Poker News

ESPN Inside Deal Airs First Show of 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liv Boeree Appears in Maxim UK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poker2Nite wonders where Patrik Antonius is

The latest episode of Poker2Nite is out. This time they wonder where has Patrik Antonius vanished.

Antonius is being missed in the big live games and Poker2Nite is speculating where he is. Some other topics are the interview of the famous tournament director Matt Savage, some chat about Shaun Deeb and a few interesting hands from the past.

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Poker2Nite wonders where Patrik Antonius is

Chris Ferguson speaks about his “$0 into $10.000 Challenge”

Card Player TV interviewed Chris “Jesus” Ferguson about his “$0 into $10.000 Challenge” to their “All-Inbox” show.

Ferguson tells that the hardest part of the challenge was to make the first 10 dollars because he had to play freerolls.

He recalls the most memorable hand he has ever played and chats about his long hair and cowboy hat, in other words, his “poker look”.

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Chris Ferguson speaks about his “$0 into $10.000 Challenge”

Celebrities Flock to 2010 PCA

Legendary guitarist Slash, Entourage star Adrian Grenier and rapper Nelly headline a tentative list from PokerStars.

Other celebrities ready to hit the felt include Reality TV star Brody Jenner, model-actress Joanna Krupa, actor Carlos Bernard of 24, producer Jimmy Wahlberg, amfAR spokesperson Kenneth Cole, 2008 Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, talk show host Montel Williams, French K1 Champion Jerome Lebanner, Spanish Footballer Poli Rincon and former English soccer star Teddy Sheringham.

Several members of Team PokerStars Sports Stars are also scheduled to make an appearance with former tennis superstar Boris Becker, NHL veteran Mats Sundin and former Dutch field hockey striker Fatima Moreira De Melo looking to rake some pots in the Bahamas.

PokerStars will also host an invitation-only performance by former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland at Paradise Harbour on Jan. 9.

The 2010 PCA will consist of over 50 events from Jan. 4-14 with the seven-day $10,300 buy-in main event scheduled to kickoff on Jan. 5. The entire event will take place at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Last year Toronto native Poorya Nazari pocketed $3 million for outlasting a field of 1,347 players in the 2009 PCA main event.

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Daniel Negreanu’s year - VIDEO

Daniel Negreanu tells about the happenings of 2009 and takes a “shot” to year 2010.

Negreanu speaks about WSOP 2010 while lying on his couch playing PokerStars‘ Sunday Million. He also tells about his mother’s death, his plans for next year and a few opinions of Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth’s cash game skills.

Source: RawVegas.tv

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Daniel Negreanu’s year - VIDEO

Mike Kosowski Wins PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge

Mike Kosowski, a first responder on September 11th, 2001, took down the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” final table, defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up and winning the $1 million grand prize.

The season finale does not air until this Sunday, December 27th, but the final results were leaked to the New York Post and confirmed independently by Poker News Daily. Kosowski, who is 53 years old, was trounced by model Joanna Krupa on the December 13th installment of the poker game show, ultimately falling with 6-9 against Q-J when he was running low on chips. Kosowski won a four-man single-table satellite to the finale after filming of the fourth show was completed.

A representative of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” told Poker News Daily via e-mail, “The biggest winner from every show got a seat. Since everyone on show four got knocked out in the first round, they played a consolation sit and go among the four contestants (two who made air, two who didn’t) to determine who would fill the final seat in the sit and go.” Kosowski emerged as the champion and went on to play against three other show winners for the opportunity to face Negreanu heads-up for $1 million.

According to the Post, Kosowski was an alternate to appear on the show in the first place and competed on his wedding anniversary. His wife was present at the taping, cheering the somewhat timid firefighter on. With his winnings, Kosowski told the Post that he would pay off his mortgage and donate a portion to an unnamed charity. Poker News Daily has arranged an interview with the game show’s winner on Monday afternoon, six days before the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” Season 1 finale airs on FOX.

Season 2 of the show has already been green-lighted and any applications submitted after the Season 1 deadline will roll over to the new installment. Text found on PokerStars’ official website triumphantly declares, “Season 2 is on the cards! After the unprecedented success of our TV show, the powers that be have declared we will film a second season of the Million Dollar Challenge. Which means we’ll need more contestants - so more freerolls and more auditions. Stay tuned for further details.” The franchise went head-to-head with NBC’s “Face the Ace,” sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, a series that received lackluster reception and ratings.

The “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” premiered on October 11th, with Father Andrew Trapp taking home $100,000 and a chance to face the other show’s survivors for a shot heads-up against Negreanu. Trapp, a preacher from South Carolina, made waves as a religious figure competing on a poker game show. Celebrities like Super Bowl champion Jerome Bettis, Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Tito Ortiz, and former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole took to the stage to play contestants in the first round, with Negreanu seated alongside for advice and moral support.

If the challengers could make it past the PokerStars-sponsored celebrities, they’d face off against pros of the site in the second round. Those who appeared included GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker, and PokerRoad’s Barry Greenstein. Beat a pro and contestants moved on to face Negreanu heads-up for $100,000 and a seat at the Table of Champions, which will air on Sunday.

The “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” will air following NFL on FOX coverage on Sunday, which is football’s next-to-last week of the season. Viewers are advised to check their local listings for station and airtime information.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for an interview with Kosowski and a complete recap of the final episode of the season.

PartyPoker Offering 25 Aussie Milllions Prize Packages

Ever since the popular online poker room PartyPoker signed 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Stewart Scott as one of its sponsored pros, it has gone out of its way to promote both online and brick and mortar poker in Australia.

This weekend, PartyPoker is offering players a chance to win one of 25 seats in the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event for just $600.  On Sunday, December 13th, the site will host two separate online satellites, one for citizens of Australia and New Zealand and one that is open to the rest of the PartyPoker customer base.  Both will feature a $600 + $40 buy-in, although many players will have won their way into the tournaments for much less since the site has been running micro-satellites.

The Aussie-only tournament will give away five tournament packages, each valued at $12,000.  The package includes buy-in to the AUD $10,000 Aussie Millions Main Event, hotel accommodations at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne, and $500 to be put towards travel expenses.  The tournament will begin at 2:45am ET.

