker Tour’s sixth season Grand Final doesn’t come around until April 27th, tour sponsor PokerStars is already at full speed for the festivities around the event. Starting today, PokerStars has announced a new poker club for women only that will give them an opportunity to be at the tables when the Grand Final rolls around in Monte Carlo.

The PokerStars Luxury Ladies Poker Club is the newest promotion that PokerStars has unveiled and it will give several fortunate women a chance to participate in the world-class event in Monte Carlo. The Luxury Ladies Poker Club will be running daily and weekly satellites will send women to participate in the €1,100 Ladies Championship, which will run during the schedule of the Grand Final at one of Monte Carlo’s finest hotels, the Columbus Monaco. These satellites are priced for any female poker player’s budget and should offer excellent competition for the ladies involved.

Starting today and running daily, the Luxury Ladies Poker Club will offer a freezeout tournament as well as a rebuy. The freezeout is a €22 buy-in that will award at least one seat to the Weekly Final and the rebuy event will be a €5.50 buy-in (with rebuys), which also guarantees at least one seat into the Weekly Final. On Saturdays through April 18th, a freeroll will be offered that will earn three players their seat in the Weekly Final. The Weekly Finals – a €215 buy-in for players who do not make it through a satellite – will run on March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and April 4th, 11th, and 18th. Each tournament guarantees a minimum of one seat to the Monte Carlo event.

Up for grabs is a very impressive package to participate in the action in Monte Carlo. The prize package is worth €3,500 and includes several amenities for the lucky ladies who win one. The €1,100 Ladies tournament buy-in is included as well as five nights’ accommodation at the Columbus Monaco, which is worth €1,300. Players will be awarded €700 in cash for travel expenses and will also participate in PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso’s Ladies Boot Camp, a prize worth €300. The winning women also receive a ladies’ goodie bag containing PokerStars women’s apparel and will be a part of an exclusive party in Monte Carlo. Players who want to get away from the poker action will also have the opportunity to watch the seventh Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, a historic series of auto races featuring vintage Formula One cars, which will run on May 1st and 2nd.

For those men who want to take a shot at playing in the Luxury Ladies Poker Club satellites or Main Event, PokerStars is warning them not to even try. In the Terms and Conditions of the promotion, PokerStars states, “Men who enter the online satellite qualifiers will be ineligible to win any prizes, and will be disqualified from the target events without compensation.” Of particular interest is the “any prizes” quote, which means that, even if a male who was playing in the tournament won cash, he would not receive it, as the tournaments are established for women only.

The Luxury Ladies Poker Club has held two events prior to this stop at the Grand Final in Monte Carlo. The most recent event was held during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, with Rousso defeating a field of 91 women to take the championship. Last October, Poland’s Dagmara Aleksandrowicz defeated a field of 119 women in London to win the first EPT Ladies Championship event.

The Luxury Ladies Poker Club is an opportunity for women to get in the world of poker and, at the same time, win a valuable prize package through PokerStars and travel to the exotic locale of Monte Carlo. For more details on the special tournaments happening between now and April 18th, visit PokerStars.

Poker In Twitter: NAPT Bounty Shootout, Matusow Versus Bellande, and Hellmuth in Playgirl

For many in the poker world, the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) stop at the Venetian has been their home base for the past week. While the Main Event wrapped up last night with Tom Marchese taking the championship, the $25,000 High Roller Bounty Shootout was in full swing and many top pros were a part of the action. The Tweets from those involved let the poker community know how they were doing while the tournament was in play.

Two UB.com pros let their fans know who they would be facing during the Shootout tournament. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok seemed ready for action when he Tweeted, “my tbl for 25k tomorrow: Phil Laak/Justin Bonomo/David Williams/Joe Cassidy/Yevgeny Timoshenko/Tommy Vedes. lots of potential for fireworks.” Unfortunately for Sebok, he was unable to make a run at the Shootout table, where the eventual winner has to defeat his or her entire table to move on, and was knocked out early by Bonomo. “ZeeJustin” was eventually busted by Cassidy, who moved on to the final table by eliminating four of his six opponents.

Annie Duke was at the felt for the $25,000 Bounty Shootout and found it strange that all the ladies in the event were on the same table. “Of the 3 women entered into tomorrow's $25K event 3 are at the same table. Weird,” Duke said in her Tweet. “I am playing with Jennifer Tilly and Vanessa Rousso.” Duke would have a strong run at the table, battling with Bellagio Cup V runner up Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka for quite some time before succumbing. “The-Toilet” was responsible for knocking out all three ladies and top pro J.C. Tran on his way to the final table.

One player who tweeted his way to victory was 2010 World Poker Tour (WPT) Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins. Corkins has been on a roll as of late and Tweeted on his opponents, “Phil Hellmuth and Greg Raymer at my table.” While Corkins didn’t tweet during the event, Hellmuth picked up the slack with running reports. “Doubled up to average stack blinds 300-600,” informed the “Poker Brat.” “I open 1700 on button w/ A-K, Hoyt shoves w/ 6-4 in BB for my last 13k, K-9-3-5, then 6, whew!” Hellmuth was quite critical of his play later in the event, however, Tweeting, “Bad laydown!! Bad reads 2day! JDuthie had 10h-9h when I mucked A-K pre-flop! I let them steal my blinds & made a stand w KJ when JD had AK.” Duthie would make a run at winning the table, but Corkins defeated him to move on to the final table.

Away from the Shootout, players were on the cash game tables, with Mike Matusow and Jean-Robert Bellande going to battle. Matusow sought out Bellande, Tweeting, “How is it that idiot @brokelivingjrb seems to be winning everyday? I have to go see what kind of SUPER IDIOTS he's playing against.” Apparently “The Mouth” found Bellande and had a tough night on the felt. Bellande Tweeted later in the night, “@themouthmatusow is lecturing Eli after a brutal beat. Lol. "You play so f'n bad!" Eli giggling. He he. Poker is great.”

While not participating in any of the action in Las Vegas, Lacey Jones and “Hollywood” Dave Stann made notable Tweets this week. In a personal note to her Tweeps, Lacey commented, “Lacey fact: 1 year in Girl Scouts I sold more cookies than any other girl in Texas. I got 3 badges and bragging rights! Girl Scouts rock!” Stann made his way home from playing, but wasn’t particularly pleased.  “Hollywood” noted in his Tweet, “Thanks, 4 am Hollywood Park valet guy, for smoking so much g**d**n weed b4 getting my car that I'm driving home getting a contact high.”

Finally, offering up their knowledge in Tweet form was Poker Royalty’s top poker agent Brian Balsbaugh. Apparently in response to critiques of this year’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship lineup, Balsbaugh gave the poker community insight into the selection process when he Tweeted, “If U R wondering how players with razor thin poker achievements make NBC Head's Up, it's b/c their sponsor's buy commercials.” Balsbaugh also had perhaps the scariest Tweet of the Week when he let his Tweeps know, “@Phil_Hellmuth told me he’d listen to a Playgirl offer “I’d get in best shape of my life, it might be fun.”

With the L.A. Poker Classic starting on Friday, the poker world should be hopping this weekend and the Tweets should be flowing. Poker News Daily continues to watch out for the top names in the game and gather their various thoughts. Poker News Daily is a part of the world of Twitter also, so be sure to add @pokernewsdaily for the latest information on the world of poker and the Twitter scene.

Linda Johnson Appears at Oklahoma State Championship of Poker

Camped out at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma is Poker News Daily Guest Columnist and tournament director extraordinaire Linda Johnson. The industry veteran is attending the Oklahoma State Championship of Poker.

A total of 24 events will play out as part of the Oklahoma State Championship of Poker. The 23rd on the docket is the Championship Event, which comes with a healthy $3,150 buy-in. The feature tournament kicks off on February 21st and is sure to draw quite a crowd to the Oklahoma casino’s felts. Card Room Manager Chris "Gompers" Hyams relayed to Poker News Daily, “Previous attendance records have been shattered in the first three events. Today in the $340 No Limit State Hold'em Championship, we had 805 entrants. Last year, 653 players competed. There were 210 alternates who all got in before the dinner break. Everyone seemed eager to have a shot at the $47,341 first place prize money."

