Another Poker-Themed Stage Show in Las Vegas Announced. . . Seriously

Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Hellmuth's ego and others to star in new poker-themed stage show at The Venetian.

And to think we thought All In: The Poker Musical was both the beginning and end of poker-themed productions in Las Vegas.

Nope, here comes another, this time from the folks at The Venetian, who just announced it will introduce this fall the "first ever live, interactive poker-themed stage show" called The Real Deal! The show, which is a Vegas-style game show of sorts with prizes, will star poker pros Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Hellmuth's ego, Gavin Smith, Edward James Olmos Eli Elezra, Jennifer Harman, a woman, Phil Laak, Scotty Nguyen, Todd Brunson and Antonio Esfandiari, who magically continues to make himself relevant somehow in the poker world.

Excerpt below from press release explaining how the show will work:

The Real Deal! will empower the audience to participate both on-stage and from their seats through the use of wireless touch screen devices. The Real Deal! will use a revolutionary multi-player platform with interactive content in conjunction with technology from TimePlay Entertainment, Inc. Playing both against and alongside the pros, audience members will earn points to vie for prizes ranging from The Real Deal! logo'd merchandise to spectacular home electronics and more, including a chance to win a $1 million grand prize.

.......

The large collection of prizes will be awarded to individuals based on their game performance, such as their play of the virtual "ninth hand." However, there will be many other random winning moments! For example, audience members will be able to wager on simple instances that will occur during play, such as the suit of cards dealt on the flop. Every show, audience members will also have the chance to draw for a Royal Flush and win ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

An elimination process will result in the chip-leading pro, the final surviving amateur, and the point leader from the play-along audience, on stage for a three-handed finale.

While we wait for someone to dumb this down for us, check out the show's website here.

Unrelatedly, watch RawVegas.tv's new video hostess Brittney Palmer in action here.

We're In The Money

Mike Wattel played the role of bubble boy in the 2008 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. event, busting in 17th place. There's been a number of knock-outs since then, including Doyle Brunson in 16th and Andy Bloch in 15th (earning both $124,320).

At dinner break, 13 remain. Erick Lindgren is chip leader, stacked at 1,790,000. Our perennial pick to win it, Huck Seed, is third with 1,460,000. Scotty Nguyen, Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein, and Daniel Negreanu are all alive, giving The Year of the Pro^TM a last gasp shot at still being The Year of the Pro^TM.

Get full chip counts here.

DoylesRoom.com Renews Doyle Brunson Sponsorship

There's been some speculation as to why Doyle Brunson (and Todd Brunson) were without DoylesRoom.com logos the first two days of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the 2008 WSOP (speculate on the WCP forum here). Even stranger, why were Hoyt Corkins, Dancing with the Stars' Shannon Elizabeth, Sam Grizzle, and others still wearing the logo around? Even stranger, DoylesRoom.com's marketing strategy.

Anyway, Doyle donned the DoylesRoom.net logo again today. Although he doesn't look thrilled about it from the above photo. He could be Glum Girl's grandpa.

All of this speculation though doesn't seem to be impacting Doyle's game, as he's still above averaged stacked. Huck Seed, who happens to be our pick to win it, is currently the chip leader. Follow the action here.

2008 WSOP Update: Erik Seidel Doesn't Win Non-Record 9th Bracelet, Is The Year of the Pro(TM) No Longer The Year of the Pro(TM)?

Isabelle Mercier, a woman pro, is one of the many pros still fighting to ensure that the 2008 WSOP remains The Year of the Pro^TM.

The talk around the Rio Amazon room today among so-called poker "media" and industry types completely surrounds whether or not Erik Seidel and his non-win of Event #43 means that it is no longer The Year of the Pro^TM.^* Or maybe it signals a changing of the tide. Or maybe it's just a blip on the screen, and pros will continue making it the year of them in the last few tourneys before the Main Event starts next week. Like that song from Asia, only time will tell.