The open field tournament will get underway a little later in the day at 2:30pm ET.  It will reward seats to the top 20 finishers and offer a slightly more lucrative version of the Aussie Millions prize package.  In addition to the buy-in and the hotel accommodations, the package will also include $3,500 to cover travel expenses.  Should a non-Aussie take part in the early tournament, PartyPoker will not offer any additional money to cover travel expenses.  Conversely, if a player from Australia or New Zealand wins one of the $15,000 packages, they will still receive the full $3,500 to cover travel.

Stewart Scott commented on the satellite tournaments in an official statement from PartyPoker: “I’ve been playing at PartyPoker.com for five years. These great packages are an amazing opportunity for other players to play in this huge tournament. Claiming the Aussie Millions title has been the highlight of my career and I’d love to see another PartyPoker.com player take the title.”

PartyPoker gave away 96 seats to the Aussie Millions in November as part of the site’s Gladiator promotion.  The players who earned at least 1,000 PartyPoints each day in November won their way into the event and the site doled out even more seats as part of a series of online tournaments featuring Scott.

Scott is the reigning Aussie Millions Champion and the first local player to win the tournament since it took on its new moniker and became one of the premiere events on the international tournament circuit.  In January, Scott defeated a field of 681 players to take down the AUD $2 million first place prize.  Peter Rho of Las Vegas finished in second place and earned AUD $1 million.  Other past winners of the Aussie Millions include Alexander Kostritsyn of Russia and Team Full Tilt member Gus Hansen.  Last year’s event also played home to one of the biggest live cash games in history with a minimum buy-in of AUD $1 million.

The previous Aussie Millions event boasted a guaranteed first place prize of AUD $2 million.  The Crown Casino is expecting an even larger turnout than 2009 and the tournament’s official website is predicting more than 800 runners in the upcoming Main Event.  There will also be a host of side events, including an AUD $100,000 buy-in High Rollers Event, a Heads-Up Event, and several Pot Limit Omaha events.  In total, the Crown will offer 20 different tournaments from January 14th to 31st, including the Main Event, which will run from January 24th to 30th.

A Brawl in APPT Sydney

Poker can sometimes be a frustrating game and once in a while players get into arguments with each other, but rarely things gets as bad as in Sydney, when a row between Mark Ericksen and his unidentified foe turned to a fist fight!

Apparently the two knew each other beforehand as the unidentified man (Mr. X from now on) approached Mark Ericksen’s table and and told Ericksen to “Stay the f*** out of my business.” Well it didn’t take long for these two to get into the business as after some heated words, Mr. X connected with his fist in Ericksen’s face.

Mr. X walked away from the table and things calmed for a second until Ericksen stood up and told Mr. X he was a “f***ing rat.” At this point a full scale war started between the two. After throwing and landing several punches, the two hit the ground where Mr. X continued his assault on Ericksen. With each punch he threw, Mr. X yelled “Rat! Rat! Rat!”

Pokernews.com video crew missed the incident, but Andrew Scott witnessed the whole affair, as he was seated in the same table with Ericksen:

Source: pokernews.com

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A Brawl in APPT Sydney

PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge: Brian Barboza Wins $100,000

The PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge returned on Sunday to Fox following NFL coverage and saw Brian Barboza take down a celebrity, a poker pro, and show front man Daniel Negreanu en route to a $100,000 payday and a trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Before Barboza, Oluwasegun “Big Mike” Odumuyiwa, a former defensive end from Northville, Michigan, took to the stage and squared off against Super Bowl champion Jerome Bettis, who won a ring as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first round, blinds began at 400-800 and each player began with 20,000 chips. Negreanu could give players advice as needed, but was unable to see anyone’s hole cards. Odumuyiwa had one time out to use at any point to seek advice.

In a key moment, Odumuyiwa called pre-flop with J-3 of spades and Bettis raised to 10,000 with pocket nines. Odumuyiwa used his time out, with Negreanu telling him to fold J-3 and come out firing in future hands. Odumuyiwa obliged and then promptly pushed on the next hand with just 6-3 before the flop. Bettis looked down at A-5, called, and the board ran out 9-8-9-K-7. Bettis took home $5,000 for charity and that was all she wrote for Odumuyiwa, who departed empty-handed.

The next contestant to take to the stage was Barboza, a 31 year-old salesman from Massachusetts. He faced former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole in the first round. Only three hands from the match were shown and, in the final pot, Barboza raised all-in with K-7 of clubs pre-flop and Nicole called for her stack with A-8 of hearts. The flop came 9-6-10 and the turn came a jack. Barboza needed a king, queen, or eight to hit on the river and, sure enough, a queen fell, giving the challenger a king-high straight and a $5,000 trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

For his next trick, Barboza took on Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso. In the second round, Negreanu could see Barboza’s hole cards and communicate with the amateur via headset. Rousso, in turn, could invoke the Dome of Silence twice, cutting off all communication between Negreanu and Barboza. To ensure a fast-paced match, each player started with 20,000 in chips and blinds began at 1,000-2,000. In the key hand of the battle, Rousso called pre-flop with A-6 and Barboza picked up Q-2. Negreanu told him to push in order to pick up the blinds and he obliged. Rousso snap-called, but the queen of spades hit on the flop. Negreanu actually called for the card to come and Barboza took a 34,000-6,000 edge in chips.

In the final hand between Rousso and Barboza, the former was all-in and dominated with 8-5 against J-8. The board ran out 6-J-9-3-K, giving Barboza $25,000. He was then faced with a decision to take the money or risk it all for a chance at $100,000. He selected the latter option and faced Negreanu heads-up.

Barboza nearly doubled Negreanu up with A-4 against A-J, but the board ran out 2-3-3-2-7, giving both players deuces and threes with an ace for a chopped pot. In the final hand, Negreanu called with 8-2 of clubs pre-flop and Barboza knocked the table with J-2. The first three cards came 8-3-J, giving Negreanu middle pair and Barboza top pair. Barboza bet 4,000, Negreanu shoved, and Barboza called, having the PokerStars pro covered. The turn and river fell a four and a king, respectively, giving Barboza $100,000 and a shot at $1 million.

The $100,000 winners will play in the show’s final episode next month for a chance to play Negreanu heads-up for $1 million.

Two more take Pokerstars’

The show's debut, which saw a poker-playing-priest win $100,000 and U.S. Army National Guard sergeant walk away with $25,000, drew four million viewers, making it the most successful poker show in television history.

