Poker News

Party Poker Releases Dates for Sports Stars Challenge IV

Party Poker has released the dates for its PartyPoker.com Sports Stars Challenge IV, one of the most popular televised poker tournaments in Europe. The event will run from May 29-June 1 and will feature some of the world’s biggest sports stars, both past and present, taking their seats at the table in hopes of becoming a poker champion.

The Sports Stars Challenge IV will include some of the world’s best in motorsports, golf, boxing, rugby and darts. There will also be an online qualifier added to the field for the first time ever. The number of heats will increase from six to seven, with the winner of each of the seven heats advancing to the final table to battle it out until one of them walks away with the title. The overall winner receives £20,000 with second getting £10,000 and third receiving £5,000.

The motorsport table will feature Italian F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella, while the golf heat will include both 2008 European Ryder Cup team member Graeme McDowell and Jean Van Der Velde. European football’s list of legends includes former Holland captain Frank De Boer, French World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf, Germany’s European Championship winner Thomas Helmer, Romania’s Florin Radiciou and Denmark and Liverpool legend Jan Molby.

Germany’s former unbeaten World Champion Sven Ottke will headline the boxing heat. He will be joined by Northern Ireland’s Commonwealth heavyweight and Prizefighter champion Martin Rogan and Poland’s female boxing champ Agnieska Rylik. The rugby heat will feature union’s former France and Wasps captain Raphael Ibanez and Australian league star Brad Drew, while the darts heat will pit legend Phil Taylor against Russia’s ladies champ Anastasia Dobromyslova.

PartyPoker.com players also had the chance to win a seat through a freeroll in the sports heat of their choice. The sports are European football (two heats), rugby (union and league combined), motorsport, boxing, darts and golf. Two online qualifiers will join each heat.

“We offered freerolls to win a seat in the event on the site”, a spokesperson for Party Poker said, “but the places were snapped up so quickly that we were loath to promote it too much to save the disappointment of players. This is a once in a lifetime experience for a select group to take to the felt with their sporting heroes. The overall lineup is the most diverse and international in the event’s history and more star participant names will be released in the near future.”

For the fourth consecutive year the event will be run by Matchroom Sport, a promotions company founded by English entrepreneur Barry Hearn. Matchroom Sport is typically involved in snooker and boxing events for the most part, but Hearn is thrilled to be involved in the Sports Stars challenge again.

“This is the poker event that the sporting world looks forward to and we have some great international names and great poker players competing for the trophy, big prize money and the ultimate bragging rights”, Hearn said. “We’re particularly excited to introduce the online element and the motorsport and golf heats this year.”

Past winners of Sports Stars Challenge are rugby union star Austin Healey, Irish snooker champion Ken Doherty, and television presenter Kara Scott, who won £20,000 last year after defeating Manchester United football legend Norman Whiteside heads-up. There is no presenter heat in the new format this year.

Coverage of the event will be aired in the UK later this year on Sky Sports and then distributed internationally.

Annie Duke Versus Joan Rivers in Final Two of Celebrity Apprentice

Next Sunday is shaping up to be a showdown of biblical proportions, as World Series of Poker bracelet winner Annie Duke squares off against archrival Joan Rivers in the finale of NBC’s second season of Celebrity Apprentice. The three hour live final episode airs at 8:00pm ET. Note that this article contains language that is not appropriate for all audiences.

Last week, producer Melissa Rivers and her mother, Joan Rivers, lashed out at Duke and Roderick. The younger Rivers was ousted at the end of last week’s episode with her mother in tow, leaving the viewing audience to wonder whether the 75 year-old former talk show host would return to the NBC reality series. However, Joan Rivers arrived shortly after the presentation of this week’s task began. Duke commented, “I wasn’t surprised Joan came back. Joan is completely full of shit in everything she does. There’s a reason she got fired by the TV Guide Channel: She’s a bitch.”

This week’s task challenged the teams to create a jingle and 30 second commercial for Chicken of the Sea, one of the world’s leading brands of tuna. Team Athena, which consisted of Duke and Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick, found itself up against Grammy Award winning musician Clint Black. Teams had to create their own lyrics and devise a new tune, but were also instructed to incorporate phrases from the original jingle. Roderick was Project Manager of last week’s task, forcing Duke to assume the leadership position this week despite the circumstances. Appropriately, Black, the winning Project Manager last week, was chosen to reprise his role once again.

Duke and Roderick immediately began researching the brand and crafting lyrics, although the two were undermanned in terms of musical talent and number of team members. Duke commented, “Neither Brande nor I is musically-inclined in any way, shape, or form.” She continued, “If my musical ability were described as ‘slim,’ Brande’s would be described as ‘none.’” Black brought his guitar into the team’s recording studio and compiled the jingle, while Rivers and West Coast Choppers CEO Jesse James created the 30 second ad spot. Black elected to start several lines of the jingle with the word “naturally” to match what he thought Chicken of the Sea executives wanted.

Rivers questioned whether her team’s tune should be peppier and wanted to add a “cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, splash” punch line at the end. However, Black felt the addition would take away from the jingle, noting, “It was a risk we didn’t need to take.” Show host Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, summed up the end result of the task: “This is going to come down to whether Clint listened to the executives.” Meanwhile, Duke and Roderick created the 30 second ad spot before moving onto the jingle. The radio spot surrounded two mothers at a playground talking about the convenience of Chicken of the Sea.

Despite overwhelming odds against them, Duke and Roderick produced a catchy, modern jingle. The Ultimate Bet pro commented, “As I started listening to it, I was like, ‘This is catchy,’ but then I saw the [reactions of] other people in the room.” She later told NBC cameras, “If we win, that will be one of the high points of my life.” Rivers, meanwhile, was adamant about adding her punch line, but Black preferred her to walk across the stage holding a sign identifying the song during the team’s presentation. Rivers candidly explained, “You’re just allowed to walk across, but you’re not allowed to say anything. I am now doing it the way Helen Keller would have done it.”

Duke gave the presentation on behalf of her team and noted that a female voiced the song because 80% of Chicken of the Sea’s customers are of that gender. Whatever the outcome, the popular poker player was content. She explained, “If we lose and we have to go into the boardroom, it takes the edge off because I can walk away from this competition knowing that I did something incredible.” In the end, Black’s country background proved to be his downfall, as Chicken of the Sea executives felt that the delivery was “limited” in its nationwide reach. Duke exclaimed, “I just beat Clint Black in a songwriting contest!” Duke elevated her record to 2-0 as Project Manager (she also resoundingly defeated Rivers on a fundraising task two weeks ago), has never been brought into the boardroom as part of a losing effort, and was responsible for 30% of the money raised over the course of the show. Black took the fall for his team and was fired.

