Poker News

Victory Poker Launches February 1st

One day prior to Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, officials from Victory Poker will celebrate the site’s launch at a party at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. The online poker room will open for business on February 1st.

Victory Poker will make its home on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, which has yet to take on an official name. According to PokerScout.com, the newly created network will boast traffic similar to that of Betfair, which has a seven-day running average of 610 real money ring game players. A press release announcing the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on February 6th revealed that the Victory Poker launch party would occur at 10:00pm following the festivities.

UFC’s Randy Couture will be sporting a Victory Poker logo when he takes to the ring in UFC 109 against Mark Coleman. The bout emanates from the Mandalay Bay Events Center near the Hard Rock and will also feature Nate Marquardt facing off against Chael Sonnen and Matt Serra fighting Frank Trigg. The first brawl takes place at 4:45pm, while televised matches start at 7:00pm. Couture will don a dot-net logo for the new online poker room.

Antonio Esfandiari headlines the Victory Poker stable of pros. A World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Esfandiari has become widely known for his insatiable appetite for prop bets. He even co-starred with his close friend Phil Laak on the MOJO show “I Bet You,” which ran for two seasons on the cable station. Esfandiari has three WPT final tables to his credit and one title, which came in the Season 2 L.A. Poker Classic. At the tender age of 31, Esfandiari is one of the veterans of the game.

Jumping over from DoylesRoom to be a part of Victory Poker is Alec “traheho” Torelli. The Cake Poker Network site and Torelli severed ties two weeks ago. Torelli has made two WPT final tables, finishing fourth in both the Bellagio Cup V and Solvakia events. The former will air its finale at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net this Sunday in a one-hour episode. Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten will once again provide commentary for Season 8 of the WPT.

Coming over from Full Tilt Poker are Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The latter was removed in recent days as a Full Tilt Red Pro and finished fourth in the WSOP Circuit Championship in Tunica four years ago for $183,000. In addition, Markholt won the WPT Season 6 World Poker Challenge in Reno for $493,000 and owns $1.3 million in career earnings from the roving tournament series. Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, earning a colossal $6.1 million.

Also appearing in the Victory Poker pro lineup is Chinese Poker sensation Danny Wong. Owning the moniker “Chinese Poker Wizard,” Wong learned to play the game’s variation at age five. Despite his success in Chinese Poker, he’s also excelled in No Limit Texas Hold’em, making three WPT final tables. Joining Wong will be online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast.

Those who watched the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN will recall the deep run of the “Flying” Bilzerian brothers. Dan Bilzerian, who finished 180th, will become part of the Victory Poker cast. In his final hand of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, Bilzerian committed his stack with A-6, but could not best Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo’s pocket tens. His brother, Adam Bilzerian, renounced his U.S. citizenship and is now a passport holder of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Other Victory Poker pros include Andrew "good2cu" Robl, Keith Gipson, David “The Maven” Chicotsky, Sander Lylloff., and 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood. The site is scheduled to launch on February 1st and will accept players from the United States.

The Trash Talk Championship is a $1,000 buy-in charity poker tournament benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program and Cedars-Sinai.

Cake Network Explodes with Unabomber Poker

With his trademark sweatshirt and sunglasses Laak is one of the most recognizable poker players in the world but has rarely had a major poker room sponsorship deal.

He mentioned he was thrilled to start Unabomber Poker.

“We knew we wanted to launch the sickest poker site possible," stated Laak.

"By joining a network that focuses on player rewards and accepts players world-wide we knew we would be starting out on the right track. I love getting involved from the ground up.”

Laak burst onto the poker scene by winning the WPT Celebrity Invitational in 2004 and has since made big scores at the WSOP, WPT and Poker After Dark.

The Irish-American most recently outlasted Luke “Full Flush” Schwartz, Mike Sexton and Andy Black to win the PartyPoker.com World Open V for $250,000.

Laak will blog regularly on the Unabomber Poker website.

“The addition for of Unabomber Poker to the Cake Network is cause for great excitement,” said a Cake Network spokesperson. “Phil’s enthusiasm for the game is infectious and brings great energy to the network.”

Cake Poker also launched seven other partner sites including 7Win Poker, Redback Poker, Amsterdams Poker, Safari Poker, Dime Line Sports, Rags2Riches and Burro Poker.

WPT Season 8 Debuts on Fox Sports Net

On Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) kicked off. Part one of the WPT Bellagio Cup V aired, featuring a talented final table headlined by Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel.

The show can be seen in high-definition where available and Full Tilt Poker sponsors the eighth season of the WPT. To close out 2009, Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, purchased the rights to the roving tournament series. A Full Tilt Poker logo once again was superimposed onto the center of the felt and numerous ads for the site and its main competitor, PokerStars, aired during the Fox Sports Net broadcast. Logos for WPT Boot Camp and WPT Mobile appeared on the inner rung of the table.

The flag of each player’s home country appeared in a graphic during player introductions and, as has been a staple of the WPT since it debuted in 2003, tournament facts, hand updates, and player nuggets appeared on the lower third of the screen. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka came into the Bellagio Cup V final table as the chip leader, with a $1.2 million grand prize on the line plus a $25,000 entry into the end-of-season WPT Championship. The Bellagio Cup V marked the 21st consecutive WPT tournament with a $1 million-plus first place prize at the famed Las Vegas casino.

Brazilian Alexandre Gomes, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, was quick to build his chip stack at the six-handed final table. Jaka raised it up to 65,000 pre-flop with 9-8 and Gomes made the call with 10-6 of diamonds from the big blind. The flop came Q-9-3, giving Jaka middle pair, and the action went check-check to a jack on the turn. Now sitting with an open-ended straight draw, Gomes bet 90,000 and Jaka called. The river was a deuce and, despite holding a busted draw, Gomes bet 110,000 and Jaka folded.

Seidel is the only player ever to cash in all eight seasons of the WPT and the Bellagio Cup marked his 18th in the money finish overall. Jaka, meanwhile, earned his moniker “The-Toilet” by commonly playing suited cards early on his career and making an inordinate number of flushes.

In a major hand, the two tangled with former DoylesRoom pro Alec “traheho” Torelli, who made it 75,000 pre-flop with A-5. Jaka called with A-J and Seidel came along with 10-9. The flop came 8-A-J, giving Jaka top two pair, but the action checked around. The turn was an eight, pairing the board, and Torelli led out for 100,000. Jaka and Seidel both called to see a seven hit on the river, giving Seidel a miracle straight. Jaka bet 200,000, Seidel made it 500,000, and everyone got out of the way.

Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, co-host of the WPT along with Vince Van Patten since Season 1, was once again able to interject strategy into the broadcast. Torelli flopped a set and checked, while Swedish pro Christoffer Sonesson bet 115,000 with top pair. Torelli raised to 305,000 and Sonesson promptly mucked, leaving Sexton to comment, “This hand is an example of why many top pros would say that when you flop a set, in the long-run, you’ll make more money by leading out and betting.”

In a key hand, Justin “Boosted J” Smith raised to 80,000 pre-flop with A-J and Seidel made the call with J-8 from the big blind. The flop came 8-K-A, giving each player a pair, and Seidel check-called a bet of 110,000. Both players checked a three on the turn to bring a king on the river. Seidel checked and Smith pushed all-in for 950,000 into a pot of just over 400,000. Seidel tanked for quite a while, Sexton pointed out the overbet, and Seidel finally folded.

Seidel bled even more chips after calling a raise by Jaka to 100,000 holding pocket nines. Jaka had K-10 and the flop came 3-10-K, giving him top two pair. Seidel checked, Jaka bet 135,000, Seidel raised it up to 375,000, and Jaka called after asking for a count. The turn was a four. Seidel fired again, this time 700,000, and Jaka called. Sexton noted, “The reason Erik is betting here is because his opponent didn’t re-raise him.” The river was a deuce. Seidel check-called a value bet of 500,000 and the 3.4 million chip pot was pushed towards Jaka.

WPT Season 8 can be seen on Sundays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for details.

WPT Season 8 Debuts on Fox Sports Net

On Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) kicked off. Part one of the WPT Bellagio Cup V aired, featuring a talented final table headlined by Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel.

The show can be seen in high-definition where available and Full Tilt Poker sponsors the eighth season of the WPT. To close out 2009, Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, purchased the rights to the roving tournament series. Nevertheless, a Full Tilt Poker logo once again was superimposed onto the center of the felt and numerous ads for the site and its main competitor, PokerStars, aired during the Fox Sports Net broadcast. Logos for WPT Boot Camp and WPT Mobile appeared on the inner rung of the table.

The flag of each player’s home country appeared in a graphic during player introductions and, as has been a staple of the WPT since it debuted in 2003, tournament facts, hand updates, and player nuggets appeared on the lower third of the screen. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka came into the Bellagio Cup V final table as the chip leader, with a $1.2 million grand prize on the line plus a $25,000 entry into the end-of-season WPT Championship. The Bellagio Cup V marked the 21st consecutive WPT tournament with a $1 million-plus first place prize at the famed Las Vegas casino.

Brazilian Alexandre Gomes, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, was quick to build his chip stack at the six-handed final table. Jaka raised it up to 65,000 pre-flop with 9-8 and Gomes made the call with 10-6 of diamonds from the big blind. The flop came Q-9-3, giving Jaka middle pair, and the action went check-check to a jack on the turn. Now with an open-ended straight draw, Gomes bet 90,000 and Jaka called. The river was a deuce and, despite holding a busted draw, Gomes bet 110,000 and Jaka folded.

