Official ESPN-Bluff Partnership Announced

As reported by Wicked Chops Poker last week, ESPN and Bluff Media publicly announced their strategic parternship today. 

Bluff will now be the exclusive content provider for ESPN's Poker Club, among other joint initiatives.  By our analysis, this is a smart move by ESPN to enhance their poker presence, and an even better alliance for Bluff, clearly positioning itself as a leader in the increasingly crowded poker media field.  Or as two-time 2005 WSOP bracelet winner Mark Seif put it today, "I think its a match made in heaven. The fact of the matter is that Bluff Magazine is and has been the leader in this industry since the time they have came into it.  ESPN, with having the WSOP and their play money site and content, brings two poker powerhouses together, and thats a good thing."

Read the full press release.

BlackSpy Tourney Results

Congratulations to bstonekilla for winning the BlackSpy Worst iPod Playlist Ever Invitational. 

Flopping sets like his name was Chops, bstonekilla bested (in reverse order of disappearance) Feldman, the Addict, Kleinstub, Chops, and Snake at the final table to take the tournament. 

Special thanks to BlackSpy for putting this shindig together.

The TOKE: Enough of Duff, TV Poker Still Splashes the Pot, World’s Largest Casino Gets Larger, Recapping the WSOP, and One Damn Funny Poll

:: Trick or Badbeat.  Haylie Duff, star of…being Hilary’s sister...is hosting her second annual Halloween poker charity tournament.  The least attractive of the less attractive celebrity sisters (a not necessarily unattractive group that includes the Simpsons, Spearses, and Olsens, all of whom have probably slept with Wilmer Valderrama) teamed up with igotpoker.com, the ugly sister of other poker sites, to sponsor the event.  No word if the more popular Bodog babes will show up and get all Mean Girlson the event.   Poker News
:: Poker Rakes Ratings.  As covered by OddJack last week, poker is still a ratings boon for stations, checking in now as the third most watched sport on TV (behind only the NFL and NASCAR…which isn’t a “sport” anyway, so poker is really second).  GSN begins filming its “High Stakes Poker,” pitting pros and biz execs in cash games, in November at the Nugget.  Yahoo!
:: Poker Not Fad-ing Away.  The poker boom also continues at the world’s largest casino—Foxwoods.  The resort and casino will be expanding to include more room for poker.  In total, Foxwoods will grow from 76 to 114 tables.  CardPlayer
:: Kick Ass Recap.  We’re about halfway through ESPN's WSOP ME coverage, and Atlanta’s biggest poker organization, Kick Ass Poker, posts their recap of key events so far.  If you need to catch up on the action, this covers it all.  Kick Ass Poker
:: “That’s a Great Mask!” “It’s not a mask.”  Although non-poker-related, some things are too funny to ignore.  For you FFL wonks (Chops), OddJack has one of the funniest polls you’ll find on the Internet: “Which Fantasy Football Writer Would Make The Scariest Halloween Mask?”  ESPN Insider’s Scott Engel and Eric Karabel currently lead.  OddJack

For One Day, Forget Poker. Time to Hunker Down.

Chops here.

DAWGS.

Two weeks ago, Snake had his big rivalry weekend.  This week, it’s my team—the DAWGS—as we engage in the world’s biggest annual cocktail party. 

That’s right.  Tomorrow, all thoughts of pot odds, pressure bets, and position will be put aside as I watch my DAWGS hunker down against those cheesy-ass Florida Gators.

I could sit here and make obvious gator-hater jokes.  But we all know Gators wear jean shorts.  And why keep piling on a University that offers airbrushed diplomas.  Like girls who go to UF, it’d be just too easy. 

Oh, there are people who doubt the DAWGS.  No doubt that after Shockley went down, those mulletheads at UF started getting their hopes up.  I can just see it…there's Terry and Ricky driving in their Mustang, cracking open a Natty Light, discussing how the Gators would surely defeat a depleted DAWGS squad.  So to Terry, Ricky, and all of you other Gator fans, DAWGS nation only has one thing to say to you:

So Amateur: Introducing Steve Dannenmann, aka, The Weaz

Those who watched ESPN's WSOP coverage on Tuesday surely noticed a weasely looking fellow named Steve Dannenmann.  Which one was he?  Dannenenenmannenenman (the eventual WSOP ME runner-up) was the redheaded stepchild giving Lederer the stink eye.  You know, the guy who instantly stood up after bluffing Lederer (one of the all-time class acts) out of a hand, slithered away from the table, called his buddy, and said it looked like, "somebody shot his dog...6-8...I pop him for 30! (weasely laughter)." 

And for his blatant weaselness and misplaced bravado, we will now refer to Steve Dannenmann from here on out as…(drumroll…cymbal): The Weaz.  As you can tell by the above side-by-side graphic representation, the similarities go far beyond The Weaz simply having weasely personality traits.

Deuce of Spades is Uranus...and Other Revelations

:: snake

Based on the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, it's clear that in 2008 Phil Gordon will need to reach out to Red State voters in his bid to become the leader of the Free(roll) World. And as such, it would certainly be helpful for Phil to find some connection between his love of poker and the Eternal Chip Leader High Above; other than, of course, the Hail Marys people offer up to the Queen of Cards when attempting a poorly timed bluff.

Well, apparently one of Phil's fans has found a connection. On Gordon's website, the Next President of the United States of America shares an email from a constituent who asks:

"Have you ever investigated the Bible sir? In it, is a description of the playing cards. The Bible as a guide, to why we play Poker, is why we write."

The devoted Phil fan goes on to explain how playing cards relates to the Book of Revelations, which I understand is at the end of the Bible and talks about the end of the world and apparently, from what this guy says, Uranus.

The Blogfiles: Double A's

Intro:  This dude can play. 

Of all the poker bloggers, few have a game more respected than Double A’s.  Hell, we even linked to one of his strategy articles, and as you’ve seen, strategy articles seldom give Wicked Chops Poker a chance to blatantly showcase hot girls.  So that says something.

In our continuing Blogfiles, Double A’s tells us about his book, common rookie mistakes to take advantage of, and what it feels like to be the Day 1 chip leader at a WSOP event…

Don't Like Poker? Welcome to Northern Marianas College – Earth’s Least Cool School

Are you a nerd?  Were you a hall monitor in high school?  Are you one of those kids that wouldn’t let us cheat off of you in Algebra?  Do you still think that gambling, poker, smokes and booze are tools of the devil?