This week, Oluwasegun "Big Mike" Odumuyiwa, a 35-year-old music manager from Northville, Michigan, is hoping to get a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

Odumuyiwa, who played basketball and football at Eastern Illinois University says he will use the money to take care of his late brother's family.

Also taking his shot at the cash will be Brian Barboza, a 31-year-old wine and liquor salesman from Raynham, Massachusetts.

Barboza says he's hoping to win enough money to buy his way into the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.

But to get to the cash, both Barboza and Odumuyiwa will have to first beat one of the show's celebrity defenders, including Super Bowl Champion Jerome Bettis, four-time NBA Champion John Salley, UFC champion Tito Ortiz or Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole.

Round two will then see them take on a Team PokerStars Pro, either WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker, Barry Greenstein or Vanessa Rousso.

The contestants will have Daniel Negreanu's help the whole way, but then they will have to decide whether to take $25,000 and walk away or take on Negreanu heads-up for $100,000 and a chance at the $1 million grand prize.

The show will air on FOX Sunday, Nov. 22, immediately following the network's NFL coverage.

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Mike Sexton enters the Poker Hall of Fame - Watch the video

Doyle Brunson has something funny to say in a video that rawVEGAS.tv filmed on Mike Sexton’s Poker Hall of Fame induction.

There’s also speeches by WSOP Commissoner Jeffrey Pollack, Mike’s brother Tom Sexton and of course the maestro himself, Mike Sexton.

Source: rawVEGAS.tv

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Mike Sexton enters the Poker Hall of Fame - Watch the video

ESPN Inside Deal Recaps 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table

From the stage of the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas were the ESPN.com “Inside Deal” crew. The trio – Laura Lane, Bernard Lee, and Andrew Feldman – recapped the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table.

Lane, Lee, and Feldman recapped the journeys of each of the nine final table members, who waited more than 100 days to battle for the $8.5 million first place prize. The entire weekend will be recapped on ESPN this evening at 9:00pm ET. On James Akenhead, who took ninth in the feature tournament, Lee explained, “When his kings ran into aces, he got deflated, but I feel like he had a shot.” Akenhead was a former train conductor and hails from England.

Finishing in eighth place was Kevin Schaffel, who largely played tight during the event’s conclusion. Lee observed, “He played really well. Up to the first break, he was really quiet and he was getting 3bet a lot of the time.” Next to go was Phil Ivey, who had the endorsement of nearly the entire poker industry. Lee noted, “You saw how much he cares and how well he can play the short stack. He was stealing a blind every single level.” Ivey headed out the Rio’s back door after being eliminated and was the only November Nine member not to speak with the media.

Backing Steven Begleiter were coaches Ylon Schwartz and Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little. The presence of the former was largely unknown in the weeks leading up to the resumption of the Main Event. After his elimination in fifth place, Jeff Shulman told “Inside Deal” and other assembled media, “I was playing in my basement the last two months with people who are all tough and every single day was harder than this. Of course, I didn’t win there either.”

Joe Cada had 39 big blinds entering three-handed play and doubled up at the expense of Antoine Saout with pocket twos against pocket queens when the flop came 7-2-9. The pot left Saout reeling and he was out with pocket eights against Cada’s A-K several hands later in a stunning turn of events. Lee explained, “When we were down to three-handed, we were all wondering who Saout was going to play and that was probably his mindset. The next thing you know, he’s going home instead of preparing for the next day.”

The “Inside Deal” crew had been hovering around the Rio since early last week, procuring content for the worldwide leader in sports and even taking in a meatball eating contest just moments after the field in the Main Event was shrunk from nine to two. On the crew’s favorite moments, Lee fondly remembered, “The big moment was Kevin Schaffel. He went in with aces against Eric Buchman, who flopped a king. Schaffel still had hope and then the quad kings come on the turn.”

Finally, Feldman recalled the crowd getting into the action: “James Akenhead tripling up was the first time we saw the crowd into it. My second moment was away from the table watching Mike Sexton getting inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.” By the time Sexton was enshrined, which occurred during the dinner break on Saturday, seven players remained. The 2009 installment went down as the longest in WSOP Main Event history at over 17 hours.

ESPN “Inside Deal” also plans to release exclusive interviews with Cada and runner-up Darvin Moon.

GUKPT Blackpool under way

The GUKPT has got out its bucket and spade and headed to the seaside this week for the Blackpool leg of the tour. The action at The G Sandcastle Casino on the South Promenade is already underway with the opening £100 side event scheduled to come to a conclusion later tonight.

Antonius and Negreanu golfing - Watch the video

RawVegagas.tv went to see how Daniel Negreanu and Patrik Antonius handles golf.

Daniel updated his Twitter during the play as well:

RealKidPoker: We shot 29 on the front 9. They shot 28! Close match so far.

RealKidPoker: We shot 59. They are on 18 now. If they birdie it they shoot 58.

RealKidPoker: They made birdie on 18 for a 58. We lost day 1 by one stroke. Same time tomm

So it seems that they will continue today. We’d like to know the amount of prop bets they made.

Source: RawVegas, Twitter

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Antonius and Negreanu golfing - Watch the video

ESPN presents: Four days with Phil Ivey

ESPN filmed a new episode of E:60, which features Phil Ivey. ESPN decided to offer their viewers a nice 11 minute trailer of the episode.

Viewers can follow the life of Ivey for four days. ESPN followed Ivey to Germany and back. Ivey also tells how he found poker and discusses about other topics related to his life as well.

Source: ESPN

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ESPN presents: Four days with Phil Ivey

Chad Brown, Liv Boeree Join ESPN Inside Deal

The final installment of ESPN’s poker show “Inside Deal” before the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table was released on Tuesday, featuring Chad Brown and Liv Boeree.

The “Inside Deal” crew moved to a new set to open the show and its attention immediately turned to Phil Ivey mucking the winning flush during last week’s WSOP on ESPN broadcast, which saw the field trimmed to 18 players. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee gave his take on the errant move: “It was shocking. That’s really all you can say. I’m sure it’s happened before, but not in the final 27 of the WSOP Main Event.” Ivey remains in the running for the $8.5 million first place prize despite the hiccup.

On Kara Scott being the new host of the GSN poker franchise “High Stakes Poker,” Lee quipped, “At least we know that Norman Chad will be watching;” Chad referred to Scott as “Kara Scott-Chad” throughout the 2009 WSOP Main Event broadcast. Poker News Daily can independently confirm that Scott is the new host of “High Stakes Poker” pending finalization of her contract and obtaining a working visa. No official announcement has been given by GSN.

