Bonyadi, Reese, Hansen, Cunningham Among WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars Chip Leaders

"Flight A," as the kiddies are calling it, has wrapped at the WPT's Bay 101 Shooting Star, and Stuart Fahmy is the chip leader with 125,100.

"Flight B" begins today at 11:30 PST.

Bay 101 is unique among major events. 50 "name" pros have a bounty on their head. If you knock out said "name" pro, you receive $5,000.  Also, the chip leader at the end of the day gets an extra 10k added to his stack.

So you see amateurs more apt to take big swings at pros, or call a potential bluff, than you might normally.

Some notable names near the chip lead or still in contention include Farzad Bonyadi (107,600), Chip Reese (68,400), Gus Hansen (65,100), Allen Cunningham (47,500), Chad Brown (42,700), and some guy not sure if you've heard of him called Doyle Brunson (30,500).

For full chip counts, check out Poker Wire.

Together, We Could All Buy Our Own Little Country

According to a Research and Markets report (according to Poker 777), over $60 billion was wagered on online poker in 2005...or roughly the GDP of Ethiopia. 

Thems a lot of sit n' go's.

With that in mind, please visit Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker (code: 76off), and if you're really feeling charitable, Noble Poker.

Greenstein Beats Rodman Heads Up For WPT LAPC Invitational Title

Barry Greenstein defeated Blair "The Worm" Rodman heads up to capture the WPT LAPC Invitational. 

For the win, Greenstein banks $100,000.  He also gains entry into the $25,000 buy-in WPT championship. 

Players are now on their way up to San Jose for the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament, which begins Monday.

The TOKE: Craigslist Edition

Apparently, Craiglist is a wonderful resource if you're looking to engage in sexual poker activities.  With that in mind, our first installment of an all Craigslist edition of The TOKE.

:: Poker in the rear?  In what seems like a "too good to be true she must look like Kathy Liebert or perhaps really is Kathy Liebert" scenario for single guys whose love lives have deteriorated because of a mild addiction to online poker...Wicked Chops Poker has found your elixir.  There's a single female in San Jose who says she is, "looking for an intermediate or advanced player to help me improve my game. Ideally you would be a single guy in your 30s; I'd like to start off as friends but would be open to something further should we really hit it off."  Again, there's a fairly decent chance this girl looks nothing like an O'Donohue twin, but regardless, in related news, Sammy "Killer" Reid just informed us that he cashed in an Air Tran ticket won at a charity event for a flight to San Jose.  Craigslist

:: Wait, what exactly is your definition of "poker" here?  In the New York/New Jersey area, there's a mature (50's) upbeat couple looking to play some poker.  They would also like to know, "WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU ENJOY DOING."  Of course, this may be totally innocent, and since Wicked Chops Poker is neither mature or upbeat, we may have misinterpreted that statement.        Nah.  Craigslist

:: Giving new meaning to the term "tight-aggressive"...  If you're into poker, shots, shorts (?), and...dudes, then there is a "Gay/Bi/Straight-Curious" game in Chicago with your name written all over it.  Craigslist

WPT LAPC Invitational: Greenstein Final Table Chip Leader

317 started, but only six remain.

The WPT LAPC Invitational has its final table.  Philanthropist, party animal, and pro-extraordinaire Barry Greenstein leads them all with 1,119,000.

Some guy named Ugur, the Day 1 chip leader, makes the final table as the short-stack with 64,000. Counts 2-5 are: 2) Tom Lock - 740,000, 3) Blair "The Worm" Rodman - 573,000, 4) Jesse Jones -279,000, 5) Allen Kessler - 166,000.  They all will battle it out for the $100,000 first place prize and $25,000 entry into the WPT championship.

Final table play kicks off at 8pm (EST).  With its aggressive blind schedule, anything can and has happened.  Wow, that sentence conveyed some real excitement there, didn't it?  Anyway, should be interesting.  Check out Poker Wire or Tao of Pauly for live blogging updates if you're not out getting drunk this Friday eve.

WPT LAPC Invitational: Some Guy Named Ugur Leads

The WPT LAPC Invitational wrapped Day 1 play with 98 remaining.  Some guy named Ugur Marangoz leads with 96,800.  Scott Fischman is not far behind with 94,600.  Famed poker blogger Wil Wheaton was hanging strong with 17,500.

Players are dropping like flies now though or some other metaphor symbolizing that many people are getting eliminated quickly.

Get chip counts on Poker Wire.

Simpleton Country Folk "Hog Wild" For Pig

As reported in the past weekend's edition of the Tennessean, No Limit Hold'em may have to watch its back for a game that's sweeping Tennessee counties that likely still haven't recognized that the Civil War ended nearly a century-and-a-half-ago.  And that game is called Pig.

That's right, Pig.

Pig.