:: Event #43 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo) - You've probably figured out by now that Erik Seidel, a pro, did not win Event #43. He finished fourth. A win by Seidel would've all but solidified the 2008 WSOP as The Year of the Pro^TM. A win by Kasey Castle would've at least been a nice consolation, as his hot porn star sounding name gives us a little chubber. Until we see his face. Which then obliterates said chubber. Kastle finished second. Martin Klaser, who is not even a pro, won the event. Further hammering home Klaser's non-pro status is the fact that this is his first ever WSOP cash, let alone bracelet. For the win, Klaser banks $216,249. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #44 ($1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/ Rebuys) - What the fuck is going on here man. We're willing to say that the wildly under-rated Alex Bolotin is a pro, but he's pretty much it at the final table, and he's among the short-stacks, sitting with 308,000. This is Bolotin's third final table of the 2008 WSOP, and for the sake of pros everywhere, he better win. And if not for the pros, than for the sake of The Year of the Pro^TM and all the money we spent trademarking it and dividends we're expecting in return. Jesse Chinni, not a pro, will bring the big stack to final table play with 2,160,000. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E.) - Now we're talking! The leaderboard for this one has more pros on it than a Chinese phonebook. Let's count 'em down: Lyle Berman (pro, 507,000), Patrick Bueno (not a pro, 485,500), Barry Greenstein (such a pro you should count him twice, 473,000), Minh Ly (pro, 451,000), Chris Reslock (pro, 435,500), Joseph Michael (Internet pro and Davidson Matthew Club member, 401,000), Erick Lindgren (pro, 397,500), Justin Bonomo (pro, 384,000), Daniel Negreanu (pro, 374,500), Doyle Brunson (pro, 366,000), and Andy Bloch (pro, 362,500). So counting Barry Greenstein twice, that makes 11 of the top 12 chip leaders in Event #45 pros. That's 91.6%!!! Of the other 49 remaining (counting Greenstein twice still), we'd be willing to bet that at least 80% are pros. And we'd even be willing to count Isabelle Mercier twice (146,000), just because of her fantastic new rack. Get full chip counts here.

Doyle Brunson Dropped From DoylesRoom?

But seriously, why isn't Doyle Brunson wearing any DoylesRoom.net logos for the second day in the row during the $50k buy-in World Championship H.O.R.S.E. event at the 2008 WSOP. Did he get Gowen-ed?

FWIW, we didn't see Todd Brunson patched up either.

Anyone?

Relatedly, Doyle is second in chips late tonight with 301k. Patrick Bueno is living up to his name with a good lead as chipleader, stacked at 416k. James Mackey, a ginger, is third and soulless with 288k.

Chip counts here.

Unrelatedly and ironically, one of the Entities played a tournament today and was seated immediately to the left of this guy. And is still alive.

2008 WSOP Update: Day 2 of Event No. 18 - No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/ReBuys

The big-name, big-bankroll poker pros in the $5,000 buy-in No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/ReBuys event at the 2008 WSOP are nearing a final table on Day 2. 18 of the 85 players remain with David Benyamine holding an ironically slim chip lead over a newly slim Mike Matusow, 2007 WSOP POY Tom Schneider of Pokerati fame, and 21-year-old Tom "Durrrr" Dwan. All are over the 400k mark. Others still in include Barry Greenstein, Jeffrey Lisandro, Erick Lindgren, David Grey, Chad Brown, Tony G, Nick Schulman and Michael Binger. Busts before the bubble include Layne Flack (top left photo) and Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan (top right photo), and going out just before the money was poker legend and blogger Doyle Brunson. Chip counts here. Click thumbnail for another, better look at what you're looking at above. . .

Doyle Brunson's Top 3 Players, Dead or Fictional, He'd Like to Play Poker With

According to his blog entry today.

One Week Until 2008 WSOP + We're Off Memorial Day Weekend

Barring some crazy breaking story, Wicked Chops Poker will be off Memorial Day Weekend. With the 2008 World Series of Poker just a week away (meaning six straight weeks of unrelenting poker coverage), and 2/3 of the Entities in Ireland right now, and 1/3 of the Entities staggering drunk for three-days, let's be honest, not much is going to get done.

But to get in the mindset for the 2008 WSOP, here's some recommended reading from WCP coverage of WSOP's past.

2005 WSOP
Before going down on Dancing with the Stars' Derek Hough, Dancing with the Stars' Shannon Elizabeth went down in four-way action.
Wily Brit Barry Baskin smelled like shit.
Whatever happened to Johnny Rockets from Daytona? That guy seemed to have the total package.
Brad Garrett was urinating and so dork had an Elmo head.
The longest massage ever?
Some dude got real creepy around Greg Raymer.
Tiffany Williamson...that bitch is crazy!