A recent study released by the Joint Committee on Taxation, a U.S. Government agency, revealed that over $40 billion could be realized from taxing the internet gambling industry over a 10-year period. Lee explained the significance of the report: “That has to raise a lot of eyebrows in the government, knowing that amount of money could go into their coffers. This has to slowly move the pendulum toward us.” In the meantime, the financial services industry in the United States must come into full compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by December 1st.

Boeree them joined the show and revealed that she studied physics and astrophysics in school before being cast for a poker reality show featuring Ultimate Bet pros Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth. Boeree has been competing on the tournament circuit for only one year and commented, “I definitely don’t think I could go back to hosting now. I find it very difficult being at a European Poker Tour (EPT) event and asking people what their strategies were.” Her favorite band is Metallica, whom she has met and seen in concert. Boeree, a Brit, also claimed that her worst pet peeve of Americans is “easting like idiots.”

Brown discussed being one-half of a “power couple” in poker along with wife Vanessa Rousso: “We both have our own careers. As a couple, [we] can be supportive of each other.” Brown was the 2006 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year on the strength of five Top 40 finishes in World Poker Tour (WPT) events and a fifth place showing in EPT London. On the accolade, which only takes into account $5,000 buy-in tournaments with more than 100 players, Brown told Lee and fellow “Inside Deal” host Laura Lane, “These are the best players in the world you’re competing against.” John Juanda and Barry Greenstein were on his heels throughout much of the competition.

Brown noted that he was cast to be part of a movie directed by James Woods, but the project was put on hold due to the lingering global recession. On his acting career, the Team PokerStars Pro member explained, “If you’re a movie star, you can do whatever you want. If you’re a working actor, you need to stay in Hollywood and pound the pavement.” While Brown has put his acting skills to use on the green felts, Boeree commented that exploiting her femininity is advantageous: “There are definitely times when you can use it to your advantage. If you can flirt with the guys, they’ll want you to stick around.”

“Inside Deal” now heads to Las Vegas for the finale of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. The show is released each Tuesday on ESPN.com.

25 Packages to Aussie Millions 2010 at Party Poker

Party Poker invites you to join their team for the biggest Poker Event in the Southern Hemisphere the famous Aussie Millions 2010.

The Aussie Millions 2010 is to be held this coming January 14th to 31st in the Crown Casino, Melbourne, Australia and there will be an estimated AUS$2.5 million prize purse for the winner – fantastic! The schedule was released last month and can be found in full in our Aussie Millions 2010 schedule blog, take a look and see what a truly exciting event this is.

Party Poker are offering this chance of a lifetime to 25 of their lucky players with two types of luxury prize packages up for grabs:

The Australia New Zealand package has a value of $12,000 and includes:

• Main Event Buy-in
• Accom in the Crown Promenade Hotel
• $500 towards travel

The Rest of the World package has a value of $15,000 and includes:

• Main Event Buy-in
• Accom in the Crown Promenade Hotel
• $3,500 towards travel

However, the prize package tournaments, to be held on December 13th, are not restricted by territory.

These dream trips are being played for right NOW with daily freerolls or qualifiers starting at just $1 – you gotta have a go!

If you are not familiar with Party Poker, the biggest poker site in Europe, take a look at our Party Poker review with 3 terrific Party poker bonus codes for you to choose from. Study our Party Poker Bonus Code page to ensure you choose the Bonus Code to suit your rate of play and budget.

ESPN Inside Deal Welcomes WSOP November Niner Kevin Schaffel

This week, the ESPN poker franchise “Inside Deal” welcomed 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Kevin Schaffel. New Poker Hall of Fame nominee member Mike Sexton also called into the show.

The 13th installment of “Inside Deal” began with a discussion of Daniel Negreanu’s breakdown of World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament cashes. Negreanu’s analysis revealed that very few players are actually winners on the WPT circuit, emphasizing the importance of satellite and cash game aptitude. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee explained, “You don’t cash very often and what [Negreanu] is saying is that when you do, you’ve got to make it count.” Lee noted that Gus Hansen has nine WPT cashes, eight for final tables. Phil Ivey has notched eight WPT final tables out of 11 cashes.

Ivey, a WSOP November Nine member, is camped out in Cabo San Lucas, allegedly in “exile” preparing for his run at the $8.5 million first place prize. Lee explained, “What he’s going to be able to do is prepare himself mentally and physically for the biggest challenge of his life.” Ivey has a variety of prop bets on the line, making for a potentially enormous payday next month.

Sexton joined “Inside Deal” via phone and gave his take on being the lone member of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009: “It’s pretty flattering and certainly an honor to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame with the legends and icons of the game.” Sexton’s enshrinement ceremony will take place during the dinner break of the WSOP Main Event final table on November 7th in an $800 per plate affair. The WPT host has already begun preparing his speech and revealed, “I’m getting my thoughts together now on what I’m going to say. Certainly, I’m going to acknowledge the other nominees and thank people who have been very important to me in my poker career and life as well.”

Schaffel, an avid golfer, then came on and told Lee and fellow “Inside Deal” host Laura Lane, “The guys at my golf club tell me I smile a lot more.” Schaffel sits in sixth place on the leaderboard entering the Main Event final table and recently completed the purchase of a home. He made deep runs in the 2004 and 2008 WSOP Main Events, cashing for nearly $100,000 combined, and told viewers, “I definitely can attribute some of my success to things I’ve learned in the past.” He’s bringing 90 fans to Las Vegas, where his 12 first cousins will convene for only the second time ever.

Part of Schaffel’s good luck may have been due to an image of 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate that the future November Nine member stashed in his wallet. A gift from a family member, the image was doctored with PhotoShop to feature Schaffel’s head pasted on Eastgate’s body. Schaffel remarked, “There were a couple of times when I thought about the photo while playing.” Schaffel played alongside Eastgate on Day 7 and showed the youngest WSOP Main Event ever the image to break the ice.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the set for a game of Poker-dy, the “Inside Deal” version of the classic television game show “Jeopardy.” For the clue “This is the funniest player in the poker industry,” Lee answered ESPN commentator Norman Chad, Schaffel said Antonio Esfandiari, and Lane suggested Negreanu. For “This starting hand has by far gotten me into the most trouble,” Lane answered K-Q, Lee answered A-Q, and Schaffel tossed out pocket queens.