The aforementioned $340 buy-in tournament came with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. Tournament Director Brooks Turk explained what makes the Hard Rock Tulsa a unique poker venue: "We offer lots of perks for our players. Every State Champion gets a championship ring. There is a $15,000 casino added best all-around award. There is also a complimentary players' buffet after six levels of play." The casino’s poker room regularly spreads Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven Card Stud. It boasts 30 tables, double the size of rooms like Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, and offers a variety of daily poker tournaments.

Johnson, who will be in Tulsa for the next six days, told Poker News Daily, "I always enjoy playing at the Hard Rock in Tulsa. They have player-friendly structures. All Championship events start with $10,000 in chips, 40-minute rounds, and $25-$25 starting blinds." A handful of the Oklahoma State Championship of Poker events count towards the CardPlayer Player of the Year standings.

By the end of the day on Sunday, seven tournaments will be in the books. Contests featuring Triple Draw, HORSE, Stud, and other variations of the age-old pastime of poker are set to play out over the coming week in the Midwestern state. Here’s a look at the remaining schedule for readers of Poker News Daily looking for a unique diversion:

February 15th

Event #8 – Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #9 – No Limit Hold'em Seniors State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #10 – No Limit Hold'em
$100 + $20 buy-in

February 16th

Event #11 – No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #12 – No Limit Hold'em
$100 + $20 buy-in

February 17th

Event #13 - Limit Hold'em State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #14 - Seven Card Stud / Stud Eight or Better State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #15 – No Limit Hold'em
$100 + $20 buy-in

February 18th

Event #16 – No Limit Hold'em Ladies State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #17 – No Limit Hold'em Heads-Up State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #18 – No Limit Hold'em
$100 + $20 buy-in

February 19th

Event #19 – Pot Limit Hold'em State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #20 - Triple Draw State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

Event #21 – No Limit Hold'em
$100 + $20 buy-in

February 20th

Event #22 - HORSE State Championship
$300 + $40 buy-in

February 21st

Event #23 - Oklahoma State Championship Event
$3,000 + $150 buy-in

Event #24 – No Limit Hold'em
$100 + $20 buy-in

Players are urged to call the Hard Rock Tulsa at (800) 760-6700 for more information.

Trishelle Cannatella Wins Trash Talk Championships

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

888 Launches 2010 WSOP Prize Package Promotion

In an effort to solidify the 888 brand around the world, site officials have launched a bevy of promotions focusing on the number eight, including eight ways to win 88 prize packages to the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas.

The first part of 888’s promotional efforts includes giving $8 free to the first 50,000 registrants. You can crunch the numbers and see that $400,000 will be up for grabs in this phase of 888’s marketing campaign and the ability to receive an extra $8 has been available since January 29th. Each new player will download a “bankroll management client,” which 888 describes as “displaying low-stakes tables in proportion to their bankroll. As their bankroll increases, so will the option to play on higher stakes tables.” As long as players have not opened an 888 account before, they will be eligible for the $8 bankroll boost.

A handful of countries are not eligible for the $8 promotion, including Argentina, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Georgia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, North Korea, South Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, and Vietnam. In addition, the 888 family of sites does not accept online poker players from the United States. The room’s parent company is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange, where it can be found under the symbol “888.” At the conclusion of the free $8 promotion, players will be upgraded to the traditional 888 online poker client.

From February 8th until May 8th, 888 is offering eight ways to win 88 WSOP packages. Status point races, raked hand races, referral promotions, social networking promotions, status point races, bounty hunter promotions, tournament races, and ladies-only races represent the eight ways to win, ensuring a path that’s suited to anyone’s needs. For the bounty hunter entry method, 888 will be employing its fleet of site pros, which includes Shane Warne and Leo Margets, to send players to Sin City. The social networking qualifying method, meanwhile, will focus on popular outlets like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

The promotional emphasis on the 888 brand follows the de-emphasizing of Pacific Poker, which 888’s parent company also owns. The 888 Network also includes Littlewoods Poker, Lucky Ace Poker, and WSOP.com. Back in September, the American casino giant Harrah’s inked an agreement with 888 subsidiary Dragonfish to provide online gaming for Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment. In a press release announcing the accord, Harrah’s officials praised 888 for the company’s “world-class technology, scalability, and a strong commitment to compliance and responsible gaming.”

According to PokerScout.com, 888’s network is the 12th largest worldwide with a seven-day running average of 1,260 real money ring game players and a 24-hour peak of nearly 2,800. New players on 888 can receive a 100% welcome bonus up to $400, with $25 given instantly. In addition, newbies can take a shot at $54,500 in 888’s first-time depositors’ tournaments.

888 is also offering a VIP Fast Track promotion. Players have four months after registration to generate 25,000 status points, the equivalent of $12,500 in rake. If they succeed, they’ll be upgraded to VIP status, which includes the ability to receive 27% cash back. Players will be able to maintain this status until the clock strikes Midnight on the 2010 calendar year. The regular requirement to receive VIP status is 60,000 status points in a year, or $30,000 in rake. The VIP Fast Track promotion ends on March 31st.

The 888 rewards program is broken down into six tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, VIP, and VIP Diamond. The Bronze level has a rewards multiplier of one and 2% cash back with no monthly point requirement. The glitzy VIP Diamond level has a rewards multiplier of 18, 36% cash back and a yearly requirement of 300,000 status points.

Check out 888 for a free $8 plus chances to win your way into the 2010 WSOP in Las Vegas.

Media Interest in WSOP Tunica Circuit Event Ramps Up

Heading into next Monday’s $5,150 buy-in World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Championship in Tunica, Mississippi, media interest in the event is ramping up. The area was hit hard by winter weather last weekend, but despite Mother Nature, mammoth crowds have turned out. Poker News Daily sat down with Harrah’s Alan Fowler to discuss the media landscape at the WSOP Circuit stop.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Talk about the media interest in the WSOP Circuit Event in Tunica.

Alan Fowler: So far, we’ve gotten a few media requests. Over the weekend, a man from CNN.com was interested in doing a novelty story about the ladies event. His mom was playing in the event and he’s a photographer for the website. The standard media we get includes Poker Player Newspaper, Casino Times, and some of the websites and forums. The exposure has been the same as it was last year, but we’ve been putting a lot of effort into giving exposure to the Circuit Events on WSOP.com and highlighting their stories more. We’re currently working to create portals so that each Circuit Event has its own portal.

PND: You had a 67% increase in attendance for the Seniors Event this year. In addition, one of the events held so far attracted 800 players. Tell us about the series.

Alan Fowler: It’s been a great series. The first few events were phenomenal. We caught a bit of bad weather and it affected our numbers tremendously over the weekend, however. The end of the World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament at the Beau Rivage picked up the attendance a bit, but the storm hit us hard last weekend.

PND: What are your expectations for the Tunica Championship Event?

Alan Fowler: If I were asked to give an estimate, I’m hoping for around 200 runners. I’m thinking a lot of big internet and higher stakes players are holding out for the event instead of being here throughout the duration. In Atlantic City, players stay through the whole event. I’m thinking that Tunica is one of those events where people want to come in and come out, especially with the Biloxi event having just ended.

PND: Has there been any thought to changing the timing of the Tunica Circuit Event given the WPT Southern Poker Championship in Biloxi?

Alan Fowler: No. For the last five years, January has been the month for folks to come to Tunica. The landscape is changing with new events and tournaments around the United States, but we hope to keep the same tradition we’ve had since 2005. We feel that the Circuit Events are special and the structures here are awesome. I’ve never heard so many compliments and a lot of players said that it’s the best structure they’ve ever played. I don’t think it’ll be moving anytime soon.

PND: How do you prepare for the Main Event from a media perspective?

Alan Fowler: We’re starting to get credential requests to fill. We have a few bloggers coming in to report on it and there’s a lot of exposure through major poker media outlets. We’ll put out a press release before the event and get ready to go. We’ll also keep track of any storylines that might develop.

PND: Talk about the new facilities at Harrah’s Tunica, which was formerly the Grand Casino.

Alan Fowler: It’s a beautiful place. The new Paula Dean buffet - I recommend it. It’s awesome. I’ve never seen a casino market its buffet as much as I have here. It’s incredible. Her face is plastered on everything. Replays Sports Bar is closed down, but they have the buffet and a new food court. They’ve ramped up to the younger crowd, which they haven’t done before. The Terrace and Veranda hotels have been revamped as well. The only complaint I hear about is people having to take shuttles back and forth from those hotels in the cold, but everything else has been great so far.