Just like most things in American society, hot trends usually trickle down from the backwoods to Hollywood.  So you can bet (or in Pig's case, "bid") that Leo, Spidey, Shannon Elizabeth, James Woods, the Hiltons, and those wacky That 70's Show kids will be trading in straight flushes for Double 16's before the year is done.  Look at the photo at right, and then just picture the aforementioned "Pigging it Out."* 

Instead of underground clubs, bars, or casinos, Pig is contested at the newly renovated** Forbus General Store (at left).  The store, "looks and smells just like it did when your grandpa was a whippersnapper," and may or may not have a Gimp in the basement.

How does one play Pig?  It is described as a game that is not all that unlike Rook, yet, as enthusiasts describe it, "only so much better."  Let's let Jim Buck, who is to Pig what the Binions are to poker, and who also dealt the first World Pig Championship in 2001, describe the rules for you:

"There are no entry fees, you draw for partners and swap partners after each game. The game is over when a team scores 52 points. It takes on average about 30 minutes a game. The 5 cards are the pig, worth 5 points."

According to the article, you use, "a regular deck of playing cards, plus the joker, nine cards are dealt to each of the four players, who play two to a team. Bids are made and high bidder names the trump, and then each player dumps everything but trumps and draws back to six cards. Six of the cards are worth a point apiece (the trump ace, jack, 10 and 2, the off jack and the joker), plus the trump 5 and the off 5 — the pigs — are worth five points each."

Of course, unless you're a Rook rookie***, you knew just about all of that anyway.  And for those new to the game, Pig probably had you at, "you draw for partners and swap partners after each game."  What is this, Pig, or a Friday night at BlackSpy and Sammy "Killer" Reid's place?

So really, how quickly Pig is adopted and spreads around the card playing world isn't a matter of "if" so much as "when."  And when it does, you can bid Double 16 that www.wickedchopspig.com will be right around the corner.

*What the trendsetters will likely call it. | **By "newly" we mean "never." | ***Likely everyone reading this.

Ugh...here we go...Goehring, Goehring, Gone! Alan Snags LAPC Title!

Alternate title: Goehring, Goehring, Gone! Alan Goehring Claims LAPC Victory!

Thanks to Bangs and Bones at Weathered Living for naming our headline for the latest WPT event.  And thank God Steven Simmons didn't win. 

As you might've surmised, Alan Goehring, who was near the chip lead since Day 1, "finished the drill" (as Mark Richt would say) and took the title.

This is Goehring's second WPT victory, having won the first WPT World Championship in Seaon 1.  Goehring banked $2,391,550 for the win, double what he raked in for the inaugural WPT championship just a few years ago.

The rest of the final table finishes were: 2) Daniel Quach - $1,162,560, 3) Michael Woo - $571,315, 4) Steven Simmons - $338,803, 5) JC Tran - $265,728, 6) Per Ummer - $199,296.

WPT Marks Its Territory on Foxwoods Casino

Story provided by: Beans

Foxwoods Casino will be opening their upgraded poker room next month and the World Poker Tour will have their name all over it.  Just as Foxwoods was the first casino to sign with the WPT, the room will be the first to carry the WPT name and will hold two WPT events during the season. 

"It makes sense for the two giants in the industry to come together and do something," said Kathy Raymond, Foxwoods' director of poker operations.  Raymond went on to say that the poker room will expand from 76 tables to 114 tables and will feature upgraded technology for signing up players which will cut down on wait times, and automatic card shuffling which will allow for more games to be played (meaning that you can lose your money at a higher rate than ever before). The new room will also feature a restaurant, the 5th Street Café, hold tournaments 7 days a week, and, of course, sell WPT merchandise.

WPT CEO, Steve Lipscomb, said that they are looking for poker rooms that resemble the tournaments that they televise and will be looking to expand their relationship with other casinos in the future. "We look for a select number of very well-appointed poker rooms, run by the top casino managers in the business to bear our name in the future," Lipscomb said. "We will be very careful in selecting our licensees to ensure the highest quality."

With the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker fighting over players, ratings, and tournaments, will there eventually be a rush to sign poker rooms to sponsorship deals? As the two giants do battle, it would seem that casinos the world over will start looking to upgrade their poker rooms to attract the possible endorsement of either the WPT or WSOP.  And that really just benefits the players.

FINAL Final Table at WPT LAPC

Ok, now that we're down to six, we have a final-final table at the WPT LAPC.

The difference between the "final" table and the "FINAL" table is of course the WPT cameras. 

JC Tran leads.  Plenty of good headline potential if he wins.  Here's the chip counts.  1) JC Tran - 3,720,000, 2) Per Ummer - 2,870,000, 3) Michael Woo - 2,195,000, 4) Alan Goehring - 1,900,000, 5) Daniel Quach - 1,655,000, 6) Steven Simmons - 1,505,000.

Create-A-Headline: Mock Headlines for LAPC Winner

Sports headlines are horribly predictable and unimaginative.

And poker is not immune from this unimaginativepredictableness.

For every, "Tiger Lurking" (golf), "Yao-za!" (basketball if Yao Ming goes for 30 and 15), or "Bonds Away!" (if Barry launches three moon shots into McCovey Cove), there's the a "Back-to-Back Flack" poker equivalent.

