Party Poker Pimping

:: snake

"What do Lucy Pinder's norks, whale sharks and Party Poker all have in common?" asks soft-core porn/men's mag FHM.

"They're all huge!"

True. True indeed, especially those whale sharks. I mean, look at that photo. They're big, beautiful creatures, aren't they?

Well, mark this under "Affiliate Programs You Can't Compete With." FHM is pimping Party Poker and sex like pimping was meant to be by offering those who use its bonus code, sevensix (oh wait, that's our code), access to stripped down inch-perfect models on both their website and a "sizzling DVD" you get just for signing up at Party Poker with their bonus code, sevensix (oh damn, that's ours, not theirs). Plus by using the FHM bonus code sevensix (sorry, that's ours again) you can also win "superb monthly prizes, including luxury fashion and hardware specials."

How can you compete with that? Well, keep pimping your own code as theirs is one but people won't get access to all the hotties if they use sevensix. All they'll get is the pleasure of knowing they've helped soft-core porn addicted men pay for their subscriptions to magazines like FHM. And that's something we can all be proud of lending a hand to (uh, the lending a hand cliche doesn't quite work well here does it?).

Anyway, we like FHM's approach. In addition to the hotties they even offer some style suggestions for poker players and all you have to do is look at, well I won't name any Magicians, but some of the pro players definitely need some help with their duds. So go check out FHM's Party Poker's hotties and goodies at the FHM Players Lounge and find out more about their affiliate pimping. Some of the ladies we like after the jump.

Poker Stars to Hold Blogger Championship

For all of those hard-working bloggers out there, here's a chance for many to actually realize financial reward for your labor of love, or something like that. Pokerstars.com is hosting the Online Poker Blogger Championship on October 23rd at 4:00 (PM, EST).  Registration is free.  First prize is entry into the WPT Aruba tournament. You don't even need to deposit money in an account.  Just go to the Poker Stars registration page and fill out the info. More info: Register to play in the: Online Poker Blogger Championship The event is powered by: PokerStars. The registration code is: 6493301 Your referrer: Wicked Chops Poker

Son of a Brun

Todd Brunson stopped by the ESPN.com Poker Club for a chat yesterday.  Among the questions he discussed was the night he won his first WSOP bracelet, the worst beat he's ever taken, and the most cash he taken down in one run.

Chops (Wicked Chops Poker): Poker phrase that sounds more gross in a non-poker-setting: "I flopped the nuts" or "I took a bad beat by a back door straight."?

Todd Brunson: (4:30 PM ET ) Both of them I guess. (Laughs). I wouldn't want to hear either one of them away from the poker world.

Jim (Boulder, CO): Todd, What is the most lucrative night you ahve had playing and the biggest loss in a single day you have had playing?

Pokershare.com, KY – Tables 23, 190 Active Players

Yet another poker company has attempted a blatant PR stunt: Pokershare.com has offered $100,000 to have Sharer, Kentucky change its name to, well, Pokershare.com. 

For those of you unfamiliar with small Kentucky towns with no city council, grocery store, or post office, Sharer is in Butler County. 

What?  Still no idea?  Ok, it’s around where that red star is on the graphic at right ---->

While the name change will never happen, (County official Hugh Evans is on the record saying, "When you talk about poker and gambling, we're not for that in our county. It's very conservative."), we at Wicked Chops Poker say, “Why not embrace another cheesy poker PR stunt, take the money, and run”?

Seriously, if Ismay, Montana can change its city name to “Joe,” (although they’ve since changed back to Ismay…think Istanbul and Constantinople) then why can’t Sharer, Kentucky go by Pokershare.com?

Our guess is most Sharer residents can’t read anyway, so they’ll never know the difference. 

This has also got Wicked Chops Poker thinking, are there any American cities that already have a “poker name”?  The answer, to our surprise, is a resounding “yes!”

Editor's Note: All names of the following page are actually real…

Final Table DVD Review – Part II

Last week we went heads-up with Rafe Furst to discuss Phil Gordon's Final Table DVD.  This week, we review the DVD. 

First, let's get this out there: Final Table raises the bar for all poker tutorials.

The set-up for the DVD is simple: It's a World Poker Tour-esque final table.  You're inside the head of Phil Gordon, listening to his thoughts on each hand as he plays against a mix of different poker styles and scenarios. 

