Poker News

Begleiter Hosts Poker Benefit for Troops

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund Charity Poker Tournament will take place at the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum in New York on Jan. 27.

“I feel very strongly about supporting the brave men and women who sacrifice for our nation,” said Begleiter. “This is a heartfelt cause that truly affects all of us as Americans.”

Drawing on his connections in the poker world Begleiter will have several high-profile poker players on hand including Dennis Phillips, Kevin Schaffel, Eric Buchman and Victor Ramdin.

The winner of the charity event will receive a $10,000 seat into the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

The buy-in is $750 although those looking to support the cause can pay $250 for spectator entry and take part in the cocktail reception, dinner and entertainment.

All proceeds will go towards the construction of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a state-of-the-art facility for treating wounded soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund assists both service men and women who have been injured in the line of duty and dependents of U.S. military members that lost their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan.

To learn more or register for the charity event go the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund’s website.

Visit PokerListings.com

Begleiter Hosts Poker Benefit for Troops

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund Charity Poker Tournament will take place at the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum in New York on Jan. 27.

“I feel very strongly about supporting the brave men and women who sacrifice for our nation,” said Begleiter. “This is a heartfelt cause that truly affects all of us as Americans.”

Drawing on his connections in the poker world Begleiter will have several high-profile poker players on hand including Dennis Phillips, Kevin Schaffel, Eric Buchman and Victor Ramdin.

The winner of the charity event will receive a $10,000 seat into the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

The buy-in is $750 although those looking to support the cause can pay $250 for spectator entry and take part in the cocktail reception, dinner and entertainment.

All proceeds will go towards the construction of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a state-of-the-art facility for treating wounded soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund assists both service men and women who have been injured in the line of duty and dependents of U.S. military members that lost their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan.

To learn more or register for the charity event go the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund’s website.

Visit PokerListings.com

Harrison Gimbel, Barry Shulman Among PCA Day 4 Leaders

A total of 62 players remain out of the 1,529 who began the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event. A host of brand name players survived Day 3, including 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event winner Barry Shulman.

Day 3 played out on Friday from the Atlantis Resort and Casino, just across the harbor from Nassau in the Bahamas. One of the final eliminations of the day was Amnon Filippi, who shoved all-in over the top of a raise by Bryce Yockey. His opponent came along and Filippi showed pocket eights against Yockey’s K-Q of spades, setting up a classic race situation. The flop came king-high, propelling Yockey into the lead, and a running 10-3 didn’t help Filippi’s cause. His 67th place finish was worth $33,000 in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament.

Shulman, whose son Jeff Shulman reached the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, sent Greg Dyer packing during the last level of play and crossed the one-million chip threshold. He finished with nearly 1.7 million, with the entire field trailing Harrison Gimbel’s tally of 2.6 million. Gimbel trumped former Bodog pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo in one hand after Bonomo check-called a bet of 25,000 on a flop of Q-4-6 with two hearts. The turn was the deuce of spades, leading to another check-call from Bonomo, this time for 41,000. The river was the three of hearts and Bonomo checked. Gimbel fired out a bet of 70,000 and Bonomo called, only to see his opponent flip up Q-J for top pair.

Eliminated in 91st place in the Bahamas was 2009 WSOP Main Event November Nine member and Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey. Ivey doubled up Bill Gazes with A-Q against Gazes’ K-J when a king hit on the river. Ivey had Gazes covered by a minuscule 2,000 chips and Ivey hit the rails on the next hand. Ivey, considered by many to be the world’s premier all-around player, added another $23,500 to his bankroll for his efforts in Nassau.

Two women remain among the 62 Day 3 survivors, Amanda Baker and Liz Lieu. Lieu owns a stack of 536,000 entering the fourth day of play in the 2010 PCA Main Event and will head to Table 7, where her competition will include Shulman. Meanwhile, Baker will come armed with 1.3 million chips and be seated at Table 6, which also features Gimbel, Eric “EFro” Froehlich, and Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar.

Here are the top ten chip stacks entering Day 4 on Saturday:

1. Harrison Gimbel - 2,625,000
2. Matthew Haugen - 2,149,000
3. Ryan D'Angelo - 2,092,000
4. Praz Bansi - 2,003,000
5. Barry Shulman - 1,655,000
6. Eric “EFro” Froehlich - 1,331,000
7. Amanda Baker - 1,306,000
8. James Tolbert - 1,284,000
9. John Duthie - 1,210,000
10. Kent Emil Lundmark - 1,158,000

Notable names remaining in the 2010 PCA field, along with their chip counts, include:

Jeff Madsen - 930,000
Robert Mizrachi - 876,000
Amit “amak316” Makhija - 800,000
Aaron “aejones” Jones - 651,000
Alex Brenes - 559,000
Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar - 544,000
Liz Lieu - 536,000
Wayne Bentley - 509,000
Dean Hamrick - 433,000
Bill Gazes - 288,000
Johnny Lodden - 286,000
Peter “Nordberg” Feldman - 221,000
Huck Seed - 216,000

Among those whose 2010 PCA Main Event title hopes were dashed on Friday included Daniel Negreanu, 2008 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Dennis Phillips, Victor Ramdin, Dario Minieri, Russian sensation Ivan Demidov, Vicky Coren, Luis Medina, ESPN baseball analyst Orel Hershiser, and PokerStars poker pro Steven Paul-Ambrose.

At the time of writing on Saturday, players remaining in the Bahamas poker tournament were in Level 23 and blinds were 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante. All Day 4 runners were assured a payout of at least $38,000.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest PCA coverage.

Praz Bansi Leads PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Entering Day 3

Like Wayne Bentley on Day 1A, Praz Bansi owns a commanding chip lead in the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) after Day 2. His stack of 960,800 chips is 260,000 more than the next closest competitor.