2006 WSOP
Where to even begin? How about some Card Player Like You Were There Moments (TM) here here here here here here and here.
Phil Hellmuth wins a then record-tying 10th bracelet.
Clearly us at our absolute most bedlam ensuing.
Some chick played in a nun outfit which probably blew Gank's mind.
The Milwaukee's Best Light girls need to make a comeback.
Somebody told us that Bill Gates has a regular call girl he sees in France.
Our Sweats did OK in Day 1B.
Mean people applauded when Doyle Brunson busted.
Our mutual love-affair with Anna Benson began.
Joanna Krupa (above) officially became the hottest girl to ever play the WSOP.
Some more hot girls from the 2006 WSOP.
Vaughn Sandman (where ya been, bud?) absolutely toys with "Salty" Joe Hachem.
We were the first to introduce the world to Jamie Gold.
And we were the only ones to get a pic with Jamie Gold and Crispin "Don't Call Me Bruce" Leyser.

Poker News Looking 'Sexiest' with Megan Fox

Megan Fox, the tattooedly hot actress from Transformers who is bizarrely banging that dude who dated Donna on the show 90210 which your parents' parents used to watch back in the 20th century, has been voted FHM's Sexiest Woman of 2008. The perennially pretty Jessica Alba and our favorite top dropper Keeley Hazell finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. A bunch of other chicks you'd toss your girlfriend aside for round out the top 100. Check out the list here. Check out Fox looking stunningly hot in various states of undress below. One of the pics btw is of a short Mexican cop on the Sunsent Strip ... see if you can figure out which one it is.

Some sort of newsy poker links for you . . .

:: We aren't the only really goodlooking guys surprised that Doyle Brunson is a blogger (Click here and here)

:: Apparently Phil Hellmuth can't see too well into Guy Laliberte's soul (Click here)

:: We aren't the only poker news-ers who write about Shannon Elizabeth on Dancing with the Stars (Click here)

:: If you live wherever it is WTVY News 4 airs, you should play this poker tournament to support our troops (Click here)

:: License plate poker . . . genius! (Click here)

:: Who dunnit? Poker pro son is suspect in poker pro's father murder (Click here)

:: Friendly poker games won't be legal anytime soon in that state with the palmetto tree and Islamic-y looking crescent moon silhouette logo people annoyingly like to wear all around the south (Click here)

:: Maine's Governor John Baldacci hates charity poker games (Click here)

Jennifer Harman Must Be More Threatening Than We Give Her Credit For...

Apparently many poker pros decided to show up to the  2^nd Annual Jennifer Harman SPCA Charity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas because of the threat of bodily harm. From Jennifer Harman.

Both Phil Ivey and Barry Greenstein alluded to the not-so-thinly veiled threats by Harman as their primary reason for attending the event. However, the prospects of bodily harm turned out to be a good thing for Ivey, as he adopted a sweet little kitty!!!*

Watch the 2^nd Annual Jennifer Harman SPCA Charity Poker Tournament red carpet

* Last time "sweet little kitty" will ever be written on this site unless we're using it as slang for vag.

Doyle Brunson Beer Pong Video

Just days ahead of the $25,000 buy-in WPT World Championship at the Bellagio, some of the biggest names in the game met up with poker legend Doyle Brunson at Hog & Heifers in Las Vegas for a little friendly Beer Pong competition set up by jane-of-all-trades Lara Miller. Among the pros there to lob the pongs while getting soused on the High Life included Todd Brunson, Jen Harman, Hoyt Corkins (at right), Phil Hellmuth, Gank Jungblut, and Marco Traniello.

RawVegas.tv was there to cover the action as Doyle and teammate Hoyt took on his son Todd and some poker dude from Montana. See how they fared in the video below although the screen grab above of Corkins after the match looking totally shit-faced is a bit of a spoiler. By the way, is there a movement to make Beer Pong an Olympic sport? If our Eskimo neighbors to the north were able to get shuffleboarding a rock on ice with a kitchen broom in there, no reason why we shouldn't be giving out gold medals for a skilled sport like Beer Pong.

Watch video on RawVegas.tv here.

Read Jeff Haney's account in the Las Vegas Sun here.

Everyone Thinks Doyle Will Win

The much ballyhooed high-stakes heads-up match between Doyle Brunson and Patrik Antonius is getting nearer, and most everyone we talk to thinks that Texas Dolly has a decided edge. Doyle gets to pick the games, and he will likely stay away from Antonius' specialties: no-limit hold'em and pot limit Omaha.

With 10 games of poker to play at over 7 figures per game, someone could get a major hurting put on them.

Hear what David Williams, Jennifer Harman and Doyle himself have to say about the match in the video below.