The four remaining contestants were immediately called back into the boardroom and it was revealed that Celebrity Apprentice Season 1 winner Piers Morgan would interview them. In the end, two more would be fired, setting up next week’s finale. Roderick was the first to be interviewed. Morgan questioned her intelligence and told Trump, “I don’t think she’s smart enough. I think it would demean your show because I don’t think she’s up to that.”

Rivers quelled Morgan’s doubts about her stamina, pointing out that she has two published books and a Broadway play. Rivers then added that she defended her daughter because “We’re a very small family. We were all killed by the Nazis, which tells you what I think about Annie.” Morgan then asked what her central issue with Duke is. Rivers responded, “My main problem with Annie is that she’s very manipulative. She is a poker player. That’s all she is. She is a mean, vicious, divide-and-conquer person.” Morgan told Trump that he questioned Rivers’ relationship with her daughter, but liked her energy of the 75 year-old.

Morgan labeled Duke “the smartest contestant by quite a long way.” He added, “You can say anything you’d like. She’s got the money at the end of the rainbow and doesn’t care what you say about her.” Morgan questioned James’ lack of fundraising prowess as well as being withdrawn throughout the show. Married to actress Sandra Bullock, James has kept his personal life out of the Celebrity Apprentice in stark contrast to other contestants. In the boardroom, Duke explained to Trump why she deserved to be in the final two: “I never lost as Project Manager. I think my last win was against what looked like insurmountable odds. I raised 30% of the money on a 16 man show. When my team lost, no one had a whisper of thought about bringing me into the boardroom.”

Trump questioned whether Roderick had reached the final four by virtue of riding Duke’s coattails. Duke gave her two cents: “She’s perfectly capable on her own. I was instrumental in the wins of my team.” However, Roderick was the first contestant fired from the boardroom, leaving Duke, James, and Rivers. Trump then turned his attention to James, questioning why he would save significant donors for the later stages of the show with no guarantee that they would ever be used. The lack of an effusive personality and being a poor fundraiser resulted in James being fired, setting up a showdown next Sunday in the Celebrity Apprentice Season 2 finale pitting Annie Duke against Joan Rivers.

The three hour live event kicks off at 8:00pm ET on NBC. Rivers admitted, “I am very unhappy at who I’m playing against because Annie is such a player. Her life is about playing. I will do what I have always done in the past: Put on blinders and do everything I can to win.” Duke countered, “I don’t think Joan Rivers is a nice person. I don’t think you can be a nice person and say the things she has about me and my friends. I’m now taking this personally.”

Poker stars ante up for Africa again, this time in Monte Carlo

This was first time when Ante Up for Africa tournament was arranged in Europe. The event, that was put together by PokerStars.net, raised more than €260,000 for people in Darfur.

Show no mercy, Isabelle!

PokerStars was well presented in actual game play of the tournament, as Team PokerStars pro Isabelle Mercier took home the win. A star-studded field of total 40 poker players and celebrities started the tournament and paid €4,000 that was donated fully for Ante Up for Africa organization. PokerStars made an additional €100,000 donation for the organization.

Many PokerStars’ team members participated in the tournament, including Daniel Negreanu, Victor Ramdin, Joe Hachem, Peter Eastgate, Dario Minieri, Vanessa Rousso and Greg Raymer alongside victorious teammate Mercier.

Most of the celebrities was eliminated before the final table that looked like this:

* Seat 1: Dario Minieri, 43,400
* Seat 2: John Duthie, 39,000
* Seat 3: Patrick Chene, 20,100
* Seat 4: Sebastian Chabal, 20,300
* Seat 5: Luca Pagano, 41,500
* Seat 6: Tony G, 18,200
* Seat 7: Daniel Negreanu, 151,000
* Seat 8: Teddy Sheringham, 44,900
* Seat 9: Isabelle Mercier 42,700

Negreanu started the final table with a huge chiplead, but could only finish in fifth place. Teddy Sheringham, a former England football star, suprised his more experienced opponents and managed to get into the top three.

Sheringham came close to winning the whole thing when he took out Italian Dario Minieri and started the heads-up against Mercier with 3 to 1 chiplead. But Isabelle gave no mercy for the amateur and battled back to lead and eventually to win.

Sheringham wouldn’t need to go home emptyhanded though, as he won the tournament prize, a trip to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas in January, because he was the best of the rest, people who were not sponsored by PokerStars.

EPT season finale also started today, more news about that event tomorrow in Highstakesnews.com.

Source: pokerlisting.com

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Poker stars ante up for Africa again, this time in Monte Carlo

Ante Up for Africa cashes in at Monte Carlo

The big winner from the event is Ante Up for Africa and its efforts in Darfur, but it was PokerStars pro Isabelle Mercier who actually won the tournament.

She defeated a final-table full of poker pros and a tough set of celebrities as well to end up facing England footballer Teddy Sheringham for the title.

"It was great fun to play, but overall I am very proud to have helped raise so much money," Mercier told PokerStars after her win.

Hosted by PokerStars.net, the tournament attracted 40 players and celebrities such as Nelly, Christina Milian, The Dream, James Kyson Lee, Jason Lewis and Joel Madden.

There were plenty representing from the international sports and entertainment realm as well with U.K. TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher, French rapper Bruno "Kool Shen" Lopes, F1 racing driver Nico Rosberg, Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina and rugby stars Sebastien Chabal and Mike Tindall playing the event.

Some of the pro poker players in the event included PokerStars' own team members Daniel Negreanu, Victor Ramdin, Joe Hachem, Peter Eastgate, Dario Minieri, Vanessa Rousso and Greg Raymer .

They all anted up €4,000 for the buy-in for a total donation of €160,000, to which PokerStars added another €100,000.

While many of the stars and some of the pro poker players fell by the wayside, the final table ended up being a tough mix of poker players and a few of the celebrities. They were:

• Seat 1: Dario Minieri, 43,400
• Seat 2: John Duthie, 39,000
• Seat 3: Patrick Chene, 20,100
• Seat 4: Sebastian Chabal, 20,300
• Seat 5: Luca Pagano, 41,500
• Seat 6: Tony G, 18,200
• Seat 7: Daniel Negreanu, 151,000
• Seat 8: Teddy Sheringham, 44,900
• Seat 9: Isabelle Mercier 42,700

Negreanu had a sizeable chip lead going into the final table, but he would see his chips whittled away and finally disappear as he ended up out in fifth place.

Chabal, Duthie, Chene and Pagano were out before him, and Tony G didn't last long after him. Finally Minieri was taken out by Sheringham who faced Mercier heads-up with a 3-1 chip advantage.