Seidel is the only player ever to cash in all eight seasons of the WPT and the Bellagio Cup marked his 18th in the money finish overall. Jaka, meanwhile, earned his moniker “The-Toilet” by commonly playing suited cards early on his career and making an inordinate number of flushes.

In a major hand, the two tangled with former DoylesRoom pro Alec “traheho” Torelli, who made it 75,000 pre-flop with A-5. Jaka called with A-J and Seidel came along with 10-9. The flop came 8-A-J, giving Jaka top two pair, but the action checked around. The turn was an eight, pairing the board, and Torelli led out for 100,000. Jaka and Seidel both called to see a seven hit on the river, giving Seidel a miracle straight. Jaka bet 200,000, Seidel made it 500,000, and everyone got out of the way.

Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, co-host of the WPT along with Vince Van Patten since Season 1, was once again able to interject strategy into the broadcast. Torelli flopped a set and checked, while Swedish pro Christoffer Sonesson bet 115,000 with top pair. Torelli raised to 305,000 and Sonesson promptly mucked, leaving Sexton to comment, “This hand is an example of why many top pros would say that when you flop a set, in the long-run, you’ll make more money by leading out and betting.”

In a key hand, Justin “Boosted J” Smith raised to 80,000 pre-flop with A-J and Seidel made the call with J-8 from the big blind. The flop came 8-K-A, giving each player a pair, and Seidel check-called a bet of 110,000. Both players checked a three on the turn to bring a king on the river. Seidel checked and Smith pushed all-in for 950,000 into a pot of just over 400,000. Seidel tanked for quite a while, Sexton pointed out the overbet, and Seidel finally folded.

Seidel bled even more chips after calling a raise by Jaka to 100,000 holding pocket nines. Jaka had K-10 and the flop came 3-10-K, giving him top two pair. Seidel checked, Jaka bet 135,000, Seidel raised it up to 375,000, and Jaka called after asking for a count. The turn was a four. Seidel fired again, this time 700,000, and Jaka called. Sexton noted, “The reason Erik is betting here is because his opponent didn’t re-raise him.” The river was a deuce. Seidel check-called a value bet of 500,000 and the 3.4 million chip pot was pushed towards Jaka.

WPT Season 8 can be seen on Sundays at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for details.

Antanas “Tony G” Guoga Joins Team PartyPoker

Continuing to add to an already impressive lineup, it was announced early Thursday that top poker professional Antanas “Tony G” Guoga has signed a sponsorship deal with PartyPoker.

Guoga, who has been at the forefront of the international poker scene for the past decade, will make his first showing for Team PartyPoker at the Aussie Millions, which began today and is one of the top non-U.S. tournaments on the poker schedule. According to Guoga’s new blog at PartyPoker, he will be participating in the $100,000 Challenge tournament scheduled to start on January 23rd, which draws some of the toughest competition in the game today and features defending champion Howard Lederer. Tony G will also join fellow Team PartyPoker members Bodo Sbrzesny and defending Aussie Millions champion Stewart Scott along with 43 qualifiers from PartyPoker for the Aussie Millions Main Event. The AUD $10,000 tournament will feature three starting days that begin on January 24th and will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Net.

As a part of the new sponsorship deal, Guoga will also be part of one of PartyPoker’s upcoming special events, the PartyPoker.com Premier League IV. This invitation-only tournament is scheduled to take place in February in Las Vegas and includes a formidable lineup. Such players as former World Champion and 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, current World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, poker Triple Crown winner Roland De Wolfe, noted poker “bad boy” Luke ‘FullFlush’ Schwartz, and dangerous tournament pro J. C. Tran are scheduled to take to the felt, presenting Tony G with tremendously difficult opposition.

Guoga’s own online poker site, TonyGPoker.com, has been merged into the PartyPoker family. Those players who are a part of TonyGPoker.com will be moved to Noble Poker. Guoga will continue to be an integral part of his online promotions, such as the Sunday Bike Ride (moving to Noble Poker), and will play on PartyPoker under the name “TonyG.”

“We’re delighted to welcome Tony to Team PartyPoker,” a PartyGaming spokesman commented about the newest arrival to the organization. “Tony is undoubtedly one of poker’s biggest characters in the game and a personal deal for him made huge sense. We are also happy to have acquired the assets of TonyGPoker.com and look forward to welcoming his players on board.”

Guoga isn’t called “The Mouth From Down Under” for nothing. Known to dismiss his beaten opponents from the table with a curt “On Yer Bike!” Guoga has already issued a challenge for those PartyPoker members playing in the Aussie Millions. “If one of the Party qualifiers knocks me out of the Main Event, I will buy them a bike,” Guoga stated. “First of all, however, I will ride it out myself… I know when it is bike time!”

In his first blog entry on PartyPoker, Guoga also throws down the gauntlet against one of his Premier League IV foes. After speaking glowingly of Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and “High Stakes Poker” announcer Kara Scott, Tony G dropped the hammer on Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz: “He’s rude, obnoxious and I cannot wait to bust him up. This kid is not the kind of player you feel you can learn from – you just want to bust him.”

Guoga certainly has the ability to bust up many players at the table. His lifetime earnings at the tournament poker tables total nearly $4 million and include the WPT Bad Boys of Poker II championship in 2006. He was also the runner-up in the 2006 PartyPoker Intercontinental Poker Championship in Las Vegas and has cashed 15 times at the WSOP.

Famous for his mouth, it is Guoga’s philanthropic efforts that have earned him a great deal of respect from players and fans. After he won the first ever Asian Poker Tour (APT) event in Singapore in 2006, Tony G donated half the prize money to charity and, after taking down over $200,000 in a Moscow poker tournament in 2007, he turned over the entirety of his winnings to Russian orphanages.

With the addition of Guoga, Team PartyPoker is becoming a formidable challenge in the tournament poker world. After not sponsoring pros for much of its existence, PartyPoker has certainly drawn top talent to its roster. Along with Guoga, Sexton, Sbrzesny, and the two Scotts, other members of Team PartyPoker include France’s Remy Biechel, England’s Ian “The Raiser” Frazer, and Brazil’s Felipe "Mojave" Ramos.

Poker2Nite Previews WPT Season 8 on Fox Sports Net

On Wednesday’s installment of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite,” Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and Justin “Boosted J” Smith recapped a hand from the Bellagio Cup V. The tournament will kick off the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Fox Sports Net.

The WPT premieres on Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, with Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and former actor Vince Van Patten once again having the call from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Jaka and Smith finished second and third, respectively, in the event and tangled in a hand where Jaka held A-J and Smith had pocket deuces.

The duo broke down the hand over the course of a five-minute segment, with Jaka noting, “There’s so much information out there. People can figure it out just by studying it, but when you do something new that hasn’t been talked about over and over again, they don’t know what to do.” For example, Jaka led out with the best hand on the flop, electing not to check despite flopping a monster. Team PokerStars Pro member Alexandre Gomes ultimately took down the Bellagio Cup V Main Event to the tune of $1.2 million.

A new segment called “This Week in Side Action” recapped cross-booking between 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey and Team Full Tilt’s Tom “durrrr” Dwan. The “Poker2Nite Dictionary” defined cross-booking as, “When two players bet against each other by offering a percentage of any winnings.” Essentially, one player would have to pay the other half of what they cashed for. In this case, Dwan came up empty-handed after busting on Day 2 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, while Ivey cashed for $23,500. Consequently, Dwan paid “The Tiger Woods of Poker” $11,750. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok added that the $23,500 payday did not cover Ivey’s 10-day stay in a suite at Atlantis.

“Poker2Nite” roving reporter and Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones scoped out the brand new 18-table poker room at Aria, which is part of Las Vegas’ CityCenter. Aria Poker Room Manager Adam Altweis, who previously sat down with Poker News Daily in an exclusive interview, told Jones, “Our high-level executives really put forth a big effort. The room was made for the player.” The Aria poker room features direct access to the poker cage and may soon sport Ivey’s Room, a nosebleed-stakes table surrounded by glass similar to Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio.

Sebok had already had a chance to check out the brand new digs at Aria and told his “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff, “I was there on opening night and it’s spectacular.” On the prospect of Ivey’s Room coming to fruition, Sebok speculated, “I don’t even think those talks happened.” Only time will tell. Following the Aria segment was Isaac Haxton discussing a hand against Ryan Daut during the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Daut won $1.5 million for taking down the WPT tournament.

Dana Workman dished out the “Weekly Misdeal” sponsored by Bluff Magazine, which offers a satirical look at the week’s poker headlines. This week, Workman poked fun at the proposed New Jersey intrastate internet gambling bill, the 2010 WSOP rules governing Twitter use and player hygiene, and 2009 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada playing in the same celebrity basketball game as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.

Finally, “Poker2Nite” previewed the finale of the Absolute Poker College Challenge, which will see players vie for $10,000 in college tuition. The final table will be streamed live online. Highlights will be shown next Wednesday at 11:00pm ET, when the next new episode of UB.com’s “Poker2Nite” will air on Fox Sports Net.

Poker2Nite Previews WPT Season 8 on Fox Sports Net

On Wednesday’s installment of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite,” Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and Justin “Boosted J” Smith recapped a hand from the Bellagio Cup V. The tournament will kick off the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Fox Sports Net.

The WPT premieres on Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, with Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and former actor Vince Van Patten once again having the call from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Jaka and Smith finished second and third, respectively, in the event and tangled in a hand where Jaka held A-J and Smith had pocket deuces.