If you answered “yes” to more than one of the above questions (particularly the last one), then we’ve found the perfect school for you!  Introducing: Northern Marianas College! 

According to the Saipan Tribune—which is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) leading local newspaper—students at Northern Marianas College are “circulating a petition in support of a House bill that would impose stricter regulations on the poker industry.” 

Editor’s Note: Saipan, one of three nerdy islands that make up the CNMI, is about 120 miles south of the much cooler American territory, Guam. 

Students petitioned for passage of the poker bill, which has been held up in limbo in the CNMI Senate for months.  This dreadful bill, “seeks to impose higher poker fees, prohibit poker establishments from the villages, and increase the distance of poker rooms from schools and churches.” 

And in a bit of truth that is too funny for us to even make up, the students hope to obtain “at least 5,000 signatures” for the bill.  So far…12 students have signed it.  Only 4,988 to go! 

Death Metal Poker is All the Rage in Sweden

:: snake

Other than Charlotte Church and Celine Dion (her early stuff), it's no secret that my favorite kind of music is Scandinavian death metal. I mean, when it comes to demons and decibels, nothing quite does the trick for me like the hard stuff from places like Gothenburg and Roskilde. So while surfing around the website of my favorite Scandi-metalheads, Dark Tranquillity, I came across some exciting news: Dark Tranquillity's Martin Brändström, who we all know for his wicked chops on "electronics" and seen in the pic here (the black + white one), has gotten a gig as a poker writer for Sweden's Poker Magazine.

Here's what he told all us "metallers":

Breaking News - Bluff/ESPN Sign Partnership

In an unprecedented legit poker news day for Wicked Chops Poker, we just got word that Bluff Media has signed a strategic partnership with ESPN.  Deal highlights include Bluff providing ESPN.com with exclusive poker content and Poker Player Rankings, and Bluff's Fantasy Poker Challenge will be re-branded as the Bluff Magazine/ESPN Fantasy Poker Challenge.  Read more on the Bluff Forum and later in the week when the press release drops.

BlackSpy’s Worst Ever iPod Playlist Invitational

Wicked Chops Poker weekly game regular BlackSpy (seen left) has set up a tournament on PokerStars this Sunday at 8:20 (PM, EST).  It’s a $20+2 buy-in freeze-out NLH game, and cause he’s such a swell guy, he’s invited any Wicked Chops Poker reader with a spare virtual Andrew Jackson in their account to join in. 

As we detailed last week, BlackSpy (Col B) is known for rocking some interesting song selections in his iPod when we play poker.  And since BlackSpy wasn’t able to play in our live game this past week, the online tournament gives him the opportunity to unwind as he sits (naked) in his swanky Midtown Atlanta condo, blasting a shuffle that goes from Miles Davis to Sheena Easton to Pearl Jam to Dionne Warwick. 

Feel free to join BlackSpy’s Worst Ever iPod Playlist Invitational and provide BlackSpy suggestions on better songs to upload in his iPod. 

Here are the details:

10/30/05 - 8:20pm Eastern
PokerStars Tournament # 14246492
BlackSpy's Tourney
Password:  SheenaEaston
Buy-in:  $20+2
Game:  No Limit Hold'em

WSOP Main Event Day 2 Coverage Tonight

Day 2 of the WSOP ME was one of the most entertaining and interesting days of the tournament, as pros made their moves and built their stacks as amateurs white-knuckle-clung to their tournament life, hoping to cash.  In fact, when the day ended, only six or seven players needed to bust before everyone made the money.

When the day started, rounders were dropping like flies, or some other metaphor indicating that many players were getting eliminated quickly.  Among them were Gus Hansen (maybe he needed to skip town again to avoid paying off his debt) and Chris Moneymaker (drunk).

The first featured table of the day included Layne Flack and Paul Darden. Later, things really picked up when Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi moved to the featured table with Flack.  As we all know, the Grinder, who before playing poker was the WWF's Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake, is a machine, and he was taking his maniacal game to Layne Flack, who took it right back to him.  Should make for good TV. 

Chip Reese showed us why he’s one of the best ever, and Minneapolis Meehan consistently spewed comedic verbal poetry.  And Barry Paskin.  Oh Barry Paskin.  Paskin was in full stink/theatrics mode early on, and eventually had to change shirts because he smelled so damn bad.  We couldn’t get within 10 feet of the guy.

We also saw  Shannon Elizabeth go down in a four-way. Former world champ Greg Raymer started his “Is this the most impressive run in WSOP history?”, while another former champ, Dan Harrington, ended his.   And of course, we’re sure you’ll see Johnny Rockets from Daytona hopping up on his chair and begging for his tournament life…and 15 minutes of fame. 

Read all of our day 2 coverage, and then tune into ESPN at 8 (PM, EST) tonight for their take.

Breaking News - Wicked Chops Poker Covers Actual Breaking News - 2K6 WSOP Schedule Released

Harrah's Entertainment has released the 2006 WSOP schedule.  The event is pushed to a later start date again next year, with Harrah's ultimate goal to have the 2007 WSOP actually start in 2008*. 

Some highlights:

:: Satellites and live action begins June 25, with the first event ($500 casino employee NLH) beginning on the 26th. 
:: Harrah's expects the rise in entries to the Main Event to continue, as they are planning for four total Day 1's.
:: There are 44 total events.
:: The Main Event will remain at a $10,000 buy-in and begins on July 28.

Read the press release and view the entire schedule here.

*Not actually one of Harrah's goals, as far as we know.

The TOKE: PartyGaming Up, A.J. Soprano Down, and Some Hacking Around

:: News Flash--Online Poker Sites Make Money.  PartyGaming (PRTY) had a great third quarter, further validating that online poker sites apparently are money making machines after all.  Bloomberg

:: That Annoying Kid You Hate on the Sopranos Busted Again.  Robert Iler, aka A.J. Soprano, managed to suck the life out of yet another scene.  Except this time, it wasn’t on the set of HBO’s killer mob drama.  Cops busted the Ace Point Backgammon and Chess Studio just as Iler and his friends showed up.  Iler, who can spoil a mood worse than Sofia Coppola in GF3, somehow managed to get off scot-free.  Poker News

:: Only You Can Prevent a Poker Hacker.  A recent InfoWorld article picked up by Pokerati and expanded on by OddJack details a possible rise in the sophistication of poker hacking.  The article discusses how one kid had a Trojan on his computer which, "alerted other online players when [he was] was online. It then recorded his cards during the different hands of poker and sent that information to the monitoring users.  [The kid] said that early on he was winning all the time, but lately he consistently lost his biggest hands — not that it stopped him from playing, unfortunately.”  Is this just another excuse from some donkey that can't accept he's a bad player?  Obviously the kid is a moron if he's consistently losing AND STILL PLAYS.  But OddJack does break-down good some points on the credibility of the threat.    OddJack & InfoWorld

Tournament Rake: Big Game Reg Wins Doyle Brunson Classic

Has anyone else noticed that Asians are good at poker? 