Rafe Furst detailed the process of creating Final Table last week...and the effort the team at Expert Insight put into this DVD shows.  From an experiential standpoint, you feel like you're watching a movie more than an educational video.  Since you get inside the head of Phil as he maneuvers through the final table, you learn by being part of the action instead of just passively watching the action or trying to force memorization of key points.  This helps make the lessons stick, particularly when a scenario that played out on the DVD actually takes place in your live game.

THE TOKE: Bodog Awards POY, Ardebili wins at the Borg, A. Dikshit Losing Ground, and Mariah Carey Is Loose

: : Can’t Beat Bodog.  As we learned at the WSOP, nobody throws a show like Bodog.  So I’m sure the wonks at Card Player feel like they hit the nut flush when Bodog signed on to sponsor their Player of the Year Awards Show Gala event.  Aside from the surely omnipresent Bodog Babes (exhibit A, pictured right), Calvin Ayre and crew are first class all the way when it comes to event presentation.  Card Player

: : WPT Borgata is All Ardebili.  With seven cashes in major events this year, Al Ardebili has been establishing a solid rep on the tournament scene.  And last week he broke through as the WPT’s latest million dollar winner.  Ardebili conquered a final table that included John D’Agostino and Kathy Liebert for the title.  Poker Pages 

: : Bad Run for Online Poker? Only someone worth gazillions of dollars could proudly go through life with a name like Anurag Dikshit.  So for his sake, let’s hope Party Gaming’s recent slide is more about the increased competition and less about people worldwide abandoning online poker (we’re betting on the former).  Electric News

: : To those who lost, Shake It Off.  It’s no Fantasy.  There are some grinders grinding their teeth today after Mariah Carey took them for $27,000 this weekend at poker.  While it was likely more a mix of Carey playing too many hands and the guys not respecting her play, Carey commented that her, “…low cut dress put some of the guys off.”  We can buy that.  Digital Spy

Sammy "Killer" Reid Wins Brunch for the Bayou Tournament

Thanks to everyone who came out and played the Brunch for the Bayou charity poker tournament.

Two WCP regulars made the final two.  Heads-up it was Steve "the Destroyer" Dalton against Sammy "Killer" Reid (pictured left and right, respectively, glare and all).  Sammy was swinging a monster stack and captured the first prize: two tix to Vegas and entry into a WSOP Circuit event. 

But here's the best part...

Sammy called Chops at about 7:30am, about 5 hours before the event started.  Sammy had just GOTTEN HOME from a night of boozing.  Sammy (still drunk) asked Chops for a wake up call around 11. 

So at 11, Chops called.  Voicemail.  Chops leaves a threatening message telling Sammy to get to the game.  F-bombs were dropped.  At 11:30, Chops called again.  Chops leaves another threatening message.  At about 11:50, Chops called again.  Sammy awakes and in a none-to-happy-about-it tone says he's up and on his way.

The last entrant to arrive, Sammy was the last to leave the table.   Congrats to Sammy. 

Also, as you noticed, CNN crews were at the event.  Whenever we get word that the CNN "American Spirit" segment with our tournament will air, we'll let you know.  And a final special thanks to Bodog.com, the Tiltboys, Andrew Feldman at ESPN.com's Poker Club, and Airtran for kicking in all of the great prizes.

Brunch for the Bayou Charity Tourney Update

Spots are still available for the Brunch for the Bayou charity tournament.  You can register by emailing [email protected].  The tournament starts at noon.  It will be wrapped no later than 3:30.  What you need to know:

• Entry fee is $100.  It includes brunch.  You can pay with cash (preferred), check, or credit.  Doors for the event open at 10am so get there early and fill up before you play.
• While we expect some walk-in entries, if you have pre-registered, your name will be on a sign-up list at the door.  Just say you're there for the charity hold'em tournament.  A portion of your entry is tax deductible.
• The hold'em tournament is located in the back meeting room in Copeland's.  You'll see the tables and cards set up. 
• Given the size of the tables, we will not have room for dealers.  Participants will deal themselves until the final table (remaining 5 or 6), when we will bring a dealer in.
• 1st prize is two tickets to Las Vegas courtesy of Airtran and entry into a WSOP Circuit event.  There are three Vegas circuit events over the next eight months to choose from...we'll work with you to determine the best fit for your schedule.  Second place is a package that includes entry into the ESPN.com Poker Club's WSOP Main Event qualifying tournament.  Other prizes from final table participants include autographed copies of Phil Gordon's Final Table DVD and assorted gear from the good people at Bodog.com (great site, you should be playing on it).  In fact, thanks to Bodog, all participants will be receiving something (cards, hats, etc.) Working on other prizes to include in the package, like season-ending Braves tickets or Hawks tickets for later in the year.