It’s not as if Bansi had a cakewalk through Day 2 on Thursday, either. At one point during play, his tablemates included Team PokerStars Pro member and “High Stakes Poker” player Dario Minieri, former Bodog pro and live tournament aficionado Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, PokerStars Sunday 500 winner Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar, and 2008 European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final winner Glen Chorny. That was just his first taste of tough competition.

After surviving the first Table of Doom, Bansi was relegated to an equally talented group of opponents. This time, his company included 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member and top all-around player Phil Ivey, former EPT Dortmund final table member Nicolas Levi, and Ivan Demidov, who made the feature table of the WSOP Las Vegas and WSOP Europe Main Events in 2008. Despite the tough go at it on Thursday, Bansi persevered. He’s fresh off a $594,000 cash for taking third in the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event.

Bentley, who held a healthy edge over the rest of the merged Day 2 field, ended with 602,500 chips, good for third overall. One of the final eliminations of the day went to Team PokerStars Pro’s Vanessa Rousso, who picked up A-K and pushed over the top of an opponent’s raise. However, her adversary held pocket aces and Rousso could not catch up. Several hands earlier, Rousso tripled up with pocket fours against A-K and A-Q.

The brutal beat of the day in the 2010 PCA Main Event went to Barry Greenstein, who committed all of his chips with pocket aces, but ultimately fell to 4-6 of spades. The board gave his opponent a straight and that was all she wrote for the three-time bracelet winner, as Greenstein signed his copy of his book, “Ace on the River,” and headed for the exits. Absolute Poker pro Freddy Deeb suffered a similar fate, pushing his chips in with pocket aces and falling to pocket tens when the flop came 8-9-10. Deeb reached the final table of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Festa al Lago in October, earning $278,000.

Here are the top ten chip stacks as play enters Day 3 in the 2010 PCA Main Event:

1. Praz Bansi - 960,800
2. Marc Etienne Mclaughlin - 702,400
3. Wayne Bentley - 602,500
4. Nasr El Nasr - 528,300
5. Daniel Ades - 501,400
6. Eric “EFro” Froehlich - 467,500
7. Matthew Haugen - 456,400
8. Kenny “Hixx” Hicks - 455,500
9. Matt “mattg1983” Graham - 428,900
10. Danny Suied - 420,000

Other notable players remaining in the field of 275, along with their end of Day 2 chip counts, include:

Dario Minieri - 389,200
Amnon Filippi - 386,300
Amit “amak316” Makhija - 292,600
Vadim Trincher - 290,900
Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo - 262,500
Ivan Demidov - 259,300
Phil Ivey - 227,400
Paul Wasicka - 224,800
Carlos Mortensen - 185,500
Craig Marquis - 176,600
Kathy Liebert - 171,800
Barry Shulman - 150,200
Liz Lieu - 136,800
Victor Ramdin - 110,100
Huck Seed - 107,100
Orel Hershiser - 79,000
Nick Binger - 57,900
Steven Paul-Ambrose - 49,300

Despite boasting a larger field than in 2009, the 2010 PCA will only dole out $2.2 million to its winner; last year, Poorya Nazari banked $10,000 for winning the Bahamas EPT tournament. A flatter payout structure will see the top four finishers earn at least $1 million, with the top eight making more than $200,000. In total, 224 players out of the record-setting 1,529 who started will take home cash.

The money bubble will burst today from the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas, with players claiming their share of the $14.8 million prize pool. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2010 PCA Main Event.

Kevin Saul, Amnon Filippi Among PCA Day 1A Leaders

Day 1A of the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) played out on Tuesday, with 668 players taking to the felts inside the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas. Wayne Bentley, a PokerStars qualifier from Britain, leads the way with 329,500 chips.

Bentley nearly amassed 11 times the starting stack of 30,000 in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament after eight levels of play. He held pocket aces and eliminated a player with pocket kings within the first few minutes of Day 1A, doubling his stack to 60,000, and he never looked back. Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu issued the traditional “Shuffle up and deal” command moments earlier. At the end of Day 1A, 430 players remained in the hunt.

Bentley sits comfortably in front of the second place stack of Amnon Filippi, who held a pile of 220,100 chips at the end of Day 1A. The accomplished poker pro was nearly 50,000 chips ahead of online poker pro Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul, the winner of the 2007 installment of the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup for $1.3 million. Last year, Saul finished eighth in the PCA Main Event for $234,000, outlasting all but seven of the 1,347 players who entered.

Team PokerStars Sports Stars will be out in full force on Wednesday for Day 1B, as German tennis legend Boris Becker, Swedish NHL star Mats Sundin, Dutch hockey pro Fatima De Melo, baseball commentator Orel Hershiser, and U.K. football legend Teddy Sheringham will all take to the felts. Also entering on Day 1B is Mike Kosowski, the winner of Season 1 of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.” Kosowski earned $1 million after defeating Negreanu heads-up in the finale of the poker game show last month.

2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine member Eric Buchman sits in sixth place after Day 1A with 159,100 chips. The PokerStars sponsored player finished fourth in the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament in Las Vegas in November, adding $2.5 million to his net worth. The event was ultimately won by Joe Cada, who will take to the felts for Day 1B today. Joining him will be pros like Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Humberto Brenes, and Victor Ramdin. Also playing is rapper Nelly, who has become somewhat of a staple on the poker circuit in recent months.

Here were the top ten chip stacks in the Bahamas after the smoke had cleared on Day 1A of the 2010 PCA Main Event:

1. Wayne Bentley - 329,500
2. Amnon Filippi - 220,100
3. Kevin Saul - 175,500
4. Eric Froehlich - 166,000
5. Dustin Dorrance-Bowman - 163,700
6. Eric Buchman - 159,100
7. Garðar Geir Hauksson - 138,900
8. Jacob Avital - 137,700
9. Christian Schwarz - 133,200
10. Rafal Michalowski - 129,300

The PCA is a stop on both the European Poker Tour (EPT) and Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) and, as such, has attracted a global field. Still remaining after Day 1A are players from the United States, United Kingdom, Iceland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada, Sweden, Mexico, Turks and Caicos, Russia, Finland, Argentina, France, Norway, Switzerland, Slovakia, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Romania, Australia, Slovenia, Greece, Costa Rica, Austria, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Curiously absent is a representative from the host nation, the Bahamas.

