Poker News

Annie Duke leaves UB.com

Phil Hellmuth Leaves UB.com in Major Shakeup

It’s been a busy day for all of us in the online poker community. Just hours after Annie Duke announced her exit from UB.com to pursue non-poker business interests, site icon Phil Hellmuth departed as well. A statement posted on UB.com reveals that the two sides “mutually parted ways.”

Hellmuth was recently seen on ESPN’s coverage of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour’s (NAPT) Los Angeles Bounty Shootout wearing patches for the Aria Casino in Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Academy. Curiously absent were any logos for his home poker site, UB.com. Hellmuth also appeared on NBC’s “Poker After Dark” devoid of UB.com logos, leading many to believe that he was on the outs with the USA-friendly CEREUS Network room.

Duke left UB.com earlier today in order to extend her foothold in the business world. She commented in a statement posted on UB.com, “I have nothing but positive things to say about UB and my experiences with the brand, management, and the incredible people who work hard daily to deliver a terrific online poker experience.” Duke and Hellmuth had been with UB.com since 2001, the year the online poker site was launched as Ultimate Bet and two years before the modern poker boom.

Duke told Poker News Daily that she does not plan to sign with a competing online poker site; whether Hellmuth feels the same way is not yet known. Duke’s brother, Howard Lederer, is one of the main faces of Full Tilt Poker, which also accepts action from the United States. Hellmuth, who is widely regarded as one of the top tournament players on the planet, could also head to a site like PokerStars or Victory Poker.

Hellmuth owns the record for the number of WSOP bracelets won at 11 and number of WSOP cashes at 79. Along the way, he’s racked up $6.2 million in WSOP earnings alone and is a rumored contestant on the 2011 installment of the ABC reality series “Dancing with the Stars.” He’s one of the top marketable faces in the poker industry and has coined several memorable phrases including “I can dodge bullets, baby” and “Idiot from Northern Europe.”

Hellmuth won the 1989 WSOP Main Event at age 24 and, for the next 20 years, held the record as the youngest champ ever of the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament. Before anyone knew who Chris Moneymaker was, Hellmuth had already amassed seven bracelets; in fact, he racked up three pieces of hardware in 1993 alone.

In 2009, November Niner Jeff Shulman asked Hellmuth to help him with his short-handed game in preparation for the Main Event final table. As a result, Shulman took fifth place for $1.9 million.

Today’s two high-profile departures leave UB.com stocked with a pro roster that includes PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok, bracelet winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, and Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, the Last Women Standing in the 2008 and 2007 WSOP Main Events, respectively. Also remaining on the Team UB roster are Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, Brandon Cantu, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian, among others. The group appears to have become noticeably younger sans Hellmuth and Duke.

Prior to announcing his exit from UB.com, Hellmuth Tweeted the prices of several sports tickets he was monitoring: “New Years Eve L.A. Lakers/Sixers tix, Row 5, center court trading for $460 apiece. Tix for once a year Rose Bowl on 40 yard line, 44 rows up: $350 apiece!”

Earlier this week, Lee Jones announced his resignation from Cake Poker as its Card Room Manager, citing “strategic decisions with which I’m not comfortable” made by Cake management. Cake Poker Tournament Director Serge “andanthar” Ravitch followed suit in what is traditionally a slow week for poker news.

Poker News Daily has heard rumblings that UB.com may add another pro to its roster early next week. Who that could be remains to be seen, but rumors seem to indicate that it’s Prahlad Friedman. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this developing story.

Annie Duke Leaves UB.com

In breaking news, former “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke has parted ways with UB.com. A blog revealing that she had left the online poker site appeared around 1:30pm ET on Thursday. Duke had been with UB.com for nine years, including both the pre- and post-Chris Moneymaker era.

Duke told Poker News Daily, “After some thought, I made a decision to leave UB.com because I would like to explore other avenues of business and personal growth. I realized I needed to spend my time on other things.” Duke, the sister of Full Tilt Poker front man Howard Lederer, has over $1.1 million in career World Series of Poker (WSOP) earnings and scooped a bracelet in 2004 in a $2,000 Omaha High-Low Eight or Better tournament that featured Erik Seidel and Todd Brunson at the final table.

Also in 2004, Duke was the last person standing in the inaugural WSOP Tournament of Champions, an invite-only, winner-take-all tournament that featured 10 players. Duke banked $2 million for the win and received nearly instant poker fame. Her company at the Tournament of Champions table included Chip Reese, Main Event champ Greg Raymer, Doyle Brunson, Lederer, and former UB.com colleague Phil Hellmuth, who was the runner-up. This year, Duke bested Seidel in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which aired on NBC.

Duke wished the crew at UB.com nothing but the best going forward, telling Poker News Daily, “I wish them all the best and wish nothing but good things for the brand. I think that UB.com started some of my development as a businessperson. That was very much the most enjoyable part of it. I wanted to do more of that. I wanted to do much more of that than I had an opportunity to.” Among Duke’s other endeavors are MyMixedNuts.com – a custom trail mix outfit – and Ante Up for Africa, a charity that brings money and attention to the victims of the crisis in Darfur.

Duke explained to Poker News Daily that she does not plan to sign with another online poker site in the future.

Duke made a name for herself last year by competing in the hit NBC reality series “Celebrity Apprentice.” The Donald Trump-led show, which raises funds for various charities, saw Duke finish as the runner-up to comedian Joan Rivers, who at one point compared the former UB.com pro to a Nazi and called the poker playing community “trash.” Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, were both contestants on the series.

Duke was one of the main faces of UB.com, a site that now features players like former “Poker2Nite” host Joe Sebok and former “Amazing Race” contestants Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho as its primary pros. Duke and Hellmuth had served as the central figures of UB.com since the site’s inception nine years ago, long before anyone knew the name Moneymaker.

According to PokerScout.com, which logs online poker room traffic, the CEREUS Network, which includes UB.com and Absolute Poker, is the seventh largest worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 2,100 real money ring game players. At its peak, around 3,000 cash game players call the Network home. CEREUS is the third largest family of sites to accept action from the United States, trailing only PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker in that department. The Network was created in 2008 after the player bases of UB.com and Absolute Poker were merged.

We’ll have more for you on this story as it develops right here on Poker News Daily.

Isildur1 to Battle Tony G in Second PokerStars SuperStar Showdown

At 4:00pm ET on Sunday, January 2nd, new PokerStars pro Isildur1 will face off against his rumored former backer Tony G in the second running of the SuperStar Showdown. The stakes will be at least $50/$100 No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha and text found on the PokerStars Blog succinctly sums up what we can expect: “Well, this should be good.” Both Tony G and Isildur1 are expected to buy in for $150,000.

Tony G is a sponsored pro of PartyPoker and, earlier this year, tried to bring the mystery Swedish player to the Big Game IV. Isildur1 agreed, but then ultimately pulled out of the appearance, leaving Tony G to lament in a PartyPoker blog entry, “To say I am disappointed is an understatement. I have spent so much time talking to him and reassuring him recently, but he’s just not going to come.” Tony G had offered to lend Isildur1 his Kermit the Frog outfit to preserve the Swede’s anonymity.

Posters on TwoPlusTwo were largely looking forward to the master versus apprentice showdown on Sunday. One member of the online poker community exclaimed, “OMG this is going to be freaking awesome. Isildur1 will pump up the variance and Tony will never fold, especially at these stakes. Can’t wait!” Another poster remarked, “I seriously doubt [Tony G] can keep up with the pace at two tables, let alone four. He doesn’t care about money at $25/$50 anyways. I will be very surprised if Isildur1 doesn’t win this.”

Other posters, however, were not content with the $50/$100 stakes set forth in the SuperStar Challenge, which sees players battling for 2,500 hands. One TwoPlusTwo member explained, “It’s kind of awesome that Tony G is facing off against Isildur1, but why can’t they play real high stakes?”

Weighing in on the upcoming SuperStar Showdown was PokerStars front man Daniel Negreanu, who noted that he won’t be facing off against Isildur1 anytime soon: “I’m very excited to see this match; should be entertaining either way. I don’t plan on challenging Isildur1 because I’m just not good enough, especially four-tabling, but I do want to practice these matches at small stakes, 2,500 hands at maybe $5-$10, and see if I can get used to it. If that goes well, I may try this challenge next year, we’ll see. I’d be comfortable doing a challenge like this in Eight Game if there were people interested, $400-$800.” Negreanu is a four-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner.

Last week, Isildur1 squared off against Isaac Haxton in the inaugural SuperStar Showdown. In the end, Haxton booked $41,000 in profit over 2,500 hands and was declared the winner. The rail featured a hodgepodge of poker talent, including Kevin “ImaLucSac” MacPhee and Chad “lilholdem954? Batista, and resulted in a 90-page thread on TwoPlusTwo.

According to PokerStars, the loss to Haxton resulted in Isildur1’s PokerStars bankroll plummeting to just $10,000. However, he has since parlayed that sum into over $300,000. Many believe the identity of Isildur1 to be Viktor Blom; however, Blom has not issued confirmation that he is the man behind the curtain. Blom took 16th in the 2010 WSOP Europe Main Event for £33,000.

The SuperStar Showdown may travel to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January for a live installment, according to the PokerStars Blog. Interested challengers can fire off an e-mail to showdown@pokerstars.com to toss their hats into the ring for a shot at Isildur1 and eternal poker glory.

NAPT LA Montage

The PokerStars North American Poker Tour’s Los Angeles stop saw some of the biggest names in poker come to The Bicycle Casino. Our cameras caught some of the action in progress as it happened on the felt and we put together a montage of some of the players we saw.

The Bicycle Casino hosted the NAPT LA tour stop to rave reviews. The Bike has also hosted numerous televised World Poker Tour events in recent years.

In the montage we first see the action kick-off as the cards hit the air for the first day of the Main Event. The first pro we saw was Annette Obrestad, known online as “annette15″ who has drawn the eye of the entire poker industry as potentially the next big player in the industry. Next we see Antonio Esfandiari who had a very solid 2010, including a final table at a World Series of Poker event and a win at the World Poker Tour.