Lady Gaga’s Poker Face Scores Two Grammys

Lady Gaga’s hit single “Poker Face” was nominated for five Grammys this year and took home two titles. “Poker Face” was a smashing success by all accounts, putting Lady Gaga on the proverbial map. The Grammys aired on Sunday night on CBS.

The Grammys began with Lady Gaga singing a duet with the legendary Elton John. Both were decked out in rather unsettling costumes, with Lady Gaga’s face having more makeup than a college fraternity party. “Poker Face” fell in the Record of the Year category, as Kings of Leon’s smash hit “Use Somebody” came away with the award. Others nominated for the prestigious Grammy included “Halo” by Beyoncé, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, and “You Belong with Me” by country superstar Taylor Swift. Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” features engineering and mixing by Robert Orton, RedOne, and Dave Russell.

For Album of the Year, “The Fame,” which includes “Poker Face,” once again came up empty. This time, “Fearless” by Taylor Swift stole the award. The youngster, whom rapper Kanye West interrupted during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after she won for Best Female Video, snagged five Grammys in 2010. Also nominated for Album of the Year were “I Am... Sasha Fierce” by Beyoncé, “The E.N.D.” by the Black Eyed Peas, and the Dave Matthews Band’s “Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King.”

The final category that “Poker Face” bricked out in was Song of the Year. The tune was drawing dead by the time “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé took down the title. Other tracks nominated for the Song of the Year Grammy included “Pretty Wings” by Maxwell, “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon, and “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift. Song of the Year was one of six Grammys taken home by Beyoncé, a former member of the all-female group Destiny’s Child. The group also included Kelly Rowland, who performed during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas last month.

What did “Poker Face” draw out on, you ask? The song took home the title of Best Dance Recording, defeating an eclectic set of challengers that included “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas, “When Love Takes Over” by Kelly Rowland and David Guetta, “Celebration” by Madonna, and “Womanizer” by Britney Spears. The category marked the only Grammy nomination for Spears, who saw her world turned upside down ever since “Baby One More Time” was released in 1998. Rumors abound that the former Mousketeer and mother of two will release a brand new album later this year.

Lady Gaga’s “The Fame,” which features the hit song trumpeting our industry, also won for Best Electronic/Dance Album. It defeated “Divided By Night” by the Crystal Method, David Guetta’s “One Love,” LMFAO’s “Party Rock,” and the Pet Shop Boys’ “Yes.” Also from “The Fame” is Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance,” which was a chart-topping hit around the world. Meanwhile, “Poker Face” paced the Billboard Hot 100 in April. The album itself was released back in September 2008 and instantly reinforced the popularity of poker in mainstream America.

The reaction on the PocketFives.com forums to Lady Gaga’s five Grammy nominations was mixed. One poster commented, “although i do have to admit a couple of her songs from her new album have grown on me... but her as a person tilts me. unfortunately i think she's going to win.” Others passed their judgments on Lady Gaga’s competition: “I don't get why Beyonce is so revered.... she's powerful, but just not appealing to me. Black-eyed peas are solid. Taylor Swift seems like a really sweet girl.”

Groups who performed at the Los Angeles awards show included Green Day, the Dave Matthews Band, and the Zac Brown Band, who sang a portion of their hit song “Chicken Fried.” Pink, meanwhile, hung from the Staples Center's rafters in an aerial interpretive dance that had this author fearful for her life.

Can you read our poker face?

Pam Brunson to Oversee DoylesRoom Brunson 10

Like father, like daughter. Doyle Brunson’s daughter, Pam Brunson, will manage the Brunson 10, according to officials from DoylesRoom. The stable of up-and-coming poker pros numbers four, with six men and two women yet to be named.

A press release distributed by DoylesRoom in recent days notes, “As Manager of the Brunson 10, Pam Brunson will be responsible for overseeing PR requests, handling scheduling and managing the Brunson 10 internally. As the world's biggest poker legend continues to fill spots on his team of poker professionals, Pam Brunson will be tasked with managing their relationship with one of the fastest growing online poker sites and its players.” The younger Brunson is a regular in the online poker site’s weekly Bounty tournament, which offers a refund of the $27.50 buy-in for first-time players.

Amit “amak316” Makhija, Dani “ansky451” Stern, Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark, and top online poker pro Chris “moorman1” Moorman currently comprise the Brunson 10. Stern is the group’s newest addition, having joined the clan during final table play in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas. A press conference was held at the Wynn for Stern’s introduction, with “2 Months, $2 Million” housemate Jay Rosenkrantz on-hand to witness the festivities.

Meanwhile, former Brunson 10 member Alec “traheho” Torelli departed the online poker site to join Victory Poker, whose roster of pro players includes Antonio Esfandiari, Andrew “good2cu” Robl, and Full Tilt Poker defects Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The site is set to debut on February 1st on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, with a launch party to occur after the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock on February 6th.

On replacing Torelli, DoylesRoom officials told Poker News Daily that a fifth member of the Brunson 10 will be named no later than mid-March. In addition, the forthcoming announcement may include the introduction of two new faces to the Cake Poker Network site that welcomes action from the United States. The newest additions will fall under Pam Brunson’s wings.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide, offering a seven-day running average of 2,100 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening across North America, nearly 3,000 cash game players call the network home. Besides DoylesRoom and Cake Poker, other sites on the network include City Poker, Lock Poker, PlayersOnly, Poker Host, Red Star Poker, Stryyke, and Phil Laak’s Unabomber Poker, which was added to the family this week.

The 2010 calendar year also saw DoylesRoom unveil its very own online store, which offers unique items like a limited edition Doyle Resitol Cowboy Hat. Other goods available in the DoylesRoom Store include DoylesRoom apparel, laptop bags, Brunson autographed merchandise, GPS systems, iPod accessories, digital cameras, Nintendo Wiis, and “the hottest lifestyle enhancing accessories.” Gold Chips are the currency of the DoylesRoom Store, which can be accessed from the online poker room’s website.

The recent World Poker Tour (WPT) Southern Poker Championship featured DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins coming out on top to claim his second WPT title. Corkins earned $739,000 for his efforts and defeated a final table that also included Jonathan Kantor (second place for $366,00), Jerry Vanstrydonck (third place for $197,000), Jared Jaffee (fourth place for $135,000), James Reed (fifth place for $106,000), and Tyler “Tydean” Smith (sixth place for $87,000). The Southern Poker Championship marked Corkins’ sixth WPT final table appearance. The tournament will air as part of Season 8 on Fox Sports Net.

Pam Brunson finished 364th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $34,000. That year, she won a ladies’ event held during the Legends of Poker for the same amount.

ESPN Inside Deal Airs First Show of 2010

The ESPN poker franchise “Inside Deal” returned on Tuesday with the first episode of 2010. Joining the series, which emanated from a new set, were Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas and 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Joe Cada.

The show began with a discussion of the CardPlayer and Bluff Player of the Year awards for 2009. CardPlayer named UB.com pro Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin as its winner, while Bluff crowned PokerStars’ Jason Mercier. On which publication was more accurate, “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee explained, “Understand that this is not apples to apples. These are two completely different Player of the Year formulas. If you had to look at it, I think CardPlayer has it a little more open for most players.”

Lee noted that poker pro Amnon Filippi bumped him from the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event, while Cada staked co-host Laura Lane into the ladies’ event. Now, Lee and the rest of the poker world have their sights set on the PokerStars-backed North American Poker Tour (NAPT), which resumes on February 20th at the Venetian: “I’ve said from the beginning that being able to qualify online is going to increase registration, prize pools, and interest in any tournaments. So far, over 160 players have qualified for the Venetian event. That’s more than some of the WSOP Circuit Events had all last year.”

Pappas joined “Inside Deal” via phone to catch listeners up on the good word from Capitol Hill. The Executive Director of the one-million member lobbying group explained the biggest challenge of 2010: “There is this continuing cloud of grayness as to what is legal and what is not legal. We have a six-month reprieve to get that Congressional clarification to make sure that it is clear that playing poker over the internet is not an unlawful internet gambling transaction.” The PPA is pushing for a markup of Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267 in February.

Cada, donning a festive array of PokerStars logos, told “Inside Deal” viewers that the pressure for him to perform has ramped up dramatically: “There is definitely more pressure now, especially because of the way I won my final table.” Cada hit the deck hard during the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event and defeated Maryland logger Darvin Moon heads-up.