Big game regular Minh Ly (not pictured at right) won the WPT Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship.  This event is not to be confused with Doyle's South American Championship*.

Seated at the final table were some of the game's best, including "Action" Dan Harrington, Gavin Smith, Jan Sorensen, and Tony Grand.  Also seated with them was the requisite guy we've never heard of, Don Zewin.

Ly defeated Action Dan heads-up for the title and banked $1,060,000--or what he could make with like one monster hand in the Big Game.  The WPT win caps off what has been a great tournament year for Ly, which includes a 19th place finish in this year's WSOP Main Event.

After winning the event, Ly stood close to WPT "hostess" Courtney Friel.  Since Friel is infinitely more attractive than Ly, we will use her picture for this story instead of his. 

* No such tournament actually exists.

“Wicked Chops Poker” Now “Wicked Chops Baccarat”

alternate headline: "THE BONKING OF SIENNA MILLER"

UPDATED: alternate headline #2: "KLEINSTUB . . . MIKE KLEINSTUB: THE NEW BOND?"

:: snake

Always on the leading edge of what’s next in card playing, Wicked Chops Poker has decided to officially change its name to Wicked Chops Baccarat.

Yes, we anticipate this high-stakes game of chance and intrigue, first introduced into France from Italy during the reign of Charles VIII, to be the next big thing. It is already a favorite among Asian-Americans, as well as Asian people in Asia, and last I checked, there are a whole lot of them on this planet. I mean just think of the potential reader base. Plus the new Bond movie, Casino Royale, is about to be filmed, and from what I remember (googled) of Ian Fleming’s book of the same name, James Bond saves the world not because of some farfetched gadget but because he is one bad ass baccarat player. Seriously, think of all the teens around the world who will dream of one day becoming the world champ in baccarat after they see the new Bond flick.

Wait. What’s that you say? They rewrote the story for the new Casino Royale film, and instead of baccarat, 007 will be going heads-up in Texas Hold’em against the Russian Spy Le Chiffre?

Texas Hold’em at the Casino Royale? On the French Riviera?

Uh, ok . . .

I Will Bet 500 Chips and I Will Raise 500 More…

Alternate Headline: "Bagpipes and Barrels."

Wicked Chops Poker has stumbled upon the Holy Grail.  We have cracked the code.  Yes, Wicked Chops Poker now knows what it takes to win at poker. 

Disregard this so-called “aggression” thing.  Flush “playing your position” down the toilet.  Burn “calculating pot odds” in effigy.  If you want to be a successful poker player, all you need to do is this:  listen to The Proclaimers in your iPod.

In what must be the slowest news day ever in the U.K., the Daily Record details how Scottish rounder Graham Clarkson scooped £14,000 by making the final table in the Pokerstars.com European Poker Tournament.  His secret weapon?  A steady diet of ‘90’s one-hit wonder band, The Proclaimers. 

Drudge Flash: The Addict Is In

XXXXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXXXX THURS OCT 20, 2005 18:29:05 ET XXXXX A senior official with the Wicked Chops Poker administration has reportedly disclosed this afternoon that the ever reclusive Addict plans to join his Wicked Chops Poker cohorts Snake and Chops in the PokerStars.com Online Poker Blogger Championship this October 23. While the source remains anonymous, the information belows seems to support the leak. The Addict has registered to play in the Online Poker Blogger Championship! This event is powered by PokerStars. Registration code: 2763384 Developing...

The Blogfiles: Las Vegas and Poker

Intro:  For well over a year, the Las Vegas and Poker blog has provided top-notch coverage of poker tournaments, personalities, and issues.  The Poker Prof and Flip Chip are synonymous with poker blogging.  On a side note, let’s come up with a better name for “blog.”  You just can’t type a sentence and make it sound cool by ending it with “blog.”  You just can’t. 

Anyway, the Las Vegas and Poker blog is one of our daily reads, and it’s the focus of our latest Blogfile.  So take in the Poker Prof as he waxes on his full-time gig: poker blogging.

See.  You just can’t.

WCP: How’d the Las Vegas and Poker blog originate?

PP: The blog started as a hobby that grew out of selling poker chips via eBay. I discovered that blogging and poker were far more enjoyable than sales. The blog really became a focal point when we obtained media access to the 2004 World Series of Poker, we have been covering major poker events in Vegas ever since.

Wicked Chops Spreads Bodog Virus, Millions Infected

Just like that old saying "Every nice beaver needs a good lap dance" (or is it "every good lap dance needs a nice beaver?), online wagering/poker site Bodog has just unleashed a new viral marketing campaign entitled "Thank God For Football" featuring video clips of a beaver mascot slapping a stripper on the ass, dads kicking the shit out of each other and mean-spirited parents who leave the family dog on the side of the road, all of which involve improbable bets that lead one to say (or at least the copy in the viral spots to say) "THANK GOD FOR FOOTBALL . . . SO WE CAN BET ON THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER."

Of course, for Middle Eastern websites "God" has been changed to "Allah the Most Merciful," and as expected, web surfers in Berkeley, California have filed a class action lawsuit against Bodog under the separation of God and Football clause of the 1st Amendment.

Word has it that a few peeps in the Bodog office came up with this campaign when they were about two bottles of cheap scotch into a poker game and some drunk fool posed the query: What if there was no football? Indeed, proof that cheap scotch and cards has IQ-enhancing powers that you, Bodog, Wicked Chops and Minneapolis Meehan have only begun to tap into.

So in the spirit of Wicked Chops Poker's proud legacy of spreading viruses (maybe we should start a campaign similar to "Thank God for Football" but call ours "Thank God for Penicillin"), we encourage you to check out the clips to see some of the funny scenarios they thought of.

Oh yeh, they're over at www.ThankGodforFootball.com.