Last year’s champion, Poorya Nazari, hails from Canada and nearly tripled his stack on Day 1A. Notable players who survived the first starting day, along with their chip counts, include:

Dennis Phillips – 113,000
Dario Minieri – 109,800
Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar – 106,400
Poorya Nazari – 89,300
Barry Greenstein – 89,200
Jeff Madsen – 79,400
John Duthie – 60,100
Marcel Luske – 55,600
Gavin Smith – 54,000
Jean-Robert Bellande – 53,900
Kevin Schaffel – 53,200
Bernard Lee – 46,800
Amit “amak316” Makhija – 42,000
Steven Paul-Ambrose – 37,900
“Miami” John Cernuto – 36,500
Chris “moorman1” Moorman – 34,700
Ivan Demidov – 27,600
Tom McEvoy – 19,900
Huck Seed – 16,000
Jeff “yellowsub” Williams – 13,100

Play wrapped up in Level 8, when blinds were 400-800 with a 100-chip ante. Day 1B will encompass the same eight levels before the field merges for Day 2 on Thursday.

Stout heads final 10 at World Poker Finals

The PokerListings' blogger and esteemed online pro amassed 2.1 million chips on Day 4 of the WPT World Poker Finals in Foxwoods yesterday.

With 10 players remaining, Stout now not only has a good shot of reaching the final table of six players today but winning it all tomorrow.

The competition will be fierce, however, as respected pros Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Lee Markholt, Kenna James, Eric Froehlich, Cornel Andrew Cimpan, Soheil Shamseddin and consummate WPT casher Steve Brecher are all still in the running.

The lesser-known Curt Kohlberg and Tom Dobrilovic round out the last 10 players.

Despite a schedule that conflicts with the 2009 WSOP Main Event, the World Poker Finals still managed to draw 353 players, creating a prize pool of $3.3 million and $910,000 designated for first place.

Todd Terry, Christian Harder, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Victor Ramdin, Liv Boeree, Brock Parker, Billy Kopp and Chad Batista were just some of the big-name pros that bought into the $10,000 event.

Fellow PokerListings' blogger Jason Mercier finished in 21st place for $26,571.

Stout has been on somewhat of a heater as of late. The Lock Poker pro went deep at the 2009 WPT Festa al Lago before eventually busting out in 13th for $39,760.

The World Poker Finals resume at 12 p.m. ET today. Keep checking Stout's blog on PokerListings for the inside scoop on the event as he posts frequently.

Here are the end of Day 4 chip counts:

1. Matt Stout - 2,101,000
2. Cornel Andrew Cimpan - 1,554,000
3. Soheil Shamseddin - 1,233,000
4. Kenna James - 1,217,000
5. Curt Kohlberg - 1,127,000
6. Adam "Roothlus" Levy - 892,000
7. Eric Froehlich - 714,000
8. Steve Brecher - 660,000
9. Tom Dobrilovic - 565,000
10. Lee Markholt - 480,000

Visit PokerListings.com

Todd Terry Leads WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals After Day 1

A total of 353 players entered the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Foxwoods World Poker Finals, a drop of 14% from the 412 who took to the felts last year. At the end of Day 1, Todd Terry leads the way.

Terry made the final table of August’s WPT Legends of Poker, banking $231,000 for his third place performance. Terry holds 165,000 chips in the New England casino entering Day 2 play on Friday, when 206 survivors will resume at Noon ET. Late action on Thursday featured Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania doubling up at the expense of Gavin Griffin. Charania was all-in pre-flop holding A-Q, dominating the 6-8 of Griffin. The Team PokerStars Pro front man flopped top pair on a board of 8-3-2, but Charania hit a queen on the turn to move in front for good. Charania finished in the money three times during the WPT’s seventh season.

Among those who stood atop the leaderboard when play concluded at Foxwoods was Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, who gained a chunk of his chips when an opponent ran pocket kings into Mizrachi’s aces. Mizrachi owns a stack of 125,900 entering Day 2, good for sixth overall. He is in search of his third WPT title after taking down the L.A. Poker Classic during Season 3 and the Borgata Poker Classic during Season 4. Despite his early success, he has not cashed in a WPT tournament since March of 2008.

Holding the 11th largest chip stack after one day of play is Jonathan Jaffe, the runner-up in the World Poker Finals last year. Jaffe owns a mountain of 116,000 chips and is one of 18 players to cross the six-figure mark. Jaffe earned $670,000 for his second place showing in 2008, as he fell to Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little heads-up at the feature table. Also making last year’s six-handed finale were David “The Dragon” Pham, Charles Marchese, Jack Schanbacher, and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.

Here are the chip counts after one day of play in the $10,000 buy-in WPT tournament:

1. Todd Terry – 165,700
2. Danny Shiff – 159,525
3. Adam Lippert – 159,000
4. Jack Schanbacher – 148,775
5. Soheil Shamseddin – 126,000
6. Michael Mizrachi – 125,900
7. Chris Moore – 123,700
8. Danny Illingworth – 121,600
8. Alan Sasser – 121,600
10. John Barucci – 119,950

Other players still in the hunt for the $910,000 first place prize include:

Matt “mattg1983” Graham – 99,175
Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp – 94,575
Christian “charder” Harder – 91,575
Poorya Nazari – 89,400
Jason Mercier – 84,750
Steve Sung – 76,275
Nick Schulman – 76,000
Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin – 75,100
Nenad Medic – 69,150
Prahlad Friedman – 67,450
Cornel Cimpan – 65,450
John “World” Hennigan – 61,250
Matt Hawrilenko – 51,250
“Cowboy” Kenna James – 49,425
Chad “lilholdem954” Batista – 47,000
Kathy Liebert – 46,025
Gavin Smith – 42,375
Liv Boeree – 40,550
Steve Brecher – 35,675
Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron – 34,475
Victor Ramdin – 32,750
Amnon Filippi – 31,675
Adam “Roothlus” Levy – 31,200
Tommy Vedes – 30,450
Gavin Griffin – 21,125

When play ended on Thursday, the action was in Level 8 and blinds were 400-800 with a 100 chip ante.