Finally, Schaffel was asked if so many of his hands being recorded during the WPT Legends of Poker meant that opponents would be able to diagnose his game. Schaffel finished second in the event for $471,000 and explained, “Not really. The difference is that I might make a play as the chip leader that I might not make otherwise.” Schaffel was among the pacesetters throughout much of the event, which took place shortly after the WSOP Main Event final table was determined.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Awkward 60 Seconds With Tom Dwan

Pokernews.com did a really funny interview with Tom Dwan. Check out the “Calling the Clock” with Gloria Balding.

Does “Durrrr” like boys or girls? What about Superman or Batman? What would he do with a million? Check the video to find out.

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Awkward 60 Seconds With Tom Dwan

ESPN Inside Deal Welcomes Joe Cada

This week’s installment of the ESPN.com poker franchise “Inside Deal” featured 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Joe Cada. Laura Lane and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee host the show.

The news segment of ESPN “Inside Deal” began with Lee praising World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton for his election to the Poker Hall of Fame: “I think it’s tremendously well-deserved. Mike has had a phenomenal career. A lot of people think of him from the WPT, but remember, he is a very well-accomplished player.” Sexton is the lone representative of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. Others who were up for consideration included Tom McEvoy, Dan Harrington, Daniel Negranu, Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein, Scotty Nguyen, and Men “The Master” Nguyen.

Attention then turned to the letter authored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner petitioning for the delay of the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year to December 1st, 2010. Lee explained what would happen if the current deadline stood: “The impact would be devastating. We’re fearful that the banks will err on the side of caution and ultimately block payments that the online sites would give.”

Making headlines this week was the news that the GSN staple “High Stakes Poker” had dropped host A.J. Benza for Season 6, allegedly replacing him with a female correspondent. Lee explained, “I’m a little surprised. For five years, A.J. and Gabe Kaplan have seemed to have a good rapport, so I’m surprised they’re making this switch.” Poker News Daily broke the news that Vanessa Rousso, the presumed frontrunner for the job, would not be Benza’s replacement. Other possible fill-ins include former WPT hostess Shana Hiatt, Kara Scott, Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones, and Shannon Elizabeth.

Cada, who could become the youngest Main Event winner ever if he takes down the feature tournament next month, then joined the show. He noted how his life has changed as a result of the increased exposure as a member of the November Nine: “I’ve been playing poker my whole life, so the only thing that’s changed for me is the media.” Cada is primarily a cash game player, only hitting up the tournament scene online on Sundays. He purchased a 2,400 square foot house at age 19 as a gift to himself and is a sponsored pro of PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker room.

Heading into the 2009 WSOP, Cada found himself on a $150,000 downswing. He sought the aid of two longtime cornerstones of the poker industry, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Eric “sheets” Haber. Cada recalled, “I was lucky enough to have them back me and I’m very grateful for that. I knew I could win before I came in.” Josephy, a former Ultimate Bet pro, and Sheets will receive 50% of Cada’s earnings. The top prize in Las Vegas is $8.5 million.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the show to discuss a series of dream teams. News broke last week that Dream Team Poker would return with tournaments at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles coinciding with Monday Night Football. Feldman’s “Dream Team Young Guns” consisted of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate. “Dream Team Lady Luck” was comprised of Shannon Elizabeth, Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, and Jones. Finally, Feldman unveiled “Dream Team Old Guard:” Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow. Cada added that his ultimate Dream Team would be Ivey, Patrick Antonius, and Dwan.

Finally, Cada revealed that on Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, his stack had dropped to 20% of the average before he clawed back. He knocked out between 10 and 15 players en route to the final table and, upon heading to Connecticut to film ESPN “Inside Deal,” dropped some dough at the Foxwoods blackjack tables.

“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.

Local keeps APPT Auckland title in New Zealand

Simon Watt outlasted 263 players to win the biggest chunk of a $789,000 NZD prizepool in just the second APPT event ever held in New Zealand.

The event drew several recognizable players to the Skycity Casino, including Team PokerStars Pros Grant Levy, Emad Tahtouh, Tony Hachem, Celina Lin and Lee "Final Table" Nelson.

Nelson was eliminated in just the second hand of the tournament when he made a full house, but his opponent rivered quads.

The nine-player final table played out on Saturday with Assadour Assadourian the sole PokerStars sponsored player remaining. Unfortunately for Assadourian, he busted in seventh place for $23,670 NZD.

The final table eventually came down to New Zealander Watt and Frenchman Gerome Guitteau battling it out heads-up.

In the most pivotal hand of the tournament, Watt made an ill-timed bluff against Guitteau with ace-high and Guitteau on middle-pair.

Guitteau called him down and with over 90% of the chips in the middle, it looked like the Frenchman was destined to win the event. Instead, Watt spiked an ace on the turn and that was enough to secure the New Zealander the pot.

Two hands later, Watt busted Guitteau earning the APPT title and $209,085 NZD.

This is the second year that PokerStars has invaded New Zealand. Last year fellow Kiwi Daniel Craker beat 306 players to claim the inaugural title.

This year Craker put on an impressive performance in defending his title before finally busting out in 29th place for a cash of $5,523 NZD.

The next APPT event takes place Nov. 11-15 at the Shangri-La in Cebu, Philippines. Satellites are currently running on PokerStars.

Here are the complete final table payouts for the 2009 edition of APPT Auckland:

1 Simon Watt (New Zealand) - NZD $209,085
2 Gerome Guitteau (France) - NZD $142,020
3 Jason Brown (New Zealand) - NZD $82,845
4 Ke Sijia (China) - NZD $55,230
5 Richard Lancaster (New Zealand) - NZD $42,606
6 Jens Walther (Germany) - NZD $31,560
7 Assadour Assadourian (Australia) - NZD $23,670
8 Lance Climo (New Zealand) - NZD $18,936
9 Michael Shinzaki (USA) - NZD $14,202

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Simon Watt Wins APPT Auckland

Hometown hero Simon Watt bested Frenchman Gerome Guitteau in the finale of the Asian Pacific Poker Tour’s (APPT) Auckland Main Event. Watt banked NZ $209,000 for his efforts, or US $156,000 at current exchange rates.

