Poker News

Poker2Nite Welcomes Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton

The UB.net sponsored poker news program “Poker2Nite,” which makes its home on Fox Sports Net, welcomed Mike Sexton this week. The World Poker Tour (WPT) host is also a member of the Poker Hall of Fame after being inducted one month ago.

“Poker2Nite” began with Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones interviewing players at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. Among those to appear on-camera was dual World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Jeff Madsen, who told Jones, “What it comes down to is the skill level of the players, the structure is good, and the Bellagio atmosphere is good to players in general.” Jones also spoke with Robert Mizrachi and 2009 WSOP November Nine member Kevin Schaffel. The $15,000 buy-in tournament crowns a champion on Saturday.

Next up was UB.net pro Phil Hellmuth presenting Phil’s Best Blow-Ups. There are a multitude of meltdowns to choose from, but Hellmuth recapped his explosion against Cristian Dragomir during the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Dragomir called Hellmuth’s raise pre-flop with 10-4, only to flop top pair. Hellmuth explained, “Of course, this joker gets rewarded for his donkey play and that just did not sit well with me.” His tirade against Dragomir featured lines such as “He’s the worst player in history and they’re cheering” and “To you, it’s poker. To me, this is my life.”

After recapping Sexton’s Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which took place during the dinner break of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, the bracelet winner joined the “Poker2Nite” crew. On being elected to the Poker Hall of Fame, Sexton told “Poker2Nite” hosts Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, “To me, it’s the ultimate career achievement award. To reach this level, it’s a pretty big honor.” Sexton was the only member of the Class of 2009 and, in order to be elected, had to receive 75% of the vote of a panel of media members and current Hall of Famers.

So-called “Sextonisms” have become a staple of modern poker lingo, but the WPT host noted that one of his favorites is, “You can only slide so far on barbed wire.” This author would have preferred “Bingo, bango, bongo,” but laughed nonetheless. Sexton also discussed PokerGives.org, which he founded along with Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, and Lisa Tenner. Sexton commented, “It’ll be a way the poker world can give back to worthwhile charities.”

A new segment called Coin Flipping aired, pitting Sebok and Huff against each other to see what option had a slight mathematical edge. First up was who was the better No Limit Hold’em cash game player, Phil Ivey or Patrik Antonius. Sebok remarked, “I’m going with Phil because he looks scarier.” Also discussed was whether winning the $50,000 HORSE Championship or WSOP Main Event was more prestigious, as was whether Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin or Cornel Andrew Cimpan should be the Player of the Year. On the latter, Sebok gave his two cents: “I don’t think this one is really that close” and chose Baldwin, who effectively has already taken down the CardPlayer Player of the Year title for 2009.

Dana Workman dished out the Bluff Magazine sponsored Weekly Misdeal segment, poking fun at WSOP Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon’s conspiracy theory about ESPN crews sharing information, champion Joe Cada taking to Capitol Hill in support of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), Montel Williams facing a lawsuit from the International Team Poker League, and Marcel Luske’s new album.

“Poker2Nite” airs on Wednesdays at 11:00pm in each market on Fox Sports Net. However, the show is often pre-empted for local sporting events, so viewers are advised to check their local listings for airtime and channel information.

WSOP To Offer Players Ability To Help Charities

Over the past five years, poker players have stepped to the forefront for a variety of charitable causes. Online tournaments have raised funds to assist the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other deserving organizations. The Heartland Poker Tour makes contributions to the Disabled American Veterans. There is even an organization – founded by Poker News Daily guest columnist Mike Sexton, tournament directors Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher and philanthropist Lisa Tenner – called Poker Gives, that focuses on using poker to assist in fundraising for charities. Now the World Series of Poker will step up and take poker philanthropy to the next level.

For the first time in its forty year history, the WSOP will offer players who cash during each event on this summer’s schedule the opportunity to donate part of their winnings to an organization that the WSOP has aligned itself with. All that a winning player has to do is to ask the payout clerk to leave one percent of their winnings to the Nevada Cancer Institute and the WSOP will arrange to transfer the funds to the Institute. As with many charitable donations, they are tax-deductible and contributors will receive a letter from NVCI for accounting purposes.

During the run of the tournament schedule, a special VIP lounge will be set up for players who pay a membership fee to be able to use the room. The “Aces Club” will be donating a large portion of each membership taken for access to the room to the Nevada Cancer Institute. As of press time, there are still memberships available and anyone who wishes to access the “Aces Club” should visit the area during the first few days of the WSOP.

One of the most popular fundraisers during the last few years at the World Series has been the “Queens of Heart” that play during the Ladies’ Championship Event. Featuring such players as former WSOP Ladies’ Champion Jennifer Tilly, poker professional Kristy Gazes and actresses Mimi Rogers and Cheryl Hines, the team has raised large amounts of money for women’s causes over the past few years. This year, the WSOP has created a special line of poker clothing for women, available at the Rio and on their website, WSOP Shop. The proceeds from sales of the “Queens of Heart” merchandise will go to the Nevada Cancer Institute, continuing the tradition the team has driven while playing on the felt.