The duo broke down the hand over the course of a five-minute segment, with Jaka noting, “There’s so much information out there. People can figure it out just by studying it, but when you do something new that hasn’t been talked about over and over again, they don’t know what to do.” For example, Jaka led out with the best hand on the flop, electing not to check despite flopping a monster. Team PokerStars Pro member Alexandre Gomes ultimately took down the Bellagio Cup V Main Event to the tune of $1.2 million.

A new segment called “This Week in Side Action” recapped cross-booking between 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey and Team Full Tilt’s Tom “durrrr” Dwan. The “Poker2Nite Dictionary” defined cross-booking as, “When two players bet against each other by offering a percentage of any winnings.” Essentially, one player would have to pay the other half of what they cashed for. In this case, Dwan came up empty-handed after busting on Day 2 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, while Ivey cashed for $23,500. Consequently, Dwan paid “The Tiger Woods of Poker” $11,750. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok added that the $23,500 payday did not cover Ivey’s 10-day stay in a suite at Atlantis.

“Poker2Nite” roving reporter and Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones scoped out the brand new 18-table poker room at Aria, which is part of Las Vegas’ CityCenter. Aria Poker Room Manager Adam Altweis, who previously sat down with Poker News Daily in an exclusive interview, told Jones, “Our high-level executives really put forth a big effort. The room was made for the player.” The Aria poker room features direct access to the poker cage and may soon sport Ivey’s Room, a nosebleed-stakes table surrounded by glass similar to Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio.

Sebok had already had a chance to check out the brand new digs at Aria and told his “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff, “I was there on opening night and it’s spectacular.” On the prospect of Ivey’s Room coming to fruition, Sebok speculated, “I don’t even think those talks happened.” Only time will tell. Following the Aria segment was Isaac Haxton discussing a hand against Ryan Daut during the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Daut won $1.5 million for taking down the WPT tournament.

Dana Workman dished out the “Weekly Misdeal” sponsored by Bluff Magazine, which offers a satirical look at the week’s poker headlines. This week, Workman poked fun at the proposed New Jersey intrastate internet gambling bill, the 2010 WSOP rules governing Twitter use and player hygiene, and 2009 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada playing in the same celebrity basketball game as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.

Finally, “Poker2Nite” previewed the finale of the Absolute Poker College Challenge, which will see players vie for $10,000 in college tuition. The final table will be streamed live online. Highlights will be shown next Wednesday at 11:00pm ET, when the next new episode of UB.com’s “Poker2Nite” will air on Fox Sports Net.

Poker2Nite Previews WPT Season 8 on Fox Sports Net

On Wednesday’s installment of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite,” Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and Justin “Boosted J” Smith recapped a hand from the Bellagio Cup V. The tournament will kick off the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Fox Sports Net.

The WPT premieres on Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, with Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and former actor Vince Van Patten once again having the call from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Jaka and Smith finished second and third, respectively, in the event and tangled in a hand where Jaka held A-J and Smith had pocket deuces.

The duo broke down the hand over the course of a five-minute segment, with Jaka noting, “There’s so much information out there. People can figure it out just by studying it, but when you do something new that hasn’t been talked about over and over again, they don’t know what to do.” For example, Jaka led out with the best hand on the flop, electing not to check despite flopping a monster. Team PokerStars Pro member Alexandre Gomes ultimately took down the Bellagio Cup V Main Event to the tune of $1.2 million.

A new segment called “This Week in Side Action” recapped cross-booking between 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey and Team Full Tilt’s Tom “durrrr” Dwan. The “Poker2Nite Dictionary” defined cross-booking as, “When two players bet against each other by offering a percentage of any winnings.” Essentially, one player would have to pay the other half of what they cashed for. In this case, Dwan came up empty-handed after busting on Day 2 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, while Ivey cashed for $23,500. Consequently, Dwan paid “The Tiger Woods of Poker” $11,750. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok added that the $23,500 payday did not cover Ivey’s 10-day stay in a suite at Atlantis.

“Poker2Nite” roving reporter and Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones scoped out the brand new 18-table poker room at Aria, which is part of Las Vegas’ CityCenter. Aria Poker Room Manager Adam Altweis, who previously sat down with Poker News Daily in an exclusive interview, told Jones, “Our high-level executives really put forth a big effort. The room was made for the player.” The Aria poker room features direct access to the poker cage and may soon sport Ivey’s Room, a nosebleed-stakes table surrounded by glass similar to Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio.

Sebok had already had a chance to check out the brand new digs at Aria and told his “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff, “I was there on opening night and it’s spectacular.” On the prospect of Ivey’s Room coming to fruition, Sebok speculated, “I don’t even think those talks happened.” Only time will tell. Following the Aria segment was Isaac Haxton discussing a hand against Ryan Daut during the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Daut won $1.5 million for taking down the WPT tournament.

Dana Workman dished out the “Weekly Misdeal” sponsored by Bluff Magazine, which offers a satirical look at the week’s poker headlines. This week, Workman poked fun at the proposed New Jersey intrastate internet gambling bill, the 2010 WSOP rules governing Twitter use and player hygiene, and 2009 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada playing in the same celebrity basketball game as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.

Finally, “Poker2Nite” previewed the finale of the Absolute Poker College Challenge, which will see players vie for $10,000 in college tuition. The final table will be streamed live online. Highlights will be shown next Wednesday at 11:00pm ET, when the next new episode of UB.com’s “Poker2Nite” will air on Fox Sports Net.

Poker2Nite Previews WPT Season 8 on Fox Sports Net

On Wednesday’s installment of the Fox Sports Net poker news show “Poker2Nite,” Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka and Justin “Boosted J” Smith recapped a hand from the Bellagio Cup V. The tournament will kick off the eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Fox Sports Net.

The WPT premieres on Sunday night at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net, with Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and former actor Vince Van Patten once again having the call from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Jaka and Smith finished second and third, respectively, in the event and tangled in a hand where Jaka held A-J and Smith had pocket deuces.

The duo broke down the hand over the course of a five-minute segment, with Jaka noting, “There’s so much information out there. People can figure it out just by studying it, but when you do something new that hasn’t been talked about over and over again, they don’t know what to do.” For example, Jaka led out with the best hand on the flop, electing not to check despite flopping a monster. Team PokerStars Pro member Alexandre Gomes ultimately took down the Bellagio Cup V Main Event to the tune of $1.2 million.

A new segment called “This Week in Side Action” recapped cross-booking between 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey and Team Full Tilt’s Tom “durrrr” Dwan. The “Poker2Nite Dictionary” defined cross-booking as, “When two players bet against each other by offering a percentage of any winnings.” Essentially, one player would have to pay the other half of what they cashed for. In this case, Dwan came up empty-handed after busting on Day 2 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, while Ivey cashed for $23,500. Consequently, Dwan paid “The Tiger Woods of Poker” $11,750. “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok added that the $23,500 payday did not cover Ivey’s 10-day stay in a suite at Atlantis.

“Poker2Nite” roving reporter and Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones scoped out the brand new 18-table poker room at Aria, which is part of Las Vegas’ CityCenter. Aria Poker Room Manager Adam Altweis, who previously sat down with Poker News Daily in an exclusive interview, told Jones, “Our high-level executives really put forth a big effort. The room was made for the player.” The Aria poker room features direct access to the poker cage and may soon sport Ivey’s Room, a nosebleed-stakes table surrounded by glass similar to Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio.

Sebok had already had a chance to check out the brand new digs at Aria and told his “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff, “I was there on opening night and it’s spectacular.” On the prospect of Ivey’s Room coming to fruition, Sebok speculated, “I don’t even think those talks happened.” Only time will tell. Following the Aria segment was Isaac Haxton discussing a hand against Ryan Daut during the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Daut won $1.5 million for taking down the WPT tournament.

Dana Workman dished out the “Weekly Misdeal” sponsored by Bluff Magazine, which offers a satirical look at the week’s poker headlines. This week, Workman poked fun at the proposed New Jersey intrastate internet gambling bill, the 2010 WSOP rules governing Twitter use and player hygiene, and 2009 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada playing in the same celebrity basketball game as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.

Finally, “Poker2Nite” previewed the finale of the Absolute Poker College Challenge, which will see players vie for $10,000 in college tuition. The final table will be streamed live online. Highlights will be shown next Wednesday at 11:00pm ET, when the next new episode of UB.com’s “Poker2Nite” will air on Fox Sports Net.

PartyPoker Adds Tony G

Famed loudmouth Tony G will bring his abrasive style of poker to a team that already includes Mike Sexton, Ian Frazer, Bodo Sbrzesny, Remy Biechel, Stewart Scott, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos and the recently signed Kara Scott.

Tony G will make his PartyPoker debut at the upcoming 2010 Aussie Millions.

“I cannot wait to start playing for Team Party on the circuit,” said Tony G. “I’ve always loved Party and what better way to kick off than at the Aussie Millions. I am also really excited about the Premier League in February - it is the best event in poker in my eyes.”

Tony G has been one of the hottest players in the Premier League’s recent events with a second and third place finish.

As part of the deal with PartyPoker, Tony G’s signature poker site TonyGPoker.com, will be moved to the PartyPoker-owned Noble Poker. The transfer should be relatively painless as both sites are on the iPoker network.

“We are delighted to welcome Tony to Team Party,” said a PartyGaming spokesman. “Tony is undoubtedly one of poker’s biggest characters in the game – a personal deal for him made huge sense. We are also happy to have acquired the assets of TonyGPoker.com and look forward to welcoming his players aboard."