Keep reading for the blind schedule and chip structure...

Final Table DVD Review – Part I Head's-Up with Rafe Furst

Chops here.

On the first day of this year’s WSOP Main Event, Snake and I took a break from covering the action and strolled into the poker merchandizing convention room at the Rio.  Start-up after start-up filled the convention floor, hoping to hock their tacky goods and cash in on the poker craze.

After walking past a number of totally uninspired clothing and chip manufacturing booths, we spotted a flat screen TV playing what looked like a World Poker Tour event.  It turned out to be the Expert Insight booth, and amid the “got the nuts!” and “Monster in my pocket” poker shirts, it stood out as an oasis in a desert of lame.

Manning the booth was none other than Phil Gordon.  And featured on that flat screen was not a WPT final table, but Phil’s new instructional DVD, Final Table.  It immediately grabbed our attention.  Compared to other instructional poker videos, there’s a quantum leap in production quality with Final Table.  Think of dating Camryn Manheim and then moving up to Carmen Elektra.  It’s that drastic.

So naturally, we got a copy of the DVD for review.  And the DVD delivers.  In the first part of our Final Table DVD review, we spoke with one of the people behind the project, Tiltboy-founder Rafe Furst (pictured right).  On Monday, we’ll follow up this Q&A with our actual review of the DVD.  Here goes…

WCP: First, provide some background on Expert Insight.

Rafe Furst: ExpertInsight.com really started with the Final Table Poker DVD.  Phil saw an opportunity for drastically improving the quality of poker instruction.  So he brought together two very talented film makers, Michael Keller and Jon Gunn, and he asked me to help out with the business side of things…

Georgia Native Phil Gordon in Town to Promote Tourney

Chops here.

For our ATL readers, that six foot nine dude you saw in the Highlands this weekend was not another Koncak/Keefe Hawks draft pick from days of yore.  No, it really was Phil Gordon (pictured right, at WSOP).  And instead of banking shots, he just banks checks. 

Gordon, the business savvy ex-Yellow Jacket and Stone Mountain native, was in Atlanta to promote Degree’s All-In Poker Experience.  I caught up with Gordon to discuss his latest roles with ESPN and Degree.   

Update: More Prizes

Thanks to Andrew Feldman at ESPN.com's Poker Club and Tiltboy Rafe Furst with Expert Insight for kicking in some more prizes for the Brunch for the Bayou charity poker tournament.  Along with our first prize of airfare for two to Las Vegas (provided by Airtran) and entry into a WSOP circuit event, other prizes now include:

- An automatic seat into the final tournament for ESPN's World Series of Poker promotion (this is something you'd typically have to qualify for against a ton of players).

- Autographed Final Table DVDs from Phil Gordon.  This DVD is the best poker learning tool on the market.  We'll have a review of it up on the site this Thursday. 

More to come...just waiting confirmation on a few more things.

Update: Brunch for the Bayou

The press release for Brunch for the Bayou dropped today.  Download it and learn more about the event, as the charity poker tournament is just one part of the overall happenings. 

Remember, the $100 entry to the charity poker tournament includes your brunch.  You will be fed. 

Keep checking the site over the next few days as we post more on prizes, blinds schedules/structure, and why you should be splashing your chips into this charity pot. 

Two Time Winner Seif Featured

Two time 2k5 WSOP bracelet winner Mark Seif is featured on ESPN coverage Tuesday. 

Seif bested an impressive final table to win Event #23 ($1,500 NLH).  A little less than a week earlier, Seif won Event #15, the $1,500 NLH shoot-out (not shown by ESPN). 

At the final table with Seif for Event #23 was 2004 Main Event champ and in general a bad mofo not to be f'ed with, Greg Raymer.  Minh Ngyuen, Devilfish, and Bill Gazes filled out this stacked final table.