Our next pro was Isaac Haxton, who played in this event prior to taking on Isildur1 and beating him to the tune of over $40,000 during the first SuperStar Showdown on PokerStars. After him we see two time WSOP bracelet winner Scott Fischman who has been somewhat under the radar for the last couple of years. Last time we saw Scott, he was … well … a bit on the lighter side.

Matt Affleck was seen sporting a retro Seattle Sonics NBA jersey, representing the Emerald City, his native hometown. His bad beat to eventual WSOP Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel ranks as the most heartbreaking moment of the 2010 poker calendar.

Also on hand was Lauren Kling, one of the many rising female poker stars we’ve seen in 2010. She had several deep runs and had a budding friendship with November Niner Joseph Cheong. Speaking of Cheong, he too was on hand and the next pro our cameras caught, playing it cool behind his 1980s-style sunglasses as always and sporting his Full Tilt Poker sponsorship patch.

We found Andrew Lichtenberger, known as “LuckyChewy” online, doing exactly what his online name suggests – chew away. For a good 12 consecutive seconds we see LuckyChewy chew and gnaw on something in his mouth, finally solving the mystery of where his online name might have originated from.

Other pros we found include Matt Jarvis, Men “The Master” Nguyen and Scott Clements.

Tom Marchese – Poker Player Bio

Tom Marchese is known by the online moniker “Kingsofcards” and makes his home in New Jersey.  His lifetime tournament career earnings exceed $2.4 million and he was named the 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year.  His 2010 campaign will be remembered as the breakout year for a player that many had on their radars as one of the up-and-comers in the world of No Limit Hold’em.

Marchese’s CardPlayer Player of the Year victory was by a wide margin over Dwyte Pilgrim, Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, Venssa Selbst, and November Niner John Racener. Marchese won the award by making 11 final tables, winning two tournament titles, and recording over $2 million in just 16 live cashes.  His strong point total would have won him the award in four of the last five years.

His biggest cash of 2010 came in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event.  He bested 872 entrants and took down $827,648 for his efforts.  Finishing in the top 20 in that same Main Event were notable pros like Blair Hinkle, Andrew Chen, Andrew Lichtenberger, and “Miami” John Cernuto.  Marchese stated that winning the NAPT Venetian Main Event was the highlight of the year.

His win at the NAPT Venetian Main Event was just the tip of the iceberg.  He finished in fourth place in the No Limit Hold’em High Roller Event at the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo stop for $350,125 and also had another six-figure payday at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em World Championship, where he finished in sixth place for $123,264.

Marchese had two other six-figure finishes in 2010. The first came in September in the EPT London Main Event, where he finished in seventh for $156,490. The second came in October at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Foxwoods World Poker Finals, where he finished third for $211,759.

It’s an ironic twist of fate that Marchese rose to fame in the world of live tournament poker after making his bankroll in online cash games.  He played Limit Hold’em at $0.50-$1 blinds, but made his way up to the $15-$30 and $30-$60 games.  Later, he took up No Limit Hold’em and was a regular at the six-max $2-$4 games. Eventually, he table selected between heads-up and short-handed games at mid- and high-stakes.

He started playing professionally around the age of 20 while still in college.  He told Poker News Daily that he would show his father cash game graphs and explain that the game of poker wasn’t just simple luck.  It wasn’t until a big score at a live tournament at Borgata that the decision to turn pro and leave college behind came to fruition.  Now, his father constantly text messages to get chip updates during tournaments.

Marchese has said that his favorite poker destination was Aruba because of the beaches and relaxed atmosphere.  He also stated that he likes to travel to Portugal or anywhere that has nice beaches.

Tom Marchese Recaps 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year Title

This week, Tom Marchese officially claimed the 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year title after an epic run that saw him make 11 final tables in major live poker tournaments according to the Hendon Mob for over $2 million. Marchese, who recently signed with the management firm Poker Icons, sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss the year that was.

Poker News Daily: Congratulations on capturing the CardPlayer Player of the Year honors. How does it feel?

Tom Marchese: It’s pretty awesome. It’s one of those things where it wasn’t on my mind to start the year and I found myself in the race. As it got closer, it was something I wanted to win and put effort into.

PND: What was the highlight of 2010 for you?

Tom Marchese: It has to be the NAPT Venetian Main Event win. Going into that, no one knew me on the live scene, so it put me on the map. I had just final tabled a tournament in Atlantic City and had all the confidence in the world.

PND: When did you start gunning for the award?

Tom Marchese: After the WSOP. Before that, I just played main events and don’t think I played any buy-ins below $5,000. After the WSOP, in the race for the Player of the Year title, I decided to grind smaller tournaments and make a run. I don’t know if I could grind them all the time, but I enjoyed it.

PND: You recorded 11 final tables in major tournaments according to Hendon Mob this year. Tell us about bursting onto the poker scene in 2010.

Tom Marchese: I’m sure a lot of people thought my previous online success was just me getting lucky, but people have to realize that some of the best players in the game come from an online background and don’t have a lot of live experience. People realized that my game is as good as anyone else’s. I wanted to play a bunch live and get in some travel in 2010. I was hoping to freeroll a year of traveling, so I didn’t have super high expectations.

PND: Speaking of traveling, what is your favorite tournament location?

Tom Marchese: My favorite poker trip was to Aruba, which was actually canceled this year. It’s one of the nicest beaches I’ve been to and has a very relaxed atmosphere. When you go to the Bahamas, the weather’s good, but it’s really obvious that you’re at a poker tournament. I also went to Portugal for EPT Vilamoura and played in the Partouche Poker Tour. Those were both on the beach and really fun. I’m looking for a beach and nice weather when I travel.

PND: What has it been like watching yourself on ESPN as part of the network’s NAPT coverage?

Tom Marchese: I enjoy watching, although I prefer watching the NAPT I won. At first, it was pretty weird to watch myself on TV with a bunch of friends where you can see your physical tendencies, but it’s very cool to be on ESPN2.

PND: We understand that you conducted a few coaching sessions with WSOP November Niner Matt Jarvis.

Tom Marchese: I helped him leading up to the Main Event final table. I just did a session or two right before it and went over some strategies. We were talking about good opening positions based on what stack sizes were difficult to 3bet you and what players to stay away from. It was a general, common sense approach to having 30 big blinds. When you have that stack, it’s important to be looking for the best opening spots and not just every opening spot. You’re only going to have so many opportunities to raise/fold.

PND: You seem to be quite humble both in this interview and at the table. Is that how you are in real life?

Tom Marchese: That’s how I am. Many of my friends don’t play poker or play and have less success. If you don’t stay down to Earth, what friends are you really going to have? I’m just fortunate to have the success I’ve had this year. It’s important to keep working hard.

PND: How are your friends and family taking it?

Tom Marchese: They all think it’s awesome. Whenever I’m playing live, my Dad texts me for updates, which is cool because he was against poker when I started. Up until this year, my friends thought I was just getting by. Now, they think it’s awesome that I’m on TV. Everyone is really happy about it.

PND: How did you convince your Dad that poker could be a viable career?

Tom Marchese: I did my best to show him cash game graphs and explain that the game wasn’t luck. When I was in college and my grades weren’t the best, it’s understandable that my parents thought I was just gambling.

PND: What goals do you have for 2011? Will we be seeing a repeat Player of the Year performance?

Tom Marchese: The repeat is on my mind. At least for the start of the year, I’ll play a pretty heavy schedule and see what happens. If I enter the WSOP and I’m in the race, I’ll try to defend. I’ll definitely be playing all of the good U.S. main events and will probably make it to Europe a few times for London. San Remo, Vilamoura, and Partouche. No matter what, I plan to play a lot.

PND: We wanted you to dish out a few awards of your own. First, who is the Most Improved Tournament Player of 2010?

Tom Marchese: Dwyte Pilgrim. It seems like his game came together pretty well this year. You can expect him to continue improving in 2011.

PND: Who will be the Breakout Tournament Player of 2011?

Tom Marchese: Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger or Bryn Kenney. Both of them have gone deep in the WSOP Main Event and always have good stacks. They have both run bad deep.

PND: Who is the Best Female Tournament Player?

Tom Marchese: Vanessa Selbst. She is far and away the best.

PND: Who is the Best Online Tournament Player?

Tom Marchese: It’s still Steve “gboro780” Gross. His online results lifetime are pretty much in a class above everyone else.

PND: Finally, what was the best Christmas gift you received?

Tom Marchese: Spending time with my family. These days, I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford anything I want, so I’m a difficult person to buy for. I got clothes and I appreciate them, but having seen my family so little this year, it has been great to spend time with them.

The Showdown with Jon Friedberg Debuts on Poker News Daily in January

We’ll be ringing in the New Year in a big way here at Poker News Daily, as bracelet winner Jon Friedberg will be debuting “The Showdown” during the first week of January on our site. Friedberg will interview several of the game’s most prolific names in the weekly video series; in fact, the inaugural episode will feature a no-holds-barred discussion with former “Survivor” castaway Jean-Robert Bellande. The show is sponsored by UB.com.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. We are looking forward to seeing “The Showdown” come to life next week. Tell us how you became interested in hosting poker talk shows.

Jon Friedberg: It was something I accidentally stumbled across back in 2007. I was invited to be a guest on “The Circuit” and one of the hosts didn’t show up. I came on and it was just Rich Belsky and I. We had good chemistry and he thought I did well, so he asked me if I wanted to be a host of the show, so I accepted and did that for a while.

During the 2007 WSOP, CardPlayer was launching CardPlayer TV. I was asked if I wanted to have a segment on a new show where I would be interviewing players. The first episode I did, my interview lasted eight minutes and they said it was a little long to use as a segment, so asked if I wanted my own show. It sort of happened and I ended up having my own show on CardPlayer TV during the 2007 WSOP.