While we like the Bodog clips, we must say that as far as viral Internet campaigns go, we're bigger fans of "command input" (we just invented that term) sites such as the Virtual Bartender and the Subservient Chicken or perhaps even the now-404-page-not-found Victoria's Secret Pink Panty Poker site. Seriously, wouldn't you love to be infected by a viral campaign featuring a bunch of hot, scantily clad Bodog chicks sitting around a Bodog-logoed poker table and you can tell them to _____________ (fill in the blank on the comments page you perv) on a poker table?

Stay posted, as Wicked Chops Poker will soon be reviewing and sharing a few screen shots of the new Bodog commercials slated to appear in a few weeks on TV and movie screens.

Reminder: PokerStars Blogger Tourney This Sunday

Chops here^TM.

Even though about 2000 blogs have registered, if you're one of the six remaining poker bloggers on Earth that has not entered yet, get to PokerStars now and sign up for their Online Poker Blogger Championship.  [Third-person reference warning] Chops and Snake will be spewing virtual chips, and a rare Addict appearance is possible if he can get out of some previous commitments. 

And even though we hate the word, while we're "pimping" here, a big "thank you" to PokerStars for the rec and for the goods. 

Wicked Chops Poker is playing in the:
Online Poker Blogger Championship.

So if you haven't already (Addict), go register already...

Kutcher Pissed at Stuff, Pays $14k for Poker Lessons

:: snake

Future Nobel Peace Prize winner Ashton Kutcher bid $14,000 over the weekend for a private poker session with Annie Duke. Kutcher, the 16-year-old actor and creator of PUNK'D, and his 62-year-old wife Demi Moore just wrapped up their honeymoon and headed to Vegas for the uBid.com online celebrity auction. All the proceeds were to go to aid the ongoing Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

Kutcher was moved to go to Vegas not because he wanted to hang out with his rich friends, stay in a swanky penthouse suite at the Palms or have endless Vegas hotel sex with his hot bod wife because he knows it won't be long before she's an old lady who falls asleep after crapping her pants during the early bird at Red Lobster. No, Kutcher was there because he's an incredibly sensitive, caring and philanthropic young man who knows when things and stuff are just plain wrong dude.

As he poignantly stated:

"I was lying in bed with my wife, and we were watching TV, and we're watching all the stuff that's going on with the hurricane disasters and I started to get pissed. I was getting really, really pisssed off. I'm like, 'Why isn't the government ready for something like this? Why aren't they doing something?'"

Kutcher then allegedly laid in bed the rest of the day, until he woke in the evening hoping, as he said, "it was all just a nightmare...you know the things I saw on the tv and all."

I tell you, Demi should be worried about Kutcher's little "poker lesson" with Annie. I mean Annie is an alluring 30-something mother of 4 who must have a little special something something if you know what I mean (I have no idea what I mean) after stealing Shannon Elizabeth's ex. Sounds just like what Kutcher fancies, although Annie's much further from dentures and diapers than Demi.

In unrelated Ashton-Demi slandering, rumors are floating that the duo bailed on a charity donation they had promised. They were allegedly paid $3 mil for allowing OK! magazine exclusive access to their wedding and reports suggested that they were planning to donate that money to Habitat for Humanity. A spokesman for the charity, however, says they haven't received any money from the pair, stating, "We have no knowledge of the donation, but we certainly welcome any support."

I guess the Habitat for Humanity donation doesn't come with poker lessons.

In unrelated Cameron Diaz news, at the aforementioned uBid.com auction, 'N SYNC star Lance Bass bid $30,000 to snowboard with 'N SYNC star Justin Timberlake, proving that life after boy band stardom is lonely indeed, unless of course you're dating poker princess newbie Cameron Diaz (the blonde seen here next to some old lady in a bikini).

The TOKE: Ellenbecker is a poser, Woods is a p*ssy, + Last Call has No Class

:: If Kleis jumped off a bridge would Ellenbecker?  Future President Phil Gordon has made headlines by backing St. Cloud’s Dave Kleis for mayor.  Kleis’s opponent, incumbent John Ellenbecker, has apparently got a case of the “Me too’s!!!”  In an interview with the St. Cloud Times (circulation: 4), Ellenbecker reveals that “something most people don't know” about him, is, get this…are you ready???…he “regularly play(s) Texas Hold'em poker with a group of friends on Friday nights” and has “been playing a couple of years now.”  In related news, next week Ellenbecker is going to a Franz Ferdinand concert (although he’s never heard of them), buying a t-shirt, and wearing it around the office the very next day.  St. Cloud Times

:: Maybe it’s time to take up Solitaire.  This is worse than checking quad 3’s on the river.  According to last week’s Parade Magazine (you know, that flimsy insert in your Sunday paper), James Woods has…hold on…laughing too hard…can’t type…ok ok…nope…not yet…can’t…stop…laughing, “injured himself playing his favorite sport: poker.”  Oh man it gets worse.  Apparently, this is because he’s, “leaning against gaming tables [and] compressed a nerve in his elbow and needed neurosurgery.”  Neurosurgery.  Maybe he’ll hire a stunt double for his next tourney.  Parade

:: Hopefully Last Call Poker will be 6-feet under soon.  Just when you think humanity can't sink any lower, along comes Last Call Poker to prove that yes, it still can.  As reported by OddJack, online site Last Call Poker employed a guerrilla marketing campaign called Tombstone hold’em.  The gist is this: players run around a cemetery (you know, a sacred place where loved ones are buried) “scanning gravestones for their shape, the date of death and the number of people memorialized.” You then build hand ranks based on combinations of what you found. Of course, you ended up with dumb kids playing cards and leaving messes on people’s graves.  Morons.  SF Gate 

WSOP Tomorrow + Heads-Up with Mike Kleinstub

ESPN continues its WSOP Main Event coverage tomorrow night at 8 (PM, EST).  Since they didn’t air it last week, we can bet that Phil Hellmuth’s featured table should make the first hour of coverage. 

And if so, you’ll meet a new face at that table: Mike Kleinstub (seen above, far right raking chips after one of many verbal/pot bouts with Hellmuth).  Mike was briefly shown last week winning the Phil Hellmuth arrival-time prop bet.  While he was knocked out along with Hellmuth during Day 1 of WSOP ME play, Kleinstub has been a veritable ATM machine in online tournaments lately (not Thunder Keller kind of cash, but not bad). 

Wicked Chops Poker caught up with Kleinstub to discuss his WSOP ME experience...

WCP: Poker's boom has brought many new faces to the WSOP ME.  How long have you been playing poker?

MK: I have been playing poker for about 4 years...but have only become serious for about 2 years.

The TOKE: AK-Rod Raided, Shout at the Button, + a Dikshitty Investment?