Event #25 ($5,000 7 Card Stud) is also featured.  Jan Sorensen won the event blah blah blah.

Jesus H! Ferguson Wins 2nd WSOP Circuit Main Event

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson captured his second WSOP Circuit Main Event of the year this weekend.

The field was relatively small (107) at Harrah's Las Vegas WSOP circuit championship event, but the competition still included some big guns.  Ferguson outlasted a field that included Andy Bloch, Max Pescatori, John Phan, Russ Hamilton, An Tran, and the "colorful" (read: drunk) Minneapolis Meehan for the bracelet. 

Ferguson faced Chad Layne heads-up for the title.  On the final hand, Layne got his money in the middle with the best of it, as it was his A-K vs. Jesus' A-J.  A Jack hit on the flop though, Layne failed to improve his hand, and Jesus triumphs again.

Ferguson banked over $362k for the win.  With his $655k+ victory in March at the Rincon Main Event in San Diego, Jesus has won over a mil this year at WSOP circuit events alone.  Praise Jesus!

Seriously. Praise him now.

Update: Brunch for the Bayou Charity Tournament

We now have more details for the Brunch for the Bayou charity poker tournament that takes place on Sunday, September 25th, at Copeland's Restaurant in Buckhead.  We will be adding updating prize information, but for now:

• 1st place will receive a package valued over $1,500 that includes airfare for two to Las Vegas (provided by Airtran) and entry into a WSOP Circuit Event series or other major tournament of similar value.
• All who make the final table will receive prizes of varying value (from poker books to DVDs).

Radio spots begin running on Monday, so register now before the seats are filled.  More to come...

Register: Brunch for the Bayou Charity No Limit Hold'em Tournament

Hurricane Katrina devastated regions dear to the heart of Wicked Chops Poker--so we are proud to announce our involvement with Brunch for the Bayou.

On Sunday, September 25th, Copeland's Restaurant in Buckhead is hosting Brunch for the Bayou.  Proceeds from the event will be directed to Habitat for Humanity’s Operation Home Delivery.  Operation Home Delivery is a three-phase response to help provide assistance and rebuilding opportunities in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast. 

To help raise funds for the event, Wicked Chops Poker is hosting a No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament.  Only 60 spots are available, so please register for the tournament now by emailing us at [email protected] 

Registration Details:
When: Sunday, September 25th at 12pm.
Where: Copeland's of New Orleans Restaurant at Tower Place in Buckhead
What: No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament
Entry: $100 - Proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity’s "Operation Home Delivery"
Prizes: Will be announced early next week.
Register: Email your name and phone number to [email protected]

We are already receiving commitments so we encourage you to register now before seats fill up.  Keep checking Wicked Chops Poker for more details in the upcoming days.  For more information on the entire Brunch for the Bayou event, visit the Copeland's Web site. 

Esfandiari: "We tear it up."

Antonio "the magician" Esfandiari paid a brief visit to the ESPN.com poker club for a chat yesterday.  Before he made himself disappear, he offered advice final table strategy, how he get reads on opponents, and if his crew, Rocks and Rings, could out-party the Tiltboys. 

Some highlights:

Chops (Wicked Chops Poker): Bigger partiers during their prime: Rocks & Rings or the Tiltboys?

Antonio Esfandiari: Rocks & Rings. Are you kidding me? It's not even close. Tilt-who? We tear it up.

Atlanta's Arieh Featured Tonight

ESPN airs more new WSOP final tables tonight.  One of the final tables you probably won't care much about.  The other will be highly entertaining.  See if you can figure it out:

Option 1 at 9pm EST: The $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em event won by Edward Moncada (banking $298,070).  Freddie Deeb and Marco Traniello are also involved.   

Option 2 at 10pm EST: The $2,000 Pot Limit Omaha (w/ re-buys) event won by the always polarizing Josh Arieh (banking $381,600 ).  Chris "Jesus" Ferguson came in second.  Max Pescatori and Erik Seidel are also involved. 

Yes, those who think Option 2 will make "better TV" are probably right.  And with with two pot-limit events in the docket, you might get to see some real play as opposed to just a bunch of pre-flop all-ins that ESPN is growing increasingly fond of force-feeding us. 

For more on Arieh's Omaha win and expanded WSOP coverage, check out the Wicked Chops Poker WSOP section.