I enjoyed talking to players and detailing their thoughts and lifestyles to poker fans. The only thing I didn’t like was coordinating schedules with poker players. They’re tough to pin down and not good about scheduling.

After that, I took a hiatus. There was a little bit of a transition in my poker career where I wasn’t having results on the tournament circuit and didn’t feel there was much value in it anymore. I was looking to get into some ventures and continue playing, but not traveling as much. I started to think back to how much fun I was having when I was hosting my own show. I decided to talk to a few sites and sponsors to see if I could pull something together.

I see myself not as a member of the media, but rather a fellow poker player who sees eye-to-eye with players I interview. I don’t have any problems asking questions that other poker media might be scared to address. My passion is to share the lifestyles, strategies, and thought processes of poker players.

PND: What can we expect from your interview with Jean-Robert Bellande?

Jon Friedberg: We all know he loves to play beyond his bankroll. He’s very open and honest about what he Tweets and doesn’t hide losses or winnings that we know of. He mentions certain things that we don’t know much about like the “Rhino tax,” which means he’s going to Spearmint Rhino in Las Vegas and spending money on dances and such. I want to ask what a typical night at the Rhino is like for him, how much he spends, and whether the girls flock to him because he’s a baller.

He also Re-Tweets insults that people send him. I’m going to address a lot of questions about Twitter, what his philosophy is about bankroll management, and what would happen if he does go broke.

PND: You won a WSOP bracelet in 2006 in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event. Did your legitimacy in the poker world noticeably increase after the victory?

Jon Friedberg: Back then, Scott Clements and I were the only two ranked online players to come out and win bracelets. At that time, a lot of guys who are now superstars gave me respect like Steve “gboro780” Gross and Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul. I definitely got a ton of respect because of the bracelet win back then.

Now, people don’t have the same level of respect for my game because I don’t play as much as before, so I don’t have the same results. They respect my knowledge of the lifestyle of the game and my candidness of putting people on the spot and asking them questions that other members of the poker media don’t have the courage to ask.

PND: Who is the top poker talk show host right now?

Jon Friedberg: Joe Sebok. I enjoyed “Poker2Nite.” I think he’s also done a great job on PokerRoad.

PND: What future guests can we expect to see on “The Showdown” with Jon Friedberg on PND?

Jon Friedberg: Shaun Deeb, Antonio Esfandiari, Dwyte Pilgrim, and Tom Marchese. Dwyte came out of nowhere and a lot of people don’t know anything about him. The #1 question I’d want to ask him is, “Why there aren’t more African-American poker players? Does poker not appeal to them?” I also want to ask about his shit talking.

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Poker Pros Annie Duke, Joe Reitman Engaged

A prolific tweeter, the Team UB.com pro Annie Duke made the following announcement on her Twitter account on December 25th: “I said yes!”

In case her more than 25,000 followers were confused as to exactly what she was talking about, Duke posted a picture of herself showing off her new diamond engagement ring to the camera while sitting in her fiancé Joe Reitman‘s lap.

Shortly thereafter, the well wishes started streaming in from every corner of the Twitterverse.  Most were from fans, but several fellow poker pros sent their best as well.  Fellow Team UB.com member Tiffany Michelle Tweeted, “Huge congrats to @AnnieDuke and @JoeUgly on a Christmas engagement. Love it! It’s about freakin’ time!”

“Hollywood” Dave Stann, another UB.com pro, weighed in, making a statement with which most people would agree: “Best Xmas present ever!”

Other poker players Tweeting their regards included Eric Froehlich, Rafe Furst, Alex Outhred, Liv Boeree, Andy Bloch, and Prahlad Friedman, along with Team UB.com members Joe Sebok and Samantha Ryan.

One person who non-poker players might recognize was actor Kevin Pollak, who Tweeted, “Congrats to a very surprised @AnnieDuke on her engagement today to her very wise fella, @joeugly.” Pollak is in the midst of hosting FOX’s “Million Dollar Money Drop.”

For you gossip hounds, Duke has not divulged how Reitman proposed and no wedding date has been announced.

Duke and Reitman met in 2005 when a mutual friend in Los Angeles introduced them to each other.  The two started the same year as Reitman separated from his first wife, fellow actor and poker enthusiast Shannon Elizabeth.  Duke had also been previously married.  She wed long-time friend Ben Duke in 1991, a marriage that lasted 13 years and produced four children: Maud, Leo, Lucy, and Nell.

Reitman is an actor, writer, and producer who has had supporting roles in many films and television shows.  Movie buffs may recognize him from “Lady in the Water,” “Drop Dead Sexy,” “American Pie II,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” and “Clueless.”  His numerous guest appearances on television include “CSI,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Monk,” and “Judging Amy.”  He has also had recurring roles on “Charmed,” “Townies,” “Blood Ties,” “Married with Children,” and “Jack and Jill.”  In addition to his acting roles, Reitman has produced and directed several episodes of “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and wrote and directed “Survivin’ the Island” and “Leo.”

On the poker front, Reitman has had three minor World Series of Poker (WSOP) cashes, but he caught the attention of the poker world when he won UB.com’s $1 million Guarantee in early 2006.

Duke is one of the most prolific live tournament players in poker history and currently ranks second on the women’s all-time money list with over $4.2 million in career earnings.  She has 37 lifetime WSOP cashes, the most significant of which came in 2004 when she won her first and only bracelet in a $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split event.  During the same WSOP, she won the inaugural Tournament of Champions, taking home a $2 million check.  Her most recent career highlight came this March, when she bested good friend Erik Seidel in the finals to win the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship and $500,000.

NAPT LA Coverage Concludes on ESPN

On Sunday night, while many poker players were grinding online or traveling for the holidays, ESPN2’s coverage of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Los Angeles Bounty Shootout and Main Event came to a close. The two-hour finale featured Lon McEachern and Norman Chad bringing the action to life.

The first hour was devoted to the final table of the NAPT LA Bounty Shootout, whose two preliminary flights were shown last week. A winner-take-all top prize of $135,000 was up for grabs and every player who made the final table earned $20,000. Each person started with a stack of 100,000 in chips and all bounties accumulated were worth $1,000 apiece.

UB.com pro Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin doubled up early on at the expense of November Niner Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi to take the chip lead. Baldwin flopped a set of aces and then dodged a flush draw to vault to the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee, who took down the European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Berlin earlier this year, was the final table’s first casualty and earned $23,000.

Mizrachi doubled up through PokerStars Canadian pro Pat Pezzin after coming out on the winning end of a race with A-J against pocket tens. Then, pocket tens would prove to be his demise, as “The Grinder” moved his chips in with pocket fives, but ran into the superior wired pair and couldn’t improve to depart in eighth place. Pezzin followed him out the door in seventh after his A-J could not overcome Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania’s pocket sixes. Charania flopped a boat and never looked back.

Justin Young eliminated Clint Coffee in sixth place to record his fifth bounty of the tournament and was tied with Charania for the lead in that department. The player with the largest number of bounties would receive a buy-in to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Bounty Shootout in January. After Tom Marchese was ousted in fifth place, Charania’s bid for the Shootout title came to an end after being eliminated in fourth place at the hands of PokerStars pro David Williams.

“DW” was bumped in third place and picked up $24,000. He ran A-Q into the pocket tens of Young on his final hand, as yet another player had shown down two tens. His exit gave Young his sixth elimination to secure the bounty title and Young went heads-up against his good friend and Henderson, Nevada neighbor Baldwin. On the final hand, Young committed his chips with A-Q before the flop and Baldwin woke up with cowboys. The board ran out 9-5-8-5-2 and Baldwin took down the NAPT LA Bounty Shootout title.

Following Baldwin’s win, Chad observed, “Two class acts. I wanted them both to win.”

The second hour of coverage was devoted to the NAPT LA Main Event, which featured a final table of eight players and a massive $725,000 first place prize. Joe Tehan doubled up early on through chip leader Chris DeMaci and then went on the tear of a lifetime, eliminating every single member of the final table.

ESPN’s coverage focused heavily on Jason Mercier, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and champion of the PokerStars NAPT Mohegan Sun Bounty Shootout. Mercier’s run in the NAPT LA Main Event came to an end in seventh place after running A-K into Tehan’s pocket jacks. The board ran out 6-5-9-3-8 and Mercier, whose parents came from Florida to rail him at the Crystal Casino in Compton, was eliminated.

In the final hand of the NAPT LA Main Event, DeMaci committed his chips with K-4 on a flop of K-5-3, but Tehan held K-10 for top pair with a better kicker. The turn was a five and the river was a four, giving Tehan the Main Event title with kings-up. The tournament marked a historic run for Tehan, who ousted all seven of his opponents. In 2006, he took down the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship in Las Vegas, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT), for over $1 million.

That concludes ESPN’s coverage of NAPT LA. Check out encore presentations of WSOP events all this week on ESPN’s family of networks.

Full Tilt Poker Super Sit and Go Madness Returns January 7th

Start 2011 off on the right foot by heading to Full Tilt Poker, the site of Super Sit and Go Madness. This popular promotion returns once again to Full Tilt and is offering over $150,000 in cash and prizes. Full Tilt Poker happily accepts players from the United States and is the second largest online poker room in the business.

Super Sit and Go Madness begins on Friday, January 7th at 16:00 ET and will run for 48 hours until Sunday, January 9th at 16:00 ET. The sit and gos you can take advantage of are highlighted in green in the Full Tilt Poker lobby and divided into four groups. The first, dubbed Group A, consists of sit and gos with buy-ins ranging from $1 to $2. Group B consists of sit and gos with buy-ins ranging from $5 to $11 and Group C contains single-table tournaments with $20 to $35 price tags. The final Super Sit and Go Madness group is Group D, which contains high roller $50 to $110 buy-in sit and gos.