Born as Antanas Guoga in Lithania, Tony G moved to Melbourne, Australia, when he was 11 and began playing poker at the age of 18.

Tony G quickly built a reputation for aggressive play and trash talk at the tables. In 2003, Tony G made the final table of the WPT Euro Finals of Poker in Paris, which established him as an upcoming player to watch.

Since then Tony G has accumulated nearly $4 million in tournament earnings with large scores at the Asian Poker Tour, WPT, WSOP and PartyPoker World Open.

In 2007 Tony G won the Moscow Million for $205,000 and donated the entire first place prize to Russian orphanages.

Kara Scott Joins PartyPoker

The Canadian will join Mike Sexton, Remy Biechel, Ian Frazer, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Stewart Scott and Bodo Sbrzesny as a full-fledged member of Team Party.

“I’ve had such a positive experience in poker and have been incredibly lucky as well,” she said. “Being asked to be a part of Team Party is a real rush and I’m so honored. I just hope I can do them proud.”

Although she was born in Alberta, Canada, Scott rose to fame in England where she became one of the main hosts of the award-winning show Poker Night Live.

She went on to host the popular PokerStars European Poker Tour and most recently provided the commentary on the latest season of High Stakes Poker on GSN, which is set to air later this year.

While she will play tournaments patched by PartyPoker, Scott will continue her television work as well.

“They understand that while I absolutely love playing poker and am really stoked about playing more big live events and working on improving my game, my actual job is TV presenting,” she explained. “It was really gratifying that they feel I’ll bring value to their team as both a player and a TV presenter.”

Ironically, it was a PartyPoker event that gave Scott one of her first big breaks when it came to actually playing the game.

“When I started playing poker a few years ago I was lucky to get asked to be on a couple of Party Poker’s UK TV tournaments and had my first big cash, and win, with their Sports Stars Challenge III,” she said. “It seemed like a natural progression for me to get involved with them now, particularly as I’ll be spending a lot of time in Canada.”

After winning the Sports Star Challenge III, Scott went on to make deep runs at the WSOP Main Event in back to back years. She finished 104^th for $41,816 in 2008 and 238^th for $32,963 in 2009.

In 2009, she also had her biggest score ever at the Irish Open where she outlasted 798 players before eventually falling to Christer Johansson heads-up. She earned €312,600 for second place.

In her relatively short span of playing high buy-in events, Scott has won $557,902, which places her 24^th on the all-time women’s tournament money list.

“Kara is a great signing and we are really looking forward to working with her,” said a PartyPoker spokesman.

“She has historic links with PartyPoker.com after taking down the Sports Stars Challenge III and we have been super impressed by her progress since then. As well as being a great presenter, Kara is also a fantastic player with great results and the potential to go even further. We are excited about this new relationship.”

As part of the deal, Scott will play tournaments around the world and act as a presenter for the Premier League when it moves to Vegas for the first time in February. She will also represent PartyPoker at a number of Canadian Poker Tour events.

Kara Scott Joins PartyPoker

The Canadian will join Mike Sexton, Remy Biechel, Ian Frazer, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Stewart Scott and Bodo Sbrzesny as a full-fledged member of Team Party.

“I’ve had such a positive experience in poker and have been incredibly lucky as well,” she said. “Being asked to be a part of Team Party is a real rush and I’m so honored. I just hope I can do them proud.”

Although she was born in Alberta, Canada, Scott rose to fame in England where she became one of the main hosts of the award-winning show Poker Night Live.

She went on to host the popular PokerStars European Poker Tour and most recently provided the commentary on the latest season of High Stakes Poker on GSN, which is set to air later this year.

While she will play tournaments patched by PartyPoker, Scott will continue her television work as well.

“They understand that while I absolutely love playing poker and am really stoked about playing more big live events and working on improving my game, my actual job is TV presenting,” she explained. “It was really gratifying that they feel I’ll bring value to their team as both a player and a TV presenter.”

Ironically, it was a PartyPoker event that gave Scott one of her first big breaks when it came to actually playing the game.

“When I started playing poker a few years ago I was lucky to get asked to be on a couple of Party Poker’s UK TV tournaments and had my first big cash, and win, with their Sports Stars Challenge III,” she said. “It seemed like a natural progression for me to get involved with them now, particularly as I’ll be spending a lot of time in Canada.”

After winning the Sports Star Challenge III, Scott went on to make deep runs at the WSOP Main Event in back to back years. She finished 104^th for $41,816 in 2008 and 238^th for $32,963 in 2009.

In 2009, she also had her biggest score ever at the Irish Open where she outlasted 798 players before eventually falling to Christer Johansson heads-up. She earned €312,600 for second place.

In her relatively short span of playing high buy-in events, Scott has won $557,902, which places her 24^th on the all-time women’s tournament money list.

“Kara is a great signing and we are really looking forward to working with her,” said a PartyPoker spokesman.

“She has historic links with PartyPoker.com after taking down the Sports Stars Challenge III and we have been super impressed by her progress since then. As well as being a great presenter, Kara is also a fantastic player with great results and the potential to go even further. We are excited about this new relationship.”

As part of the deal, Scott will play tournaments around the world and act as a presenter for the Premier League when it moves to Vegas for the first time in February. She will also represent PartyPoker at a number of Canadian Poker Tour events.

PokerStars Announces North American Poker Tour

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel Negreanu Sets Poker Goals for 2010

In a recent post on his blog, Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu outlined eight goals he is aiming to accomplish before the year draws to a close.  These range from collecting $1 million in tournament earnings to making big strides in his self-imposed bankroll challenge.  While lofty, several of the goals seem manageable considering Negreanu’s impeccable career track and even he admits that if he has completed five of his goals by this time next year, he will be more than satisfied with his efforts.

Negreanu’s first goal, to win $1 million in 2010, seems more than feasible considering his track record.  He’s racked up seven-figures in tournament winnings four of the past six years, falling short in only 2005 and 2007.  Last year, he won just over $1.2 million, most of which came from his runner-up showing at this year’s World Series of Poker Europe (WSOP) Europe Main Event, worth $807,148.

Money plays a role in Negreanu’s second goal as well: to retain his spot atop the all-time money leader list.  He came close to losing the title back in November when his friend and fellow pro Phil Ivey made it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event, but his seventh place showing was not enough to surpass Negreanu, who has $12.4 in poker tournament winnings to his credit.  Similarly, Negreanu also hopes to retain his spot as the biggest winner in World Poker Tour (WPT) history, with $5.5 million in career winnings.

Negreanu had several impressive showings in 2009, including a quarterfinal appearance at the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, his WSOP Europe Main Event runner-up finish, and two WSOP final tables, but was lacking any outright wins.  Negreanu hopes to change that this year and has his sights set on one major tour win as well as two WSOP bracelets.

In addition to the bracelets, Negreanu also plans to rack up several cashes at this year’s WSOP in order to make it to #12 on the all-time cash list for the series.  He is currently sitting at 16th, but according to his estimations, seven cashes would propel him past some of the players ahead of him like Thor Hansen and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton.

Negreanu also wants to move up on the all-time WSOP money earners list, where he currently sits in 28th place.  With such big paydays for Main Event winners, final table members, and those who take down the high buy-in events, there is not a lot of room to maneuver.  Negreanu is setting his sights small and hopes to move up to 25th.

Finally, the affable poker pro laid out his plans for his ongoing bankroll challenge.  Akin to Chris “Jesus” Ferguson’s quest to go from nothing to $50,000, Negreanu is in the process of turning $10 into $100,000 playing No Limit Hold’em cash games on PokerStars.  To date, Negreanu has around $175 to his credit and is playing at the $0.10/$0.25 level, but he is hoping to work his way up to $3/$6 before the year is over.

Negreanu is currently playing the Main Event of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas, where he stands a chance of improving upon or completing at least a couple goals on his list.

WPT Season VIII Debuts This Month

The season will include 26 episodes with stops in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Los Angeles, San Jose, Biloxi, Lawrenceburg and Foxwoods.

“We’re excited to bring a new season of WPT events to our regional sports network,” said David Sussin, vice president of programming at FSN. “The drama of high stakes poker continues to connect to our audience of sports fan.”

Hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will be returning to call the action in a memorable season of the WPT, which has already seen big wins recorded by Prahlad Friedman, Alexandre Gomes, Tommy Vedes and Daniel Alaei.

All 26 episodes will be sponsored by FullTiltPoker.net and every episode will be shown in high definition for the first time ever.

Viewers will see each final table unfold over two one-hour episodes, which will be shown at 11 p.m. every Sunday after Jan. 24.

Check your local listings for more information.

Timoshenko Added to Premier League Roster

“It is fantastic to be invited and I'm very happy to be competing in this tournament against the world’s best,” said Timoshenko, who joins an elite list of competing players that includes 2008 winner J.C. Tran and PartyPoker spokesperson Mike Sexton.

“He has completely taken the poker world by storm,” Sexton said of the Washington State resident who won the WPT Championship in Season 7. “I think he is an excellent addition to the Premier League line-up.”

The chance for one PartyPoker qualifier to join Timoshenko at the $1.5 million event in Las Vegas this February still exists, with PartyPoker moving its final main $450+$30 online qualifier ahead one week to this Sunday Jan. 10 at 3:20 ET.

A total of 16 qualifiers will all fly out to Las Vegas to play in a Premier League Poker play-off to see which one of the 16 will join the line-up of 11 pros at Premier League Poker IV.