There will be two special charitable tournaments during the run of the WSOP. “Ante Up For Africa” – the cause promoted by actor Don Cheadle and poker professional Annie Duke – will be back for their third annual event. The $5,000 buy in No Limit Hold’em tournament is open to anyone 21 years or older and this year, for the first time, will be a part of the ESPN broadcasts of the WSOP. For the Media Charity Event this year, the players who reach the final table will have donations made in their name to the Nevada Cancer Institute.

Finally, the Championship Event of the World Series will also have a way for players to make their mark in a charitable way. Poker pro Phil Gordon’s charitable cause “Bad Beat On Cancer” and the Nevada Cancer Institute will both benefit from players who donate, much like earlier in the tournament schedule, one percent of their winnings to charity. All contributions are tax deductible and will benefit research into the cure for one of mankind’s worst diseases.

With the WSOP adding in this charitable aspect to their poker schedule, the poker world is once again proving that, while there may be no charity at the poker table, there is a charitable heart inside all who play the game.

Violette to host Full Tilt Poker charity event

On Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, Violette will host a $5+$5 charity poker tournament with the first $5 going to the prize pool and the second getting split between The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Special Olympics.

The money will be donated through Poker Gives, a charitable organization started by Mike Sexton, Linda Johnson, Jan Fischer, and Lisa Tenner to give poker players an easy way to donate some of their winnings to charitable causes.

Players can find the charity tournament at Full Tilt Poker in the "private" section of the tournament lobby. To enter, you'll need to log in to your Full Tilt Poker account, press "Control T" and enter 9105889. The password is "charity."

The tournament is a chance to help out with some good causes as well as potentially sit at the table with Violette.

Violette recorded some of her first tournament cashes in the early 80s and has since amassed more than a million dollars in tournament winnings and a World Series of Poker bracelet.

This summer she will be recognized for her poker achievements with induction into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, June 5 at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

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Women in Poker Hall of Fame Welcomes Field, Fisher, and Violette

On Friday, June 5th, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame will grow a little bigger. June Field, Jan Fisher, and Cyndy Violette will join an esteemed class of poker pros that already includes Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Marsha Waggoner, Susie Isaacs, and Barbara Enright.

On the three newest inductees, Johnson told Poker News Daily, "The 2009 inductees into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame are each very worthy of this honor. June Field inspired me as a publisher, Cyndy Violette inspired me as a player, and Jan Fisher inspired me as an industry leader." The trio will be honored at a special dinner and dancing celebration at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas that will benefit the charity Poker Gives.

June Field is the founder of CardPlayer magazine, which today has grown into one of the largest poker publications in the world. She is also the founder of CardPlayer Cruises and Classic Poker Cruises. Later in her career, she launched Poker Digest, which merged with Casino Player magazine. On starting up CardPlayer, Field commented in a press release distributed by the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, “I wanted a media vehicle that would be a reliable source for advertisers and readers alike. One they could turn to and find out what’s happening, where it’s happening, and who is making it happen.” On the poker felts, Field won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 1982 in a $500 buy-in Limit Seven Card Stud tournament for $16,000. Johnson was also at the final table of that tournament and took fourth.

Jan Fisher co-founded the Tournament Directors' Association (TDA) with Johnson, Matt Savage, and David Lamb. She is currently a partner in CardPlayer Cruises and authors the column “Fishing Around” for Poker Player Magazine. Fisher is extremely active in the poker community and sits on the Board of Directors of the Poker Players Alliance (the poker industry's main lobbying arm), Ladies Poker Association, and Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS). She gained notoriety by serving as the in-house statistician during the first six seasons of the World Poker Tour.

Cyndy Violette is a Full Tilt Poker sponsored pro and took down her first (and so far only) WSOP bracelet by winning a $2,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud High-Low Eight or Better tournament in 2004. Two years later, she took third in a $5,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud event for $102,000, outlasting all but Shawn Sheikhan and Benjamin Lin. In 2005, she made three final tables at the WSOP, earning her even more exposure.

On June 4th, a $230 buy-in tournament with $50 rebuys will take place at the Golden Nugget benefiting Poker Gives, a charity founded by Johnson, Fisher, Mike Sexton, and Lisa Tenner. The tournament will kick off promptly at 7:00pm local time. The next day at 6:00pm, Sexton, the Host of the World Poker Tour and a Guest Columnist right here on Poker News Daily, will emcee the induction ceremonies. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at the official website of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and include nominating rights for the 2010 class.

On Saturday, June 6th, LIPS will hold $175 satellites with winners getting their choice of entry into the Golden Nugget Grand Series event or the LIPS Championship in August. On Sunday, the $1,000 buy-in WSOP Ladies Only event kicks off at the Rio, one of 57 tournaments to be held as part of the 2009 WSOP. LIPS Championship entries will also be given out on Monday at an event at the Golden Nugget.