The Full Tilt promotion is divided into 24 two-hour time blocks. Points will be awarded to players based on their performances during those periods and at the end of every 120 minutes, cash prizes will be awarded to the top seven players on each Group’s leaderboard, ranging from $1 to $500. A total of 28 players will walk away with money every two hours, giving Full Tilt faithful plenty of opportunities to boost their bankrolls.

In addition to the two-hour leaderboards, an Overall Leaderboard will be kept for every Group; each will contain the best performances of every two-hour time block. Text found on Full Tilt’s website details how the Overall Leaderboards work: “So, if a player in Group A earns 100 points for the 22:00 ET to 00:00 ET period on Friday and then 150 points for the 00:00 ET to 02:00 ET period on Saturday, it’s only the 150 points that will be reflected on the Overall Leaderboard.” The top two players on each Overall Leaderboard will stamp their tickets into a $5,000 freeroll to be held on January 15th at 15:05 ET.

Action junkies can check out Super Turbo Sit and Gos that dole out starting stacks equal to just 10 times the big blind. A typical Super Turbo Sit and Go lasts about 15 minutes and any points you earn in them for Super Sit and Go Madness leaderboards count for two-fifths as many points.

Full Tilt Poker players who are fortunate enough to capture victories in three separate Super Sit and Go Madness tournaments will earn entry into a $75,000 Freeroll. The freebie takes place on January 15th at 16:50 ET and any players who receive a tournament ticket are eligible to vie for a $75,000 prize pool.

Finally, the Madness Raffle returns and offers up more than 1,000 prizes. When you cash in a Super Sit and Go Madness tournament, you’ll receive a ticket for the Madness Raffle, a drawing for a grand prize of a Full Tilt Poker Deluxe Home Game package that includes a tricked-out standalone poker table, a 500-piece poker chipset, and two poker deck cases.

In addition, a total of 210 Steps tickets and 900 pieces of Full Tilt gear will be given out through the Madness Raffle. Remember, only tournaments that appear in green in the Full Tilt Poker lobby are tracked for Super Sit and Go Madness, so choose wisely.

Visit Full Tilt Poker for more details.

Poker Community Celebrates Christmas

Much like the rest of the world, poker players have their plans for Christmas. For some, that involved traveling to celebrate with family and friends. A few of poker’s top professionals had some trouble making their destinations, however.

England, in the grips of one of the snowiest winters in some time, held up poker duo Lex Veldhuis and Evelyn Ng. “Lex & I got caught in the British Airways mess at Heathrow yesterday en route to Las Vegas,” Ng Tweeted on Tuesday about the delays at the airport. “Hopefully we’ll be sorted out for today.”

Both Veldhuis and Ng kept a good attitude about the delays, with the former Tweeting, “Heathrow might be chaotic airport but the people there are nicest anywhere. Waiting in lounge now. Hope to fly in 2 hours.” Ng countered, “Looks like we’re good to go. It’s almost serene at LHR compared to the chaos yesterday. Just chillin in the lounge until our flight.” The poker pros were able to make it back to Las Vegas safely, with Ng Tweeting late on Tuesday, “After one 10 hour flight from London, it took a total of 5 minutes to exit the plane, pick up our luggage, and go through U.S. Customs.”

Another player having some drama as he returned home for Christmas was UB.com’s Scott Ian. The poker player and guitar shredder also was involved with the Heathrow debacle, Tweeting, “Made it to Heathrow even though the Dublin airport staff did everything wrong including checking our bags onto our canceled London-L.A. flight.” Ian had a much longer trip than Veldhuis and Ng did: “23 1/2 hours since we left Belfast. At O’Hare now. Flight to L.A. delayed 2 hours. Looking for Goose Island.”

Heading north for the holidays, Full Tilt Poker’s Greg “FBT” Mueller was in the middle of another emergency: “Just landed in Vancouver, but we were told paramedics are rushing onto our plane and we must stay seated… Will soon find out what’s wrong.” It turns out that it was a medical emergency, as Mueller Tweeted, “4 meds rushed on way to the back! I was in row 2 obv so I couldn’t see anything 3 mins later we were allowed to leave, no details! Home!”

Christian “charder30” Harder sounded as if he needed a trip home to recharge his batteries. “Pretty sucky ending to a pretty average year of poker for me,” Harder Tweeted on Tuesday after busting from the Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Regional Championship. “Home for the Holidays and then PCA.” After a couple of days relaxing at home, a much more reflective Harder detailed his Christmas plans to his followers on Thursday: “Chillin’ at my Dad’s in Virginia for a few days then back to Annapolis for Christmas. No idea what I’m doing for New Years Eve. Annapolis? NYC? AC? Baltimore?”

A couple of players were traveling for the Christmas holiday, but not heading home. Recent UB.com addition Maria Ho chirped about her destination: “Docked on my favorite island today… Kauai! This is one of many reasons why,” and included a Twitpic of the island. “Hollywood” Dave Stann, for his part, was looking to work during the holidays when he Tweeted, “Atlantic City-bound… I’m thinking Stud at the Taj. Come get you some old school action, bitches!”

Two of poker’s philanthropists, Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher, kept up their charitable sides by helping those less fortunate. “Anyone have coats or warm clothes to giveaway,” Fisher Tweeted during the run-up to Christmas. “We’re going to the LV mission 6am Xmas day to hand out…. join us or donate?” Johnson also was extending her charitable hand when she Tweeted on Wednesday, “Thanks to everyone who helped make the party a success tonight. 21 happy kids and their parents. Loved seeing the smiles.”

As always, the world of poker players delivers, even around Christmastime, with thoughts of wisdom and hilarity. PokerRoad’s Court Harrington Tweeted, “Life is about memories and moments, not about gifts. I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of great moments already.” Family surrounded Gavin Smith, as he Tweeted, “My wife, son, sister, mother and niece are here! Life is great!”

“Can’t wait for Christmas! I’m as bad as my kids,” Jennifer Harman Tweeted late Wednesday night, apparently up late preparing for the holidays. Annie Duke’s schedule was pretty packed, as she Tweeted early Thursday morning from her home, “Finished a huge portion of the Xmas wrapping just now. About two hours more tomorrow plus the cooking starts for dinner for 18 on Friday!”

Tiffany Michelle sent out early wishes when she Tweeted, “In case I go MIA over the next two days from eggnog, Christmas carols, & present coma… Merry Christmas everyone,” and included a Twitpic of her dog. Finally, DoylesRoom captain Doyle Brunson capped off the year with a news flash: “Warning: Christmas Cancelled… @MandaLeatherman told Santa she had been a good girl in 2010. He died laughing.”

Jeff Sarwer Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker Icons, a leading global poker agency, added one of the game’s brightest rising stars to its roster of pros earlier this month. Former Canadian chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer became one of the most fascinating figures on the international poker scene this year. The 32 year old is rapidly becoming a feared presence on the live circuit despite picking up the game just a short time ago.

Sarwer was a chess wunderkind who at the age of eight became World Chess Champion for those under 10. However, after being taken away from his abusive father, Sarwer and his sister changed their names and fled to Europe, disappearing from the public eye for nearly two decades.

In 2008, Sarwer resurfaced and began playing on the PokerStars European Poker Tour. Since then, he’s racked up more than $500,000 in live tournament earnings and was deemed “probably the greatest mind to enter the tournament poker world in history” by fellow poker pro Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar. Poker News Daily recently got a chance to speak with Sarwer about his aspiring poker career:

Poker News Daily: You’ve been traveling the tournament circuit for more than two years now. Overall, how would you grade your experience as a poker pro? Is this something you see yourself doing for a long time?

Jeff Sarwer: For the next few years, I think people will see me a decent amount out there. I am still learning and haven’t played a lot of the big live events like the Aussie Millions. The experience has been great; I have had the chance to meet some great people who have a lot in common with me. As for grading, I think I have done better than I expected since I have been really active for only about a year and have had some strong results. My start has been great, so I want to keep going and see where it takes me.

PND: Your chess talents have been widely documented. Have you considered returning to the game and possibly training to become a world champion?

Jeff Sarwer: I have no intention of making a run for the world title since I missed so many critical years of training. I might come back on an ambassador level, but for now, poker is getting my spare time.

PND: Chess is a game of perfect information, whereas poker is a game of imperfect information. How do your chess skills transfer to the poker table?

Jeff Sarwer: Paying attention to detail, feeling when people are getting nervous, remembering things, and leveling people – these are all things that both games have in common. Chess might be a game of perfect information, but we are only human and not machines, so how useful is the perfect information that is right in front of you? It’s information that you have to analyze, filter, and try to get to the root of what the other guy is up to, which is really hard to do with so many things going on. So “owning” people’s minds is a very important part of chess too.

PND: You’re very talkative and cheerful at the poker table. Is this a tactic used to gain information from opponents?

Jeff Sarwer: My main reason for this is that I would rather be in a good mood if I am going to be at the table with the same people all day, but it doesn’t hurt to have them want you to stay.

PND: Who are some of your poker influences? Are there any players in particular who have helped make the transition easier?

Sarwer: Absolutely. You can thank the young internet generation for spending time with me and inspiring me. In Europe, there were guys like Anton Wigg, Kevin Stani, and a couple of guys my age like Arnaud Mattern. In North America, there were guys like Sorel Mizzi, Jonathan Aguiar, and Shaun Deeb. I thank them all for letting me spend time around them and see how they do things.

PND: What made you decide to choose Poker Icons to represent you?

Jeff Sarwer: They are the biggest poker agency out there and I have met the people behind the company quite a few times before, so we know each other well and have established a good connection. It’s an easy fit for both sides.

PND: What are your plans for 2011?

Jeff Sarwer: Travel around, play in some new events, produce my film, stay healthy, and have some twists and turns that I don’t see yet.

PND: A film? Tell us a little about it.

Jeff Sarwer: I am finishing the final draft of a script with director Gordon Anderson about my childhood with my manic depressive dad. If you want a taste of what stuff we will be talking about, go to BBCWorldService.com.