One of the toughest draws on Friday is at Table 22, where World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and Team PokerStars Pro member Jason Mercier will join fellow online poker pros Adam “Roothlus” Levy and Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron. Also at Table 22 will be Tommy Vedes, who is fresh off winning the WPT’s Festa al Lago event in October, and John “World” Hennigan, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner.

The WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals crowns a champion next Tuesday, November 10th. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT coverage.

Bernard Lee Gives the Inside Scoop on Inside Deal

Every true sports fan has watched ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary on the air.  On September 6th, Chris Berman (30 years), Bob Levy (30 years), and John Saunders (23 years), the elder statesmen of ESPN, hosted a trip down memory lane for this iconic sports recap show.  The 90 minute special showed how the franchise had evolved over the past three decades from the set design to the daily anchors to the multitude of highlights.

I am one of the millions of sports fans who religiously watches “SportsCenter,” so you can understand how thrilled I was to be asked to co-host ESPN.com’s weekly poker show, “Inside Deal.”  When we rehearsed for our initial show on one of the ESPN sets (Studio G), I could not have been more awestruck.  It looked like the set I grew up watching and now I was sitting behind the desk as one of the hosts.  Half-heartedly, I expected Stuart Scott or Scott Van Pelt (current “SportsCenter” anchors) to tap me on the shoulder and ask me to get out of their seats.  During the entire taping, I kept humming the “SportsCenter” theme: Da-da-da… da-da-da.

After watching so many hundreds, if not thousands of shows, I was so honored to be part of the family of broadcasters who are privileged to be in the ESPN studios.  Over the past several weeks, I have received numerous e-mails from not only family and friends (many of whom are insanely jealous), but also the readers of my columns and listeners of my radio show.  Thank you for your kind words and please keep watching.

With “Inside Deal” running online for over three months, there definitely have been some key revelations about hosting the show:

ESPN

Could there be a more professional sports production?  From our producer (Eric Pierce, who is truly the master behind the scenes) to my co-hosts, ESPN: The Magazine contributor Laura Lane and ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman, the show is done so professionally.  I am proud to be part of this team!

Teleprompter

When you use one, you read more vertically as opposed to when you read from a piece of paper horizontally.  It is not as easy as you might think.  From the beginning, I have been very impressed by my co-host Laura Lane’s ability to read from the teleprompter so smoothly.  During lunch one day, Laura shared her secret on how she became so proficient.  She explained that when she was in college at USC, she would watch the nightly news and hit the mute button.  When the closed caption words would come across the screen, she would read text as if it was from a teleprompter.  What a great idea!

Makeup

I never thought I would wear makeup.  Before each show, we go to get our faces done.  Ugh!  I’m so glad I don’t have to do that every morning.  After each taping is complete, I immediately head straight to the bathroom to wash my face thoroughly.

Earpiece

Somewhat undetectable on camera, each of us wears an earpiece that allows the producer and director to give us instructions during the show’s taping.  The earpiece takes getting used to at the beginning, as you don’t want to react to the directions you are receiving in your ear.  Additionally, when the director is speaking to my co-host and she answers, I used to think she was talking to me.  It’s the small things that you have to get used to.

Opening Segment

I have thoroughly enjoyed helping create the opening segments of the shows.  Back in my working days in marketing, I often created videos to inspire the sales force to learn the features and benefits of my specific product.  I was known among my colleagues as the video marketing guy.  Funny how that became preparation for my current job.

During the run of the show, our guests have included a “who’s who” in poker.  The following are some interesting highlights from our first shows:

Episode #1: Chris Moneymaker tells the poker world that he lost his WSOP Main Event bracelet during a move.

Episode #2: Dennis Phillips discusses his near back-to-back November Nines and World Series of Poker (WSOP) Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack discusses the Day 1D sellout.

Episode #3: Barry Greenstein describes his charity work and shows his paternal side, while the cast of “2 Months, $2 Million” describe the Tilt Room.

Episode #4: Howard Lederer discusses his sister in “Celebrity Apprentice” and Eric Buchman (2009 November Niner) shows his “passionate” side.

Episode #5: Victor Ramdin breaks down East Coast versus West Coast poker debate.

Episode #6: Mark Seif discusses the Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet scandals.

Episode #7: Michael Binger duels with Daniel Negreanu in a Twitter Battle Royale.

Episode #8: Joe Sebok announces his Ultimate Bet signing (also look out for Joel Mchale of E!’s “The Soup”).

If you haven’t seen the show, hopefully this will give you an incentive to tune in each week.  A new episode is posted every Tuesday on ESPN.com/InsideDeal.  After watching each episode, please tell me which opening you liked the best.

And as always, don’t forget to listen to my radio show, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” on RoundersRadio.com on Tuesday nights from 7:00pm to 8:00pm ET and repeated throughout the week.

Ante Up for Africa Monte Carlo Event to Air on CBS Sports

For the next two weekends, CBS will air the PokerStars Ante Up for Africa Monte Carlo tournament. The show will air on Saturday, September 19th from 1:30pm to 2:30pm ET and on Saturday, September 26th from 2:00pm to 3:00pm ET.