One of those players will also be chosen by PartyPoker to receive a $100,000 Team Party sponsorship within two weeks of the event. Some country specific satellites also remain available Sunday Jan. 17 under the “specials” tab in the PartyPoker lobby.

PartyPoker Starts 2010 LAPC Qualifiers

The main $750 buy-in weekly qualifiers take place every Sunday at 14:15 ET with a $14,000 package up for grabs.

The package includes the $10,000 buy-in, seven nights' accomodation and $2,500 in spending money.

If a PartyPoker player wins the LAPC, the company will award $500,000 to that player and $500,000 spread between the players who qualified on PartyPoker, no matter where they finished.

“The PartyPoker.com packages are amazingly appealing to anybody who wants to attend the LA Poker Classic,” said PartyPoker.com spokesman Mike Sexton.

“The $1 million payout if an online qualifier takes down the main event offers superb extra value. Imagine if you bust out really early and then one of your fellow qualifiers went on to win, you’d still go home with your share of $500,000.”

The promotion marks one of the first collaborations between PartyPoker and the WPT since it was announced PartyGaming would buy the tour late last year.

The LAPC is the most prestigious poker tournament in L.A. and former winners include Phil Ivey, Michael Mizrachi and Antonio Esfandiari. Last year Cornel Cimpan outlasted 695 players and a final table that included Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers to win $1.6 million.

The $10,000 main event of the 2010 WPT LAPC will take place Feb. 26-March 4.

Visit the PartyPoker website to learn more about the LAPC promotion.

South Carolina Attorney General Appeals Poker Skill Game Ruling

The fight for five poker players in South Carolina is far from over. According to the Associated Press, the state’s Attorney General will appeal the October ruling that Texas Hold’em, the world’s premier poker genre, is a skill game.

It’s a familiar debate as the poker industry enters 2010. Is Texas Hold’em a game of skill or is it ultimately determined by chance? South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster filed an appeal with the state’s Supreme Court, the Associated Press explained on Thursday: “McMaster's appeal says he doesn't think whether there is skill or just chance involved has anything to do with lawmakers' attempt to ban gambling. The attorney general skipped the Court of Appeals and filed with the state Supreme Court, saying the question deals with the constitution's wording on gambling.”

Five poker players were charged in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina back in 2006. According to the favorable ruling by Judge Markley Dennis in October, the buy-ins for a weekly home game in the South Carolina town varied between $5 and $20. The small blind was $0.25 and the big blind was $0.50, with pots ranging between $5 and $10. Fifty cents was taken from several pots in order to provide food and drink for players, but the “house” did not profit from the game.

The game got ugly on April 12th, 2006, when police officers raided it and began arresting participants on the grounds that they were playing in a “house used as a place of gambling.” The defendants, under the guidance of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), argued that poker is a game of skill, not chance, and therefore did not constitute illegal gambling. The trial court heard the case in February, which featured World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton recap hands played on the roving tournament series to demonstrate poker’s skill component.

Dr. Robert Hannum was also brought in to testify last February. The October ruling explains, “Dr. Hannum also testified that a statistical analysis of professional poker players demonstrated that past performance was a reliable indicator of future success, establishing that the skill of the player was the predominant factor in determining wins and losses.” The lower court ruled that poker was a game of skill. However, because South Carolina’s laws were vague on whether that mattered, the five defendants were found guilty.

An appeal was filed, setting up October’s ruling. Judge Dennis candidly explained, “This Court agrees with Appellants that the South Carolina Supreme Court, if faced with the question, would adopt the dominant factor test for the purpose of defining gambling.” He added, “It should also be noted that the South Carolina Attorney General has consistently applied the dominant factor test when providing opinions about whether certain activities are legal.”

Judge Dennis harped on the overwhelmingly broad nature of South Carolina’s gambling statute, which could be construed to mean that nearly any game played with cards or dice is illegal. Judge Dennis specifically called out Bunco, Go Fish, and Solitaire as possible infractions of state law, saying, “Simply put, [the law], as written, has the potential to make criminals of virtually every man, woman, and child in the state of South Carolina.” Twenty of the original defendants pled guilty to gambling charges, while five fought against the state.

According to the Charleston Post and Courier newspaper, the filing by the Attorney General was 57 pages long and McMaster is a Republican candidate for Governor. The Courier revealed, “No timetable has been set on when the case will be heard, and more rounds of legal filings are expected. The legislature is expected to take up a bill legalizing social card games next year.”

Poker Community Makes New Year’s Resolutions for 2010

As the new year begins, people are beginning to think about their goals for 2010 and, in this instance, the next decade.  Generally, people have a hard time following through with their New Year’s resolutions after the first or second week of January, but there are a few poker players out there who have set goals for 2010 and seem intent on seeing them through to completion.

One such goal-setter is Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu.  He dedicated an entire blog entry to his eight poker goals for the year.  Several center on moving up or maintaining his spot on various records lists, including all-time money earners and most World Series of Poker (WSOP) cashes.  Negreanu currently holds the top spot on the all-time money earners list with $12,427,047, but Phil Ivey is nipping at his heels with $12,236,714.  As for career WSOP cashes, Negreanu is currently 16th on that list with 43 cashes.  In his blog, the poker pro said he’d like to pass Mike Sexton and Thor Hansen to move up to 12th, but thinks he’ll have to rack up around seven cashes in order to achieve his goal.

He also set his sights on a number of accolades, including two WSOP bracelets and a win on one of the major poker tours.  Negreanu currently has two World Poker Tour (WPT) titles and four WSOP bracelets to his credit, but is clamoring for more.  He is also looking to move up in stakes in his personal challenge to turn $10 into $100,000.  Negreanu has worked his way up to the $0.10/$0.25 level and has a bankroll of just under $200, but he hopes to be up to $3/$6 by the time 2011 rolls around.

Full Tilt Red Pro Jeff Madsen’s goals for 2010 may not be as detailed as Negreanu’s, but a recent post in his PokerRoad blog indicated some of the things he’d like to accomplish in the next 365 days: “This year, I will figure out if being single is something I should stick to, I’ll finish my poker book like I say every year, I will improve my rapping hopefully, win a bracelet or WPT or both hopefully…  In the end, I hope it just goes as well as it can.  It’s all love,” wrote Madsen.

Fans of Madsen’s video blogs were likely happy to hear that the 24 year-old is still focused on his rhyming skills, as his raps have developed a loyal following among poker fans.  His most recent installment featured a guest appearance from poker pro Layne Flack and Madsen indicated that the new “guest format” might be something he’ll be doing again in the future.

“Hollywood” Dave Stann also set some goals for the year in his blog, both personal and professional.  In addition to taking better care of himself, Stann is also aiming to reduce his stress levels and increase his confidence in 2010.

Not everyone is keen on making New Year’s promises and setting goals for the next decade, though.  Online poker pro Jon Wein told Poker News Daily that he hasn’t made any resolutions for the new year.  UB.com pro Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin isn’t looking towards 2010 just yet either, as he is still relishing his achievements in 2009, including being named CardPlayer Magazine’s Player of the Year.  Baldwin posted his thoughts on his Twitter account (@basebaldy) early Thursday morning: “Can we run 2009 again at midnight please? What a great year. Excited to make 2010 just as fun.”

Mike Sexton Tall Tales by Linda Johnson

I’ve had lots of highlights in my poker career, but attending the dinner and ceremony during which Mike Sexton was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame is certainly among the highest. By now, I’m sure you know that Sexton was the only one who got inducted this year. If I were a betting woman, I’d bet that he got the nod from 100% of the voting media and living Hall of Fame members.

I was thrilled for Mike and honored when he called to let me know that he was the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee. The night before the induction, I went to a private party at Mike’s house. Tales from Mike’s earlier days were being tossed about and this one was my favorite. When Mike was fairly new to Las Vegas, his longtime relationship with Chip Reese and Danny Robinson led to him hang out with many of the high-limit players at that time.

He met Puggy Pearson through Chip and Danny. Puggy was a “hustler” and eventually Mike and he made arrangements to play backgammon at a local bar for some fairly high stakes. By the time they actually played, Mike was, as he said, “between bankrolls.” He was a bit concerned that there might be some trouble if he lost because he couldn’t pay Puggy that night, so he asked his brother Tom to go with him in case things got out of hand. Puggy won the first few matches and had Mike stuck about $1,000. Puggy then said, “Son, I think we should settle up every time the figure gets to be $1,000, so pay me now and then we can continue to play.” Uh-oh… bad beat for Mike!

He looked at Puggy and said, “Well, I hate to say this, but I didn’t bring any money with me tonight. You know I’m good for it though.” Puggy then glared at Mike for about two minutes before breaking out into laughter. “What’s so funny?” asked Mike. Puggy replied, “Well son, I didn’t know what to do if I lost. I didn’t bring any money either.”

We swapped Sexton stories. I recalled the most exciting bet I’d ever been involved in: In 1998, Sexton, Bonnie Damiano, Jan Fisher, and I made a $5,000 bet with Erik Seidel that we could pick the winner of the WSOP Main Event if we got to choose 60 players. Erik would get the field versus our 60 players. Additionally, he was allowed to select 10 players that would be considered neutral, so if any of those people won, the bet would be a push.

This was a huge bet for us at the time, so Bonnie, Mike, Jan, and I met every day during the WSOP to modify our list. We would add players based on who was playing well and delete names of those who were having personal problems, money problems, doing drugs, etc. The final list that we turned in to Erik on the morning before the Main Event started looked nothing like the list we had originally concocted. To our dismay, there was a large number of entrants that year, 350 to be exact, which meant that after ruling out ten neutral players, we had 60 players against Erik’s 280.