Twas the Night Before Christmas: Poker Style

Tomorrow morning, good little boys and girls all over the world will wake up, run downstairs, and marvel at the bounty that Santa Claus has left them under the Christmas tree.  But, for online poker players in the United States, this will not be the best Christmas of all-time.  Despite making it through the House Financial Services Committee, Barney Frank’s bill that aimed to legalize and regulate internet gambling lost momentum as the year wound down.

Then, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was unsuccessful in getting a poker-only bill passed in the lame duck session.  Reid’s bill had some serious flaws, so many people are happy about its death, but large portion of the poker community would rather see online poker legalized and regulated than not.

What I would like to do, though, is take that disappointment and turn it into something fun.  So here you go, my poker version of Clement Clarke Moore’s (or Henry Livingston’s, depending on what you read) classic poem, “The Night Before Christmas.”

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
iPoker was silent, no keyboard, no mouse;
The chips were stacked up on the table with care,
In hopes that St. Brunson soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of “Rounders 2” danced in their heads.
And mamma in her hoodie, and I in the same,
Had just settled down for a quick heads-up game,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
I was hoping for Santa or maybe an elf,
But instead ’twas a man saving me from myself.
Logic had failed him in each word that he said,
And same for his minions wearing ties colored red,
With Arizona plates and a know-it-all smile,
I knew in a moment it must be Jon Kyl.
Following lockstep behind him, they hated our game,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Bachus! Now, Frist! Now, Goodlatte and Leach!
Gather ’round, come closer, remember my speech!
Online Poker is bad! It hurts our fine youth!
We must speak out against it; spread lies and untruth!”
According to them laundered funds we all hide,
And one third of students attempt suicide.
Sample size be damned, they have one guy to thank,
When he went busto in poker he done robbed a bank!
They don’t care to learn what the game is about
‘Tis the root of evil, of that there’s no doubt.
“Won’t anyone think of the children?” they say,
While lotteries pay for our schools every day.
I can watch porn, build bombs, and trade stocks on the Net,
But these fogeys don’t want me to place one little bet.
Correction! I can, in fact, still play the ponies
‘Cause the horse lobby pays Goodlatte and his cronies.
These guys, they think the game of poker’s all luck,
To that I say let’s play and see who loses a buck.
But even games of pure chance, as long as they’re fair,
Should be my business to play – why should they care?
‘Tis my money, my home, my business, my time,
So screw you for wanting it to be a crime.
I pay taxes, raise my kids, put food on the table,
I should be allowed to play from home if I’m able.
Poker is fun, ’tis a game, for some ’tis their jobs,
So just let us play in our undies like slobs.
Regulating the market is the wise move,
But apparently Kyl has something to prove.
His words sound of contempt, so proud of his work,
And filled with such crap, he’s a bit of a jerk.
And raising his finger, the middle one, with flair,
And giving a laugh, his broom took to the air.
Drunk with power, to his team gave a whistle,
Congress was adjourned; it was time for dismissal.
We didn’t win this year, but victory’s not out of sight,
Happy Christmas to all, and keep fighting the fight!

Tom Marchese Wins 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year Title

In 2010, Tom Marchese claimed the CardPlayer Player of the Year honors, edging out Dwyte Pilgrim. At the time of writing, Marchese had garnered 6,738 Player of the Year Points and amassed more than $2 million in live tournament earnings during the 2010 calendar year. In 2009, UB.com pro Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin was CardPlayer’s Player of the Year.

Marchese also signed with Poker Icons, a popular management firm. Marchese commented in a press release that he was delighted to be receiving such a distinguished honor: “I’m ecstatic over being CardPlayer’s Player of the Year! It’s something that I have been working so hard for all year. Signing with Poker Icons will really help my poker career and I look forward to working with Poker Icons in the future.”

Lars Kollind, President of Poker Icons, welcomed Marchese to the family: “He is an awesome player and one of the biggest names Poker Icons has signed this year. I believe that Thomas will be one of the truly big superstars of poker for a long while.”

In the November release of the ESPN poker rankings dubbed “The Nuts,” Marchese claimed the sixth spot on the leaderboard, with ESPN’s Andrew Feldman commenting, “A year ago, you couldn’t pay anyone on this panel to pick Tom Marchese out of a crowd. Now, none of us would be able to miss him. He’s had 15 cashes this year for over $2 million in earnings and most likely will become CardPlayer’s Player of the Year.”

Marchese started off 2010 in style, taking third in the Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event for $190,000 in February. Three weeks later, he was crowned the champion of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event for $827,000. The latter aired on ESPN, giving Marchese exposure to a wealth of poker fans around the United States.

In May, Marchese took fourth in the High Roller Event held as part of the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) stop at Monte Carlo for $350,000. In the famed Monaco casino, Marchese battled against a final table that included Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, Allen Bari, former World Poker Tour (WPT) champ Olivier Busquet, and eventual winner Tobias Reinkemeier.

We’re not done there. During the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Marchese final tabled the $10,000 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em Championship to stash away another $123,000. Four months later, he hopped “The Pond” and finished seventh in the EPT London Main Event for $157,000.

Marchese’s final six-figure score of the year came in another televised tournament, the WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals. Marchese finished third, banking $211,000 in an event that saw Mizzi, Jason Mercier, DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania, Keven “Stamdogg” Stammen, and eventual champ Jeff Forrest all make the top 15.

Taylor “ambiguosity” Paur leads the way in the 2010 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year race with a week to go in December. Paur is the only player on the leaderboard with over 10,000 Online Player of the Year Points and has earned over $1 million on the virtual felts in 2010. Paur’s largest online cash in 2010 came by virtue of winning a $163 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys event during the 16th Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) in June for $192,000.

Here’s how the top 10 players in the CardPlayer Player of the Year standings look at the time of writing:

1. Tom Marchese: 6,738 points, $2,068,658 in earnings
2. Dwyte Pilgrim: 5,576 points, $1,074,997 in earnings
3. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi: 4,851 points, $1,524,371 in earnings
4. Vanessa Selbst: 4,608 points, $2,803,013 in earnings
5. John Racener: 4,493 points, $5,863,856 in earnings
6. Harrison Gimbel: 4,080 points, $2,530,000 in earnings
7. Andy Frankenberger: 4,010 points, $1,173,853 in earnings
8. Jeffrey “jpapola” Papola: 3,870 points, $1,176,919 in earnings
9. John Juanda: 3,717 points, $1,598,858 in earnings
10. Jonathan Duhamel: 3,600 points, $8,944,138 in earnings

Congratulations to Marchese on his 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year honors.

2011 Poker Predictions

Now that another year is in the books, I get to bring out my prognosticating skills once again and dazzle you with my ability to see into the future.  What will we expect to happen in 2011 in the world of poker?  Read on to find out.

Black Card Adjustments

This is hardly a bold prediction, as we’ve been told on both the TwoPlusTwo and PocketFives.com forums by Full Tilt site rep “FTPDoug” that an adjustment for the Black Card promotion is coming, most likely in the middle of January.  The site underwent heavy criticism for altering its rakeback method, which was to the detriment to the vast majority of the player base, while rolling out what Full Tilt officials felt was a compromise in the Black Card program.

What we might see is another tier added to the Black Card program, perhaps something like a “Red Card” that rewards another Full Tilt Point multiplier for those who average 1,000 points per day.  Either way, we’ve been promised that this adjustment will be an improvement for players.

PokerStars Will Kill Short-Stacked Games

Maybe this is more wishful thinking, but the clamoring of many on the forums hasn’t gone on deaf ears.  When PokerStars decided to forge a compromise between the short-stackers and everyone else by offering three tiered games (Short, Regular, and Deep) the site did what many thought would happen and that’s kill the small- and mid-stakes full ring games.

Right now, the games are as bad as they have ever been, but by eliminating the Short buy-in tables, all will be right again with the world and the SuperNova and SuperNova Elites of the world will continue their grind.  PokerStars is aware of how its main base of regulars feels, so something will be done.

Another Merger?

We saw the merger between two superpowers in online gaming, Party Gaming and bwin, finally complete, with the two set to come together in 2011.  One trend we’ve continued to seen, given worldwide legislation, is that smaller sites aren’t growing, but rather staying the same or shrinking.  According to various industry reports, the online poker industry is shrinking at 1% annually.

According to PokerScout.com, notable gainers year-over-year include the Merge Gaming Network (up 134%), 888 (up 8%), and PokerStars (up 7%).  Notable losers include Everest Poker (down 64%), Cake Poker (down 59%), the iPoker Network (down 31%), and the CEREUS Network (down 31%).  It’ll be very hard to imagine some of the smaller networks not going belly up or merging with others in order to survive today’s shrinking market.

More Live Events

Although some casinos may not like to admit it, online poker does a great job of getting them exposure when special tournaments are held.  The PokerStars-backed North American Poker Tour (NAPT) has been a huge success in its first year, with many at PokerStars pleased at the response the series has received from their player base.  Online poker players, contrary to belief, do like to get out of the house and travel. Expect more live event tie-ins in 2011 and perhaps the start of something new with Full Tilt in the United States.

Isildur1’s Identity Revealed

In 2011, we’ll finally know the true identity of PokerStars sponsored pro Isildur1.  Everyone has speculated for over a year that it’s Viktor Blom and there’s been nothing to make us think it’s anybody else.  Although I have met quite a few big name pros who claim to know his identity and refuse to spill the beans, someone will slip up or PokerStars will pull a publicity stunt to let us all know it’s Blom.

No Legislation for the United States

With the recent election, there’s no real hope for legalized and regulated online poker in the United States in the next two years.  Just expect more talk, no action, and continued reports of payment processors being targeted by the Federal Government.  Meanwhile, there’s potential in New Jersey and California for intrastate internet poker.

2011 Poker Predictions

Now that another year is in the books, I get to bring out my prognosticating skills once again and dazzle you with my ability to see into the future.  What will we expect to happen in 2011 in the world of poker?  Read on to find out.