Both shows will air prior to college football. Vanessa Rousso, a member of Team PokerStars Pro, commented in a press release distributed by the online poker site on Friday, “Each year at the World Series of Poker, I make it a point to play in Ante Up for Africa. It’s amazing that PokerStars hosted the event in Monte Carlo to help a worthy cause and bring some fun to the table during one of their biggest events of the year.” In this author’s home market, the show does not air on September 19th, but rather only the 26th. Viewers are encouraged to check their local listings for details, as college football dates, times, and channels vary by market.

The tournament took place in April in the storied European principality during the Monte Carlo Grand Final festivities. The casino is the host venue for the end-of-season European Poker Tour (EPT) event and attracted a star-studded lineup of celebrities and poker players for the Ante Up for Africa contest. Among those in attendance were St. Louis rapper Nelly, singer Christina Milian, The Dream, “Heroes” actor James Kyson Lee, “Sex in the City” actor Jason Lewis, Good Charlotte band member Joel Madden, U.K. presenter Kirsty Gallacher, rapper Bruno “Kool Shen” Lopes, F1 racer Nico Rosberg, Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, and rugby players Sebastien Chabal and Mike Tindall.

Representing Team PokerStars Pro were Rousso, 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, 2005 Champion Joe Hachem, 2008 Champion Peter Eastgate, Italian poker pro Dario Minieri, Victor Ramdin, and Caesars Cup Captain Daniel Negreanu. The €4,000 buy-in tournament generated more than €260,000 for the Ante Up for Africa charity, which raises money and awareness for victims of the crisis in Darfur. A total of €160,000 was raised through tournament buy-ins, while PokerStars generously kicked in an additional €100,000.

Among those prizes awarded were a trip to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2010. The tournament, which is held annually in the Bahamas, serves as the lone Western Hemisphere stop on the EPT circuit. A tournament summary distributed by the world’s largest online poker site offered the following insight into the ongoing Darfur crisis: “More than 400,000 people have died and more than four million have lost their homes in Darfur since the conflict began. To date, Ante Up For Africa has raised close to $2 million for the cause.”

Ante Up for Africa was founded in 2006 by “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke, Full Tilt Poker pro Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein. An annual $5,000 buy-in tournament is held to benefit the charity during the WSOP in Las Vegas. This year, the spectacle came to life on cable station ESPN and featured Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Sarah Silverman, Charles Barkley, and Jason Alexander. Representing the poker world were the likes of Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Phil Hellmuth, who served as the event’s emcee. This year’s gala raised more than $600,000.

In August, the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) featured a fundraiser for Ante Up for Africa in the form of a $120 buy-in tournament. A total of 2,367 players bought into the event, which was won by “warren_ace1.” Full Tilt donated the entire $20 entry fee to Ante Up for Africa.

Poker Pro Victor Ramdin Gives the Inside Deal

This week, ESPN.com poker show “Inside Deal” welcomed Victor Ramdin. A member of Team PokerStars Pro who is passionate about charity work, Ramdin discusses Scotty Nguyen’s 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) antics and coming to the United States from his native Guyana.

The show began with recap of the latest poker news, headlined by WSOP November Nine member Joe Cada inking a sponsorship agreement with PokerStars. Still unsigned is chip leader Darvin Moon. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee gave his two cents on Moon’s future: “He’s said repeatedly that he doesn’t want to sign with a site and so far he’s keeping his word.” Attention then turned to the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) second sale to Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker. As a result of backing out of its first deal, the WPT was forced to pay Gamynia Limited a $1 million penalty. Gamynia is affiliated with the iPoker Network.

After reviewing results from the WPT Legends of Poker, PokerStars Sunday Million, and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour’s (APPT) Macau stop, the “Inside Deal” welcomed Team Ultimate Bet’s Adam “Roothlus” Levy, who called into the show. On his online poker moniker, Levy explained, “It was an XBOX Live name. I just wanted something that sounded cool, so I decided to spell it phonetically.”

Levy rehashed his run-in with Phil Hellmuth during the 2008 WSOP Main Event, noting, “I thought it was pretty epic. It was surreal. I didn’t get offended or anything like that. I knew what I was getting into.” Levy then dove into the lifestyle of today’s online poker players, running into “Saved by the Bell” principal Dennis Haskins at a Los Angeles nightclub, and traveling to the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic.

Ramdin then joined the show in studio and explained his mentality when coming to the United States in 1989: “It was a dream come true. This is like all of our dreams come true – just to come to America.” He has since made a name for himself not only on the felts, but also in the world of charity, where he travels to Guyana to fund heart surgeries with a team of poker stars. Ramdin told “Inside Deal” viewers, “When it comes to charity, I’m all pumped up. I have more energy for charity than I do for poker.” In addition to a lucrative poker career, Ramdin also owns several retail stores in the Bronx and manages real estate rentals.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the show to discuss the results of viewer opinions on Mount Cashmore, the Mount Rushmore of poker. Viewers enshrined Doyle Brunson, Hellmuth, Stu Ungar, and Chris Moneymaker on the granite face of Mount Cashmore. Others who came close to being one of the top four nominees included November Nine member Phil Ivey, Chip Reese, Daniel Negreanu, and “Binion.” On the latter nomination, e-mailers did not specify which Binion they meant, Jack or Benny.

Discussion turned to members of a hypothetical Hall of Shame. Ramdin claimed 2008 WSOP HORSE Champion Scotty Nguyen should be the Hall’s first member: “He’s a world-class player, but he should be setting a better example. I really hated what he did.” Highlights aired of Nguyen lambasting Michael DiMichele while allegedly drunk at the televised final table and included a barrage of edited words. Nguyen has since apologized for his actions.