Our dismay turned to joy as the field narrowed. We were already counting our winnings because there was one spoiler for us, Kevin McBride, who no one had even heard of before the final event. T.J. Cloutier was at the final table, but was a neutral player, so if he won, the bet would be a push. We had Scotty Nguyen, Lee Salem, and Dewey Weum on our list. I give Mike extreme credit for such great handicapping since back in those days, no one would have picked those three guys. When we heard Scotty’s words, “Call this baby and it’s all over,” it was music to our ears!

The Rio hosted a first-class affair for Mike’s induction. The decorations and the food in the Brasilia Room were impressive. Mike’s wife, Karen, and his 16-month old, Ty, were there as well as a veritable "who’s who" of poker.

In Mike’s acceptance speech, he credited the eight other nominees and then thanked some people who had helped him along in his career. Mike acknowledged that I was the one who gave him his start when I hired him to write a column for CardPlayer. That gave him exposure to the world, which ended up in him getting a call from Ruth Parisol to come help to India to help get an online site off the ground. That company turned out to be Party Gaming, which eventually sold for about $9 billion when it went public.

What Mike didn’t mention on his special night was that in the beginning, PartyPoker wasn’t all roses. Mike had encouraged PartyPoker to hire me as one of its spokespeople to add credibility to the site. Party definitely needed that credibility since there were problems with the software in the early stages. Mike and I went on public forums to soothe the naysayers and encouraged everyone to trust the site and give it time to fix the glitches. The players hung in there and the software became the best at that time.

Next, Mike came up with the idea for the PartyPoker Million. He had a vision that called for players to qualify online in $22 buy-in tournaments and then those players would win a cabin on a cruise ship and a shot at a $1 million prize pool. The only problem was that he needed someone to guarantee the $1 million. Card Player Cruises stepped up to the plate and made the guarantee. My word that the money would be paid was good enough to get lots of players to qualify. Unfortunately, not enough players qualified, so Card Player Cruises had to make up the $400,000 deficit. The Party Poker Million cruise launched with Kathy Liebert winning the first event.

Mike told some great stories at his induction and as usual, the audience was mesmerized.  I’ve known Mike for 20 years and cherish our friendship. Way to go, Mike!

PartyPoker Cash Machine Returns, Features Booster Bonus

In January, PartyPoker, one of the world’s longstanding online poker sites, returns the popular Cash Machine promotion. This time, hardcore grinders will earn additional cash as part of a Booster Bonus.

The Cash Machine promotion last ran during the month of September and shelled out a bevy of added funds to PartyPoker players. The promotion returns on January 4th and will run through the end of the month. All players have to do is earn 10 or more PartyPoints on at least 10 days during the 28-day period. Then, PartyPoker officials will take a look at the PartyPoint totals of the 10 highest-earning days and match the lowest one at the rate of $1 per point.

As an example, if a player’s 10 highest PartyPoint total days were 100, 100, 100, 150, 150, 150, 200, 200, 200, and 200, PartyPoker would award a $100 cash bonus, matching the lowest amount. The minimum payout is $10 and there is no maximum amount that PartyPoker will match. For those players who are unable to meet the $10 minimum, a generous consolation prize exists. Text found on PartyPoker’s website explains, “If you can achieve 10 qualifying days of one PartyPoint or more, but fail to earn the minimum cash reward, we’ll give you a seat in our $25,000 Cash Machine freeroll, which takes place at 15:00 ET on Wednesday, 3rd February.”

The Cash Machine Booster Bonus is available to players who earn at least 1,000 PartyPoints per day on 20 out of the 28 days of the promotion. Players who earn between 1,000 and 1,500 PartyPoints for 20 days will earn a $500 Booster Bonus. Players who rack up between 1,500 and 2,000 PartyPoints for 20 days will get a $1,100 Booster Bonus. Players who amass between 2,000 and 2,500 PartyPoints for 20 days will take home a $2,000 Booster Bonus. Players who earn between 2,500 and 3,000 PartyPoints will receive a $3,000 Booster Bonus and those able to surpass 3,000 PartyPoints for 20 days will nab a colossal $5,000 Booster Bonus.

The Cash Machine is an opt-in promotion and players can register for it at any time prior to its conclusion. Once they opt in, PartyPoker will credit players with all PartyPoints earned during the 28 days, regardless of when they sign up. Each qualifying day runs from 00:00 ET to 23:59 ET and days do not have to be consecutive in order to count. All funds earned will be dropped into players’ accounts within 48 hours of the Cash Machine promotion ending.

One day prior to the Cash Machine promotion kicking off, the PartyPoker Monthly Million will play out. The $640 buy-in tournament takes place on the first Sunday of every month and boasts a Championship blind structure. Players begin with 20,000 chips and blinds start at 25-50. The price of poker increases every 20 minutes and antes kick in at Level 6, when blinds are 250-500.

Qualifiers for the Monthly Million run constantly on PartyPoker. Popular ways to enter include a daily Monthly Million Qualifier, a $70 buy-in satellite with at least 19 seats on the line. A Mega Friday Satellite also takes place weekly, featuring a $55 buy-in and 20 seats guaranteed. On Saturdays, two qualifiers take place on PartyPoker offering a combined 18 seats. Country-specific freerolls and daily player point qualifiers also send players to the Monthly Million. Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 3rd, the next running of the Monthly Million.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the fourth largest site worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 4,500 real money ring game players. It is the second largest not to accept players from the United States, trailing only the massive iPoker Network.

PartyPoker claims World Poker Tour Host and new Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton as its ambassador and is currently qualifying players for the L.A. Poker Classic.

Top Ten Poker Stories of the 2009: #9, Mike Sexton’s Election Into the Poker Hall of Fame

PartyPoker Offering Premier League Seat and Sponsorship Deal

In the coming weeks, players will not only be trying to satellite their way into the fourth installment of the PartyPoker Premier League tournament, but they are also vying for a sponsorship contract that could be worth $100,000.

The list of top pros taking part in the February event is starting to come together and the winner of the previous Premier League installment, J.C. Tran, will be back to defend his crown.  In December of 2008, Tran defeated a tough final table lineup that included Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Juha Helppi, Peter Eastgate, Roland de Wolfe, and Tony G.  Heads-up play came down to Tran and Tony G, with Tran prevailing over the Aussie pro to take the title.

Tran commented on his return to the Premier League in an official statement from PartyPoker: “I am very much looking forward to defending my Premier League title.  It was a fantastic experience last year and is an amazing format. I am certainly not going to be giving up my crown without a fight!”

This year, a PartyPoker online qualifier will join Tran and the other pros in the event, which features a prize pool of $1.5 million.  The site is giving out 16 packages worth $9,000 that include a trip to Las Vegas and a chance to compete in a Premier League qualifying tournament.  Each prize package includes a $6,250 buy-in into the qualifying event, hotel stay, and $2,000 in spending money.  The qualifier will run from February 9th to 10th and its winner will stick around from the 11th to 18th, when the actual Premier League IV tournament takes place.

As for the $100,000 sponsorship deal, it is available to any one of the 16 players who makes the trip to Vegas, not just the person who wins the seat in the finals.  Representatives from the online poker room will be on hand to evaluate players on their skills on the felt and other factors like marketability and personality.  Of the 16, one will be chosen to join the grassroots team of sponsored pros, which already includes World Poker Tour host Mike Sexton, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Ian Frazer, and others.

A PartyPoker spokesperson spoke about the decision-making process in a press release from the online poker room: “One amazing element of this promotion that provides a truly fantastic opportunity is that one of the 16 qualifiers will be chosen by PartyPoker to receive a $100,000 Team Party contract to be a sponsored player.  This decision will be made by PartyPoker within two weeks after the event takes place.  We will only get a flavor of who we want to sponsor once we have had a chance to meet and interact with the 16 players that make it out to Las Vegas.”

Players interested in satelliting their way into the event can do so for as little as $2 thanks to three-tiered series of online qualifiers.  PartyPoker will be running $2 and $6.50 tournaments daily and winners will advance into a $52 buy-in event that will run at 3:20pm ET every day.  One in every ten players in those tournaments will earn a seat into the final online qualifier.  The finals will run each Sunday at 3:20pm and the $480 buy-in tournament will award one prize package for every 20 entrants.

For those who want to avoid playing too many satellites, PartyPoker is also running a rake race exclusively for Palladium Lounge members.  Palladium Lounge is the VIP customer rewards club for PartyPoker players.  The top 600 finishers in the points race, which is running from December 7th to January 3rd, will compete in a freeroll on January 10th to win two of the $9,000 packages.  The top 250 finishers will also be rewarded with a share of a cash prize from a $155,000 prize pool.  The winner will receive a Premier League package and the runner-up gets $6,000.  The remaining 248 players will receive anywhere from $4,500 to $100.

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.

Bwin Downplays Party Gaming Merger Talks

Party Gaming and Austria-based gambling group Bwin are allegedly involved in merger discussions, according to stories published in The Times and Sunday Times over the weekend. The move would potentially create a £2 billion online poker, casino, and sports betting company.

Shares of Party Gaming and Bwin jumped 2.5% and 4.1%, respectively, on Monday morning after the reports broke. Both companies have similar market value; Party Gaming is worth £1.1 billion, while Bwin is valued at about €1.3 billion.