Mercier didn't get the nickname "No Mercy" for no reason though. She battled back, finally gaining the lead and then the win.

As runner-up to a Team PokerStars Pro winner, Sheringham won the tournament prize, a trip to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas in January.

The Ante Up for Africa charity tournament helped kick off the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final this week as well. The tournament started today in Monte Carlo, and you can get the latest updates in the Live Tournaments section.

Visit PokerListings.com

discomonkey boogies to PKR Live victory

23-year-old Englishman topped a field of 150 online-poker players taking part in the live game including his friend and rival Simon Wing, who he defeated in heads-up play.

"It was definitely one of the best, most enjoyable and most successful weekends of my life," Fenton said after his win. "I can't thank all of you guys enough for the cheers and the massive support I received throughout the whole weekend. It was an absolute honor."

The live poker weekend for PKR players included a $100 buy-in tournament on Friday, the two-day $75,000 guaranteed main event on the weekend plus a $10,000 Sunday Bounty Freeroll.

The first event was taken down by mockjock, but Fenton also made a good run in that event to land a third-place finish. He then moved on to win the main event over the weekend.

"I have been in the poker world for 40 years and have yet to meet a friendlier crowd than the people who came to the Loose Cannon over the weekend," said Loose Cannon manager Roy Houghton about the PKR event.

PKR Live II also marked the debut of Team PKR Pro.

Team member Andrew "golfpro699" Teng pulled in two cashes during the weekend. He had a 12th-place finish in Friday's event and an 11th-place finish in the main event.

He was topped by teammate Ray "callmebabe" O'Mahoney, who won the Sunday night bounty event.

The final-table results for the events are:

$100 Friday Warm-Up

Place	Name	Prize
1	mockjock	$3,750
2	kaliFProD	$2,325
3	discomonkey	$1,650
4	Rocafella	$1,350
5	kickofff	$1,050
6	ovnis	$825
7	hicko715	$645
8	PokerrPro	$480
9	pokerkate88	$375

$500 Main Event

Place	Name	Prize
1	discomonkey	$20,000
2	tigerwing	$12,000
3	AnnDav	$8,500
4	gladium	$6,500
5	karlthekiller	$5,250
6	zlatan35	$4,250
7	Rocken1900	$3,250
8	Whiteshark	$2,500
9	Jaam69	$1,850

Bounty Freeroll

Place	Name	Prize
1	Callmebabe	$2,000
2	Numero1uno	$1,500
3	Azurecoil	$1,100
4	WillyHilditch	$900
5	dalipz	$750
6	Pekah91	$600
7	MANonFIRE	$475
8	Bukbakbaby	$375
9	mpalac77	$300

For more information about PKR or its events, visit PKR.

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Scott Clark Comments on Quitting the Best Damn Poker Show

The turning point of Season 2 of Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Poker Show” was the abrupt departure of contestant Scott Clark. Patrick Karst, a member of Team Annie Duke, ultimately won the series, which was in its second season. Clark sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his experience and quitting the show.

Poker News Daily: Tell us how you became involved with the “Best Damn Poker Show.” What was the sign-up process you went through and what was asked?

Clark: At the World Series of Poker in July, Ultimate Bet held auditions at the Rio over two days. First, you filled out a lengthy questionnaire and hoped they’d call you back for an on-camera interview with a panel of judges who asked about your poker experience, your style of play, and personal achievements. They also asked you to name as many WSOP Main Event Champions as you could in ten seconds. I rambled off seven or eight quickly. I finished my answer and Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon said, “Have you ever heard of a guy named Phil Hellmuth?” I replied, “I heard he has a few WSOP cashes!”

After the on-camera interview with judges, hundreds of contestants hoped to be called back for the final on-camera interview with Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. Thousands of hopeful applicants also sent in online video submissions. I received word that I had been selected in August and I was very excited to play the game I love on television.

PND: What’s a typical day like on the show? Take us for a behind the scenes tour.

Clark: So many people worked hard on the "Best Damn Poker Show." We had a lot to get done and a small window of time to do it in. There were also egos, personalities, and talent within the contestant pool and very little gossiping, jealousy, or personality clashes. In my opinion, the biggest egos in the contestant pool exited the show early, with the exception of yours truly. The minor disagreements between Annie and Phil were the only drama. Duke and Hellmuth team members often intermingled socially after hours. It was a very interesting time on and off the set.

PND: What was Phil Hellmuth like, in your opinion?

Clark: I think we are similar in many ways. Phil and I are egomaniacs, poker players, and the same age. I use words like “generous” and “thoughtful” when I speak of Phil, much to the surprise of those who inquire. I thought he was an amazing poker mind. I understand Phil and I think he got me. Often, Phil told me what he was thinking with just a glance or facial expression. I like Phil and, ultimately, I failed Phil. I really do not feel good about it.

PND: Phil Hellmuth told Poker News Daily that he found out about your departure while he was in his trailer. Do you regret quitting the “Best Damn Poker Show?”

Clark: I have mixed feelings about it based on the fact that I allowed myself to get into a situation and lost all creative input after the fact. I did not expect Fox Sports Net to be kind. Based on the edited show that aired, I do not regret leaving based on the trust issues I had with its producers after the incident.

PND: The incident was defined as a turning point for Team Hellmuth. Do you agree?

Clark: Yes. Team Hellmuth undoubtedly had the better team. Annie is probably the better coach in a format like this, but Phil possesses a greater poker mind and assesses talent better. Had I returned, I feel Team Hellmuth was a 60/40 favorite at that point. Team Hellmuth member Jason Lee played magnificently after I left. He nearly won an Aruba package in my absence when he shoved in the dark versus Karst.

PND: How has this experience changed your poker career?

Clark: I have not played on Ultimate Bet since the show. I play tournaments online and prefer to play No Limit Hold’em cash games live. I have been concentrating on my live play at Lumiere Place. I play tournaments part-time on Full Tilt Poker and compete in Omaha High-Low home games around St. Louis. I do miss playing at Ultimate Bet. I stated during the auditions, “UB has been very good to me,” and it had been. My online tournament fees and rake dollars are spent in many poker venues, but UB will have to pay me to play there.

PND: Would you consider returning for the Best Damn Poker Show Season 3 if asked?

Clark: I would consider it “unfinished business.” I hated watching Annie celebrate a victory I effectively handed her. I never considered that aspect when I decided to leave the taping of the “Best Damn Poker Show” and it makes me ill. I really do not know the answer to your question. I suppose it is one of those decisions that an individual would have to actually be faced with in order to speculate “what if.”

PND: Are you recognized now as a result of the show? What are people’s reactions?