Ramdin called his favorite “hidden gem” of the poker tournament scene the Bahamas, the site of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure each January. On his nickname “Computer Man,” the poker pro explained, “I don’t know where that came from. I am no computer man.” Also revealed was that Ramdin has a weight loss bet and he likes to stay around 200 pounds. While he’d like to see Ivey win the 2009 WSOP Main Event in November, his second choice would be Eric Buchman, who hails from New York.

Catch “Inside Deal” every Tuesday on ESPN.com. You can also sign up to receive daily news in your Inbox and score free autographed merchandise from some of your favorite pros.

Online Poker Tournament Recap: Monday, August 31

PokerStars, the world’s leading online poker site, once again generated the largest turnouts Sunday, as its major events extended well beyond their guarantees. The site, which is preparing for its World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) this week, drew nearly 9,000 players to its flagship Sunday Million tournament. Five players struck a deal and each received a six-figure payday.

PokerStars Sunday Million

A massive field of 8,993 turned out for the Sunday Million on August 30, creating a prize pool of $1,798,600, the largest in months. Last week saw 7,431 participants in the weekend’s largest tournament on the internet, but the site added $300 bounties on each of its sponsored players this week to add some flavor.

Daniel “KidPoker” Negreanu, J.C. Alvarado, Jason Mercier, and Victor Ramdin were among the Team PokerStars Pro players in attendance. Railbirds flooded the chat boxes late into the night as online stars Steve “gboro780″ Gross and David “BodogMaven” Chicotsky made deep runs, but Chicotsky was eliminated in 10th place when he moved his short stack in with 7-4 and found himself up against an opponent’s pocket tens. Gross was taken out in sixth place when his A-K couldn’t hold up against BigBradley’s A-Q and the remaining five players agreed to a deal. The big winner was CesarSPA, who added $208,845.93 to his account, while Georgia’s angiebug4 went on to win the tournament and $126,921.72.

1. angiebug4 - $126,921.72
2. CesarSPA - $208,845.93
3. BigBradley - $173,454.74
4. siggen001 - $131,719.96
5. suckabig1 - $100,530.55
6. Steve “gboro780” Gross - $53,958.01
7. SebiXXXX - $35,972.01
8. Whitfield74 - $19,784.61
9. Spoli4tor - $12,590.21

Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed

The Full Tilt $750,000 Guarantee attracted 4,144 entrants to build a prize pool of $828,800. Costa Rican pro Felipe “clotilda” Montenegro was the biggest name at the final table and settled on a four-way chop to walk away with $72,000. Montenegro ultimately took fourth place in the tournament, while ADCampbell collected $104,929.51 after earning the win.

1. ADCampbell - $104,929.51
2. ypma - $62,660
3. mich_alumni - $98,967
4. Felipe “clotilda” Montenegro - $72,000
5. zsunset - $34,229.44
6. kenneoin - $25,361.28
7. quivan96 - $19,062.40
8. shhhant - $14,918.40
9. PatrickJ89 - $11,105.92

PokerStars Sunday 500

A handful of online professionals reached the final table of PokerStars Sunday 500, which drew 1,029 entrants this week. Nick “CPT CRUX” Stowell took seventh place for just over $15,000, while Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen finished sixth for $20,322.75. In the end, Laurence “rivermanl” Houghton of the United Kingdom got the best of long-time online tournament specialist faithless to take home a prize of $88,802.70.

1. Laurence “rivermanl” Houghton - $88,802.70
2. faithless - $64,312.50
3. omgfml - $48,877.50
4. WARN-YOU - $35,809.20
5. DeuceBuster - $25,467.75
6. Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen - $20,322.75
7. Nick “CPT CRUX” Stowell - $15,177.75
8. sharam_nuts - $10,032.75
9. MisterJJW - $5,659.50

Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl

New Jersey’s Jims619, who took fifth in the Full Tilt $750,000 Guarantee last week, one-upped himself on Sunday with a runner-up effort in the Sunday Brawl for $63,201.60. PoutsoKefalos bested 2,393 competitors to win the tournament for $97,651.26. Full-time pros kennl and Bryn “OneUponAStar” Kenney also reached the final table.

1. PoutsoKefalos - $97,651.26
2. Jims619 - $63,201.60
3. HellaStacks_ - $46,922.40
4. white_chocko - $35,431.20
5. Javatinii - $24,897.60
6. kennl - $16,279.20
7. mightyscv - $11,012.40
8. blackjustin77 - $7,660.80
9. Bryn “OneUponAStar” Kenney - $5,745.60

Ultimate Bet $200,000 Guaranteed

Ultimate Bet’s Sunday major didn’t quite make its guarantee, as 994 runners played for a prize pool of $200,000. When it was all said and done, MAKE_IT_RAIN and BELANDATOR forged a two-way deal, although the final figures are unknown. They split up the remaining $71,300. Up-and-coming online whiz kid Michael “ROCK3656” Rocco finished third for $18,100 and Eric “SHEETSWORLD” Haber made $4,900 for his eighth-place result.

1. MAKE_IT_RAIN
1. BELANDATOR
3. Michael “ROCK3656” Rocco - $18,100
4. YOD0UG623 - $12,900
5. ANALPROBE - $10,900
6. MSUJENNY - $8,900
7. C00KEMONSTER - $6,900
8. Eric “SHEETSWORLD” Haber - $4,900
9. MAHI-MAHI - $3,400

Alex Bolotin Wins WSOP Ante Up for Africa; Mike Tyson Enters

The 2009 installment of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ante Up for Africa charity tournament brought out Hollywood’s elite and poker’s biggest names. In the end, Alex “Diesel” Boloton emerged victorious, winning $176,000 and donating half of his earnings to the ENOUGH Project and International Rescue Committee.