Poker News Roundup Brought to You By the Hottest Girl Ever Named Debora

:: Doyle Brunson and Patrik Antonius are closer to going heads-up for millions, on television (Click here)

:: Harvard prof Charles Nesson, aka "Billion Dollar Charlie", rallied against a Massachusetts bill that would make online poker a crime (Click here)

:: Did poker play a role in the double homicide of a poker pro and his wife? (Click here)

:: Did we mention Shannon Elizabeth is on Dancing with the Stars yet? (Click here)

:: PokerNews.com's man-in-charge John Caldwell confirms The Grand is the best poker movie since Rounders, because all the other ones sucked (Click here)

:: The Swedish government is no longer going to prosecute media outlets who publish or air online poker ads from non-Volvoland-based sites (Click here)

:: Congrats to the purported mother of our Brazilian bastard children friend Maria Eduarda Mayrink, aka Maridu, a woman, for finishing 5th out of a field of 500+ at the Rio Poker Fest, winning $40,000 in some type of currency (Click here)

:: The best poker show on television just may be on . . . BET? (Click here)

Photo above of the absurdly stunning Italian model Debora Salvalaggio. Two more pics of the hottest girl ever named Debora after the jump . . .

Doyle Brunson Blogs, Backs Barack Obama, Thinks Britney Spears Is Stupid

Hold up. Wait a minute. Doyle Brunson is writing a blog for the Poker Road? Seriously? Really? Doyle Brunson? A blogger?

Apparently it's true.

In what appears to be his first post, Doyle gets political, voicing his support for political juggernaut Barack "Bam" Obama.

But not before slagging on Britney Spears.

Seriously? Doyle Brunson making fun of Britney Spears? (at right, during hot days)

Apparently it's true.

"During this poker cash game lull, I am on this race for President like stupid is on Britney Spears."

Doyle then continues by saying:

"I have come to the conclusion that poker players have to support Obama...Jennifer Harman and I have emailed Obama and asked what his position is on internet gaming. Hopefully we will get a response from his camp."

Read more on Doyle Brunson's thoughts on Barack Obama and Britney Spears.

* Hat tip to Pokerati

Poker After Dark is Reaching

Apparently running out of good ideas, this week's Poker After Dark on NBC is getting all Brokeback with a Cowboys theme with all six poker players supposedly fond of donning a cowboy hat at the poker table.

The six "gun slingers" are Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Doyle Brunson, Hoyt Corkins, Gabe Kaplan and Chau Giang, who ironically never wears a cowboy hat.

Rumors are a "Lefties Week" and "Straight Male Hairdressers Week" are both in the works.

In related news, not all guys walking around Vegas wearing a Stetson, heavy-starched shirt and Wranglers when the rodeo is in town appreciate it when you say: "Loved ya in Brokeback Mountain, cowboy." Some actually may punch you in the face.

Poker After Dark website here. Shoot them an email and suggest a "poker players who screwed/got screwed by Brandi Hawbaker" week. Or month.

2007 WSOP Tournament Updates: Doyle Doesn't Win 11th Bracelet, Sheikan Leads 2-7 Lowball

Catching up on 2007 WSOP action from the 4th of July holiday...

:: Doyle Brunson did not win a record-tying 11th bracelet. Texas Dolly finished sixth in Event #50 ($10k PLO w/ rebuys), banking $123,967. The event was won by the Grinder's big bro, Robert Mizrachi. For the win, Mizrachi takes home his first bracelet and $768,889. Patrik Antonius finished third ($311,394), but still managed to steal first in the hearts of all the ladies.

:: Dao Bac (at right), who looks like he just smelled a fart, won Event #51 ($1,000 S.H.O.E.), banking $157,975.

:: Ram Vaswani, best known for his golf dispute with Phil Ivey, won Event #53 ($1,500 NLH Shootout). Victor Ramdin finished ninth. Hoyt Corkins was nowhere to be found.

:: And Shawn Sheikan leads Event #54 ($5,000 2-7 Draw Lowball w/ rebuys), stacked at 537,500. He's trailed by Chad Brown, Todd Brunson, and Erik Seidel. Get full chip counts here.

* Photo from Poker News.

Doyle Brunson Goes for 11th WSOP Bracelet Today

Doyle Brunson (at right, napping between hands) may just find that loving feeling for poker again. The poker legend has made his first final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker and is in position today to tie Phil Hellmuth's record 11 WSOP bracelets and possibly bring Hellmuth's ginormous ego down to at least stratospheric levels.

The event is the $10,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event, which if Brunson won would also give the 73-year-old poker legend his first WSOP bracelet ever in a Omaha or Pot Limit event.