Black Card Adjustments

This is hardly a bold prediction, as we’ve been told on both the TwoPlusTwo and PocketFives.com forums by Full Tilt site rep “FTPDoug” that an adjustment for the Black Card promotion is coming, most likely in the middle of January.  The site underwent heavy criticism for altering its rakeback method, which was to the detriment to the vast majority of the player base, while rolling out what Full Tilt officials felt was a compromise in the Black Card program.

What we might see is another tier added to the Black Card program, perhaps something like a “Red Card” that rewards another Full Tilt Point multiplier for those who average 1,000 points per day.  Either way, we’ve been promised that this adjustment will be an improvement for players.

PokerStars Will Kill Short-Stacked Games

Maybe this is more wishful thinking, but the clamoring of many on the forums hasn’t gone on deaf ears.  When PokerStars decided to forge a compromise between the short-stackers and everyone else by offering three tiered games (Short, Regular, and Deep) the site did what many thought would happen and that’s kill the small- and mid-stakes full ring games.

Right now, the games are as bad as they have ever been, but by eliminating the Short buy-in tables, all will be right again with the world and the SuperNova and SuperNova Elites of the world will continue their grind.  PokerStars is aware of how its main base of regulars feels, so something will be done.

Another Merger?

We saw the merger between two superpowers in online gaming, Party Gaming and bwin, finally complete, with the two set to come together in 2011.  One trend we’ve continued to seen, given worldwide legislation, is that smaller sites aren’t growing, but rather staying the same or shrinking.  According to various industry reports, the online poker industry is shrinking at 1% annually.

According to PokerScout.com, notable gainers year-over-year include the Merge Gaming Network (up 134%), 888 (up 8%), and PokerStars (up 7%).  Notable losers include Everest Poker (down 64%), Cake Poker (down 59%), the iPoker Network (down 31%), and the CEREUS Network (down 31%).  It’ll be very hard to imagine some of the smaller networks not going belly up or merging with others in order to survive today’s shrinking market.

More Live Events

Although some casinos may not like to admit it, online poker does a great job of getting them exposure when special tournaments are held.  The PokerStars-backed North American Poker Tour (NAPT) has been a huge success in its first year, with many at PokerStars pleased at the response the series has received from their player base.  Online poker players, contrary to belief, do like to get out of the house and travel. Expect more live event tie-ins in 2011 and perhaps the start of something new with Full Tilt in the United States.

Isildur1’s Identity Revealed

In 2011, we’ll finally know the true identity of PokerStars sponsored pro Isildur1.  Everyone has speculated for over a year that it’s Viktor Blom and there’s been nothing to make us think it’s anybody else.  Although I have met quite a few big name pros who claim to know his identity and refuse to spill the beans, someone will slip up or PokerStars will pull a publicity stunt to let us all know it’s Blom.

No Legislation for the United States

With the recent election, there’s no real hope for legalized and regulated online poker in the United States in the next two years.  Just expect more talk, no action, and continued reports of payment processors being targeted by the Federal Government.  Meanwhile, there’s potential in New Jersey and California for intrastate internet poker.

2011 Poker Predictions

Now that another year is in the books, I get to bring out my prognosticating skills once again and dazzle you with my ability to see into the future.  What will we expect to happen in 2011 in the world of poker?  Read on to find out.

Black Card Adjustments

This is hardly a bold prediction, as we’ve been told on both the TwoPlusTwo and PocketFives.com forums by Full Tilt site rep “FTPDoug” that an adjustment for the Black Card promotion is coming, most likely in the middle of January.  The site underwent heavy criticism for altering its rakeback method, which was to the detriment to the vast majority of the player base, while rolling out what Full Tilt officials felt was a compromise in the Black Card program.

What we might see is another tier added to the Black Card program, perhaps something like a “Red Card” that rewards another Full Tilt Point multiplier for those who average 1,000 points per day.  Either way, we’ve been promised that this adjustment will be an improvement for players.

PokerStars Will Kill Short-Stacked Games

Maybe this is more wishful thinking, but the clamoring of many on the forums hasn’t gone on deaf ears.  When PokerStars decided to forge a compromise between the short-stackers and everyone else by offering three tiered games (Short, Regular, and Deep) the site did what many thought would happen and that’s kill the small- and mid-stakes full ring games.

Right now, the games are as bad as they have ever been, but by eliminating the Short buy-in tables, all will be right again with the world and the SuperNova and SuperNova Elites of the world will continue their grind.  PokerStars is aware of how its main base of regulars feels, so something will be done.

Another Merger?

We saw the merger between two superpowers in online gaming, Party Gaming and bwin, finally complete, with the two set to come together in 2011.  One trend we’ve continued to seen, given worldwide legislation, is that smaller sites aren’t growing, but rather staying the same or shrinking.  According to various industry reports, the online poker industry is shrinking at 1% annually.

According to PokerScout.com, notable gainers year-over-year include the Merge Gaming Network (up 134%), 888 (up 8%), and PokerStars (up 7%).  Notable losers include Everest Poker (down 64%), Cake Poker (down 59%), the iPoker Network (down 31%), and the CEREUS Network (down 31%).  It’ll be very hard to imagine some of the smaller networks not going belly up or merging with others in order to survive today’s shrinking market.

More Live Events

Although some casinos may not like to admit it, online poker does a great job of getting them exposure when special tournaments are held.  The PokerStars-backed North American Poker Tour (NAPT) has been a huge success in its first year, with many at PokerStars pleased at the response the series has received from their player base.  Online poker players, contrary to belief, do like to get out of the house and travel. Expect more live event tie-ins in 2011 and perhaps the start of something new with Full Tilt in the United States.

Isildur1’s Identity Revealed

In 2011, we’ll finally know the true identity of PokerStars sponsored pro Isildur1.  Everyone has speculated for over a year that it’s Viktor Blom and there’s been nothing to make us think it’s anybody else.  Although I have met quite a few big name pros who claim to know his identity and refuse to spill the beans, someone will slip up or PokerStars will pull a publicity stunt to let us all know it’s Blom.

No Legislation for the United States

With the recent election, there’s no real hope for legalized and regulated online poker in the United States in the next two years.  Just expect more talk, no action, and continued reports of payment processors being targeted by the Federal Government.  Meanwhile, there’s potential in New Jersey and California for intrastate internet poker.

Top Poker News Story of 2010

We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.

Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker

2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.

Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.

Annie Duke: Year of the Woman

I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.

Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld

I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.

Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss

2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.

Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.

John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill

Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!

Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile

I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.

What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.

Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event

When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.

Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.

Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi

For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.

Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi

For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.

Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel

As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.

The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.

Top Poker News Story of 2010

We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.

Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker

2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.

Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.

Annie Duke: Year of the Woman

I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.

Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld

I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.

Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss

2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.

Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.

John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill

Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!

Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile

I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.

What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.

Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event

When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.

Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.

Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi

For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.

Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi

For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.

Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel

As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.

The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.

Top Poker News Story of 2010

We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.

Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker

2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.

Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.

Annie Duke: Year of the Woman

I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.

Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld

I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.

Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss

2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.

Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.

John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill

Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!

Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile

I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.

What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.

Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event

When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.

Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.

Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi

For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.

Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi

For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.

Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel

As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.

The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.

December 23rd – Weekly News Update

Welcome to your weekly fix for this week’s poker news, I’m Sean Gibson and in our PND weekly update, I’ll be recapping the hottest headlines for this week.

We start out with maybe the biggest name in poker… and MORE exposure of UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth is just what the poker world needs. In recent days, Hellmuth potentially dropped a bombshell by Tweeting:

“OMG! Phil Hellmuth (me!) on ‘Dancing with the Stars!’ Outrageous! Might make a fool out of myself on worldwide television one more time.”

ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” is entering its twelfth season, which is set to hit television airwaves in the beginning of Two Thousand Eleven.

Despite multiple media outlets asserting that Hellmuth is a lock for “Dancing with the Stars,” let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. The cast for the new cycle has not yet been announced, but is apparently due out in January.

According to Politco, Senator Jon Kyl is keeping his Two Thousand Twelve reelection plans close to the vest, which is creating uncertainty about the future hierarchy of his party’s leadership. Kyl is the Senate Minority Whip, the second ranking position in the Republican Party.

Poker players know Kyl as Capitol Hill’s current public enemy number one to online poker. He was one of the key players behind the UIGEA four years ago. The bill, which aimed to stop the flow of funds to offshore internet gambling sites, was attached to the must-pass SAFE Port Act in the middle of the night just before Congress adjourned for the year.

Since Two Thousand Six, Kyl has continued to fight against online poker. Earlier this year, he blocked the appointment of several of President Barack Obama‘s nominees to the United States Treasury because he was upset that the UIGEA implementation deadline had been pushed back six months. This month, he was the most vocal opponent of Senator Harry Reid’s failed attempts to legalize and regulate online poker.

The sixth UB.com Online Championship, or UBOC, will kick off on Sunday, January Sixteenth. A record-setting twenty nine events will comprise the new series, culminating in a one thousand fifty dollar buy-in No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack Championship on January Thirtieth. All told, at least five million bucks will be shelled out to UB.com faithful during UBOC Six.

Running concurrently with UBOC Six is Mini UBOC Six, which offers the same slate of events, but with buy-ins that are one-tenth as large. This allows players of all bankrolls to compete in the wide range of tournaments on the docket. In addition, the entire UBOC Six schedule is open to players from UB.com’s CEREUS Network sister site Absolute Poker.

The very first PokerStars SuperStar Showdown took place on Sunday and featured Isaac Haxton squaring off against Isildur1. In the end, Haxton boosted his bankroll by forty-one thousand dollars over the twenty five hundred hand match and was declared the winner. Both Haxton and Isildur1 bought in for one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

According to the PokerStars Blog, the lively rail for the very first SuperStar Showdown match featured high-stakes pros like Kevin [MICK-FEE] MacPhee and Chad Batista. The group watched one of their own battle against an unknown Swedish online pro who many believe to be Viktor Blom. Four No Limit Hold’em tables at fifty/one-hundred blinds served as the battleground for the Showdown.