:: A-Rod Raided.  Sort of.  After his lackluster performance against the Angels, the only hits Alex Rodriguez has been getting is to his rep (for example, Skip Bayless now calls him C-minus Rod).  Actually, there is one thing A-Rod has been hitting the past few weeks, and that's a poker room in NYC.  Which was just busted.  Since A-K is the most over-valued hand in no limit hold'em, it seems fitting that we call A-Rod "AK-Rod" from here on out.  So...while AK-Rod wasn't arrested or charged (or there the night of the raid), 13 dealers and other club workers were.  This is part of an ongoing crack-down on high-stake card rooms in Gotham.  Somebody needs to shine a big SJS light in the sky so Senator John Sabini will come to the rescue.  New York Daily News

:: Crue Cuts Cards for Charity.  Motley Crue fleshy frontman Vince Neil is hosting a charity hold'em tournament in Vegas on November 11.  For $540, you can rub shoulders with Brett Michaels, Jani Lane, Mike Tramp, Peter Loran Black, and the world's worst lyricist, Chad Kroeger.  Ok, we don't know if any of those washed-up has-beens will be there (or if they can afford the buy-in, except for maybe Kroeger).  And if any of them had an extra $540 laying around, it would probably go to convincing Bobbi Brown (seen right, more pics at the jump) to take them back.  Regardless, the proceeds of this charity do go to a good cause: cocaine for Vince Neil.  Kidding.  It goes to his charity foundation. Poker Mag Online

:: Poker IPO the new Internet IPO.  Another poker company has gone public.  This time, it's South Carolina-based PokerTek (PTEK, NASDAQ).  Whether or not its founders make out as well as the Bill Gates of poker, Anurag Dikshit, remains to be seen.  As in, we'll never see it, cause they won't.  After one day of trading, PTEK closed below it's IPO price.  Fold.  Launch Poker

Rockne, Rudy, The Gipper . . . Snake

Yes, I am a Notre Dame alum, and as I've told Chops, I can't stand the hype surrounding the game with USC this Saturday. Upsets don't happen when every sports writer is saying you have a chance. They happen when no one gives you a chance. Do I have hope that the Irish can win? Hell yeh. Now more than ever; well, now more than ever since I was there from '89-'93. Will I be watching the game and on the verge of a heart attack for three plus hours? Yes. The Addict and I will be watching from Shreveport this weekend, and I'm hoping that I won't be put on a 48 hour tilt due to this game. Does ND need a little divine Touchdown Jesus to knock USC from their high Trojan horse? Indeed, and from the looks of this sign, J.H.C. is pumped for the game (thanks Drew for the pic).

Check out Oddjack for their take on the match-up and see what AJ from Oddjack had to say during Chops' heads-up interview.

End-of-Week Poker Metaphor Stock Report

Shares of BLUFF fell sharply to $12 during late trading yesterday on the Poker Metaphor Headline Exchange after representatives warned that its quarterly "use" figures will fall far short of projections. Meanwhile investors in FOLD look to cash in on its latest surge to $34 a share, as the metaphor continues its market share dominance over BUST. And even amid speculation that blue chip metaphor ALL-IN was losing steam due to lackluster performance, mainly in foreign markets, investors should still expect solid positive gains over the long haul.

In IPO news, rumors that POT-COMMITTED may finally go public are circulating, especially in Washington where analysts predict a headline along the lines of "Is Bush Pot-Committed in Iraq?" sometime near the end of the 4th quarter.

Just the tip of the iceberg of recent poker metaphor headlines after the jump . . .

Calvin Ayre For Vice President?

Bodog CEO/Hef-in-training Calvin Ayre may not have the same prez-quality credentials as say a Phil Gordon, but does a VP candidate really need them? All he has to do if elected is hide until something bad happens to the head honcho, the odds of which are a little more than 5/1, historically speaking. Plus, to his credit Ayre is the president of a major, international online gaming company, he knows how to deliver a "State of the Nation" address, he knows how to plan large scale invasions with an army of extremely well-equipped girls, he knows what we need to do to beat the terrorists, and he has good relations with Canada, Costa Rica and the Kahnawake Tribe. That's got to count for something, right? And yes, he knows that baseball is America's grandest tradition, as evidenced by his Miss October spread over at Bodog Nation, which of course is the whole point of this post. Get to it.

Phil For Prez, Gordon That Is

:: snake

With poli-pundits already trying to make the ’08 election a catfight between Hil and Condi, we here at Wicked Chops Poker, a federal political inaction committee, would first like to say that there’s nothing sexier than a woman in power—unless of course that woman happens to be either Hilary Clinton or Condoleezza Rice.

I mean we seriously can’t have a fugly former first lady who I swear has a bulge in her suit pants or a gap-toothed secretary (“of state”) become the leader of the free world, can we now?

Alright I’m being a bit of a chauvi-pig here and it probably is ruining my chances at a Supreme Court nomination, or maybe not, but I don’t want to get off track here. The purpose of this post is not for us to engage in senseless partisan bickering or playful slagging of powerful ladies. We are here today my friends to officially declare our support for the Next President of the United States of America: Phil Gordon.

Cameron Diaz Says No to BetCRIS Offer

Actually, as far as we know she hasn't said no yet, but we wanted to be the first to report this inevitable bit.

If you haven't heard, online wagering/poker site BetCRIS.com tossed a 1.5 million dollar endorsement package to Cameron Diaz the moment she announced her addiction to poker. We first came across the BetCRIS bit over at Oddjack, but we should have seen it coming considering the trend of gambling site's clamoring for starlets to lend their pretty faces. I guess they're all looking for their Shannon Elizabeth, all but PokerStars.com of course--you know, because they already have the bountifully beautiful Greg Raymer. Last week it was blow babe Kate Moss being offered and turning down a 5 mil offer from Nine.com faster than one can cork an ounce of yeyo off a mirrored recording studio coffee table (I have no idea what that means). This week Ms. Justin Timberlake. Next week, anyone's guess although I'm seeing a beautiful girl/addiction theme here.

By the way, tired of seeing the images of a coked out Moss? Jump over to What Would Tyler Durden Do (scroll down on arrival) for some photos of Kate Moss at her best, or close to it.