Clark: I remain pleasantly surprised by how many people actually watched it. I think I put on a good show and assured Annie during the auditions that I would. Most people ask about Phil and his off-camera personality. Overall, they all seem to have enjoyed the show.

PND: Tell us about your 2009 World Series of Poker plans.

Clark: I will be in Las Vegas during the WSOP. Live tournaments do not rank very high on my list of things to do, but the WSOP is a festive atmosphere. You really cannot plan life, Vegas, the WSOP, or poker!

Check out Scott Clark’s blog to learn more.

Annie Duke Comments on Being Compared to Hitler, Mussolini

This week on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, comedian Joan Rivers compared World Series of Poker bracelet winner Annie Duke to Hitler. It’s a comment that has not sat well with one of the top female players in the game. Duke sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss her reaction.

Poker News Daily: In an interview with Amanda Leatherman during the World Poker Tour Championship, you stated that you were surprised Joan Rivers didn’t recant her comments after watching them unfold on television. Instead, she apologized to Hitler on Twitter.

Duke: We’ve all been in situations where we’ve been in heated arguments. There are things we wish we hadn’t said. You have a camera on you 15 hours a day on Celebrity Apprentice. You say things that you wish you could take back. I watched the first two episodes and the producers cut the aggressive parts together. I was trying to be aggressive and my perception was that I was spreading it out enough such that it wouldn’t be an issue. I wish I had laid back a little bit and thought about the editing.

In the cold light of day, after you are away from the weird emotions that come with the game, you see some of these things and you feel bad. When you see Joan saying that I have 16 faces, comparing me to Hitler, or insinuating that my friends are in the Mafia, I wouldn’t expect her to feel bad. Especially since she’s Jewish, I felt like comparing me to Hitler was the one thing she’d regret. Referencing Hitler trivializes the Holocaust. Instead of regretting it, she went one step further.

PND: Talk about the ongoing feud between Joan’s daughter Melissa and Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick.

Duke: I wish I had seen what was happening between Brande and Melissa. After Episode 3, I was always away from Brande. I allowed what I was hearing from Melissa about Brande’s performance to influence me and I believed her. I felt Melissa was the better and stronger player and deserved to be there more than Brande. Instead of fighting Melissa, Brande just allowed others to make decisions and move along. I wish I had figured that out earlier. I felt bad that, as a poker player, I couldn’t read that situation better. I wish I had seen what Melissa was doing. She is very petty, talks behind people’s backs, and has a weird dynamic with her mom.

PND: Watching the Schwan’s episode, I felt as if you stuck your neck out campaigning for turkey meatballs more than you should have, especially coming off a win. How did you see the situation at the time?

Duke: I protected myself really well. The food was judged on taste and originality, but you also had to produce a marketing plan. Even if the food wasn’t good, the lack of a marketing campaign was going to be blamed. In the boardroom, there was a very long discussion about our lack of a marketing campaign, which was the responsibility of Melissa Rivers and Jesse James.

I was trying to get them to understand that originality was important and I was the only person on the team who could cook. Melissa has never cooked a thing in her life and Jesse wanted to do the marketing. I agreed to make three dishes and then let them choose. I made a batch of whole wheat pasta and a batch of regular pasta and had my team do a blind taste test. I said if the gluten-free pasta didn’t win the taste test, we wouldn’t do it; all three team members chose it. Now how am I going to get into trouble?

We walked into the boardroom and had no marketing plan, but won anyway. They don’t show me in my private interview freaking out that I hadn’t seen a marketing plan. We walked into the boardroom and Donald Trump asked how we did. Melissa hadn’t cooked and said, “If we lose, I think it’s because of the food.” The next think out of Trump’s mouth was, “Jesse, why didn’t you produce a marketing plan?” The food won us the task.

PND: Talk about the previous boardroom, which saw Joan Rivers defend an auction strategy of pooling the team’s money together to make a hefty profit margin on one item.

Duke: The poor quality of her auction came down to the decision to put all of the bidders on one item, which ensured there would be pieces that wouldn’t sell. I felt that it was disrespectful to Ivanka Trump, but Joan said the task was about making money. Trump jumped to her defense, which was interesting, but she raised the least amount of money on her team. If she wants to argue that it’s solely about money, then the person who raised the least amount should be fired. Joan raised $8,000. I think that it says a lot about Joan’s relationships with other people. It explains why she keeps disparaging my friends. How else can she explain it? She disparages her own friends for not coming out to bid for charity and disparages my friends for coming out with ulterior motives.

PND: Melissa Rivers and Joan Rivers ardently defended each other despite being on different teams. Is that fundamentally against the rules of business?

Duke: This is a business task and it’s like competing corporations. There have been cases where brothers or fathers and sons are heads of different corporations. It would be grounds for removal by a Board if one person helped the other out. Do you think for a second that my brother (Howard Lederer) has ever called me up and said, “Full Tilt Poker is doing something big that is going to hurt Ultimate Bet?” Of course not. You can’t do that, which was Piers Morgan’s point. In business, you can’t do that. The fact that they’re doing it across the aisle is grounds for removal.

PND: Is being a good fundraiser enough to win Celebrity Apprentice?

Duke: Clearly, I’m a good fundraiser. Over the course of two years, I’ve helped raise $2 million for the crisis in Darfur with the help of Don Chealde, Norman Epstein, and the amazing poker and celebrity communities. I know how to get people to understand the importance of an issue. While that looks like the most salient thing about me, I think there’s more. I’m someone who works their ass off. You saw Melissa lying on the floor. You saw Jesse staring at his computer. I’m someone who’s very good at making sure my ideas are heard because I believe in them. The turkey meatballs idea is a good example. Managing the kitchen during the cupcake challenge is another example. I’m someone who is willing to take risks when I believe in an idea.

During the show, I’m not always right. During the ACN task, I didn’t have any ideas I believed in, so I didn’t speak up. I’m selective when I speak up and I’m willing to risk colossal failures if I believe in an idea. I’m also banking on my professionalism in the boardroom to win, but I think that’s a given. I happen to have someone who isn’t acting professionally acting as a foil.

Joan Rivers Calls Annie Duke Hitler on Celebrity Apprentice

This week marked a brand new chapter of the rift between World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Annie Duke and comedian Joan Rivers on Celebrity Apprentice. The two hour show, which airs on NBC at 9:00pm ET on Sunday nights, was highlighted by Rivers comparing Duke to Hitler.