Michael Shinzak hit the rail in ninth place, earning NZ $14,000. He pushed all-in pre-flop over the top of a raise by Guitteau, who promptly called and flipped up A-J. Shinzak showed just K-5 and the board ran out 7-A-10-9-K, giving Guitteau top pair. Lance Climo was sent packing in eighth place after his chips hit the middle pre-flop with A-10. However, he picked an inopportune time to put his tournament life on the line, as Watt tabled A-K. The turn was a king, sealing Watt’s win in the hand, and Climo earned NZ $18,000.

Assadour Assadourian, who finished 31st in APPT Auckland last year, was up to his winning ways once again in 2009 and claimed seventh place for NZ $23,000. The Aussie shoved after a flop of 7-8-J with two hearts holding Q-J for top pair. However, Guitteau held 8-7 for bottom two pair. The turn came a deuce and, needing a two, jack, or queen on the river to draw out, Assadourian saw the four of spades hit the board. Jens Walther was then bumped in sixth place after losing a race with A-Q against Guitteau’s pocket fives.

The next to go was Richard Lancaster, a Kiwi who pushed pre-flop with A-K and was called by Guitteau, who turned over A-Q. The flop came a seemingly benign 3-J-8, but a 10 on the turn gave Guitteau a gutshot straight draw if a king hit. The river – you guessed it – the king of diamonds, giving Guitteau a runner-runner straight for the win.

Chinese poker player Ke Sijia hit the skids in fourth place in APPT Auckland. Sijia called all-in after a board of J-2-10-3 with two diamonds and two hearts holding 9-10 of hearts for second pair and a flush draw. He was up against Guitteau, who held J-7 of diamonds for top pair and a flush draw of his own. The river came the queen of diamonds, filling Guitteau’s flush and lining Sijia’s pockets with NZ $55,000 for his fourth place showing. The pot gave Guitteau the chip lead three-handed.

Jason Brown saw his bankroll grow by NZ $82,000 for finishing third in Auckland. Brown ran pocket fives into Watt’s pocket kings and watched the board come 4-K-A-6-6, giving Watt a boat. The misfire left Brown crippled and he pushed on the next hand with K-4, up against Guitteau’s J-9. The flop came nine-high and Brown could never catch up. Watt and Guitteau were nearly even in chips entering heads-up play.

In the final hand of the APPT Auckland feature tournament, Guitteau’s tournament life was on the line with K-7 of clubs against Watt’s wired pair of fives. The flop came Q-6-J, which was no help to either player, and the board filled out 9-J. Guitteau earned NZ $142,000 for his runner-up showing. Here were the final table results from APPT Auckland:

1. Simon Watt (New Zealand) – NZ $209,085
2. Gerome Guitteau (France) – NZ $142,020
3. Jason Brown (New Zealand) – NZ $82,845
4. Ke Sijia (China) – NZ $55,230
5. Richard Lancaster (New Zealand) – NZ $42,606
6. Jens Walther (Germany) – NZ $31,560
7. Assadour Assadourian (Australia) – NZ $23,670
8. Lance Climo (New Zealand) – NZ $18,936
9. Michael Shinzaki (United States) – NZ $14,202

All but three of the final nine runners in the event were PokerStars qualifiers. The world’s largest online poker site serves as the presenting sponsor of the APPT circuit, which now heads to Cebu in the Philippines on November 11th. The PHP 100,000 buy-in tournament (approximately $2,150) will be held at the Shangri-la Mactan Resort.

Amazing Race: Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho Finish Sixth in Dubai

Fresh off being spared elimination last week in Cambodia after a rival team lost their passports, poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho finished sixth in the Dubai leg of the CBS reality series “Amazing Race.”

Teams began in Cambodia, where brothers Sam and Dan departed at 12:25pm. The clue instructed the “Amazing Race” competitors to fly to the Persian Gulf to find the world’s tallest building. Teams had to figure out on their own that the clue meant traveling to Dubai, United Arab Emirates to find the Burj Dubai, a building that is twice the height of New York City’s Empire State Building. Once there, they had to sign up for one of two elevator rides to the top. Michelle and Ho were the final squad to leave the Cambodia Pit Stop, departing at 12:55pm.

On the fate of the racers who misplaced their passports last week, Michelle noted, “It’s unfortunate what happened to Zev and Justin, but the rules are the rules. We’re appreciative for the lucky chances and we think we can be contenders.” All teams traveled to Dubai on the same flight and, once there, Michelle and Ho quickly righted the ship and left the airport in second place. They were the first team to arrive at the Burj Dubai and signed up for the 5:30am elevator ride, which carried four teams. The second lift departed at 5:45am.

Once at the top, the clue instructed teams to go to a parking structure at the nearby Dubai Mall, find a marked car, drive to the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, and ride 4×4s to their next clue. They also received information about the only Fast Forward on this installment of “Amazing Race.” The first team that completed the Fast Forward would be able to skip all tasks on the leg and head straight for the Pit Stop. However, dating couple Meghan and Cheyne were the only team to attempt the task, which was to head to the Dubai Autodrome and drive an F3 racecar through a course in less than 45 seconds.

Michelle and Ho elected not to go for the Fast Forward and instead headed for the Conservation Center. On the way, Ho remarked, “Lots of sand in Dubai. Aside from the heat, this is an amazing place.” Once they arrived, a Roadblock, which is a task that only one team member can perform, was waiting for them. The challenge featured teams grabbing a traditional water bag and searching for water than had been placed in urns and buried in the sand. Several dry urns were also scattered, making the challenge tougher. Upon finding water, the team member had to fill their bag. Michelle performed the Roadblock, but came up dry on her first attempts.

Meanwhile, Cheyne registered 40 seconds on his F3 lap and received a clue to head to the Pit Stop, the amphitheater at Souk Madinat Jumeirah. Back in the desert, Brian, one-half of married couple Brian and Ericka, told Michelle where to find water, which allowed the last woman standing in the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event to complete the task. Upon leaving the Roadblock, Ho ran over a stake in the ground, which punctured her car’s radiator. A replacement car was provided and Ho remarked, “I have an excuse because I’m an Asian female driver.”

Teams then made their way to Ski Dubai, a massive indoor ski resort in the middle of the urban metropolis. There, they encountered the leg’s Detour, a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. The first option was “Build a Snowman,” in which teams had to carry snow from the wintry inside of Ski Dubai to the 120 degree heat outside and build a traditional snowman before Mother Nature melted their creation. Teams could also select “Find a Snowman,” in which they took a chairlift to the top of the massive Ski Dubai slope and then sledded down to the bottom, where they had to search through a giant pile of snow for a tiny snowman.