Ollie Hudson's Revenge, Sort Of

alternate header 1:
"Kate Hudson's Brother Outlasts Joe Hatchem's Brother to Win Swanky Bodog Charity Tourney"

alternate header 2:
"Shannon Elizabeth is Still Smoking Hot"

alternate header 3:
"Bodog's Ayre is Proof the Devil is Still Buying"

alternate header 4:
"What Not to Wear: Scarves Edition"

Ollie Hudson (you know, from Dawson's Creek and The Mountain...Drawing a blank? Ok, Kate's bro) finally got some redemption, proving that he isn't just a B-level actor donkey this past weekend when he won the "It’s All Going to the Dogs" celebrity poker night that benefited Shannon Elizabeth's 'pet' charity -- Animal Avengers.

The timing for this bit of "news" is perfect considering that tonight ESPN will likely show Ollie getting knocked out on the first hand of the main event in a hand fictionally surpassed only by Mike McDermott's misread of Teddy KGB's nuts (for those from India who come across our site because you searched for naked photos of Estella Warren: (1) that's not to be read literally and (2) how the hell do you know who Estella Warren is?).

Impressively, Ollie beat 2005 WSOP main event champ Joe Hatchem, who came in 3rd. Oh wait, re-read. Make that Joe Hatchem's brother Tony, who won a $600 silk pillow for his efforts.

Ok, so this isn't too impressive for Ollie (though he looks pleased), and I'm sure he'd give up this win and the scarf for another shot at the WSOP main event (well, at least one more hand).

The event took place in a gigantic mansion overlooking Beverly Hills in Beverly Park, a neighborhood so exclusive it, like Osama's lair, doesn't come up on Mapquest or GPS. But I'm sure Google Earth has it covered. Guests and players in the 46-person tournament included Phil Gordon and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson along with actors, hotties, super rich people and that Brandon Lang guy, who I'm guessing the Devil sought a refund from based on the box office performance of Two for the Money. All told the event raised around $50,000 for the furry friends of Animal Avengers.

Photos of the event after the jump. Also, more at Bodog and even Matt Savage shares some highlights of the evening.

WSOP Main Event Airs Tonight

ESPN beings airing the WSOP Main Event tonight at 8pm.  The Main Event had three Day 1's, and Day 1 and Day 2 of Day 1 (still with us?) are covered tonight. 

Who knows what ESPN will show...except maybe the editors and program directors at ESPN.  But according to TVGuide.com, in hour 1 defending champ and general bad-ass Greg Raymer will be featured, along with celebs like Shannon Sharpe (who was a Day 3 of Day 1 participant, so go figure), James Woods (same), Jennifer Tilly, Peter Parker, and Shannon Elizabeth (who eventually went down in a four-way).  If we knew what the expression meant, we'd bet our bottom dollar that Sam Farha knocking out Oliver Hudson on THE FIRST HAND will be featured in hour 2.  Just a hunch. 

But we imagine some of the real flavor (yes, flavor) that made the WSOP ME so interesting will be left out.  So just in case they decide to show nothing but all-ins at the featured table, here's some shit you may miss...

The TOKE: Staked, Stocked, and Show Low'd

In a different take on the TOKE, Wicked Chops readers help follow up on assorted stories.

:: Second to One.  Thanks to Andrew Feldman at ESPN's Poker Club for this bit: 24 year-old USPC winner James "Capo" Caporuscio was partly staked in the tournament by none other than second place finisher, 36 year-old Ralph Pecorale.  The two play in a home game where the eventual winner (12 events in all) won the buy-in to the USPC ME. Makes us want to re-evaluate how we run our game. Damn. ESPN Poker Club

:: Value Betting WPT. It's been awhile since we abused some over-used poker clichés. So good thing that Complex Slim, new WPT employee and founder of the 4th Street Poker Tour, gave us an excuse with this story.  After going on a recent "bad run," investors may see a "raise" in WPT Enterprises stock. Back in April we suggested that investing in WPT would be like having a "nut flush."  Now, maybe it's more like catching a set on the river when that same card also could've completed an open-ended straight.  Still good, but you'd think twice before going all in with it.  CNN Money

:: Poker City, USA.  In light of PokerShares.com attempting to re-name Sharer, KY to, yes, Pokershares.com, we listed a slew of other American cities with pokerish-sounding-names.  Co-founder of Weathered Living and Rush fantatic, Aye-Aye, pointed out one we missed: Show Low, AZ.  Why is being a Rush fanatic (band, not Limbaugh, or the seen-at-right Paula Abdul slow jam) relevant to this story?  Because, as Aye-Aye told us, "I'm reading a book right now about travelling by the drummer for Rush (shut the fuck up) and in last night's literary journey he talked about passing through there..."  But more importantly, was Paula Abdul ever hot?  The City of Show Low

Give Money, Bomb Smurfs

:: snake

I've been known to throw some poker proceeds to UNICEF, the UN's Children Fund. One, because they do some great work for children in developing countries. Two, because it helps my karma after I do things like call out some mom's son for being stupid.

But little did I know that, by giving, I'm also contributing to the bombing of Smurfs.

How's that suppose to help my karma?

Anyway, this is not poker related but I had to share it with you. Seems too unreal to be true.

Money quote in the article, from the agency behind the 'bombing':

"We wanted something that was real war - Smurfs losing arms, or a Smurf losing a head -but they said no."

I Know What You Did Last Supper

Irish bookmaker/poker site Paddy Power answers the age old bumper sticker query "What Would Jesus Do?" with the below billboard:

While we certainly think that poker with good friends and the lovely Mary Magdalene would be a wonderful last evening, it's no suprise people across predominantly Roman Catholic Ireland took offense to the use of da Vinci's Last Supper in Paddy Power's latest markeing campaign. In case you can't tell, it shows Jesus (the real One, not Ferguson) with a stack of poker chips and his apostles playing poker and roulette, along with the slogan "There's a place for fun and games."

Irish ad watchdog, the Orwellian sounding Advertising Standards Authority, claimed the ad breached guidelines referring to taste, decency and religion.

Word has it that Paddy Power defiantly took down the "Last Supper" ads and replaced them with billboards that say: "There's a place for fun and games. Apparently this isn't it."

Apparently.

In other Irish poker-playing, supper-eating, bookmaking, piousness news, odds that Dublin-based poker pro and 2005 WSOP main event final tablist Andrew "The Monk" Black (seen here during a break at the 2005 WSOP main event) had fish and chips for dinner last night: 2/1.

Tournament Rake: James "Capo" Caporuscio wins USPC

Score another major tournament win for a relative unknown, as James "Capo" Caporuscio is the new boss of the USPC. 