The next SuperStar Showdown opponent for Isildur1 has not yet been announced and interested players are encouraged to e-mail showdown@pokerstars.com. On its blog, PokerStars claims that a match may take place at the upcoming PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, although whether Isildur1’s true identity would be revealed at that time remains to be seen.

Looking to expand its brand further into the global marketplace, Caesars Interactive Entertainment has entered into a joint venture with one of Italy’s top online poker companies, Microgame.

In an announcement last Friday, Caesars Interactive and Microgame revealed a long-term agreement to co-brand Microgame’s online poker outlet, PeoplesNetwork.it, with the World Series of Poker name and logo. Through the agreement, Caesars Interactive and Microgame will offer online and live events to the Italian market prominently featuring the WSOP brand. Additionally, Microgame will become the official satellite outlet for Italian players entering the WSOP.

The movie that helped spark the poker boom is returning to fire a second barrel. Miramax Films announced this week that it will be teaming up with the Weinstein Company to produce “Rounders Two,” a sequel to the cult favorite that was released more than a decade ago.
According to IMDB, “Rounders Two” is currently in development and scheduled to hit theaters in Two Thousand Twelve. The cast and crew have not been announced, but Matt Damon and Edward Norton have supposedly signed on for the project, as has original director John Dahl. It’s unknown whether John Malkovich or John Turturro will return for the sequel, leaving fans to speculate where the story will take the lead characters this time around. Miramax broke the exciting news in press release late last week.

That does it for this week’s top headlines in the world of poker. We thank you for watching our Weekly News Update and encourage you to visit our site every day for the latest in poker news. I’m Sean Gibson, wishing you a very happy holiday season and of course … for you to crush the games for a late year heater. See you next time!

2011 World Series of Poker Begins May 31st

According to a press release sent on Wednesday afternoon, the 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will begin on May 31st, one day after the Memorial Day holiday in the United States, and run for 50 days. The final table of the Main Event will be determined on July 19th, at which point the $10,000 buy-in tournament will once again be paused until November.

Despite constant rumors to the contrary, the 2011 WSOP will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. If you don’t believe me, I’ll go ahead and quote the press release for you: “The event, as has been its norm since 2005, will continue to be held in the Convention Center of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.” Caesars Entertainment has been rumored to be shopping the Rio, located on Flamingo Boulevard off the famed Las Vegas Strip, but so far no deals have come to fruition.

The only tournament whose dates were laid out this week was the Main Event, which will begin on July 7th and include four starting days. In 2010, Jonathan Duhamel became its first Canadian Main Event champ ever after defeating John Racener heads-up. Three-handed, Duhamel was gifted 80% of the chips in play after Joseph Cheong 6bet all-in before the flop with A-7 when Duhamel held pocket queens. The pocket pair held, Duhamel doubled up, and Cheong was ousted several hands later.

The dates for the preliminary events have not yet been announced, but a full schedule will likely come to life in January. The 2010 version played out at the Rio between May 28th and July 17th, with heads-up play in the Main Event beginning on November 8th. The slate contained 57 tournaments including an all-new $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship won by Full Tilt Poker pro Michael Mizrachi.

Other 2010 bracelet winners included British pro Praz Bansi, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Tex Barch, Dutch Boyd, Gavin Smith, WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kassela, and Phil Ivey, who collected bracelet number eight. Ivey took down a $3,000 buy-in HORSE event for $329,000, outlasting a final table that included math whiz Bill Chen, John Juanda, Jeffrey Lisandro, David Baker, and PokerStars pro Chad Brown.

One of the highlights from last year for Poker News Daily was following the high-stakes bracelet bets of Tom Dwan, who nearly won a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament, but fell heads-up to Australian Simon Watt. Dwan reportedly had millions of dollars in bracelet bets on the line, but ultimately came up short. Consequently, Mike Matusow told Watt following his win, “Thank you for saving us all millions of dollars! How does it feel to be every high-stakes gambler’s hero? They’re gonna, like, put you on the wall in Bobby’s Room.” Dwan took home $381,000.

In an important change from 2010, the 2011 WSOP will feature “hard stop times.” After 10 levels of play on any given day, the action will automatically come to a halt. The same WSOP press release explained that the number of players remaining in the tournament when 10 levels were completed was irrelevant: “Once 10 levels have been completed, remaining players will have their chips bagged and tagged and return the next day to continue on in the tournament. Regardless of how many players remain in a tournament, hard stop times will be enforced after 10 levels of play.”

We’ll have the latest WSOP headlines for you right here on Poker News Daily.

isildur1 vs Haxton Highlights – Part 5 of 5

We wrap up our highlights of the Isildur1 vs Isaac Haxton SuperStar Showdown match-up with some great featured hands that produce some giant pots.

Our first featured hand had Isildur1 on the button making a $500 bet into a $600 pot on a Tc 8h 4c board. Haxton made the call, which brought the 4h on the board. Haxton checked and Isildur1 then bet $1,400 into $1,600, which Haxton called, creating a $4,400 pot. On the river, we saw the 5c fill the flush draw (on a paired board) and Haxton again checked, with Isildur1 doing his patented maneuver of overpotting on the river with a $6,250 bet. Haxton thought about it, but in the end folded.

Our next big hand had Haxton on the button and min-raising pre-flop and having Isildur1 throw in a small 3bet which was called. The flop was Ks Tc 2h and Isildur1 elected not to cbet and checked, with Haxton checking behind. The turn was the 8s and this time Isildur1 led out with a bet of $1,100 into $1,600, which Haxton called. The river was the Qs which filled the flush draw and some straight draws. Isildur1 then bet $2,650 into $3,800 and Haxton tanked before making the sick hero call.

Board: Ks Tc 2h 8s Qs

Haxton: Jh Ts (A Pair of Tens)
Isildur1: 2d 5d (King High)

Haxton wins $9,100.

Although this wasn’t a monster pot, it was definitely a big one and it’d be interesting to know exactly what was going through Haxton’s mind at the time when he made this hero call. Haxton only had third pair on a board that had both flush and straight possibilities, although he did have a blocker to the straight by holding the Jack. Nevertheless this was a really sick call and perhaps Isildur1′s failure to overbet the pot might have been a read that Haxton made that factored into his decision.

Isildur1 is a sponsored pro at PokerStars and will be undertaking more SuperStar Showdown challenges in 2011.

Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Regional Championship Final Table Set

It’s about to be a very merry Christmas for one of the nine players remaining in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Northeast Regional Championship, which is playing out in Atlantic City. A top prize of $358,000 is on the line and every player remaining is assured at least $32,000, or about three times the $10,000 buy-in.

Matt Waxman, who won the WSOP Circuit Championship in Atlantic City a few days ago for his first gold ring, was the Final Table Bubble Boy in the Regional Championship. Waxman check-raised all-in on a flop of J-3-4 and WSOP bracelet winner Chris Bell looked him up with pocket queens. Waxman tabled pocket nines and neither of his two outs hit on the turn or river. The recent gold ring winner picked up $26,000 for his three-day run.

Eleventh place went to fundraiser extraordinaire Beth Shak, who called all-in pre-flop with A-9 of diamonds and was up against the pocket jacks of former World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker final table member Todd Terry. Shak picked up wheel and flush draws on the turn, but the river was a blank and she was relegated to the rails. Shak, who was the runner-up in a $3,000 No Limit Hold’em event during the 2007 WSOP, banked $26,000 in Atlantic City.

PokerStars pro Victor Ramdin, who has also made charity a top priority in life, took 12th in the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship. Ramdin was all-in before the flop in a race with A-10 against Andy Frankenberger’s pocket eights. Frankenberger, who won this year’s WPT Legends of Poker for $750,000, watched as the five community cards missed Ramdin to all but solidify his final table appearance.

Brett Richey, who has become a household name to many poker players thanks to his North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Bounty Shootout final table appearance and deep runs in the 2008 and 2010 WSOP Main Events, departed in 13th place for $21,000. Richey committed his final chips on a board reading K-7-J-2-5 with three diamonds, but mucked when Jason Burt tabled Q-6 of diamonds for a flush.

Online poker pro Frank Calo and former WPT champ Eugene Katchalov round out the 15 in the money finishers in Atlantic City. Calo got his money in ahead, holding A-K against Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki’s A-5 of clubs, but watched in agony as a five hit on the flop. A running 2-Q solidified his fate and Calo headed to the cage to collect his $21,000 prize for 14th place.

Katchalov 3bet all-in before the flop with 10-8 of diamonds and ran into Michael Raskin’s A-J. Katchalov spiked a 10 on the flop to take a commanding lead in the hand, but an ace on the river gave Raskin the win in dramatic fashion. The top 15 players received a payday after the field numbered 136. By comparison, the first Circuit Regional Championship, which emanated from Chicago at the end of October, drew a field of 226 and offered a top prize of $525,000.

Here’s how the final table stacks up in the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship in Atlantic City. The action kicks off this afternoon and will be filmed for television:

1. Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki – 759,000
2. Chris Bell – 706,000
3. Micah Raskin – 594,000
4. Jason Burt – 579,000
5. Ketan Pandya – 377,000
6. Nick “agriffrod” Mitchell – 332,000
7. Todd Terry – 307,000
8. Andy Frankenberger – 230,000
9. Seth Fischer – 219,000

The blinds sit at 3,000-6,000 with an ante of 1,000. Here are the payouts up for grabs:

1st Place: $358,295
2nd Place: $221,452
3rd Place: $159,851
4th Place: $117,457
5th Place: $87,808
6th Place: $66,758
7th Place: $51,607
8th Place: $40,538
9th Place: $32,362

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for full results on Thursday.

PartyPoker Reviving Million Dollar Hand in January

In January, PartyPoker will be bringing back one of its most popular promotions ever, the Million Dollar Hand. All you have to do is make a pair in a five-card poker hand to be awarded a prize, and a $1 million jackpot is on the line.