Last week marked the first part of a task that challenged the teams to raise money for charity by auctioning off jewelry from Ivanka Trump’s line. Whichever team made the most profit would win. Duke served as Project Manager of her team, Athena, during the task. The opposition, Kotu, pooled the team’s money together in order to elicit a massive bid for one item. The rift between Duke and Rivers was initiated when the popular female poker player would not blame Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick for the team’s loss last week. Instead, Duke fingered R&B singer Brian McKnight, who was given the boot for being lackadaisical as Project Manager.

Professional golfer Natalie Gulbis called Duke’s Ultimate Bet colleague Phil Hellmuth to fundraise against her. In response, Hellmuth notified Duke of her opposition’s plans. Hellmuth commented, “Natalie called me and she wants to talk to me in a few hours, but you’re my girl.” Duke then stated to NBC cameras, “When I found out that a friend facilitated someone getting in touch with people to try to fundraise against me, you can imagine I was not happy.” Duke called the mystery middleman and lambasted him, stating, “Why the f--- would you do what you did? You were f------ played. I suggest you call [Natalie] and tell her never to lie to you again.”

The phone conversation played out in front of Joan Rivers and country music singer Clint Black, prompting the former to retort, “The venom that came out – This is a bad, bad, bad person.” The younger Rivers questioned if Duke was simply upset that her opposition was being creative in calling Hellmuth: “If Annie had thought of [the idea], it would have just been brilliant, but because someone got her, it sent her around the bend.” Hellmuth was a noticeable no-show to the live fashion show and auction.

Showing up to New York City on Duke’s behalf were Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian (who is also an Ultimate Bet personality), Perry Friedman, and Full Tilt Poker pro Andy Bloch. The first item auctioned off was sold to the former MIT Blackjack Team member for $25,000. The second item brought in $52,000 as a result of a bid by Ian. West Coast Choppers CEO Jesse James, who was on Duke’s team, commented about his Project Manager: “Once Annie knew where the money was, she went right after it.” The third item auctioned off by Duke’s team saw Roderick model a piece of jewelry that went to a donor for $50,000. Roderick commented, “Annie was a great auctioneer. She really knows how to take money from people, but that’s what she does for a living.”

Kotu’s strategy of pooling the team’s money together to turn a large profit on one item ultimately backfired. The first piece of jewelry went unsold, while the second went for just $12,000. The elder Rivers then intervened, sharing auctioning duties with Black, which helped generate larger bids. The third item auctioned off by Kotu fetched a bid of $83,500, the largest single amount raised. On the model donning item number four, Rivers joked, “Valerie is bulimic.”

In the boardroom, Duke and the Rivers family teed off on each other. On Kotu’s strategy, Duke commented, “I think it was disrespectful to Ivanka to not make sure that every piece got sold. It’s about being respectful to the charity. It’s about being respectful to the task. It’s about being respectful to Ivanka.” Joan Rivers did not take Duke’s criticism likely, firing back, “You’re a despicable human being. You’re a perfect poker player. You’d spit on the ground and drown your own mother in it… You’re not that smart. Your ego is so beyond where you are.”

After then comparing Duke to Hitler, the Poker News Daily guest columnist explained, “I’m the one who, when I call [poker players] and tell them to get on a plane at 6:00am to come help me, they do.” In the end, Duke’s fundraising efforts led Athena to a significant margin of victory, profiting $153,000 in comparison to Kotu’s $92,000. The win meant that Duke’s charity, Refugees International, received $245,000, the largest paycheck in Celebrity Apprentice history. To date, the show has raised over $700,000 for the contestants’ beneficiaries.

Duke took a side interview with NBC cameras as an opportunity to defend herself against Rivers’ attacks. She explained, “To out of the blue come up with the things Joan said – I’m nutty and I’m Hitler – I think she’s demonstrating the qualities she accused me of. This woman is completely f------ dead to me.” Rivers cried in the boardroom when prodded by show host Donald Trump as to who should be fired, but Gulbis took the fall for her lack of fundraising as well as picking jewelry that was not visible on the runway.

The second task of the Sunday night show asked teams to devise a new frozen food and marketing campaign for Schwan’s Live Smart line. Athena selected James to be its Project Manager, while Kotu saw Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker step up. Duke immediately suggested turkey meatballs and gluten-free pasta as a potential item to sell. Researching products online, she claimed, “The Italian style meatballs are one of their best-sellers and they don’t offer that on the low-fat menu.” Melissa Rivers once again attacked her teammate, telling NBC, “Annie mode is that she’s going to get her way come hell or high water. Her giving up on an idea is impossible.”

Duke and Roderick headed to the kitchen to work on creating several dishes in hopes of James picking one later. In the kitchen, Duke boasted, “I’m the total woman. I can cook, I raise my children, and I give a good ----job.” Walker and Black, meanwhile, devised a soy ginger chicken dish, which the elder Rivers felt was too salty. She suggested adding orange juice to spice up the flavor, creating the final product.

When asked by Trump in the boardroom about James’ leadership, Duke responded, “I think Jesse did well in some cases and not so well in others. I think he was relatively impervious to some suggestions.” Duke felt that she and Roderick were locked out of the marketing side of the task, which fell on the shoulders of James and Melissa Rivers. James finally settled on the turkey meatball concept and, in the end, Schwan’s executives liked Athena’s dish better, sending Kotu to the boardroom once again. This time around, Walker was fired from Celebrity Apprentice for coming up with the idea for the chicken-based dish as well as a dessert that could not be properly packaged.

Next week features more of the spat between the Rivers family and Duke. The preview shows the elder Rivers calling Duke “white trash.” The show airs at 9:00pm ET on NBC. Six contestants remain.

Vadim Trincher Leads WPT Championship Day 1A Field

Vadim Trincher won his way into the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship by virtue of winning the Foxwoods Poker Classic earlier this month. He banked $731,000 in the tournament as well as a $25,000 seat into the end-of-season Championship, which kicked off on Saturday from the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

A total of 126 runners began the day and, when play concluded, Trincher found himself in a familiar spot: atop the leader board. He was helped in part by taking down a massive pot that occurred at the end of the first of two Day Ones, coming out on the winning end of a set over set situation. In the hand, Season VII Legends of Poker winner John “The Razor” Phan bet 18,000 on a board of 10-8-3-K-J. Trincher promptly raised to 43,000 and Phan called, flipping over pocket eights for a set. However, Trincher exposed pocket kings, catching a two-outer on the turn to push his chip stack over the 300,000 mark; he ended play on Saturday with 309,725.