Final table play starts up today at 2 pm and Brunson will sit down with 510,000 in chips. Standing in his way as he goes for bracelet number 11 are current big stacks at the table Tommy Ly (1,895,000) and Robert Mizrachi (1,090,000), a player who is more than due to capture his first WSOP bracelet this year after already cashing four times and making two final tables.

Or maybe winning WSOP bracelets just aren't a Brothers Mizrachi thing.

Also at the table are Patrik Antonius (650,000), who may or may not have alopecia, Marco Traniello (420,000), Rene Mouritsen (775,000), Steve Sung (175,000), Stephen Ladowski (360,000) and Jonas "What Kind of Last Name Is" Flug-Entin (445,000).

Keep track of the action today here or waste your day viewing two girls doing Kama Sutra poses here.

Has Doyle Brunson Lost that Loving Feeling?

At least it seems that way in his chat with Tiffany Michelle of PokerNews.com as he talks diplomatically about the crap the Fristian fascists pulled off last October and how that has affected his passion for playing poker.

Check out this video and others from the WPT World Championship over in the PokerNews.com Video Gallery.

Some Seriously Serious Stuff on the Spurious Story of Doyle's Supposed Arrest

Some new guy named "Staff" over at the poker blog Up For Poker just posted a seriously serious commentary on the rise and fall of the Doyle Brunson arrest rumor, entitled Deconstructing Doyle. It's a fair and very smart read, even if it does indirectly point a finger at us because we're SEO whores here at Wicked Chops Poker. Seriously. We're total sluts.

Our only response to the post by this so-called "Staff" guy is that if he's going to alliterate in a headline we think he should go for the gusto with something alliteratively absurd like "Deconstructing the Dish on Doyle's Dubitable Detention" rather than just a two-word pairing that, while alliterative, falls short of encompassing the full breadth and depth of the topic at hand.

Just saying.

Now go read Up for Poker.

Doyle Brunson Not Arrested, Says Gambling911.com

Gambling911.com is confirming that Doyle Brunson was NOT arrested. The no-holds-barred online gambling news site that occasionally makes Wicked Chops Poker look like a site run by Puritans, if Puritans were into half-dress pics of Keeley Hazell, said that Doyle's nurse checked on the poker legend in his Texas home this afternoon and found him there, completely unaware of the rumors of his arrest.

In related news, an amazingly hot girl who happens to share the same name as the mediocre-ly hot Christina Aguilera, but no way can be the same girl because this girl is amazingly hot, did a spread in MAXIM that you should check out here, as a way of celebrating Doyle's non-arrest.

Gambling911.com Calls BS on Rumors of Brunson Bust

If there's another thing we know, all rumors are true unless the rumor is not reported by Gambling911.com, which in that case it may or not be true but more likely it is not than it is, and so when we did not see Gambling911.com reporting on the rumor of Doyle Bruson's arrest, we were left trying to figure out the logic of what we just said.

Well now, the online gambling news site famous for breaking stories and throwing Super Bowl parties in which its reporters get naked and make out with other chicks is calling rumors of Doyle's arrest "a lot of hooey."

According to a spokesperson for DoylesRoom.com who talked to Gambling911.com, "As far as we know, Doyle is at home sleeping in his bed. Don't quote me on any of that but we have someone going over to his house to check on him."

Read the rest of the story over at Gambling911.com.

Photo above of Doyle Brunson, Jenny Woo and some hot chicks courtesy of Gambling911.com.

Rumor: Doyle Brunson Arrested

Doyle Brunson, the 73-year-old poker legend and the man behind online poker site DoylesRoom.com, has been arrested, according to rumors, which if there's one thing we know for certain is that all rumors are true. Whether Brunson was possiby nabbed as part of the Feds ongoing online gaming witch hunt or it's connected to the SEC investigation regarding his unsolicited offer to buy the WPTE back in 2005 or he was busted for jaywalking, or we suppose in his case, jay-scootering, we haven't a clue.

We first came across the rumor over at NeverwinPoker, which someone posted a link in their forum to this forum. We then checked PokerNews.com, which doesn't even mention Doyle's name, and while we were reading that, the addict called over and said Tao of Poker had a bunch of links. Crap, even .Wikipedia has the rumor, so it's got to be true.

Go get you're read on at the links above and stay tuned for the latest here at Wicked Chops Poker.

Photo above is a Wicked Chops Poker shot of Doyle Brunson after he busted out of the 2006 WSOP Main Event.