Tournament Rake: Tilly Takes Two, Kahaner Licks Legends

Hmm...Bruce Willis, Don Johnson, and Lindsey Lohan should take a cue from Chad Brown, Tobey Maguire, and Jennifer Tilly.  Playing winning poker is the new releasing god-awful albums for actors.

While essesntially only a six-person SNG (and minus some of the world's best women players like Harmon, Violette, and Duke), Tilly won the latest WPT Ladies Night event, besting Cecelia Mortensen and Isabelle Mercier, among others.  Ms. Unabomber is clearly listening to the advice of her boyfriend.  With a WSOP bracelet and a WPT title, Tilly has had more hits in the card room in 2005 than she's had in the theater since, like, ever.

The 2005 Legends of Poker championship event (held at the Bicycle Casino in LA) just wrapped, with Alex Kahaner of Van Nuys (aka America's porn capital) taking the title.  Tim Phan continued his recent strong run of play and finished 4th.  Other notables included Cyndy Violette (22nd), Paul Phillips (24th), Andy Bloch (30th), Gabe Kaplan (35th), Carlos Mortensen (36th), Jim McManus (56th), and Jennifer Harmon (61st).   

THE TOKE: Oceans 13, SNG for 1 Million Dollars, Rebuy Please, Books + Poker, and Tomer Ain't Italian

: : A fat dish on Tomer.  Alternate title: OddJack and the Fatman.  OddJack and Tomer Benvinesti have been chewing the electronic fat and spewing pure comedy.  Recently, OddJack had some thoughts on Tomer, to which Tomer had some thoughts on in return.  A must read.  Classic.  OddJack.

: : Hopefully Better than Ocean's 12.  George Clooney tells the Associated Press that he's ready to risk his shirt on investing in a new Las Vegas Resort Casino to be called Las Ramblas. It will be located East of the Las Vegas Strip. He's partnering up with Related Las Vegas and Centra Properties, along with influential nightclub owner and husband to supermodel Cindy Crawford (remember when she was like, the hottest?), Rande Gerber. Clooney says he wants Las Ramblas to be "more old vegas and old hollywood" and that "it will be smart and sophisticated - more sport coats than tank tops and more Tony Bennett than Britney Spears."  Um, yeah.  So like Solaris, Welcome to Collinwood, and Intolerable Cruelty, Clooney just keeps on giving the people what they want.    CBS NEWS.

: : $1 mil still up for grabs. Noblepoker.com--which is now owned and operated by Empirepoker.com but operates separately under the name...you guessed it...Noblepoker.com...is still giving away 1 million dollars to anyone who can win 7 consecutive sit no go tournaments.  Noble Poker

: : Rebuy! The original owners of Noblepoker.com are back in the game with a new site and have announced they will launch TitanPokerroom.com on September 1.    ARRIVE NET

: : Extra! Extra!  Poker is a hot industry! USA Today reports that bookstores and publishers see the trend of poker growing and growing and want to cash in. Wow, they're really ahead of the curve on this one.  Next thing you know, we're gonna find out that movie studios are hot on making sequels and re-hashing 70's sitcoms, television producers are catching on to the ratings coup that is "reality TV," and oily guys who wear velour suits and have deep pockets are finding that porn sites can making a killing on the Internet. USA TODAY

Heads-Up with the Tiltboys

The Tiltboys have cracked the code.  Through common interests of poker, golfing, gambling, drinking, Roshambo, and constant angling to put each other on tilt, the Tiltboys (who include Phil Gordon, Perry Friedman, Rafe Furst, and Kim Scheinberg, among others) formed a unique bond that they somehow parlayed into a life consisting of nothing but: poker, golfing, gambling, drinking, Roshambo, and constant tilt angling. Tales from the Tiltboys is part Ocean's 11, part Swingers, part "Signs you have a gambling problem" pamphlet from GA.  While you breeze through the chapters, the only thing you'll do more than laugh is wish you were at a casino with your buddies, saddled up at a poker table with a drink in one hand while the other is forming a circle that will catch one of their eyes.  Wicked Chops Poker goes heads-up with the Tiltboys to discuss their book, their history, and how you can put Phil Hellmuth on instant tilt. WCP:  First of all, let’s get this out of the way…