Michelle and Ho elected to find a snowman; however, the duo quickly grew frustrated and switched. Meanwhile, after not being able to find their way out of Dubai to the Conservation Reserve, engaged couple Lance and Keri were the last to leave the Roadblock, could not catch up, and were eliminated this week. After building their snowman, Michelle and Ho checked into the Pit Stop on Dubai in sixth place, ensuring another week on “Amazing Race.”

Next week, the seven teams still in contention for the $1 million first place prize remain in Dubai and head to the Atlantis Resort, which is similar to its counterpart in the Bahamas that hosts the annual Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic. “Amazing Race” airs at 8:00pm ET on CBS on Sunday nights.

PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge: Denny Luna Walks Away with $25,000

The second episode of the PokerStars.net-sponsored “Million Dollar Challenge” hit television airwaves on Sunday following NFL on FOX coverage and featured Sergeant Denny Luna earning $25,000 before walking away.

2008 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, who is a regular on the MTV reality series “The Hills,” was Luna’s celebrity adversary. Players started with a stack of 20,000 in chips and blinds of 400-800, ensuring face-paced action. Show front man Daniel Negreanu sat alongside Luna for his first match, but could not see any of the hole cards. In the first hand shown, Luna raised to 1,600 with K-3 pre-flop and Nicole came along with J-6 of clubs. The flop came K-J-5 and Nicole bet 3,000. Luna called to see a four on the turn. Nicole check-called a 3,000 chip bet from Luna and the river fell a seven. Nicole led out for 3,000 and Luna called, shipping the 21,200 chip pot to Luna with top pair.

In the match’s deciding hand, Luna called pre-flop with 8-7 and Nicole checked her option with K-5. The flop came 2-8-Q. Nicole pushed all-in on a big bluff and Luna picked it off with middle pair. The turn came a seven, leaving Nicole drawing dead and awarding Luna a $5,000 trip to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January.

In the second round, Luna squared off against 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker. This time, Negreanu was moved to an isolation booth, where the pro could see Luna’s hole cards and communicate with him through an earpiece. Moneymaker could use the “Dome of Silence” feature twice, locking out communication between Luna and Negreanu.

In a key hand, Luna called pre-flop with K-4 and Moneymaker checked with 6-2 of clubs. The flop came 8-J-A and Moneymaker checked. Luna checked behind after Negreanu advised betting half of the pot to see the turn come another ace. Moneymaker checked, Luna bet 1,900, and Moneymaker promptly hit the Dome of Silence button. Moneymaker then raised to 5,500 and Luna made the call with just king-high. The river was a jack and Moneymaker bluffed off another 5,500 chips. Luna insta-called to scoop the 23,600 chip pot.

After doubling Moneymaker up, Luna delivered the final blow to the former accountant from Tennessee. Luna coyly called pre-flop with pocket queens and Moneymaker checked his option with 8-3. The flop came 2-3-7 and Moneymaker quickly shoved all-in with middle pair. Luna called and a running J-5 sealed the amateur’s win in the hand for $25,000. When asked if he wanted to continue or walk away with $25,000 in tow, Luna elected to take the money in deference to his wife and children.

The next contestant to take to the stage on “Million Dollar Challenge” was Tracy Nguyen, a student from Irving, Texas. Her celebrity opponent was Super Bowl Champion Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the match’s deciding hand, Bettis called pre-flop with pocket jacks and Nguyen checked her option with K-5. The flop came K-8-2 and Nguyen checked. Bettis bet 2,000, Nguyen pushed the action to 5,000, Bettis shoved all-in, and Nguyen made the call. The turn gave Nguyen another king and a jack failed to save Bettis on the river, giving Nguyen a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure trip.

Next up was Team PokerStars Pro member Barry Greenstein. In the $25,000 match, Nguyen called pre-flop with 9-5 and Greenstein rapped the table with 8-7. The flop came 9-5-6, giving Greenstein the nuts and Nguyen two pair. As expected, fireworks went off. Nguyen bet 1,000 and Greenstein called to see the turn come a three. Nguyen bet 3,000 and Greenstein locked out Negreanu, whom he noted normally favors playing small ball poker. Greenstein raised to 7,000 and Nguyen pushed. Greenstein happily called to put Nguyen at risk. A river deuce sealed her fate, but Nguyen walked away with a 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure trip for her efforts.

Three Sundays remain for the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.” The show will air following NFL on FOX coverage on November 22nd, December 13th, and December 27th.

Doyle Brunson Blasts Face the Ace, Million Dollar Challenge

In a recent blog entry that appeared on DoylesRoom.com, site namesake Doyle Brunson blasted two poker franchises to hit television airwaves in recent months: NBC’s “Face the Ace” and FOX’s “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.”

As talk show host Jim Rome would say, any time a person begins a sentence with “No disrespect intended,” someone is going to be disrespected. On the two poker game shows, which air on network television stations on weekend afternoons, Brunson commented, “No disrespect intended, but these poker shows are awful. Full Tilt’s ‘Face the Ace’ and Poker Stars ‘Million Dollar Challenge’ are so bad, it’s embarrassing. There is no skill involved in either show and I can’t imagine getting an audience that will watch the shows.” Both series saw online qualifiers take to the felts to play heads-up against heralded poker pros.

“Face the Ace” began airing on August 1st and originally claimed the 9:00pm ET hour on Saturday night. It aired for two episodes in prime time before a planned decision to move the poker franchise to afternoons on the weekend day. The first episode of the Steve Schrippa-hosted show featured Don Topel taking home $200,000, but it mustered just a 0.4 rating with a 2 share, which meant that only 1.59 million viewers had tuned in. Its competition included “America’s Most Wanted” and the movie “Red Eye,” which aired on ABC.

One week later on August 8th, Topel lost the $1 million match to Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith and walked away with nothing. The news was equally grim for NBC, which saw the second installment of “Face the Ace” generate a 0.3 rating with a 1 share, the equivalent of 1.46 million viewers age 18 to 49. “Face the Ace” airs once per month on the network, with future one-hour episodes scheduled to be shown on October 31st, November 14th, December 12th, and January 2nd. NBC also broadcasts the National Heads-Up Poker Championship as well as “Poker After Dark,” which airs Monday to Saturday at 2:05am ET.