Trincher leads the field after Day 1A. However, a brand new set of players will take to the felts for Day 1B on Sunday. Here is a look at the top 10 in chips after play on Saturday from the storied Las Vegas casino:

1st Place: Vadim Trincher – 309,725
2nd Place: Johnny Chan – 291,675
3rd Place: Burt Boutin – 281,000
4th Place: Shaun Deeb – 269,900
5th Place: Brian Powell – 254,075
6th Place: Ryhnie Campbell – 239,600
7th Place: Bruno Fitoussi – 230,650
8th Place: Corwin Cole – 229,900
9th Place: Robert Suer – 226,000
10th Place: Ran Azor – 218,875

The average chip stack is nearly 120,000. Phil Hellmuth was eliminated within 15 minutes of showing up at the Bellagio. He arrived at 4:00pm local time and at 4:15pm, he tangled with Amnon Filippi for his tournament life. On a flop of 10-6-3, Filippi checked, Hellmuth bet 5,000, and Filippi called. The turn came a deuce. Filippi once again checked, Hellmuth bet 10,000, and Filippi called behind. The river was a queen and Filippi check-raised Hellmuth all-in. The “Poker Brat” made the call with 10-3 for two pair, only to see that Filippi had rivered a set of queens to take the pot and eliminate the 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. We can only imagine what Hellmuth’s reaction was.

Also at Hellmuth and Filippi’s table were Layne Flack, Kenny Tran, and Hasan Habib for one of the toughest groups ever assembled leading up to a final table. Holding the second largest stack after Day 1A is 10-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan. He owns over $4.1 million in WSOP winnings and grabbed fourth in a $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys tournament during last year’s festivities for $246,000. Other accomplished poker pros who survived Day 1A and finished in the top 25 include:

12th Place: David Benyamine – 211,975
13th Place: Andy Bloch – 208,800
15th Place: Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier – 206,275
18th Place: Scott Montgomery – 170,000
22nd Place: Amnon Filippi – 152,000
23rd Place: Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson – 151,325
24th Place: Tuan Le – 150,000
25th Place: Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy – 149,625

Full Tilt Poker pro Andy Bloch made a straight flush a half-hour into play on Saturday. On a flop of 6d-4d-4c, his opponent checked, Bloch bet 300, his opponent raised to 800, and Bloch made the call. The turn came a deuce, inducing a 1,500 chip bet from Bloch’s opponent and the former MIT Blackjack Team member once again called. The river card came the five of diamonds and Bloch’s opponent led out for 10,000. Bloch made it 30,000, his opponent bumped the action to 80,000, and Bloch shoved, exposing 2-3 of diamonds for a six-high straight flush. However, his opponent folded to the river all-in.

Play will kick off on Sunday with the second of two starting days. The players remaining from Day 1A and Day 1B will combine for Day 2 on Monday. The newest WPT self-made millionaire will be crowned next Saturday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the Bellagio.

Jennifer Harman Raises $130,000 for Animal Cruelty Prevention

The Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) saw its budget boosted by $130,000 as a result of a fundraiser spearheaded by Jennifer Harman. Over 120 players turned out for the tournament, which took place at the Venetian on Friday night.

Last year, a total of 220 players turned out and donated $325,000. Tournament organizer Lisa Wheeler speculated why the event attracted a smaller field in 2009. The founder of GreasieWheels Productions told Poker News Daily, “I think it was a combination of the economy, the start of the World Poker Tour Championship, and a lot of our pros playing all night in a live game at Bobby’s Room. Also, because it took so long for the Venetian to give us approval, we only had nine days to promote the event.” Nevertheless, some of the top names in the game turned out, including Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Ivey.

In addition to the bevy of poker talent, celebrities including “The Simpsons” voice Nancy Cartwright and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Karina Smirnoff. Cartwright, who supplies the voice of Bart Simpson on the popular animated comedy series, served as the emcee of a live auction and gave the tournament’s “Shuffle up and deal” command. Poker player Lacey Jones was the highlight of the auction; Negreanu purchased a date with her for a price tag of $28,000. In addition, Robert Williamson III helped raise over $40,000 as part of the festivities.

Chef Dakake donated a dinner for 12 at his Las Vegas restaurant with former baseball legend Pete Rose and Harman. Full Tilt Poker pro and former MIT Blackjack Team member Andy Bloch purchased the unique evening for a $10,000 donation. ABA Energy’s Al Adler donated a ride on a private jet for five people to anywhere on the West Coast of the United States plus overnight accommodations for two nights. That experience also was sold in the live auction and fetched a bid of $10,000.

Several SPCA representatives were in attendance. The evening generated much-needed funds in a down economy for the organization. Wheeler explained, “They were thrilled. They stayed all the way until the end. They count on this event and this is a big chunk of money that they can do things with. Last year, they built a new wing. With the economy, people are abandoning their homes and leaving their animals.” This is the third year that the SPCA event has been held. In 2007, it also generated around $130,000; however, this time around, donations from players who were unable to make it to the Venetian are still trickling in.

Given the truncated time frame to market the event, Wheeler’s staff was forced to compress a multi-month process into just over one week. She told Poker News Daily, “It was very challenging. We got two press releases out and the viral campaign went on for 24 hours. We worked really hard on that campaign. Considering the fact that we only had a short amount of time, we were lacking very few people.” The viral campaign takes advantage of 50 social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Eleven animals walked the red carpet into the Venetian poker room, the location of the charity tournament. They included cats, dogs, a guinea pig, and even a rabbit. Attendees were given special pet-focused gift bags, which included dog treats and custom-designed cupcakes. A flat of sweets leftover from the event was sold off for charity at the conclusion of the evening. Negreanu and Layne Flack each purchased cupcakes for $200, while two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Jeff Madsen helped raise an additional $180 by purchasing four cupcakes. Over 50 members of the general public watched the spectacle unfold.

GreasieWheels produces some of the poker industry’s most popular charity tournaments. Wheeler compared this go-around of the company’s marquee event to others held throughout the year: “It wasn’t hectic. It wasn’t stressful. We had a great crew and everything went wonderfully.”

Poker Industry Versus Melissa and Joan Rivers on Celebrity Apprentice

This week’s episode of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice featured the poker industry, represented by Ultimate Bet pro and World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Annie Duke, square off against Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa. Next week’s installment could even feature an appearance by Duke’s arch-rival, Phil Hellmuth.

Two tasks were included in this week’s two hour-long episode of Celebrity Apprentice. In the first, teams were asked to come up with packaging and retail store displays for Lifelock, an identity protection service. The two teams, Athena and Kotu, would be judged on brand message, originality, and overall design. Athena selected R&B artist Brian McKnight as its Project Manager, while professional golfer Natalie Gulbis stepped up for Kotu.