Party Gaming and Bwin have refused to confirm the story, according eGaming Review. Bwin, Europe's biggest sports betting provider, said it wanted to take part in sector consolidation, but added that it is in talks with everyone in the industry on an ongoing basis and was not in advanced talks with Party Gaming. The Austrian group also told Reuters that it is not in advanced merger talks with anyone.

Party Gaming, meanwhile, has been looking for a major sports betting platform for years despite acquiring Gamebookers in 2006 for £102 million. The company has openly stated its determination to hunt for a bigger target in order to become a leading sports book operator and complement its online poker, casino and bingo platforms.

James Hollins at brokerage Daniel Stewart said a Bwin-Party Gaming merger would be “exceptionally strategically compelling," adding, "the combined groups' poker operations would drive clear scale economies and liquidity to compete squarely against the U.S.-facing giants of PokerStars and Full Tilt.”

Analyst Nick Batram at KBC Hunt is confident that a large deal is in the near future: "There was lots of press comment over the weekend suggesting that Bwin and Party Gaming have held informal merger talks. This doesn't come as a surprise, as online groups frequently talk informally. However, we believe that the recent sector consolidation will gain momentum through 2010 and it is only a matter of time before we see further sizable deals."

Party Gaming has been busy in deal making talks as several countries are in the process of regulating online gambling, most importantly the United States. In November, Party Gaming purchased the World Poker Tour (WPT), with many believing the company was attempting to set itself up for a return to the U.S market. Party Gaming’s Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Welch, later verified that idea: “This is the first step toward us returning to the United States."

WPT announcer and PartyPoker spokesperson Mike Sexton agreed, saying, “We all think [the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is going to be reversed] at some point. It’s just a matter of when. I’m convinced we’re going to see another poker explosion like we saw six years ago. It’ll be second to none.”

Party Gaming was reportedly involved in buyout talks with GigaMedia Limited earlier this year, but nothing developed. GigaMedia is the company behind the online poker site Everest Poker. Party Gaming purchased Cashcade, owner of the Foxy Bingo website, in July to enhance its own online bingo site, PartyBingo.

PartyGaming to merger with Bwin?

The purchase of WPT was just the beginning for PartyGaming in a quest of becoming the biggest poker site in the world, again. The next step apparently is adding sports book to their supply, as the company has started merger talks with Austrian gambling company Bwin.

PartyGaming is set to welcome Bwin.

The merger would create a huge gambling company worth of £2 billion. Talks about the merger have been held on and off since the summer. If the two sides can agree a tie-up, the deal would be a merger of equals, as the value of both companies are about the same.

PartyGaming is currently offering poker and casino games. The merger, that is expected to be clarified early this week, of PartyGaming and Bwin would be logical, because PartyGaming is looking for new revenues from sports betting, something that Bwin is good at.

PartyGaming has been looking for expanding their business recently under CEO Jim Ryan. Before the UIGEA was set PartyGaming was estimated being worth of £5 billion, nearly 90% of its revenues coming from America. Closing their American operations lost them huge share of poker markets.

Everything is pointing to a fact that PartyGaming is preparing a return to US market. Mike Sexton, the WPT announcer and PartyPoker spokesperson told cardplayer.com that people at PartyPoker are sure UIGEA will be reversed and it will start a poker boom like six years ago, When Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP main event.

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PartyGaming to merger with Bwin?

Bernard Lee Recaps the 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table

It was certainly a memorable World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table.  From Doyle Brunson announcing “Shuffle up and deal” to Joe Cada putting on the coveted bracelet, I was present in the Penn and Teller Theater to cover all of the festivities for ESPN Inside Deal.

Sadly, I could not play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Poker Finals Main Event at Foxwoods Resort and Casino.  The event has had significant personal meaning.  Not only did I have consecutive runs in the Main Event dating back to 2004, I also entered the 2009 World Poker Finals with three preliminary titles in the last three years ($5,000 in 2006, $2,000 in 2007, and $600 shootout in 2008).  I gave myself an opportunity to make it four in a row by making the final table of the $1,500 event, but I came up a little short, finishing in eighth place.  Oh well, I guess I will try to start another streak next year.

Nevertheless, the 2009 November Nine definitely had its share of memorable moments.  Right after the final table, I shared my thoughts with my radio show audience during my WSOP final table wrap-up, which lasted about three hours.  Guests included 2009 November Niners Darvin Moon, Steven Begleiter, and Kevin Schaffel, as well as recent Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton, PokerNewsDaily.com’s own Dan Cypra, and Heartland Poker Tour announcer Fred Bevill.

The week after, I also produced an audio blog of the WSOP Main Event final table from start to finish.  Some of the interviews even included talks with players during the breaks to hear how they felt they were playing at the time.  If you would like to hear these shows or any past interviews with any member of the November Nine, you can download the podcast of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” via iTunes or visit RoundersRadio.com.

Of course, congratulations to Joe Cada.  A year after Peter Eastgate broke Phil Hellmuth’s 19 year-old record for youngest WSOP Main Event champion, the 21-year old online player from Shelby Township, Michigan rewrote history once again by winning the $8.5 million first prize and the 2009 WSOP Main Event bracelet.  Cada went on a media blitz after his victory that included a ringside seat at a WWE event, appearances on several ESPN shows, and topped off with an interview with David Letterman.  I hope he continues to be a true poker ambassador during his reign.  Congratulations once again to our new WSOP Main Event Champion, Joe Cada.

Looking back, here are some of my additional thoughts about the WSOP final table:

1) Slow Early Play:  Based on the prize structure, I was surprised at how slow the play was at the beginning.  With the money difference between ninth and eighth only being $37,000 and the next jump being only $104,000, many analysts expected the short stacks to push early.  With players needing to finish in fourth place or better to at least double their guaranteed $1.26 million, I was even amazed that it took 59 hands to eliminate our first player.  However, after James Akenhead (ninth) and Kevin Schaffel (eighth) were eliminated, it took over 100 hands to dismiss Ivey from the final table in seventh place.

2) Atmosphere:  Unable to attend the inaugural November Nine last year, I previously heard all of the stories about the crowd excitement and noise.  This year, I got to experience it first-hand and it definitely did not disappoint.  Inside the Rio’s Penn and Teller Theater, the packed house was truly deafening and involved from hand one.

3) The Best Fans:  Many of the players brought their own cheering sections:

a. Schaffel: His fans wore white shirts that read “Schaffel up and Deal”
b. Moon: His family and friends had cut out faces of Darvin and shirts that read “Bad Moon Rising”
c. Saout: His cheering section wore France’s home team colors and chanted like soccer (or football as they say in Europe) fans
d. Ivey: The entire audience was cheering for him

However, the best fans were, without a question, Joe Cada’s gang.  Although there was a fight among their group, the majority of Cada’s group never let their guy down.  They cheered with every hand, sometimes even when he lost a hand.  One time, his group reacted so loudly that I was confused, thinking that he might have actually won the hand.  They really kept his spirits up and never let him give up.

4) Worst Bad Beat:  This year’s final table may be known as the Year of the Bad Beat.  Amazingly, every player eliminated from eighth place to third had the lead pre-flop and lost.  Here are a couple of the worst ones:

a. Schaffel versus Buchman:  Schaffel’s Ah-Ac got cracked by Buchman’s Kh-Kc when Buchman flopped a king and turned quads to eliminate Schaffel in eighth place.

b. Ivey versus Moon:  Pre-flop Ivey (Ac-Ks) had Moon (Ad-Qs) dominated, but Moon flopped a Qd.  Ivey could not catch up and was eliminated in seventh place, deflating his fans and the room in general.

However, the worst beat had to be when Cada shoved all-in versus Antoine Saout on the very first hand of three-handed play.  Saout’s Qs-Qh was poised to eliminate Cada’s 2s-2c; however, a 9s-7s-2d flop destroyed Saout’s hopes of the WSOP Main Event title.

5) Emerging Poker Star: Besides Cada, the one player that surprised many people was Antoine Saout.  An unknown player before the 2009 WSOP, this online qualifier final tabled the WSOP Europe Main Event final table prior to the November Nine.  Then, the second short stack ended up finishing in third place and could have been playing heads-up versus Moon.  Had Cada not flopped a set (see #4 above), the Frenchman would have brought a 110:70 million chip lead to the mono-a-mono battle.

For a limited time only (until December 25th), all PokerNewsDaily.com readers are invited to a special pre-holiday sale.  Click Here to receive a 20% discount for ordering my books, The Final Table, Volume I and II.  Both books make perfect holiday gifts for all poker fans.

Finally, in the coming weeks, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” will interview two champions: 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Barry Shulman and the Godfather of Poker himself, two-time WSOP Main Event champion Doyle Brunson.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Since finishing 13th in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, Bernard Lee has cashed in numerous tournaments, capturing three titles and earning over $1.35 million.  He is the host of ESPN’s poker show, ESPN Inside Deal.  He is a columnist for the Boston Herald and ESPN.com and the radio host of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show.”  Listen every Tuesday night from 7:00pm ET to 8:00pm ET on 1510 AM in Massachusetts and also on 1510thezone.com and RoundersRadio.com.  The show is replayed several times during the week and also available on podcast. Visit BernardLeePoker.com for the latest news regarding Lee.

WPT and PartyPoker begin fight for poker supremacy

"That's our stated aim," PartyGaming's chief marketing officer Chris Welch told PokerListings. "And until that time we will leverage both the World Poker Tour and PartyPoker as best we can to take that challenge to our competitors."

Before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into U.S. law in October 2006 and PartyPoker effectively pulled out of the U.S. market, it was the number one site in poker.