One of the rumors flying around the poker world during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure was that Cada was dating former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole. The rumors ultimately proved false, but Cada is still trying to wrap his head around his celebrity status: “I am still trying to get used to everything. The rumors are not so great. All my friends back home asked me about it and there are so many rumors going on.”

A comprehensive breakdown of a hand between Moon and Cada heads-up aired featuring Lee and ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman dishing out strategy. The crew then asked Cada to reveal his mentality headed into heads-up play in poker tournaments: “I start off slow when I start heads-up because I don’t know how they play. A lot is their frequency of calls pre-flop and stack sizes. If the stack sizes are deeper, then you’re able to raise more from the button.” Cada was an online heads-up specialist prior to his win last November to become the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever.

A new segment called “Snap Calls” featured discussion of Huck Seed’s chances to make it eight cashes in a row in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, the number of new girlfriends Cada will have this year (Cada said under 1.5), the future of online poker legalization, whether Bernard Lee would claim a title in 2010, and whether Cada would win another bracelet in this year’s WSOP.

Corkins Guns for Second WPT Title

Corkins will attempt to join an elite group of players who have won two WPT titles when the final table plays out from the Beau Rivage in Biloxi Mississippi.

 “It is a big deal,” said Corkins. “I want to get first or second because that would give me 4,000 WPT points and only Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen and Phil Ivey are in that club.”

It’s been a long time coming for Corkins, who won his first WPT title at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods in 2003. Since then Corkins has cashed 12 times on the WPT and made four final tables.

To make his way into the WPT record books, Corkins will have to beat a relatively unknown but skilled final table that includes Tyler Smith, Jonathan Kantor, Jerry Vanstrydonck, James Reed and Jared Jaffee.

Both Jaffee and Kantor recorded wins in the Southern Poker Championships’ preliminary events and Smith has over $300,000 in life-time tournament earnings.

A trio of notable poker pros fell just short of the final table. WSOPC winner Andy Philachack came in seventh, bubbling the final table, WPT Ladies Night winner J.J. Liu came in eighth and Jason Mercier horse Dan O'Brien came in ninth place.

The final table begins at 4 p.m. CT. Here are the current chip counts:

Hoyt Corkins – 2.06 million
Tyler Smith – 1.1 million
Jerry Vanstrydonck – 1 million
Jonathan Kantor – 894,000
Jared Jaffee – 762,000
James Reed – 377,000

Poker in Twitter: Deauville, Football, Kat von D and Victoria Coren’s duck.

Poker News Daily scours the Twitter feeds of hundreds of poker players to bring you the funniest, most interesting, weirdest Tweets of the last few days. This weekend saw many players tweeting about the tournaments they were in, which included the UBOC, the LAPC and the EPT Deauville. Other popular topics this week were football (the poker world seems to support the Saints almost unanimously) and other sports, as well as new houses, tattoos by Kat von D, and a river card made to measure for Eric Mizrachi.
The online cards were good for some and cruel to others: while Dave “Hollywood_Dave” Stann challenged players to face him at Ultimate Bet: “Rockin UBOC on UB right now...come join so I can felt you, too ”, Liv Boeree was not having such a great day: “finished 42nd in UBOC 8 for $6300. Set of 33s get it all in on turn... he rivers 9 for higher set. Laptop across the room time.” Eric Mizrachi could have shared some of his luck with her, as he boasted a screenshot from a spectacular river card in Poker Stars:  “Deliver the nice river, Ty @pokerstars_com http://twitpic.com/zmlrd”

Tournament manager supreme Matt Savage kept the world informed of the progress of the LAPC, starting with a comment on his famously grueling schedules: “We have completed days 1A/1B or .5 of the 51 events at this years @LAPokerClassic! Not sure what I was thinking when I made this schedule?” Apparently Mr. Savage is superstitious, since he made Dave Stann back off from certain comments that might bring the tournament ill luck: “@Hollywood_Dave please do NOT mention LAPC = Going Well and Obama Presidency = F'ing Up Country in same tweet! You may jinx us here in LA.” No jinx was apparent to Rob Perelman, who tweeted in delight: “Heads up pot. Final board A4444. Check check. Then 2nd guy tries to muck. This is why I love the @LAPokerClassic!” Some of poker’s hottest ladies were in attendance after trotting the globe in The Amazing Race last year; Tiffany Michelle posted a picture of her view from the table: “http://twitpic.com/z4bfu - Playin the 1st LAPC event, nice view - this girl follows me everywhere ”

The poker world followed the NFC very closely last weekend, and the general feeling seemed to favor the Saints, although Doyle Brunson voiced his admiration for the Vikings’ legendary quarterback: “Brett Favre has balls the size of basketballs.” Favre was the man of the day, with praise and heckles piled on him via Twitter. Gene Bromberg tried to be fair: “I gleefully join in on Favrebashing, but that should've been a flag. Low, late hit, gotta call that”, Justin “BoostedJ” Smith blamed it on the team: “@shannonelizab The vikings aren't even giving Favre a chance to win”, and Joe Sebok cheered and booed: “yes, saints! boo favre & vikings. city of new orleans deserves this... ” Shannon Elizabeth, who tweeted throughout the game, was a happy fan when the fat lady sang: “Congrats Saints! GREAT GAME!!”

The EPT Deauville had two excellent commentators in Vicky Coren and Isabelle Mercier, both of whom tweeted frequently with updates on their own performance and those of friends and team members. Coren had never been able to survive Deauville’s Day 1, and was hoping this year would be it: “It's Day 1 of the Deauville EPT. I've played this three times before and never survived Day One. Let's see if I can break my duck” (“Breaking one’s duck” is a British expression, originally from cricket, that means doing something for the first time.) Coren tried hard, and kept updating on her status to add to the suspense: “We started with 30k in chips. I went down to 4k, now up to 20k, tiptoeing between the outdraws. Two more levels and the duck gets it...” The duck, however, remains unbroken, as she got busted out in Day 1 once more. Fellow Brit Matthew Grant commiserated with some historic consolation: “@VictoriaCoren Nevermind, the only victory that matters near Deauville happened in 1944 ” Coren marveled at Mercier’s youthful looks when they sat together: “Ex Team Pro Isabelle Mercier is on my table, looking incredible. She just doesn't age, that woman. Is it a French thing?” It may have been Mercier’s joy at playing in Deauville, which she tweeted happily about: “Deauville Deauville! Always loved this French little piece of paradise... Especially when it's GAME DAY !!!! ... http://bit.ly/5V41EV” Mercier’s joie de vivre did not last very long, however, as she tweeted from her Facebook account: “Busted out few hours ago holding pocket 10's against poker Jacks and pocket Aces!!! Turned blue and slowly getting... http://bit.ly/4sN0Rb”

Celebrity tattoo artist Kat von D, from the TV show LA Ink, has been leaving her mark on the poker world. First she tattooed Tiffany Michelle, who shared a photo of her tattoo: “Pics of my tatt that Kat did on her show are on my website www.tiffanymichelle.com under the 'Film, TV, Shows' Gallery ” and more recently on Pearl Aday, as tweeted by heavy metal poker star Scott Ian: “Kat Von D shooting Pearl right now.” If he does not shape up to his crazy prop bet, Joe Sebok could be next.

Sebok got some unflattering tweets regarding his stunning new LA home – @DougLeePoker remarked acidly: “@JoeSebok Wow, sick place! and all you had to do was align yourself with a company that has stolen millions from their customers. Well Done!” Sebok’s affiliation with Ultimate Bet is evidently not well accepted by the poker world.

There were many random tweets on off topics that seemed too interesting to pass by, so here is a brief overview of the weird and wonderful tweets of this weekend. There is the cheerful but always cryptic Marcel Luske: “Just an other day,,, more news ,, more twitters , more closely 2 Our goalls & destiny,so enjoin the day & feel great & help others . {;”, a very happy tweet from Eric Mizrachi: “Got some GREAT NEWS today, my friend Myrielle "Meeyu" Pierre survived the earthquake. C U tomm Meeyu! http://twitpic.com/y267b”, some naughtiness from Gavin Griffin: “We just backed into someone's driver's side door and left an 8 square inch dent. Gave em 100 bucks. Win”, and a recognition of friendship from Daniel Negreanu: “I just counted. The number of good friends of mine that are unabashed media whores: zero! All my friends are so normal”, while Doyle Brunson experienced new things: “Got back from a recording session. I'm just a West Texas hillbilly, all that chit amazes me.”