Duke had not yet volunteered to be Project Manager. She told NBC cameras in comments reiterated in a recent interview with Poker News Daily, “When you do any of these advertising challenges, it’s very subjective and depends on what the client wants. I didn’t want to manage something I had very little control over.” The winning Project Manager on Sunday would receive $20,000 for the charity of their choice. Duke is playing for Refugees International, which works closely with Ante Up for Africa, a charity she started along with actor Don Cheadle.

Duke’s team, Athena, met with executives from Lifelock. She prodded Todd Davis (Lifelock’s CEO) and another official for three keywords to describe the company. She also inquired as to whether the campaign should emphasize the benefits of obtaining Lifelock or be more fear-based. One of the executives explained in an interview with Celebrity Apprentice cameras, “Annie seemed to be the one that was asking questions and taking the lead.”

The construction shop that created the in-store displays for both teams was located in across town in Brooklyn and closed at 8:00pm. A few hours prior to the deadline, Duke’s team still had not sent any representatives to direct the shop’s workers, prompting the WSOP bracelet winner to instruct West Coast Choppers CEO Jesse James and Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick to head there. She cautioned McKnight that she was performing a task that wasn’t her job, leading teammate Melissa Rivers to comment, “Annie is tending to absolve herself of any responsibility. She started laying the groundwork in case it doesn’t go over well tomorrow.”

McKnight was laid back throughout the episode, whereas Gulbis quickly assigned tasks from the start and deferred to comedian Joan Rivers in several instances. The elder Rivers came up with the idea of using Kotu’s celebrities as a central selling point. Above each team member's likeness, a thought bubble appeared explaining why Lifelock was important to them. Meanwhile, chaos engulfed Athena, with Duke continuing to prod McKnight to adhere to the construction schedule. She explained, “Brian should have been more aware of the deadline and he certainly should have been more on point with the other side of the team. He was too laid back.”

Roderick chose to take a backseat during the task, flirting with the construction staff rather than help push the process along. The lack of progress caused Duke to chastise, “I can give Jesse a pass because he’s sick, but there was someone else who knew what the deadlines were. To have Brande, who was literally just wood floating down the stream, is a hindrance more than a help.” James developed a stomach bug during the episode, but continued to compete.

In the end, Athena chose to use Davis’ likeness in a similar advertising concept to what the company had already successfully employed. Contrastingly, Kotu was praised for its use of celebrities. Its creativity was the deciding factor, as Gulbis was awarded $20,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The decision by Lifelock executives sent Duke’s team into the boardroom. Joan Rivers fully anticipated Duke to throw Roderick under the proverbial bus. She told NBC cameras, “I had dinner with Annie and she said, ‘Brande has to go. Brande’s stupid. Brande is not helping the team. We’ve got to get rid of Brande. She is an idiot.’”

However, the boardroom featured Duke blame McKnight for his lack of attention to deadlines. Joan Rivers promptly exploded at the poker icon, claiming, “Annie is a trouble-maker. She’s a snake.” However, show host and real estate mogul Donald Trump later asked Duke to evaluate Roderick. She commented, “Brande doesn’t stick her neck out. I think that, in poker, you have people who play to last and people who play to win.” Ivanka Trump then quipped to Duke, “You’re the dominant personality every time you’re on a team. You’re very authoritative. You’re very assertive except when it counts.”

Joan Rivers continued to unleash her angst against Duke while watching the boardroom unfold, at one point throwing a wine glass at the floor and shouting, “This girl has been such a conniver.” Joan Rivers decided to leave the suite so she would not have to be in the same room as Duke. However, outside the door was none other than her arch-rival. The two exchanged words in a heated argument, ending with Duke explaining, “Joan is overprotective of her daughter. She felt like I didn’t defend Melissa enough or lay into Brande enough.” Annie apologized and Melissa Rivers was spared being fired.

The teams were then called back into the boardroom, where Trump announced that their next task would begin immediately. The money-raising task featured teams selling pieces from Ivanka Trump’s jewelry line for charity in an auction. Duke stepped up to be Project Manager and appropriately squared off against Joan Rivers. Duke promptly delegated tasks to her team members. James was put in charge of designing the auction’s preview guide, Roderick selected outfits for models to wear and dealt with their agency, and Melissa Rivers was tasked with selecting jewelry.

Many of Joan Rivers’ interviews with NBC cameras during task featured quotes such as “Annie would spit on the ground and drown her own mother in it if it gave her a step forward in her life. She’s a… She’s not a nice person.” Her daughter chimed in, “Annie is very aggressive about raising money and she almost bullies people.” Duke stated that whoever raised the least amount of money on her team would join her in the boardroom should Athena ultimately lose the task.

The strained relationship between Duke and Roderick was repaired during the second task. Melissa Rivers mocked their closeness, commenting, “I’m really pissed at Annie’s two-facedness.” Gulbis, on Joan Rivers’ team, came up with the idea of soliciting Duke’s competition in the poker world to bid against her team. She focused in on Hellmuth and explained, “I want to see Annie’s reaction to seeing arguably one of the greatest poker players of all-time fundraising for me, not her.” Hellmuth is a fellow Ultimate Bet pro and owns the record for the number of WSOP bracelets won with 11.

The end of the cliffhanger show featured the first Celebrity Apprentice winner, Piers Morgan, called in by Trump to help be his eyes and ears. The episode continues next Sunday, April 19th, at 9:00pm ET on NBC. Hellmuth did not appear in its preview.

Annie Duke Absent from Boardroom Bloodbath on Celebrity Apprentice

On Sunday night on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, show host Donald Trump fired not one, but two contestants in an episode that severely strayed from its mantra of, “It's nothing personal, it's just business.” Fortunately for World Series of Poker Champion Annie Duke, she was not among the two contestants fired as part of a boardroom bloodbath.

This week's task was to create a viral video of up to one minute in length for All Small and Mighty laundry detergent. Prior to the task, the teams were reshuffled, notably splitting up Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa and setting the stage for a family feud. Executives from All told the two newly-formed teams that they would be judged on originality, buzz-worthiness, and branding. The winning Project Manager would receive $10,000 for the charity of their choice.

Duke, who told her teammates several weeks ago that she would be Project Manager on the next money-raising task, did not volunteer to lead. Instead, the new Athena chose Melissa Rivers to be Project Manager, while the new Kotu selected country music star Clint Black. R&B singer Brian McKnight was away at a concert during the episode and will be assigned to a team next week. The younger Rivers noted, “I have 15 years of producing live and taped videos.” Black has produced more than a dozen music videos for his country hits.

In Athena's brainstorming session, Duke suggested midgets giving “Monster Garage” host Jesse James a bath, playing on the “small and mighty” brand name. She told her team, “There's no one on Earth who wouldn't open that video.” James declined the opportunity, prompting Duke to question the esteem she held for the West Coast Choppers CEO: “I'm really annoyed right now because there's a really good idea floating around. I thought Jesse was really strong. I was really happy he was going to be on our team, but now I feel like he's being a hindrance. I don't like people who won't step up.”