Since that time, PokerStars has emerged as the industry leader with more than 28 million players worldwide.

A major catalyst for PokerStars' growth has been the emergence of the European Poker Tour. While the WPT has always been credited with helping spur on poker's boom, it has since been surpassed by the PokerStars EPT, which boasted a total prize pool in excess of $55 million over 11 events last season, making it the largest poker tour in the world.

However, Welch says PartyGaming subsidiary Peerless Media Ltd's $12.3 million purchase of the WPT, approved by shareholders earlier this month, now has the organization primed to compete in Europe and across the globe.

"We think there is certainly room for two big tours in Europe," said Welch. "And the World Poker Tour, we believe, is a global brand while the European Poker Tour exists only in Europe."

Particularly in Italy and France, the WPT plans on embarking upon an aggressive growth strategy to begin competing with the EPT.

"We're looking forward to more global expansion, more International expansion," added newly appointed WPT president Adam Pliska.

Welch said part of that expansion will include offering more online satellites into WPT events worldwide.

"It's a great opportunity to offer our European players more tournaments and land based events and of course we are going to run satellites on PartyPoker," Welch said. "But we are also going to encourage other online sites to do the same."

While sites other than PokerStars once ran satellites for EPT events, many stopped after PokerStars forced its competitors to use the site's branding.

Welch says the WPT and PartyPoker will be taking a different approach.

"PokerStars have gone down the route of it being the PokerStars EPT and you've got to have that on your site to run satellites or freerolls," he explained. "That's not our strategy. Our strategy initially will be that it's the World Poker Tour and you can come and qualify from any online site or direct buy in.

"What they are trying to do is leverage their brand. They have the biggest tour in Europe and they are trying to get other people to mention their brand name. We have an opportunity here to grow the World Poker Tour by offering other online sites a chance to get in there without necessarily mentioning PartyPoker and that's what we are going to do."

But the battle for online poker supremacy will not just be fought on European soil.

In April of this year, PartyGaming entered into a $105 million settlement with the U.S. Attorney's Office to avoid prosecution for providing Internet gambling services to U.S. customers prior to the enactment of the UIGEA.

Under the terms of the agreement, PartyGaming agreed to stay out of the U.S. Internet gambling market under current legislation and is hoping, should the legislation change, it would be in a prime position to move back in.

Welch said the purchase of the WPT is yet another way PartyGaming is paving its road back into the United States.

"Should the United States open up, it's going to put us in a preeminent position, way ahead of the competition," he said. "We've taken the long view while some of the other players have taken the short view, and should the United States open up, we are going back to being number one again."

However, until U.S. Lawmakers get on board, Welch said the front lines of this fight will remain on the other side of the Atlantic.

"This provides us with a massive platform to bring PartyPoker back into the hands of millions of Americans," he said. "But in Europe, we can do that from day one."

The public face of both brands, 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton, believes with PartyPoker and the WPT coming together, the sky is the limit.

"I think it can be a huge entity and a worldwide brand," he said. "Hopefully when online gaming becomes legalized in the United States, PartyPoker can come in and retain its status as the number one poker site in the world."

Mike Sexton to Host Poker Game Show Shuffle Up and Deal

Most of the poker on television today shows top professional players wagering large amounts of money, either in a tournament or a high-stakes cash game. In many cases, this is money that the Average Joe just doesn’t have to put up and, as such, it excludes them from the game. A new poker-themed game show is coming to television, however, that is looking to change that situation.

Poker Hall of Fame inductee and World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton will serve as the host for “Shuffle Up And Deal,” a poker themed game show that will air on the MyTV network in 2010. The half-hour program has been tapped for 13 episodes and, along with Sexton, will feature another poker program veteran in Brandi Williams, who was last seen as the hostess on the syndicated “Ultimate Poker Showdown.” The MyTV network is available in over 50 million homes across the United States and features such programming as the highly popular “WWE Smackdown.”

Billed on its website as “TV’s First Family-Friendly Poker-Themed Game Show,” the program doesn’t focus on high-stakes play. Instead, it will give amateurs the opportunity to use their skills, intuition, and luck in a fast-paced game that will give each episode’s winner a shot at a progressive jackpot that can total up to $1 million.

In each episode, amateur poker players choose their own cards from an electronic board that the viewing audience sees and the turn of each card either helps the contestant’s hand or hurts their chances of winning. The objective of the game is to finish with the highest cash winnings among the five players that are competing. The player who wins each episode advances to the bonus round and plays for a progressive jackpot that starts off at $250,000 and goes up $10,000 for every episode that the jackpot isn’t hit.

As an added attraction for the show, “Shuffle Up And Deal” will offer an interactive feature for the viewing audience. By using their phones, viewers are invited to “Follow the Ace” by picking one of five cards that are used in that particular viewer’s game. If the viewer is correct and picks the card that is the ace, they will be entered into a random drawing that gives each winner $10,000.

“Poker has been a great source of entertainment for many people for many years, but in order to grow and continue to be the most popular game of all time, poker needs to reach out to a whole new audience,” Sexton stated during the announcement of the new program. “Shuffle Up and Deal does just that and I’m proud to be a part of this new movement.”

Another unique part of the “Shuffle Up And Deal” franchise is the opportunity for players to take part in casinos across the country, much like the popular “The Price is Right” franchise has done with its Las Vegas show. A traveling road show is in the works that will take the game to those who aren’t able to be a part of the television production. Another top poker professional, Chad Brown, has signed on to serve as the emcee when the live version visits local casinos across the United States.

There is already a great deal of buzz about “Shuffle Up And Deal.” Other than the website, a Facebook group has also been created that is approaching 1,000 fans who are eager to see the program take flight. With such support, “Shuffle Up And Deal” looks to be the next hot poker property that fans will see not only on their television screens, but also in casinos in 2010.

WPT, Party Gaming Officials Discuss Acquisition

Recently, PartyGaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, completed the acquisition of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Despite a last-minute proposal from Mandalay Media, a mobile gaming company, WPT shareholders rubber-stamped the sale for $12.3 million plus a percentage of future gaming revenues.

Poker News Daily sat down with WPT General Counsel Adam Pliska, WPT Host and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, WPT Founder Steve Lipscomb, and PartyGaming Chief Marketing Officer Chris Welch to break down the sale.

Poker News Daily: Talk about why the WPT is a good fit for PartyGaming.

Pliska: Party Gaming was an initial tour stop sponsor of the WPT. We’ve had a long relationship starting from the beginning that was mutually beneficial.

Welch: PartyPoker wouldn’t have been the success it is today without the WPT. The fact that Mike Sexton was a PartyPoker ambassador and WPT host shows you the depth of the relationship.

PND: A last-minute proposal submitted by Mandalay Media was dismissed. Talk about the offer.

Pliska: As defined in our proxy statement, I can attest that there was an analysis of the offers. I can tell you that the company was pleased with the offer on the table from PartyGaming. When you look at the up front parts of it and the future revenue part parts of it, it made it very attractive. Throughout this process, I have come to never be surprised and I’m pleased with the results.

Lipscomb: The process was driven by our Board of Directors. They carefully did what they needed to do based on their duties to shareholders. It was an honor to have multiple parties that were interested. The final result, which was being with PartyGaming, really was the best for us.

PND: Will WPT regulars see any changes when Season 9 begins filming next year?

Pliska: What you’re going to see in Season 9 is business as usual. We’ll continue to be creative and innovate. I think, for the most part, you’re not going to see any interruptions.

PND: PartyPoker does not accept customers from the United States. Talk about being able to expose the WPT brand to the site’s customer base.

Sexton: One of the primary advantages of this whole situation is that we can expand the WPT brand worldwide. It’ll be in many more countries than it is now.

Welch: We are very excited by the partnership with the WPT. We are predominantly a European business, but we view this as one of the steps to coming back into the U.S. PartyPoker has 12 million members in the U.S. that we can cross-sell Club WPT to.

PND: Why is it important to be able to cross-sell to U.S. players?

Welch: We’re set up to take advantage of any U.S. developments. You can bet that when the market opens up, we’ll be at the forefront of it. The acquisition of the WPT will give us a substantial asset that we can leverage in the U.S.

Club WPT is a very successful subscription service and PartyPoker gets 2,000 to 3,000 downloads a day from the U.S. even though we don’t market there. As you would expect, we have a powerful marketing scheme that we will use to leverage the WPT brand across Europe.

PND: Will it be tough to bring more land-based tournaments to Europe, where you can already find series like the European Poker Tour (EPT)?

Lipscomb: We’re far from a new tour. There was no such thing as a poker tour since we launched the first once. We’ve been global since Season 1. If you are trying to launch one of the many additional tours starting to spring up in the marketplace, I wouldn’t want to be in that position, but I wouldn’t lump us in with that crowd.

Sexton: Recognize that the WPT is on television worldwide. People know who we are and what we do.

PND: Talk about the ongoing eighth season of the WPT.

Lipscomb: Seldom in the world of television do you have an eighth season of anything. It’s uncommon to have an eighth season when you’re working with the same people and they all still like each other. I truly believe that the joining of the WPT and PartyGaming is pretty exciting. Mike is the voice of poker and to have him in this great new synergy is an opportunity we’ve dreamed of.

PND: What does the future hold for WPT Enterprises, now Ante4?

Lipscomb: What we’ve announced is that we’re going to be looking for an opportunity as a publicly traded company to find businesses to join, acquire, or merge with to maximize shareholder value.