The Tweet of the day is a tie between Jeff Madsen and Howard Lederer. Madsen quipped: “Tiger woods supposedly in Mississippi for sex Rehab. I'll b in Biloxi soon, maybe I need to check myself in?”, while Lederer pointed out: “Went to see Nadal tonight at Aussie Open and saw the best homemade fan sign ever at the match. It read "Go Nad." LOL”
If you are as addicted to Twitter as we are, be sure to follow us @PokerNewsDaily so you can stay up to date on all the breaking news in the poker world and be a part of some PND Twitter exclusives in the coming weeks.

Phil Laak, Cake Poker Network Launch Unabomber Poker

In the online poker world, having a room named after you is perhaps the most notable sign that you have made your mark in the industry. From DoylesRoom, fronted by the legendary Doyle Brunson, to Devilfish Poker, hosted by top English pro David “The Devilfish” Ulliot, many professional poker players have made the move to the online world with their own iconic rooms.

The Cake Poker Network announced today that top pro Phil Laak will join its family of sites with his own room. Called Unabomber Poker, the site will feature Laak in action on the network and through a blog that will be available on the site. Along with the announcement of Unabomber Poker, the Cake Poker Network also announced the addition of seven other new network poker rooms, including 7Win Poker, Redback Poker, Amsterdams Poker, Safari Poker, Dimeline, Rags2Riches Poker, and Burro Poker.

“We knew we wanted to launch the sickest poker site possible,” Laak stated during the announcement of the new venture. “By joining a network that focuses on player rewards and accepts players worldwide, we knew we would be starting out on the right track. I love getting involved from the ground up.” A Cake Network spokesperson added, “The addition of Unabomber Poker to the Cake Network is a cause for great excitement. Phil’s enthusiasm for the game is infectious and brings a great energy to the network.”

With the addition of the eight new rooms, the Cake Poker Network now encompasses a total of 55 online poker sites. Some of the most popular sites offered by the Cake Poker Network include DoylesRoom, PokerHost, Lock Poker, Gutshot.com, and its own eponymous site. The Cake Poker Network is among the Top Ten in the online poker industry by cash game traffic, according to the poker industry tracking site PokerScout.com, averaging 2,100 real money ring game players.

Unabomber Poker offers many of the player amenities that are a fixture of the Cake Poker Network. Through participating in the action on the site, players earn Gold Chips and Gold Cards that can be exchanged for cash, merchandise, or free play in tournaments on the network. Unabomber Poker will also participate in the Cake Poker Network’s premier monthly event, the $250,000 Guaranteed.

Laak is arguably one of the most visible players in the game today through both his play and his exuberant behavior at the table. He exploded on the poker scene in 2004 with a victory in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational at the Commerce Casino and has remained a formidable foe at the tables since then. In 2005, Laak was runner up to Johnny Chan at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event when Chan captured his tenth bracelet. In a brief six-year career, Laak has earned slightly over $1.8 million from the tournament poker circuit.

Laak is famously called “The Unabomber” because his attire at the poker tables – a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses – gives Laak a resemblance to the forensic sketch of notorious convicted mail bomber Theodore Kaczynski. Laak can confound players with antics at the table such as push-ups, talking to the cards, and offering buyouts to players to show their winning hands. Away from the felt, Laak also makes a great deal of noise. He has one of the most high-profile poker relationships with former WSOP Ladies’ Champion Jennifer Tilly and has been a part of television show “I Bet You” with his longtime friend and former roommate Antonio Esfandiari.

Tunica WSOP Circuit Event: Michael Crump Wins Kickoff Tournament

After events in Chicago, Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, and Atlantic City, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit traveled south to Tunica, Mississippi for its sixth stop of the 2009-2010 season. Michael Crump won the $340 buy-in No Limit Hold’em kickoff event.

A total of 304 players entered the first tournament of the Circuit schedule at Harrah’s Tunica, the closest casino to Memphis, Tennessee. The attendance was markedly lower than in 2009, when 514 players entered the same $340 buy-in event. Accordingly, that meant attendance was down 41%. Nevertheless, Crump made the most of the truncated field, coming out on top for $20,000. In the tournament’s final hand, Jerold Rogers was all-in with 10-5 on a board of 2-9-A-10 for second pair. However, Crump held A-9 for two pair and a queen hit on the river to earn him the win.

Fifth place finisher Mark “Pegasus” Smith owns four WSOP Circuit gold rings and was gunning for a record-setting fifth piece of hardware in Tunica. Smith earned two gold rings in the final two months of 2009, taking down $345 and $340 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournaments in Southern Indiana and Atlantic City. Tied with Smith for four gold rings is 2009 Poker Hall of Fame nominee Men “The Master” Nguyen. All told, Smith owns $450,000 in career WSOP and Circuit Event earnings.

Here’s how the final table shook out in the Old South:

1. Michael Crump - $20,185
2. Jerold Rogers - $12,277
3. Ryan Enis - $8,738
4. Gerard Thorpe - $6,246
5. Mark “Pegasus” Smith - $4,992
6. J. Austin Hijar - $3,746
7. Joseph Pace - $2,500
8. David Couch - $2,027
9. James Whittinghill - $1,719

A total of 19 poker tournaments will play out at Harrah’s Tunica, culminating in the series’ $5,150 buy-in Main Event on February 8th, one day following Super Bowl XLIV. The remaining schedule, which features all No Limit Hold’em events, is as follows. All times are Central:

Friday, January 22nd at 12:00pm
Event #3: No Limit Hold'em
$550 buy-in

Saturday, January 23rd at 12:00pm
Event #4: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Sunday, January 24th at 12:00pm
Event #5: Seniors No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Monday, January 25th at 12:00pm
Event #6: No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Tuesday, January 26th at 12:00pm
Event #7: No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Wednesday, January 27th at 12:00pm
Event #8: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Thursday, January 28th at 12:00pm
Event #9: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Friday, January 29th at 12:00pm
Event #10: No Limit Hold'em
$440 buy-in

Saturday, January 30th at 12:00pm
Event #11: No Limit Hold'em
$550 buy-in

Sunday, January 31st at 12:00pm
Event #12: Ladies No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Monday, February 1st at 12:00pm
Event #13: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Tuesday, February 2nd at 12:00pm
Event #14: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Wednesday, February 3rd at 12:00pm
Event #15: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Thursday, February 4th at 12:00pm
Event #16: No Limit Hold'em
$440 buy-in

Friday, February 5th at 12:00pm
Event #17: No Limit Hold'em
$550 buy-in

Saturday, February 6th at 12:00pm
Event #18: No Limit Hold'em
$1,080 buy-in

Monday, February 8th at 12:00pm
Event #19: Championship Event
$5,150 buy-in

In last year’s Tunica Circuit Event Championship, Kai Landry defeated David Dao heads-up to earn $183,000. The tournament generated a field of 154 players and a final table that also featured online poker pros Matt “All In At 420” Stout and Mike “goleafsgoeh” Leah. Top tournament pros Kathy Liebert and Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith finished in the money.

Liv Boeree Appears in Maxim UK

Maxim UK describes this poker player as a “very sexy guitar-wielding, card-playing, telly-hosting farm girl.” Who is she, you ask? UB.com’s Liv Boeree, of course. Boeree appeared in a recent edition of the scandalous magazine.

The photographer in the Maxim UK shoot, Alan Barry, allegedly asked Boeree to pose on a toilet and the Brit obliged. She told Maxim UK, who inquired about the unique shot, “It seemed a shame to let such a lovely chrome toilet not be included in the shoot. It wasn't me that made the toilet sexy, it was the toilet that did all the work. It really was such a pretty thing.” Boeree appears in two colored dresses on Maxim UK’s website: red and black. In the now-infamous toilet shot, she is hunched over while wearing a skimpy black dress.

Boeree grew up on a farm, leading to a flurry of questions concerning her background. Maxim asked whether she enjoyed rolling around in hay. Boeree responded, “Hay is preferable to straw for sure, it's way less scratchy.” She revealed that her favorite farm animal is a pig, leading to a highly insightful question from Maxim: “Have you ever masturbated one, like Rebecca Loos? If you haven't but had to, would you?” Boeree bluntly responded, “No. And no. What is wrong with you people?”