Accumulating cards is quite simple. You’ll get one for every 15 PartyPoints you rack up between January 5th and January 30th. When you’ve amassed five cards, you’ll have a hand. If it contains a pair, then $3 will be coming your way. If it contains two pair, then your prize will be upped to $10. If you manage to score three of a kind, then you’ll get a $20 cash prize. That’s pretty simple, right?

Players who land a straight in the Million Dollar Hand will take home $50, while those who pick up a flush will see $100 come their way. Players who make a boat will get $150, while anyone who hits quads will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Now, we’re into the big money, as straight flushes are worth $10,000. Finally, anyone who manages to score a Royal Flush will divide a $1 million prize pool, which means if two players hit it, each person will actually take home $500,000. If only one person makes a Royal Flush, they’ll take home the seven-figure jackpot.

The best part about the Million Dollar Hand is that PartyPoker is awarding every player his or her first card for free. No play is required! Just log into your PartyPoker account to see what your first card is.

Now, let’s review some of the terms and conditions of the PartyPoker Million Dollar Hand. First, you’ll only be able to acquire 10 cards per day for a total of two five-card poker hands. Second, if you fall short of 15 points, PartyPoker will carry them over to the next day. Third, you have to reveal your cards manually. In order to do so, log into your PartyPoker account and see what you’ve amassed. If you don’t reveal your cards, they won’t count.

PartyPoker players will have until the end of the day Eastern Time on January 31st to reveal any cards they’ve received and only points accumulated at cash game tables will count. Finally, as text found on PartyPoker’s website notes, “Cash prizes will be paid to players within an hour of them revealing their hand apart from Royal Flush winners, who will be paid on February 1st.”

PartyPoker is one of the industry leaders when it comes to unique promotions like the Million Dollar Hand. In fact, the site is concurrently running a Million Dollar Hand VIP Points Race for Palladium Lounge members. Players will earn the same cash prizes as in the Million Dollar Hand and also rack up points based on their hand’s value. The top two spots on the leaderboard pay out a World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic prize package worth $14,000.

The top 200 spots in the Million Dollar Hand VIP Points Race pay out, with a minimum prize of $100 up for grabs. The top 30 spots award four-figures and everyone who reaches the top 500 scores a seat into the Million Dollar Hand VIP Freeroll, which doles out a WPT prize package to its winner. Palladium Lounge members will receive extra race points for accumulating over 300 PartyPoints in a single day.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the third largest site worldwide in terms of real money ring game volume with a seven-day running average of 3,600 players. It just edges out the iPoker Network, but is well behind PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, which rank first and second worldwide, respectively. PartyPoker’s team of sponsored pros includes Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Mike Sexton, poker bad boy Tony G, and “High Stakes Poker” hostess Kara Scott.

Visit PartyPoker today for more details.

More massive savings at Bidibot.com

isildur1 vs Haxton Highlights – Part 4 of 5

Part 4 of 5 of the highlights from the Isildur1 vs Isaac “philivey2694″ Haxton match-up is shown with some great featured hands.

Right off the bat in this video we see a pot of a modest $400 with a very interesting board of 6c 8c 7c 6s. Isildur1 led out for $300 on the turn and Haxton made the call, which created a $1,000 pot. The river was an intriguing 8d. Isildur1 then went to his trademark move, a massive overbet on the river to the tune of $2,250 into $1,000. Haxton took plenty of time to make his decision and this hand, unofficially, represented one of his longest tank jobs. In the end, he elected to fold.

The next feature hand shown was a real doozy. With Haxton on the button and with a massive chip lead at the table (more than 4-to-1), Haxton min-raised to $200. Isildur1 made the call, which brought a 6d 2s 4d flop. Isildur1 then checked and Haxton continuation bet $200 into the $400 pot. Isildur1 raised to $800 and Haxton called. With the turn of a 8d that filled a potential flush draw for either player, Isildur1 then bet $1,600 into the $2,000 pot. Haxton, in response, made the call. The river was the Qh and it didn’t take long at all for Isildur1 to shove his remaining $7,500 as yet another overbet into the pot of $5,200. At this point Haxton was getting less than 2-to-1 to call against this river shove. Nevetheless, Haxton made the call and Isildur1 showed Jd Kd for a flush while Haxton showed 6c 6h for a flopped set. This hand is a bit of a cooler for Haxton, who saw $20,200 shipped over to Isildur1.

This SuperStar Showdown happened on December 19th, 2010 on PokerStars, where Isildur1 is a sponsored pro. He has been spotted at nosebleed stakes Pot Limit Omaha tables as well as at this match-up against Isaac Haxton. After the 2,500 match was completed, Haxton had won over $41,000.

isildur1 vs Haxton Highlights – Part 3 of 5

The highlights from the SuperStar Showdown between Isildur1 and Isaac Haxton continues. The four table heads-up cash game match-up pitted the unknown Swedish phenom against one of the world’s best in Haxton for 2,500 hands of $50-$100 No Limit Hold’em.

The first interesting hand that we zoomed in on and featured had Isildur1 on the button, who made raise to $300. Haxton made the call, creating a $600 pot, with the flop of 9s 7d 5c. Haxton checked the flop and Isildur1 then failed to continuation bet and quickly checked behind. The Js came on the turn and Haxton then bet $500 into the $600 pot with Isildur1 making a quick call. The river brought the 3d, with Haxton and Isildur1 both checking the river.

Board: 9s 7d 5c Js 3d

Haxton: 2h Ah (Ace High)
Isildur1: 6d 7h (Pair of Sevens)

Isildur1 wins $1,600.

A major hand we caught had Isildur1 on the button, who made a raise to $300. Haxton, who goes by the PokerStars ID “philivey2694″, 3bet to $1,050. Isildur1 then made a fairly rare pre-flop 4bet to $2,200, leaving $8,750 behind. Haxton then tanked for a while and finally shoved his entire $31,000+ stack into the middle. Isildur1 made the call and both players turned over their hands.

Isildur1: 8s 8h
Haxton: Ah Ts

In the classic coinflip situation, the flop hit Haxton hard:

Tc 7s As

The turn and river didn’t bring Isildur1 the win:

Turn: 3s
River: Qd

Haxton wins $21,900

Another major hand we highlighted had Haxton min-raise the button pre-flop who got a call from Isildur1. The flop was Jc Js Th and Isildur1 checked. Haxton then tanked down to a countdown timer, at which time he checked as well. The turn was the 5c and this time Isildur1 bet $300 into the $400 pot. Haxton made the call, and the river card was the King of spades. With $1,000 in the pot, Isildur1 bet $700 and Haxton tanked again before finally making a big raise to $2,999. Isildur1 didn’t take long to make the fold, shipping $2,400 Haxton’s way.

Internet Gambling Opponent Jon Kyl Mum on Reelection Plans

According to Politco, Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is keeping his 2012 reelection plans close to the vest, creating uncertainty in the future hierarchy of his party’s leadership.  Kyl is the Senate Minority Whip, the second ranking position in the Republican Party.

Poker players know Kyl as Capitol Hill’s current public enemy number one to online gambling.  He was one of the key players, along with then-Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA) and then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), behind the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.  The bill, which aimed to stop the flow of funds to offshore internet gambling sites, was attached to the must-pass SAFE Port Act in the middle of the night just before Congress adjourned for the year.

Since 2006, Kyl has continued to fight against online poker.  Earlier this year, he blocked the appointment of six of President Barack Obama‘s nominees to the United States Treasury because he was upset that the UIGEA implementation deadline had been pushed back six months.  This month, he was the most powerful opponent of Senator Harry Reid’s (D-NV) failed attempts to legalize and regulate online poker.

Rumblings about Kyl’s possible reelection bid began in November, shortly after midterm elections.  When asked, Kyl told Roll Call, “One of the lectures I give is, what’s wrong with the political system today. It’s that every election starts the day after the last one. That is what’s screwing up our system, because there’s no time out to do legislation in a bipartisan way or without the press of elections. And, so I said, I’m not going to be a part of that game. I’m not going to start that right now.”

Randy Pullen, Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, does not think Kyl will seek reelection.  “Things may change, but I don’t believe he is running based on past conversations that I’ve had with him,” he said.

Wes Gullett, who has eyes on the Phoenix mayoral post in 2011, couldn’t say either way whether Kyl will run, but he has no doubt he would win.  “I wouldn’t put much stock in what you do or don’t see right now,” said Gullett.  “Kyl is in the driver’s seat. If he does run, which I think he will, it’s an easy race for him.”

One byproduct of Kyl’s silence is the uncertainty of the future of the three Senators who rank immediately below him in the Republican Party: John Cornyn (R-TX), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and John Thune (R-SD).  All three are in position to move up should Kyl retire from the Senate.  Publicly, none of them have expressed concern with the uncertainty.

“I’m not even thinking about that,” Alexander said to Politico. “I can’t remember that we’ve ever had a better whip than Jon Kyl. Our leadership team functions easily, we work perfectly well together, and one of the reasons we do is that none of us are gunning for each other’s position. I think we happen to be in the right positions right now.”

Kyl, a Nebraska native who grew up in Iowa, got his start in politics 20 years after earning a law degree from the University of Arizona.  An attorney by trade, Kyl first ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1986, handily defeating Democrat Philip Davis, 64.5% to 35.5%.  He won three reelection bids in similarly easy fashion, serving a total of eight years in the House.

In 1994, Kyl made a run at a Senate seat, once again earning an easy victory.  The Republican received 54% of the vote, compared to Democrat Samuel Coppersmith’s 40% and Libertarian candidate Scott Grainger’s 6%.  In 2000, he ran without opposition from a major party, and in 2006, defeated former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Jim Pederson in one of the most expensive campaigns in the state’s history.

According to the National Journal’s 2009 Vote Ratings, Kyl was the 18th most conservative member of the Senate last year.  He rated as the number one most conservative Senator in 2008.