A total of 137 players took to the felts inside the Amazon Room for the Ante Up for Africa event, one of four tournaments that will be televised as part of ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 WSOP. In 2007, the charity gala attracted 167 runners, while just 88 turned out last year. Prior to the festivities kicking off on Thursday, Ante Up for Africa Co-Founder and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke told reporters, “I knew how effective poker was as a fundraising tool. However, you can throw as much money at a problem as you want, but ESPN will help get awareness of things going on.” The Celebrity Apprentice runner-up added, “Poker players know how fortunate they are. We have a different view of money and what money is for. A lot of poker players are very socially responsible.”

A red carpet entrance preceded the festivities, with a bevy of stars lending their names to the $5,000 buy-in charity event. Among the first entrants down the red carpet was “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, who told reporters that he’d want his tombstone to read, “I could smell it from here.” Following Garrett was former professional basketball star and current NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who explained that he was frustrated after poor performances in the Ante Up for Africa event over the past two years. He told People Magazine that the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring Shaquille O’Neal was “a really good pickup.”

WSOP bracelet winner Jason Mercier, fresh off inking a sponsorship agreement with PokerStars, explained, “This feels really weird. I’m here with celebrities and stars of the poker world.” When asked what celebrity he ogled the most, Mercier responded, “Charles Barkley – I watched him play basketball since I was a little kid.” Mercier then joked, “Watch me take this down.” Others who followed Mercier down the red carpet included comedian Sarah Silverman, NBA on TNT analyst Kenny Smith, actor Dean Cain, “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, Ben Affleck, “Rounders” star Matt Damon, and rapper Nelly.

One of the surprise turnouts to the 2009 WSOP Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament was legendary boxer Mike Tyson, who has recently gained a cult following as a result of his cameo in the box office blockbuster “The Hangover.” Tyson told Poker News Daily that he does not regularly play poker, but was looking forward to competing. A tiger did not accompany him down the red carpet. Media outlets in attendance included US Weekly, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the L.A. Times, ABC Radio, the Hollywood Reporter, the Associated Press, and a variety of local television stations and Hollywood photo services.

Poker’s elite dominated the final standings, with Rafe Furst, Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Jennifer Harman, Steve Zolotow, and Ultimate Bet pro Matt “mattg1983” Graham all making the money. Other poker stars that turned out included 2008 WSOP Main Event Last Woman Standing Tiffany Michelle, Andy Bloch, Brandon Cantu, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Greg “FBT” Mueller, Barry Greenstein, Greg Raymer, Robert Williamson III, Dennis Phillips, Ylon Schwartz, Peter Eastgate, and Victor Ramdin.

The tournament ran for 10 hours, about twice as long as WSOP officials had estimated prior to the event. At the end of the day, $362,000 was raised for charity. The top 10 finishers were as follows:

1. Alex Bolotin - $176,449
2. Adam Richardson - $109,194
3. Rafe Furst - $72,308
4. Erik Seidel - $51,601
5. Chris Ferguson - $38,550
6. Phil Gordon - $30,760
7. John Hennigan - $25,900
8. Matt Kay - $22,970
9. Jennifer Harman - $21,439
10. Phillip Tom - $15,713

Alex Jacob — What’s My Line?

Alex Jacob has been playing on the tournament circuit ever since bursting onto the scene at the 2006 Foxwoods Poker Classic, where he finished runner-up to Victor Ramdin. Just a few months later, Jacob took down the U.S. Poker Championship in Atlantic City for nearly $900,000. Since then, Jacob has earned over

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

You just read Poker News from HighStakesNews.com

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

PokerStars Ante Up for Africa Tournament Raises €260,000

The first ever PokerStars Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament was held last night in Monaco on the eve of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final. The live event raised €260,000 for the Darfur charities.

A total of 40 runners put up €4,000 each to play in the massive fundraiser, creating a €160,000 prize pool that was donated to charity. PokerStars, which sponsored the Monaco tournament, donated another €100,000. In the end, Team PokerStars Pro member Isabelle Mercier emerged as its champion, defeating Teddy Sheringham. However, the grand prize package, a trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, went to Sheringham, a British soccer player who was a member of the Manchester United in the late 1990s.

Rapper Nelly, whose songs “Hot in Herre” and “Dilemma,” among others, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, was in attendance in Monaco to raise money for charity. He was flanked by fellow singer Christina Milian, who hit number two on the same chart with “Dip it Low” in 2004. Another musical act to showcase its poker skills was The Dream, who won BET’s Best New Artist in 2008. The band Good Charlotte was represented by its lead singer, Joel Madden, and Bruno "Kool Shen" Lopes, a rapper from France, also joined in the festivities. Other celebrity attendees included “Heroes” star James Kyson Lee, “Sex in the City” actor Jason Lewis, U.K. television personality Kirsty Gallacher, Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg, Liverpool goaltender Pepe Reina, and two members of the rugby community, Sebastien Chabal and Mike Tindall.

Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu was on-hand for the event in Monaco. He’s fresh off a win in a CAN $2,500 buy-in tournament held during the British Columbia Poker Championships in November for CAN $370,000. “Kid Poker” also took fifth in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event for nearly $400,000. That tournament was won by Full Tilt Poker pro John Juanda and represented the first bracelet win for an American in WSOP Europe history. Three former WSOP Main Event champions were on hand in the Principality as well, as Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), and Peter Eastgate (2008) hit the felts for charity. All three are card-carrying members of Team PokerStars Pro. Eastgate holds the record as the youngest Main Event winner ever, taking down last year’s edition at the tender age of 22.

Victor Ramdin, who won the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Foxwoods Poker Classic in 2006, was also in attendance. His WPT win was worth $1.3 million and saw the Team PokerStars Pro member race through a final table that included Alex Jacob and Edward Jordan. Also in the field on Monday was the runner up in the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Vanessa Rousso. One of the top female poker pros in the game, Rousso fell to Huck Seed heads-up. The tournament airs on Sundays on NBC through May 17th and the action starts at Noon ET each week. Dario Minieri, who won his first WSOP bracelet last year in a $2,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament, also turned out.