Boeree also noted that she is a fan of strumming the guitar and her favorite riff is from “Cowboys from Hell” by the band Pantera. Maxim UK inquired as to whether she could play the guitar solo from the Guns N' Roses hit “Sweet Child of Mine.” The UB.com poker icon admitted, “I can't - it's never one I've really tried to learn. Give me a month and I'll play it for ya though.” Her ultimate rock superstar group would include James Hetfield of Metallica, Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom, Adam Duce from Machine Head, and Vinnie Paul from Pantera.

Maxim UK finally got around to asking about poker, Boeree’s profession. She revealed that the most she’s ever won in a day is $42,000 and recapped an interesting run-in with porn star Ron Jeremy: “He mentions how he's just learned to play poker so I ask him a particular hand related question: Which would you prefer... 6-9 or Jack King Off. Say those fast and what do you get? Well Mr. Jeremy didn't get the innuendo in the names and proudly stated that he'd always choose Jack King off over 6-9.”

On the online poker forum TwoPlusTwo, posters were buzzing over the shoot and its corresponding in-depth interview, a link to which was posted three days ago. TwoPlusTwo member “hdbets” critiqued the quality of the photo shoot: “pretty bad photos, they lack a decent production, lighting and wardrobe... even Liv being a very beautiful woman doesnt look that great.” Others were seeking out more skin: “Thats got to be the lamest Maxim spread i've ever seen, she's like fully clothed.”

Boeree has established herself as one of the top poker commentators in the business. She’s reported for outlets like WorldSeriesOfPoker.com, Gutshot TV, and Challenge TV. Her aforementioned $42,000 cash came in May 2008, when Boeree won the $2,000 buy-in Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship, defeating American Lenna Martyak heads-up.

Besides Boeree, other members of Team UB include Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok, and Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, who is the reigning CardPlayer Player of the Year. UB.com and its sister site, Absolute Poker, comprise the CEREUS Network and happily accept players from the United States.

Caesars Atlantic City Bad Beat Jackpot Hit for $553,958

Dover native Steven Gedney hit a record-shattering Bad Beat Jackpot at Caesars Atlantic City of $553,958 last Friday. The behemoth prize pool dwarfed the former largest jackpot of $361,244 and Gedney raked in $276,979 as a result of the beat.

Joe Domenico, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Caesars Atlantic City, commented in a press release distributed by the East Coast casino, "This is an unforgettable day for everyone at Caesars, especially our loyal players and dedicated poker team. The energy building in our poker room over these past months has been incredible and to see it culminate in this record-setting jackpot couldn't be more rewarding.”

Gedney held quad threes in the memorable hand, normally a stone cold lock to scoop any pot. However, in what was likely a mix of dismay and excitement, Gedney watched as his opponent, Chris Dobrzanski, flipped up four aces, triggering the Bad Beat Jackpot. Although dropping the $400 pot, Gedney hauled in a massive $276,979 prize for suffering the bad beat. Dobrzanski, meanwhile, hauled in the $400 spoils and added another $138,489 for dishing out the misfortune. The table was nine-handed, meaning that the other seven players seated each earned $19,784 for paying witness to history, enough to buy a new car just in time for final 2009 year-end closeouts.

Under the terms of the Caesars Atlantic City Bad Beat Jackpot, four of a kind must go down in smoke to a superior hand. Half of the Bad Beat Jackpot is awarded to the losing player in the hand, 25% is given to the winning player, and the remaining 25% is divided equally among the other players dealt to at the table when the bad beat occurred. In 2008, the Caesars Atlantic City poker room awarded nearly $1.2 million in Bad Beat Jackpot money and is well on its way to surpassing that amount this year.

As of January 11th, the Caesars Palace Bad Beat Jackpot stood at $529,436, meaning that it grew by $25,000 last week alone before being hit on Friday. At Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, the Bad Beat Jackpot was $352,873 last Monday. At Showboat, the purse for doling out a bad beat was $118,970 one week ago and, at Bally’s, the bounty stood at $137,493. After being hit on Friday, the Caesars Palace Bad Beat Jackpot sat at $152,000 today at Noon ET.

The Caesars Palace Atlantic City poker room sports 20 tables and 50-inch plasma televisions to allow players to keep up-to-date on the latest in the world of sports. The casino spreads favorites like $1/$2, $2/$5, and $5/$10 No Limit Hold’em and $2/$4, $3/$6, and $4/$8 Limit Hold’em. The venue is ramping up to host a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event in March. The action kicks off in Atlantic City on March 3rd and concludes with a Ladies No Limit Hold’em tournament on March 14th. The $5,150 buy-in Caesars Atlantic City Circuit Championship, a three-day affair, will begin dealing cards on March 12th.

Here is the schedule of events for the Caesars Atlantic City Circuit stop in March:

Wednesday, March 3rd at 12:00pm ET
Event #1: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Thursday, March 4th at 12:00pm ET
Event #2: No Limit Hold'em
$590 buy-in

Friday, March 5th at 12:00pm ET
Event #3: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Saturday, March 6th at 12:00pm ET
Event #4: No Limit Hold'em
$560 buy-in

Sunday, March 7th at 12:00pm ET
Event #5: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Monday, March 8th at 12:00pm ET
Event #6: No Limit Hold'em
$560 buy-in

Tuesday, March 9th at 12:00pm ET
Event #7: No Limit Hold'em
$1,080 buy-in

Wednesday, March 10th at 12:00pm ET
Event #8: Deep Stack
$1,600 buy-in

Thursday, March 11th at 12:00pm ET
Event #9: Turbo
$230 buy-in

Friday, March 12th at 12:00pm ET
Event #10: Caesars Atlantic City Championship Event
$5,150 buy-in

Saturday, March 13th at 12:00pm ET
Event 11: Turbo
$230 buy-in

Sunday, March 14th at 12:00pm ET
Event #12: Ladies No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

WSOPC Heads Back to Tunica

The fifth stop of the WSOPC 2009-2010 season at Harrah's Tunica in Tunica, Mississippi begins Jan. 20 with the first of 19 ring events.

Included in the series are a $200+30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em event, a $200+30 Seniors No Limit Hold'em event and the annual $5,000+150 Harrah's Tunica Main Event Championship.

In last year’s main event, Kai Landry outlasted a field that included pros Gavin Smith, Kathy Liebert and PokerListings’ blogger Matt Stout, who finished third.

Landry won $183,974 and the $10,000 buy-in to the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event.

With four more ring events added, Harrah’s is predicting this year’s Tunica circuit stop will be its biggest and most exciting to date.

"Harrah's Tunica has always been one of the biggest and brightest stops on the circuit," said tournament director, Jimmy Sommerfeld. "Last year, we had all of the tables going throughout the day."

Harrah's Tunica is currently offering special WSOP room rates to players participating in the event.

The main event begins Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 10.

Reynolds Wraps Up PCA High Roller Win

A poker player since he was just 16-years-old, William Reynolds is no stranger to success, having come fourth at EPT San Remo last season for €377,000. 

He’s also had six figure wins online, but the $576,240 first-place prize he took down in the Bahamas Thursday marks his biggest score to date.

“It was the most roller coaster of a ride I’ve ever been on,” Reynolds said moments after the win. “I was all in so many times at the end of Day 3 it looked I was going to be the final table bubble. I ended up doubling up four times in a row and making it to the final table, chipping up, winning some key hands and taking it down.”

In just the first few hands of the final table, short-stacked Dmitry Stelmak pushed all in with K♠ T♠ and got looked up by Tobias Reinkemeier on A♠ T♣.

The domination held and Stelmak bowed out eighth collecting $66,885.

Reynolds then sent Canadian high-stakes pro Matt Marafioti to the rail, winning a race with ace-king over Marafioti’s sevens. Marafioti took $87,465 for seventh.

Will Molson then took a massive chip lead doubling through Reinkemeier as the blinds rose to dangerous levels for the five other finalists remaining.

Reinkemeier fell next, running eights into Reynolds’ kings to finish sixth, cashing for $108,045.

Before long, 2009 World Series of Poker Ladies Champion Lisa Hamilton’s said goodbye, bowing out fifth when she lost a race with jacks to Molson’s A♣ Q♥.

A queen on the turn did her in and the ladies champ was forced to settle for $133,770 in fifth place money.

A short-stacked Michiel Brummelhuis then shipped it with Q♠ 9♥ only to run into Reynolds’ aces and hit the rail fourth for $154,350.