Capo whacked a final table that included Men the Master (out in 4th) and John Juanda (out in 5th).  Some other guys with great mafia names also made the final table, including Frank "Fat Fingers" Vizza* (8th) and Mike "Mikey Blades" Santoro* (9th). 

This is Capo's first major win or placing of any kind, and he banks $831,532 for the take down.  Ralph "the Mexican" Pecorale* was second and earned $436,500.  After dominating play for the better part of three days, Mark Seif was eliminated in 11th place by none other than Capo.  Poor Seif never saw it coming.  The way things were rolling, Seif thought was going to be a made man.  Instead, no one heard from him again.

*Totally made those up.

There's Something About Poker

:: snake

There's Something About Mary star and Justin Timbo's gal pal Cameron Diaz has apparently caught the poker bug, which seems to be pandemic these days, kind of like the avian flu, although we don't have to fear the world ending because of it. In fact, the beauty here is that the bug seems to be attracted to beautifully attractive starlets such as Diaz, Shannon Elizabeth, Katherine Heigl, Joanna Krupa and Estella Warren.

The carrier of the particular bug Diaz caught was none other than Ellen Degeneres. Isn't she great? That awesome little dance she does before her show? I love it. Ok, I despise it. Have never really been a fan of Ellen although I think she's made an impressive comeback, one that I thought Tony Danza originally had a better shot at. Glad I didn't bet on it.

Cameron Diaz's story on how she got hooked on poker, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Alba at the tables in Tunica? and Is Jessica Biel really the sexiest woman alive? after the jump . . .

Real Breaking News: Nagin Wants Casinos In New Orleans

CNN reports that Mayor Ray Nagin is proposing that New Orleans hotels with 500 or more rooms in a certain geographic area be permitted to operate full fledge casinos. We don't yet have full details, and this story has yet to hit the wires. We'll try to keep you posted on this story as well as updates on the casino situation along the Gulf Coast, including the bill to move them ashore.

Now back to your regular broadcast.

Update: More details on Nagin's gamble in this initial AP story. Viva New Orleans!

The Blogfiles: OddJack

Intro: For our latest Blogfile, we talk with two of the wagering wonks that make OddJack what it is, AJ and BG.  For shits and giggles, we'll intro this in movie-trailer format. Why not?  Here it goes: (While reading the following, think of seeing earth’s horizon followed by sweeping landscape shots that then quickly zooms into a computer monitor.) “In a world where many blogs look and sound the same, there is a blog that rises against mundane virtual conformity and uniformity. This blog dares to be heard, even if it pisses off Tomer Benvenisti and Josh Arieh. The producers of Gawker Media, who brought you, um, gawker.com, now proudly present their latest project: OddJack.”

If that teaser doesn't get you to buy a ticket into the Q&A, nothing will.  So read, among other topics, their so-called "feud" with Josh Arieh, polling poker babes, and who will win the upcoming UGA-UT and ND-USC games.  Enjoy.

WCP: First, give us the background on how OddJack got started.

AJD: Well, I have no idea how it got started...

Breaking News: Snake Signs Up for PokerStars Blogger Tourney

Snake here™.

(Can't believe Chops hasn't tried to trademark that intro yet).

The purpose of this post is to complete my registration for the PokerStars.com Online Poker Blogger Championship this October 23. You see, this poker championship is only for bloggers, ergo the name of the championship, and to fulfill the registration requirements, you must prove you have dominion over a blog by posting the below info:

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 6880503

So there we go. By the way, my Wicked Chops cohort Chops did the same last week, and to the PokerStars staff, as Wicked Chops Poker is owned, run, written and published by three individuals--myself, Chops and The Addict--you should expect a similar post from The Addict, if he ever gets his shit together and registers.

Thanks to the PokerStars.com folks for putting this together. I have to say that my online money and time has all slowly gravitated to the PokerStars site, primarily to the cash games, and when I check up on Chops and The Addict, I generally find them there as well. PokerStars must be doing something right. For the uninitiated, 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. Just go to the PokerStars registration page and fill out the info.

See you in Aruba. Maybe.

Tournament Rake: USPC Day 3

27 remain in the USPC Main Event.  Mark Seif has built his stack to 495,500 for the overall lead.  John D'Agostino was the last to go out before play wrapped for the night.  Other notables inlcude: 2) Ralph Pecorale - 341,000, 4) John Juanda - 294,000, 9) Amnon Filippi - 235,000, 10) Kathy Liebert - 178,500, 11) Andrew Barta - 158,000, 14) Men Nguyen - 134,500, 17) Surinder Sunar - 120,000, 22) Allen Kessler - 68,000.

Chris Shilts: Stupid Poker Criminal Hall of Fame Inductee

:: snake

Congratulations Christopher Shilts (pictured here in what appears to be some type of Medieval Nights dinner theatre costume), you’ve officially been inducted into the Stupid Poker Criminals Hall of Shame.

For the unacquainted, Shilts is the 29-year-old owner of Salt Lake City poker supply store “Cards, Chips and More," which this past May suffered two fires in just one week. Officials immediately suspected arson, and some even suggested that an arsonist with a grudge against poker could be out on the loose.

So scary.

Well, after the second fire, Shilts chatted with reporters outside his store (which coincidentally was having a “I Set My Own Store on Fire” Sale at the time), and he claimed someone twice called his cell phone and said, "I will destroy everything you own. I will find you and I will kill you."

Oh man, this just got scarier.

Tournament Rake: USPC Main Event

Day 2 of the United States Poker Championship Main Event is in the books.  A lot of big names stack the remaining field.  Mark Seif, John D'Agostino, Gavin Smith, John Juanda, and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson (who last month won another WSOP circuit event) have been at or near the chip lead for a good chunk of day 2. 

D'Agostino in particular has a stellar history at this event, as he was one brutally bad beat by Hoyt Corkins (as shown on ESPN) from being in strong position to win it last year.  With five final table appearances in tournaments with over a $5k buy-in since 2004, if anyone is due for a breakthrough win at a major event, it's D'Agostino. 

After winning two bracelets at this year's WSOP, Mark Seif continues his recent strong play.  Seif also won the $2,500 7-Card Stud event over the weekend at this year's USPC. 