The “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” premiered last Sunday following NFL on FOX coverage, or around 4:30pm ET in most markets. Daniel Negreanu serves as the face of the franchise, helping contestants battle PokerStars-sponsored sports figures and pros in the first two rounds. Then, Negreanu transitions from friend to foe, taking contestants on heads-up in the third round with $100,000 on the line. All $100,000 winners advance to the Table of Champions, whose victor faces Negreanu for $1 million. Last week, Father Andrew Trapp earned $100,000 after defeating former NBA star John Salley and professional poker player Vanessa Rousso.

“Million Dollar Challenge” returns this Sunday following the NFL on FOX. Then, like “Face the Ace,” it will air once per month, with November 22nd, December 13th, and December 27th serving as its remaining dates. “Face the Ace” and “Million Dollar Challenge” exclusively feature Full Tilt and PokerStars pros, respectively.

Brunson also commented on the recent departure of A.J. Benza from GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” On the televised ring game series, Brunson explained in his blog, “As I travel around, the High Stakes [Poker] cash games are the ones all the fans talk about and I agree with them that they are by far the most interesting. Speaking of that, I read where A.J. Benza is being replaced on GSN’s High Stakes Poker show. That’s too bad, I like A.J.’s subtle sense of humor. Vanessa Rousso is named as his likely replacement. I’m pro-Vanessa so I think she will fit in nicely with the old comic Gabe Kaplan.” Rousso told Poker News Daily that she is not the next host of “High Stakes Poker.” To clear the air, GSN is scheduled to make an announcement by the end of the week.

Prahlad Friedman Raps Again

Prahlad Friedman is back. Some of you might remember Friedman from 2006 WSOP Main Event when he made a rap called Poker Is Fun. His new song is called In the Main Event.

After 2006 many considered Friedman to be one of the best cash players around. Then the “Spirit Rock” (his online nick) vanished and it is believed that Russ Hamilton “took” all his money. After that Friedman kept low profile until he made a great comeback on this year’s WSOP Main Event only to win an WPT event just a month later.

You can judge by yourself. Did Friedman make a good choice with poker or should he venture into the music business?

Source: Wicked Chops

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Prahlad Friedman Raps Again

Phil Ivey Gets Unusually Talkative In An Interview

Swedish site Poker.se got to witness some rare treats from the usually not-so-talkative Phil Ivey. They had a chat with Ivey at WSOPE London some time ago.

Ivey tells about his poker career and how he got into playing. He tells that he learned to play different games from his grandfather.

His story is quite usual. Phil’s parents didn’t like at all when he told them that he is going to start to play poker in a professional level. He also emphases how hard poker is as a career choice.

Source: YouTube

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Phil Ivey Gets Unusually Talkative In An Interview

New Fox show gains NFL, MMA, Playboy stars

Former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis, MMA star Tito Ortiz and Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, will act as the first round of Celebrity Defenders on the Fox Sports show set to air Oct. 11.

Contestants will take on the in the stars in heads-up No Limit Hold'em matches in the first of four rounds with a little help from Canadian Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.

The second round will feature a heads-up match against another member of Team PokerStars Pro and in the final two, the would-be students will take on teacher Negreanu with $1 million on the line.

"I'm thrilled to be part of this show," Negreanu said. "I love the concept and I know that it will be packed with great poker and all the bells and whistles, hip graphics and drama that FOX is known for."

Prizes also escalate with each round, starting with a trip to the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the first round, $25,000 in the second round, $100k in the first of two matches against Negreanu and $1 million for the final.

Should a celebrity guest prevail in the first round, $5,000 will be donated to the charity of their choice.

Negrenau and the other Team PokerStars Pros will be playing for $10,000 for charity.

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PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge Premieres October 11th

Those who enjoyed “Face the Ace” have another poker-themed game show to look forward to, as the PokerStars-sponsored “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” is set to premiere on Fox on Sunday, October 11th.

The new series will air after Sunday NFL coverage and will feature a series of online qualifiers trying to win the $1 million first place prize.  In order to make it on the show, contestants had to win a freeroll on PokerStars and submit a minute-long video explaining why they deserved to appear.  Those who are fortunate enough to be selected have a ways to go before the $1 million is in their pockets.

Contestants will have to survive a series of four heads-up poker matches before the money is theirs, but they will have a little help along the way.  During the first round, players will face off against a famous sports star or celebrity like Jerome Bettis, MMA fighter Tito Ortiz, or Playboy Playmate Jayde Nicole.  Even though these celebrities will likely have comparable or less poker experience than the challenger, the challenger will also have the benefit of Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu sitting by their side offering them advice.  During the first round, Negreanu will be seated right next to the contestant offering his insight, but should the player advance to Round Two, Negreanu relocates to an isolation booth while the player takes on their next opponent.

Round Two will feature a match against a Team PokerStars Pro like Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, or former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker.  Contestants can still seek advice from Negreanu, but it will be out of earshot of their highly skilled opponents.  For every Round One and Round Two match won by a contestant with Negreanu’s help, PokerStars will donate $10,000 to a charity of the Canadian pro’s choosing. Charitable donations will also be made should one of the Team PokerStars Pros or celebrities eliminate the contestant.

Once the first two matches are in the books, the bond between contestant and Negreanu will be turned on its head, as the coach becomes the competition in Rounds Three and Four.  After spending two matches picking up the contestant’s tendencies and playing style, Negreanu will square off against them.  If the contestant can beat the pro in back-to-back heads-up matches, they will walk away $1 million wealthier.

Contestants will earn prizes for each round they successfully win.  If they beat the celebrity in Round One, they’ll earn a prize package to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.  If they manage to best the pro in Round Two, they’ll net $25,000.  If they want, players can take that money and walk away or they can put it on the line to face off against Negreanu.  If they opt to play in Round Three and win, they’ll earn $100,000 and a seat at the final show’s Table of Champions, which will give players a second chance to take on Negreanu for $1 million.  Those fortunate few who make it to Round Four will win the coveted $1 million should they best Negreanu a second time.

The Million Dollar Challenge will be hosted by Chris Rose of “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Poker Superstars Invitational” fame and, like “Face the Ace,” will air approximately once per month.  After the first two shows air in back-to-back weeks on October 11th and October 18th, it will return again November 22nd and December 13th, with its final episode airing on December 27th.

Viewers will also have a chance to get in on the action with freeroll tournaments on PokerStars.net and other giveaways set to take place when the show airs in two weeks.