EPT London High Roller fourth place finisher Adolfo Vaeza took third this time around when he got it in with a straight draw against Reynold’s top pair and failed to get there.

As he headed to the cage to grab $218,150, Molson and Reynolds went heads up.

Reynolds held the lead from the outset, and despite doubling up Molson once to give away the chip lead, kept up the pressure until the title was his.

Molson, who finished second in this very event last year to Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, was forced to take runner-up money again, this time cashing for $322,075 as Reynolds grabbed all title and the glory.

Typical of a $25k event, the PCA High Roller saw 84 of poker’s best square off for the title this week and Reynolds said it was no cake walk.

“It was a tough tournament and it feels awesome to take it down,” he said. “I can’t count the amount of times I was all in. I was short stacked and it looked like I was going to be back in my hotel room and down on the beach the next day and instead I chipped back up won some pots and went all the way to the top.”

For a comprehensive recap of the entire PCA High Roller event, click through to PokerListings’ Live Updates.

Reynolds Wraps Up PCA High Roller Win

A poker player since he was just 16-years-old, William Reynolds is no stranger to success, having come fourth at EPT San Remo last season for €377,000. 

He’s also had six figure wins online, but the $576,240 first-place prize he took down in the Bahamas Thursday marks his biggest score to date.

“It was the most roller coaster of a ride I’ve ever been on,” Reynolds said moments after the win. “I was all in so many times at the end of Day 3 it looked I was going to be the final table bubble. I ended up doubling up four times in a row and making it to the final table, chipping up, winning some key hands and taking it down.”

In just the first few hands of the final table, short-stacked Dmitry Stelmak pushed all in with K♠ T♠ and got looked up by Tobias Reinkemeier on A♠ T♣.

The domination held and Stelmak bowed out eighth collecting $66,885.

Reynolds then sent Canadian high-stakes pro Matt Marafioti to the rail, winning a race with ace-king over Marafioti’s sevens. Marafioti took $87,465 for seventh.

Will Molson then took a massive chip lead doubling through Reinkemeier as the blinds rose to dangerous levels for the five other finalists remaining.

Reinkemeier fell next, running eights into Reynolds’ kings to finish sixth, cashing for $108,045.

Before long, 2009 World Series of Poker Ladies Champion Lisa Hamilton’s said goodbye, bowing out fifth when she lost a race with jacks to Molson’s A♣ Q♥.

A queen on the turn did her in and the ladies champ was forced to settle for $133,770 in fifth place money.

A short-stacked Michiel Brummelhuis then shipped it with Q♠ 9♥ only to run into Reynolds’ aces and hit the rail fourth for $154,350.

EPT London High Roller fourth place finisher Adolfo Vaeza took third this time around when he got it in with a straight draw against Reynold’s top pair and failed to get there.

As he headed to the cage to grab $218,150, Molson and Reynolds went heads up.

Reynolds held the lead from the outset, and despite doubling up Molson once to give away the chip lead, kept up the pressure until the title was his.

Molson, who finished second in this very event last year to Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, was forced to take runner-up money again, this time cashing for $322,075 as Reynolds grabbed all title and the glory.

Typical of a $25k event, the PCA High Roller saw 84 of poker’s best square off for the title this week and Reynolds said it was no cake walk.

“It was a tough tournament and it feels awesome to take it down,” he said. “I can’t count the amount of times I was all in. I was short stacked and it looked like I was going to be back in my hotel room and down on the beach the next day and instead I chipped back up won some pots and went all the way to the top.”

For a comprehensive recap of the entire PCA High Roller event, click through to PokerListings’ Live Updates.

PCA $25k As Tough As It Gets

“It’s a really tough field, there aren’t many weak spots at all, but that’s what you are going to get from a $25k buy-in,” said Joe Cada, who followed up his 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event with an 11^th place finish at the PCA $25k Wednesday.

“In the Main Event you’ve got a lot of people wanting to play just because it’s the Main Event, the hype of it, the TV coverage and there are so many satellites. It’s the biggest tournament of the year and there are so many people just playing it to play in it.”

2009 WSOP Ladies No Limit Hold’em World Champion Lisa Hamilton, who retains a chance to win the High Roller heading into the final eight Thursday, said comparing the 1,060 person field in her WSOP Ladies Championship win to the 84 top pros in the PCA $25k is like comparing apples and oranges.

“It’s a different story,” she said. “It’s a totally different story. It’s such a different story that I can’t even comment on it, because it wouldn’t be nice.”

Consensus seems to be that a small field filled with some of the best players on the planet can be even tougher to wade through than the almost 6,500 who entered the Main Event this year, simply based on the lack of dead money.

“Here no one is just going to give you their chips,” said Cada. “So it’s a little different strategy.

“You have to adjust to your table and how everyone is playing and how they perceive how you are playing. There are a few different variables going on with better players. You can think more analytically, think about what they’re thinking, what is the best way to represent a bluff or the best way to represent a hand, whereas against a bad player, in the Main Event, you might just play more straightforward.”

Despite the quality of the field, Hamilton, who plays more high stakes cash games than tournaments, is joined in the final eight by a group of seven other players who are also less than household names.

However, German Tobias Reinkemeier, who has cashed in all five EPT’s he's played so far this season, Canadian Matt “ADZ124” Marafioti, who plays high stakes cash online and went deep at both WPT Legends and the WSOP $40k this summer, and Canadian Will Molson, who made runner up here last year, are all considered great players.

As are Uruguay’s Adolfo Vaeza, who made fourth at the EPT London High Roller, the USA’s William Reynolds, who final tabled EPT San Remo, Dutchman Michiel Brummelhuis, an online MTT regular and WCOOP title holder and Russian Dmitry Stelmak, who took down a $3k WPT prelim at Bellagio last year.

To follow all the action until a PCA High Roller champion is crowned, tune into PokerListings’ Live Updates beginning at 12 p.m. ET Thursday.

Vanessa Rousso Bests Tough Field in 2010 PCA $1,000 Ladies Event

Harrison "gibler123" Gimbel may have garnered the headlines at the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) by winning the Main Event and a $2.2 million paycheck, but he wasn't the only one having a good time at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas.  One of the biggest hits of the Caribbean poker festival was the $1,000 + $100 Ladies No Limit Hold'em tournament.

A total of 91 women competed in the event, 33 of whom won their seats online at PokerStars via satellites with buy-ins starting as low as $2.20.  They won more than just their entry and spending money; the online qualifiers were also pampered at the resort's Mandara Spa and received instruction at a High Heels Poker Tour Ladies Boot Camp session from Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso.

As it turned out, the Boot Camp attendees probably should have listened to their instructor more closely, as Rousso went on to win the event, scoring a $24,725 cash.  Rousso burst onto the poker scene in 2006 when she placed 7th in the $25,000 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship and then won a $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event at the WPT Borgata Poker Open a few months later.  In 2007, she finished second in PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), winning over $700,000, and became known to a broad television audience when she was the runner-up in the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.  The GoDaddy.com girl has also won two tournaments on NBC's "Poker After Dark."

Other members of Team PokerStars Pro in the tournament who were not as fortunate were Katja Thater, Veronica Dabul, Sandra Naujoks, and Maria "Maridu" Mayrinck.  Other known pros in attendance included J.J. Liu, 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event champ Annette Obrestad, European Poker Tour (EPT) London Ladies champ Dagmara Aleksandrowicz, and Shirley Rosario, who placed fourth.

Another player of note was Elizabeth Bennett-Martin, who qualified for the Main Event via a PokerStars satellite for the second year in a row.  A portion of her winnings was earmarked for the charitable organization Cambodian Legal Education for Women (CLEW).  Created by her Toronto law firm, Bennett Gastle P.C., CLEW raises money to help impoverished women in Cambodia attend law school.  The goal of these women is to provide legal help to those who would not normally be able to access any in Cambodia, where the population of more than 14 million has only 538 lawyers.  Unfortunately, Bennett-Martin did not make the money in any event this year.

Sixteen women did cash, though, each getting a piece of the $88,270 prize pool.  Runner-up Halli Pinson was impressed with the field, telling PokerStars, "This event was a lot more serious than most ladies tournaments. I didn't recognize that many faces, but the field seemed a lot more experienced than usual. These women had come to play, and they had come to win! Vanessa Rousso dominated the event though – she had good cards and she's an experienced player: the combination was lethal."