And maybe Steve Dannenman's runner-up at the WSOP ME was no fluke, as he's still in the hunt, although lagging as the 61st stack (23,600) of the 69 remaining.  Here's other remaining notable's chip counts: 1) Ralph Pecorale - 170,200, 4) Mark Seif - 166,000, 7) John D'Agostino - 151,600, 8) Amnon Filippi - 128,300, 10) Gavin Smith - 113,200, 11) Jean-Robert Bellande - 113,200, 14) John Juanda - 102,500, 16) Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson - 88,800, 20) Surinder Sunar - 83,100, 29) Erik Seidel - 66,000,      
34) Men 'The Master' Nguyen - 55,000, 42) Miami' John Cernuto - 39,200, 47) Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi (he's a machine!) - 36,900, 49) Allen Kessler - 35,400, 53) Kathy Liebert - 29,500, 67) Layne Flack - 13,100,
               

Kate Moss Obsession Leads to Poker Site Offer

:: snake

You have your good days and you have the days where the whole world shockingly discovers that you're a used-up, blow snortin', rockstar-bangin' rail we all obsessed over when you modeled for Obsession but now you lost millions in modeling contracts thanks to your obsession for the yeyo.

But wait. This wasn't shocking. Supermodel waifs on the happy dust while sleeping with wannabe bad boy rockers are a dime a dozen, or in Kate Moss terms, about 400 g's a kilo. I guess what was shocking is that so many fashion cos. ditched the gold dust diva so quickly, seeing that pretty much every 85-pound skinny you see in their ads is __________ (fill in the blank with your favorite slang for doing coke - i.e. flame cooking, ghost buffing, cocoa puffing, air corking).

What is also shocking (but not really from a PR perspective) is that online gambling/poker site Nine.com offered Kate Moss a position as a "super spokesperson" for about 5 million quid. Now, I don't know much about Nine.com except that it's a lot like Bodog without the Sultan of Brunei-size harem of babes (although they do have a few NINE girls, which is an appropriate title since they don't quite rise to the status of 10s), but I sort of like their gamble here. As expected, Kate Moss has apparently rejected the offer about as quick as the Nine.com name grabbed headlines, and my guess is that this is all they were hoping for and it paid off (they've grabbed headlines in the past for similar offers to Matt Damon and the Runaway Bride).

Except I have to say that Nine.com did come across somewhat silly with this offer. Here's what their spokesperson Jack Abrams had to say about Nine.com lending a helping hand to Moss:

"We at Nine.com believe in second chances. The fashion industry is extremely hypocritical; they perpetuate the ideal that all models must be stick thin in order to be successful, yet they act appalled when these pressured models go to extraordinary means to maintain this image. There's a better way and we'll help Ms. Moss find it."

Ok, is he saying that Moss was cocoa puffing solely as an "extraordinary means" to maintain her waif status? Shit, I thought she was doing it because she's a used-up, blow snortin', rockstar-bangin' obsessed rail who likes to get high because it's boring being a supermodel unless you're getting high or starting some lingerie line that only K-Mart will sell, and if that were my two options, well I'd have to seek consultation from my good friends Sharon Stone and Naomi Campbell.

Also, it's never good when you publicly toss an offer and the offeree's spokesperson publicly tosses right back at you a response such as:

"This story is absolute rubbish. Kate will not be working with this company."

Ouch! Now that's a blow.

Links to Kate Moss enjoying some California snow and a pic of my fave Nine.com girl after the jump . . .

Spike TV's "King" Of Vegas

:: snake

Are you fat, clumsy, uncoordinated, slow or perpetually inebriated but for some reason think you look sporty wearing an NBA or NFL issued jersey (or in Barry's case, one horrificly smelly Beckham Man. U. kit)?

Perhaps there's hope for you and your dreams of sporting glory after all.

And best of all, you won't even have to get off of your fat ass . . . well except for when you move from the blackjack table to the roulette table. That's right, SPIKE TV's forthcoming gambling decathalon--at best a potential new Olympic sport, at worst a boring TV show we've seen fail once before--is launching in early 2006. The weekly series, titled KING OF VEGAS, will begin holding qualifying rounds this Fall in cities around the U.S. (Chicago, IL on Oct. 23; Las Vegas, NV on Oct. 29, Atlantic City, NJ on Nov. 6 and Los Angeles, CA on Nov. 9).

How Spike TV describes the show and important questions about lesbians (and pics of Brooke Burke and James King) after the jump...

Heads-Up with Senator John Sabini

Over the past two years, you’ve likely seen bars in your city hosting regular hold’em tournaments.  And these bars are packing ‘em in with  new (really bad) rounders vying for tabs, trips, and other assorted tchotchkes.

In most states (most recently Colorado), there's still some gray area as to the legality of these games.  But for bars finding the beauty of gray, poker has been a major boon for business.  Here in Atlanta, bars holding hold'em games during weeknights this year have been more than doubling revenue from comparative nights of year's past.

So for a place like New York City, where bars have lost business (and people are losing jobs) due to the smoking ban, finding a way to bring in more bank only makes sense.

Enter Senator John Sabini (Dem-NY).

In order to help generate revenue for bars in NYC, Senator Sabini introduced a bill late last year that would make small scale poker games legal.

Wicked Chops Poker talked to the state Senator about his poker proposition, why he introduced it, and where to find the best card room in the state these days.

Brunson's 10th Bracelet Featured Tonight

Last week, ESPN featured the one player most likely to pass the greats on the all-time WSOP bracelet list, as Phil Ivey won his fifth.  This week, it's one of the guys he's going to have to pass, the all-time great, Doyle Brunson.

Brunson bested an impressive final table in Event #29 ($5,000 short-handed NLH) for his record-tying 10th WSOP bracelet.  The final table included Minh Ly, Scotty Ngyuen, Layne Flack, Ayaz Mahmood, and Jason Lester. Brunson banked $367,800 for the win.

Also airing is Dan Schmiech's victory in Event #28 ($5,000 Limit Hold'em).  In another, dare we say, "star studded" final table, Dan triumphed over the likes of one Gabe "Mr. Kotter" Kaplan for the title.  Also featured at the final table were Annie Duke, Barry Greenstein's kid Joe Sebok, Jeff Shulman, and Young Phan.

Poker's Going to the Dogs in Florida

:: snake

I love greyhounds.

I think everyone should race one.

Ok. So not everyone is a fan of greyhound racing, including these "Page Three" girls above from the UK who are showing off their long legs and other assets in support of their long-legged counterparts, ex-racing greyhounds (some call them 'rescued' or 'saved' but here in the South we reserve the use of words such as 'saved' for people who turn their lives over to giving a portion of their hardworking wages to a man who likes to have sex with hookers while espousing the virtues of being virtuous, or something like that).

What was the point of this post again?