Black, meanwhile, chose to run with a dirty joke that used the phrase “do the laundry” as a metaphor for sex. The end of his vision entailed an actor saying, “It was a small load; I did it myself,” insinuating masturbation using All as a lubricant. Joan Rivers was against the idea from the start and was vocal throughout the episode of her distaste for Black and his idea. The elder Rivers threw out incomplete ideas, which Black was not appreciative of, instead deciding to pursue his original concept.

Duke was faced with convincing James to appear in the commercial. She immediately began researching the concept, telling NBC officials, “The first thing I did was show Jesse how many hits something with the word 'midget' in the title gets, which is a lot. It needs to be outrageous.” James finally agreed. Duke, who was adamant throughout the early part of the show that her idea was the correct one to film, was then sent by Melissa Rivers with TLC singer Tionne Watkins to collect props for the video. On her reasoning for sending Duke, Rivers commented, “I sent Annie because she can be pretty intense and I wanted to give Jesse a little breathing room away from her.”

Kotu's hired actor struggled to deliver Black's message and was dismissed, prompting the Project Manager to assume the role himself. However, the actor was a “little person” and Joan Rivers, LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis, and reality star Khloe Kardashian questioned the overall vision. Meanwhile, Melissa Rivers received a phone call from Duke about branding, prompting Rivers to roll her eyes and say, “I was glad that Annie went to get the costumes with Tionne because Annie believes that even if she's not the leader, she at least tries to position herself as the puppet master.”

The rift between Black and Joan Rivers widened throughout the show. Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker returned from an obligation as a member of Kotu and, upon hearing what his team's idea was, speculated, “I think Clint misses his wife,” actress and singer Lisa Hartman. Walker suggested adding in thought bubbles to spice up the video and make it flow better, an idea that was ultimately embraced in the final cut.

In the board room, Joan Rivers lashed out at Black: “I'm taking this very personally.” The talk show host and comedian vowed to discard her Clint Black CDs and stated she did not want to see the singer after the show. Upon the airing of Kotu's video in the board room, Trump once again turned to Duke for objective commentary. On her opponents' viral video, Duke commented, “I thought it was terrible. I didn't understand it and it certainly wasn't viral. It wasn't pushing the edge.” Duke also noted that she represented All's demographic perfectly. which was women over 25 years-old with children.

In the end, the executives from All disliked both team's videos, leaving each Project Manager to select two team members to take back into the boardroom, where two contestants would be fired. Black selected Gulbis and Kardashian, while Melissa Rivers selected Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick and Watkins. Duke escaped the massacre that was about to unfold and is one of the nine contestants remaining.

Watkins told Melissa Rivers that she would return to the boardroom to support her Project Manager. In the end, the move proved fatal. Trump alluded to Bradford Cohen, an attorney who was fired during the second week of The Apprentice Season 2. Trump explained his significance: “He was the leader of the pack and was doing fantastically well and he volunteered to come back. He came back and I said, 'You volunteered to come back, you're fired.' Never volunteer for execution.” Trump promptly fired Watkins and allowed Melissa Rivers and Roderick to return to their suite.

Instead of firing Black for his poor decision on the viral video's content, Trump asked each person if they wanted to stay or return home and pursue other business endeavors. In the end, he lambasted Kardashian, who missed an episode of Celebrity Apprentice to attend to a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charge in Los Angeles. Kardashian explained, “I have a DUI and I have to take classes in order for me to be here... I've taken full responsibility from the second I got it.”

Trump turned up the heat, chastising, “I hate people who drive under the influence. I know three families who lost children to drunken driving. If I had known you would have been missing time on the task for a DUI, you would have never been on the show.” Trump gave $20,000 to Kardashian's charity, The Brent Shapiro Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Awareness, and fired her on the spot.

Celebrity Apprentice returns next Sunday at 9:00pm ET with two tasks in one episode. The preview features a spat between Joan Rivers and Duke that gets so heated, special backup is brought in. What that means remains to be seen.

Eastgate and Demidov finally join the Team PokerStars

Both of the guys were sponsored by PokerStars when playing in the Main Event so it was just a matter of time when they would join the team. It took somewhat long until they were signed as the team member.

It was anticipated that PokerStars would’ve signed at least the world champion Eastgate sooner after winning the title in November 2008. It took about half a year, but finally both of them are part of the pro team.

Now that is a big pile of cash!

Eastgate, who will be using the screen name “PeteEastgate” from now on, became the youngest world champion ever when he beat the guy who was the early favorite to win the big show in Demidov. Eastgate showed his skills again when he beat everybody in a side event at PCA for almost $350k in January 2009.

Demidov broke some records as well last year, when he reached the final tables both in the WSOP Main Event and in the Main Event of the European version of the series in London. He also managed well in both, finishing third in WSOPE. In the future, Demidov will be playing as “Ivan Demidov” on PokerStars.

Last year was the breakthrough year for both of these European superstars. Actually, not many knew much about the pair before the Main Event. The success in WSOP have catapulted both to the biggest games in poker and even to the High Stakes Poker television show.

Source: PokerStarsBlog

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Eastgate and Demidov finally join the Team PokerStars

Eastgate and Demidov sign with PokerStars

Danish 2008 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate and Russian runner-up Ivan Demidov, who also made the final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event in 2008, have joined Team PokerStars Pro.

"It feels great to finally be part of the team," Demidov, 27, told PokerListings Thursday. "It's going to allow me to travel more and play more events.

"I really enjoy playing offline in live events and it's great to become a team member with all these other great players."

Eastgate, who at 22 years old became the youngest WSOP Main Event champion in history in 2008, followed up the $9,152,416 win by banking $343,000 at the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure when he took down a $5k side event there.

However, the Danish pro is being careful with his newfound wealth.

"I won't be splashing out on expensive things or living a crazy life," he said. "I'm thinking carefully about how to invest the money so that I make the right decision."

Both players were weaned on the game online, and now Eastgate can be found on PokerStars using the screen name "PeteEastgate" and Demidov as "Ivan Demidov."

On the live felt, both have committed to playing EPT San Remo and the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo before making their return to Vegas for the 2009 WSOP.

"I would like to repeat the success I had last year, but obviously I don't think I will be able to," said Demidov, who will also be playing in the PokerStars.com Russian Poker Tour event set for Moscow this May.

"I have serious plans to train and play a lot before the WSOP and hopefully I will be ready. I would like to make more final tables and I will be taking it very seriously."

 

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