Those who did not want to pony up $1,100, but still wanted to compete in a women-only tournament, or those who just wanted another shot at a title, had the chance to play in another Ladies Event the next day for just $300.  The field of 73 produced a prize pool of $19,119 and Diana Linke took home the top cash of $6,504.

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $1,000 + $100 Ladies Event Final Standings

1. Vanessa Rousso - $24,275
2. Halli Pinson - $13,815
3. Ann-Margaret Johnston - $9,335
4. Shirley Rosario - $6,620
5. Jamie Kerstetter - $5,740
6. Pastora Sorenson - $4,635
7. Lisa Adams - $3,750
8. Vanessa Caldeira - $2,870
9. Irene Baroni - $2,425
10. Sarah Wasch - $2,425
11. Violetta Szczerba - $2,205
12. Nesrine Kourdourli - $2,205
13. Muriel Allard - $1,985
14. Anna Yamshchikova - $1,985
15. Alina Salnikova - $1,765
16. Hai Nguyen - $1,765

The Nightly Turbo: Vanessa Rousso Wins Ladies Event, UBOC Early Registration and More

Rousso: Results Speak

Especially when you consider she taught roughly one-third of the field how to play.

In the end, Rousso bested the field of 91, including 33 women from around the world who qualified for the event on PokerStars, winning the $1k buy-in and a spot in a special Ladies Boot Camp offering onsite tutoring from Rousso and the High Heels Poker Academy.

But Rousso said booking the $24,000-win in the ladies-only field was still no cake walk.

“There were a couple of pros who played,” she told PokerListings. “J.J. Lui was in there, Annette Obrestad. There was a bunch of good players.

“Obviously you have to run well in any tournament you play in. But I didn’t make any mistakes that I know of, I played well and I’m happy with the way I played. Starting the year off with a victory is really cool.”

A victory in the PCA Ladies Event is really just a bit of icing on the cake that was the past 12 months for Rousso.

The 27-year-old upped her career earnings to over $3.5 million in 2009, was featured in a two-page spread in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and signed on as the newest spokeswoman for GoDaddy.com.

In addition to her runner-up finish at the NBC Heads-Up Championship, Rousso also booked her biggest career win, taking down the PokerStars European Poker Tour High Roller Event in Monte Carlo for $940,000 this past April.

Once the whipping-girl for online forum posters who believed she was more marketing tool than poker player, Rousso is now letting her results prove the doubters wrong.

“What I learned early on in poker is that results speak,” she said. “It doesn’t really matter what you say about how good you are, or how you talk about strategy. All that matters is your results at the end of the day.

“Early on in my career I just had to put my head down and plow forward making the best decisions I could and hopefully, as I believed, I had an edge over the fields that I was playing in and my results would speak for themselves.

“Now that I’m at the point in my career where I have $3.5 million in earnings, if you count my results live and online, I think my results are beginning to speak for themselves. I’ve only been playing for four and a half years, and I just hope over the next six years or so, my results will continue to speak for themselves.

“Then, after a solid performance of ten years in professional poker, you can establish yourself.”

And as far as her detractors are concerned, Rousso says she isn’t even paying attention these days.

“It doesn’t really matter what anybody says,” she said. “It matters what people in your circle, people you care about, what they think about you. And of course, what matters at the end of the day is your actions, what you do with the gifts you are given as a person. It’s not just about getting good results at the poker table. It’s also about what you do with your success.

“Once you achieve monetary success it’s about what do you do with that to be a better person. So I just try to make good decisions both on and off the poker table. I use my results on the poker table to help open doors off the poker table and hopefully help me make an impact on this world during the time that I’m here.”

PCA: Men players are badly distracted!

Apart from the poker professionals, there are of course some celebrities playing at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. And when there’s celebrities, there is a lot of female beauty at the tables - we could guess that the men players are a bit distracted.

The Playboy centerfold Jayde Nicole. Nicole’s tournament ended in day 1b when her JJ couldn’t hold against AK. Andrew McNamee, who eliminated Jayde, commented the hand like this: “I almost didn’t like that ace.”

Lauren Kling who has been cashing out small prizes during the last few years.

Fatima de Melo, a Dutch Field Hockey player.

British Liv Boeree, who came early to the site - unlike her bags.

At least Liv Boeree and Lauren Kling are still in the tournament - with small stacks though.

Source: Pokerstarsblog

You just read Poker News from HighStakesNews.com

PCA: Men players are badly distracted!

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Day 1b: The Ladies Make Waves

Poker News in Brief: Dec. 21-27, 2009

This week the front page of PokerListing was slammed with huge stories like Brian Townsend getting suspended by Full Tilt Poker, Tom “durrrr” Dwan making a desperate charge to get even for the year and Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler finally finding a structure he likes.

Of course, like every week, there were still a few lesser-known stories that threatened to get lost in the shuffle. Fortunately, on PokerListings.com we compile all those stories in our ongoing Poker News in Brief feature.

This week we’re going to take a look at Poker2Nite heading to Europe, new poker chip technology, a new PokerStars rewards program and more.

The Poker Channel Europe Airs Poker2Night

It’s already a hit in North America but the Joe Sebok and Scott Huff hosted Poker2Nite made its debut in Europe last week on the Poker Channel Europe.

The channel is airing episodes of the show every Wednesday at 22:00 CET for the entire run of the first season. Repeats will run Thursdays and Saturdays at 16:00 CET. The channel is Europe’s largest dedicated gaming TV network and shown in more than 18 million European homes.

Poker2Nite is now its fifth week of operation in North America, where it appears on Fox Sports West on Wednesday at 23:00 EST.

To celebrate the show’s success, UB is also currently running a Poker2Nite Pro Challenge promotion, awarding two WSOP packages.

Nicole Rowe Applies for Million Dollar Challenge

Cancer victim Nicole Rowe will be trying out for a spot on the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.

Rowe is perhaps most well-known in the poker world for finishing second to Abraham Korotki, a man, in the 2009 Borgata Ladies Event.

Inspired by witnessing a taping of the Million Dollar Challenge, Rowe decided to enter a 10,000 player tournament on PokerStars just for the chance to audition for the show. She won the tournament and has since posted her audition video on YouTube.com.

“My plan is to come out and beat Daniel Negreanu for the $1 million and use that money for breast cancer awareness and donate a portion of my winnings to breast cancer foundations such as the Susan G Komen,” said Rowe in the video.

Earlier this week 911 Veteran Mike Kosowski became the first player in the show’s history to win all his heads-up matches and take home the $1 million first place prize.

PokerStars Introduces VIP Stellar Rewards

PokerStars upgraded its VIP program this week with the announcement of VIP Stellar Rewards.

Starting Jan. 1, 2010, PokerStars players who earn 750 VIP player points will be able to go to the PokerStars store and spend 1 frequent player point (FPP) to receive $10.

It doesn’t stop there as players will have the opportunity for 18 cash bonuses as they journey from 750 VIP points all the way up to 90,000 Supernova status.

In total, players will receive an extra $1,000 if they make it all the way to Supernova thanks to the VIP Stellar Rewards program.

To learn more go to PokerStars.com.

GPI to Unveil New Poker Chip Technology

Gaming Partners International Corporation will present a dramatic new approach to the construction of poker chips at the 2010 International Gaming Expo in London on Jan. 26-28.

At the Expo, GPI will introduce RFIDPoker, which is being developed to improve accuracy and increase the speed of various actions at the poker table.

Easily fitted to any poker table the technology sees every chip outfitted with a small RFID chip, which makes calculating a pot size error free. The system can also calculate pot-size in real time, while a hand is being played out.

According to GPI’s studies, RFIDPoker has the potential to increase hands per hour by as much as 30%.

Titan Launches 2010 Irish Open Promo

The 2010 Irish Open doesn’t start until April, but Titan Poker is already running satellites to the tournament.

Titan Poker will run a weekly Super Satellite on Sundays that will award a $7,200 package, which includes the €3,500 buy-in. It’s possible to qualify for these weekly satellites for just $2.20.

The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No-Limit Hold’em tournament in Europe and it typically takes place over Easter weekend in Dublin.

Last year Christer Johansson beat Kara Scott heads-up to claim the €600,000 first place prize.

Titan Poker generally has a large presence at the Irish Open and last year sent 32 players to represent the brand.

Click here to learn more about Titan Poker’s Irish Open promotions.