The first day of play in the €10,600 buy-in EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final takes places today with Day 1A. Tomorrow, contestants participating in Day 1B will hit the felts. The survivors will merge together on Thursday for Day 2 and play down to a winner on Sunday. Last year’s champion, Glen Chorny, pocketed €2 million for the win and defeated a record field of 842 players. The final table included Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron, Antonio Esfandiari, and Team PokerStars Pro member Luca Pagano.

Annie Duke, Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein founded Ante Up for Africa three years ago. To date, it has helped raise over $2 million for the cause, including $245,000 generated from NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”

PokerStars Signs Peter Eastgate, Ivan Demidov

On Thursday, PokerStars, the world's largest online poker site, announced that 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate and runner up Ivan Demidov have become the newest members of Team PokerStars Pro. The move bolsters the non-U.S. presence of the site, as Eastgate hails from Denmark and Demidov makes his home in Russia.

A few weeks prior to the start of the 2008 WSOP festivities, Harrah's officials announced that the final table of the Main Event would be pushed back until November. In essence, the move created a lull of 100 days and the first ever “November Nine,” the final players standing. The nine final table contestants would have ample time to pursue sponsorships, seek training, and even review hands as the WSOP played out on ESPN. Eastgate and Demidov join fellow November Nine members Dennis Phillips and Ylon Schwartz on Team PokerStars Pro. The group represents the top four finishers in the tournament.

The PokerStars blog revealed that the signings have been in the works for awhile: “Ever since you saw the two sit down face-to-face for the epic World Series battle, you somehow knew they would end up in the elite Team Pro stable. It was just a matter of when it would happen.” Eastgate banked $9.1 million from the 2008 WSOP Main Event, his lone World Series cash to date. He showed his performance at the Rio was no fluke by taking down a $4,800 buy-in preliminary tournament held during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $343,000, defeating German player Florian Langmann heads-up.

Demidov became the first player ever to reach the final tables of both the WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Events, taking third in the latter tournament for £334,850. His runner up performance in the Main Event in Las Vegas was worth a healthy $5.8 million. He also finished 11th in a $1,000 rebuy tournament during the 2008 WSOP for $39,000. Demidov is a former StarCraft player and math whiz, which explains his success at the poker felts. You can catch the Russian playing on PokerStars under the name "Ivan Demidov."

Team PokerStars Pro recently welcomed Norwegian player Johnny Lodden to its ranks. The squad, which represents PokerStars at major live events and is intricately involved in its online promotions, is headlined by a trio of recent WSOP Main Event Champions: Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), and Joe Hachem (2005). At the end of February, Team PokerStars Pro also welcomed J.C. Alvarado, who originally hails from Mexico and now lives in Las Vegas.

Other members of Team PokerStars Pro include Barry Greenstein, Isabelle Mercier, Daniel Negreanu, John Duthie, Steven Paul-Ambrose, Luca Pagano, Victor Ramdin, Lee Nelson, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Humberto Brenes. The site plays host to some of the top women in poker, headlined by Go Daddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, who took second to Huck Seed in the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will unfold beginning on April 12th on NBC. Other top female players who are members of Team PokerStars Pro include Katja Thater, Victoria Coren, and Maridu Mayrinck.

PokerStars is in the midst of Day 2 of its inaugural Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). The tournament series features events with low-stakes, mid-stakes, and high-stakes buy-ins. The very first event was a No Limit Hold'em Six-Max with Rebuys tournament. The low-stakes contest featured a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool and attracted over 27,000 players, making it one of the largest online poker tournaments ever held. The mid-stakes $55 buy-in version attracted 4,057 players and the $550 buy-in high-stakes edition saw a field of 672 players compete. In Event 2, a Pot Limit Omaha High-Low tournament, 7,622 players showed up for the low-stakes, 2,104 for the mid-stakes, and 327 for the high-stakes. SCOOP culminates with its Main Event on April 12th.

Pokerstars All Star Week - March 23rd to 29th

Here we go with another exciting promotion from the best poker site on the Planet – PokerStars present to you the all new and exclusive PokerStars All Star Week.

Team PokerStars Pro is a group of the best poker players in the world with millions of dollars in poker earnings and 17 bracelets between them to prove it. To play these magnificent players would be an honour indeed and it’s an honour that is coming to the All Star Challengers.

The All Star Challengers will be playing the Team PokerStars Pro for cash prizes during the week March 23rd to 29th – each heads up winner will take home $1,000 plus the winning team will share a team pool of $1,000 for every match they’ve won. Any money won by Team PokerStars Pro will be donated to a charity chosen by their Team Captain Victor Ramdin, Victor is a brilliant Ambassador for Poker and is well known for his charity work.

Who are the All Star Challengers? How do I become one? Read on to find out..

The All Star Challengers are a team of players being chosen by PokerStars from amongst their most gifted players so, to receive your invite to be up there playing for the cash prizes and the bragging rights you have to fulfil the following criteria

• Scooped a Sunday Million 1st prize in 2008
• Finished high on the Yearly Tournament Leaderboard
• Made it to SuperNova Elite status
• Played at WCOOP final table

In addition, every player that makes the cut will receive a ticket to a $1,050 SCOOP All Stakes Main Event.

What about the rest of us, how do we get to be one of the 20 All Star Challengers?

For just $11 you can qualify as a wildcard and get your place on the team. The Wild Card Tournament will take place on Sunday March 15th at 9pm UK (4pm New York) and the top two placed will become part of the elite All Star Challengers, how cool is that!

Our No.1 recommended room – PokerStars - is far and away the largest online poker site today! To learn more about the best poker site on the planet start by studying our unbiased review and PokerStars Marketing Code page – use the Stars marketing code DIRPOKER along with Pokerstars bonus code STARS50 to ensure you are entitled to the full first depositor benefits.

Good luck at the tables!