So with that in mind, in what may or may not become a regular feature on Wicked Chops Poker, let's prep some potential headlines for the eventual WPT LAPC winner.  And if you have any suggestions, please, comment them below.  We will use the best submitted headline for the eventual winner.  Yes, you heard right.  And if you have a site, we will link to you as well, gaining you valuable access to our passive-aggressive reader base.  If you don't have a site, we'll just post your name or something.  And Sammy, if it's you, Chops will superimpose his head on something embarrassing and publish it in your honor.  To get your creative juices stirring, here's some potential horrible and deplorable starters from WCP:

Per Our Conversation: Ummer Wins LAPC
David Chiu Chews Up the Competition, Wins LAPC
The Hit is On: Galajian Takes WPT Title

Get the gist?  Have at it...

LAPC: Final Table Set, Ummer + Goehring Lead

The WPT LAPC at the Commerce Casino has its final table, with Per Ummer as the chip leader stacked at 2,455,000.  This is Ummer's first final table at a major tournament. 

Right behind him is Alan Goehring.  Alan, a former WPT winner and runner-up at the WSOP ME, has been near the chip lead the entire tournament.  He's sitting with 2,315,000.

James Woods was eliminated in 24th place.

The rest of your final table chip counts are: 3) Kevan Casey - 2,030,000, 4) Michael Woo - 1,665,000, 5) Daniel Quach - 1,425,000, 6) Steven Simmons - 1,270,000, 7) JC Tran - 1,245,000, 8) Michael McClain - 665,000, 9) Anahit Galajian - 480,000, 10) David Chiu - 305,000.

Woods: "I've decided I want to be the greatest poker player in the world."

According to a recent issue of The Week, James Woods (who is still in contention at the LAPC) has decided that he wants to be the greatest poker player in the world.  Phil Ivey be damned.

After correctly putting Johnny Chan on A-K during one hand of their "epic" match-up at the National Heads Up Poker Championship last year (a match he eventually lost, btw), Woods now claims to have X-ray vision and routinely calls out opponent's hands.  Says Woods, "I've entered a zone that is unbelievable."

The quote machine continues by saying that he's sick of making, "douche bag, feminist movies" and plans on winning the WSOP so he can, "retire and spend a weekend in bed with four Rockettes."

Not kidding.

And all of this leaves us wondering: 1) Has he not made enough during his movie career that he can't do this already?, and 2) Who the fuck still has fantasies about Rockettes?  What's next, wanting a twi-night double-header with the ghost of Bettie Paige?

Read the full article.

LAPC: Luu Leads, Goehring Still Going, But Can Woods Win It All?

With 27 remaining at the LA Poker Classic, a relative unknown (and be "relative" we mean "complete") named John Luu leads the pack, stacked at 1,111,000. 

Luu has been playing well of late, with a 14th place in an earlier LAPC event this year ($1,000 NLH).  But this is his first big dance on the major tournament stage.

Still fourth overall is Alan Goehring, sitting with 916,000.  A few top pros have risen up the stack rank, including 2005 WSOP bracelet winner (and four-time total)David Chiu (7th overall with 749,000), J.C. Tran (15th overall with 441,000), Chris Bigler (18th overall with 413,000), and Bill Gazes (20th overall with 258,000).

The big surprise (to some, and by "some," we mean "us") is that Hollywood actor turned potential full-time pro (more on this later) James Woods is 16th overall with 438,000.  Woods was a major factor as to why Day 2 chip leader Fabrice "The Frog" Soulier flamed out in Van de Valdeian fashion.  Near the bubble, Woods re-raised a Soulier raise with pocket Queens. Soulier pushed all in, and Woods called.  Soulier flipped over an unsuited Q-J.  Woods' Queens held, and Soulier found himself knocked out shortly thereafter on the bubble.

For full chip counts, check out Poker Wire.  And for live blogging, go to Tao of Poker.

Frenchman Leads LA Poker ClassicGoehring, Reese, Cloutier, Woods Still Remain

At the end of Day 2 play at the LA Poker Classic, a Frenchman finds himself atop the chip lead.

Fabrice "The Frog"* Soulier (at right, courtesy of Poker Pages) leads the field stacked at 462,000.  Closely behind him is JC Tran with 426,300. 

Soulier is one of France's top touring pros, which is kind of like saying that "Veronica" from Elvis Costello is one of the greatest all-time songs about Alzheimers.  As in, there ain't many options.  Soulier has accumulated over $500k in earnings over his career.

Wicked Chops Poker though will hold off on any of the standard French capitulation/Jean Van de Velde jokes for now.  Plus, those are way too obvious and we would never "go there."**

Alan Goehring continued his strong play and is fourth overall with 368,200.  Lots of notables remain, including: 7) Danny Alaei - 317,300, 8) Jim Bechtel - 310,000, 11) Amir Vahedi - 297,600, 12) Chris Bigler - 290,800, 14) David Chiu - 265,800, 16) Edward Moncada - 255,000, 17) Ayaz Mahmood - 234,900, 26) Chip Jett - 180,400, 27) Jason Lester - 175,500, 29) Matt Matros - 169,800, 30) Paul Darden Jr. - 157,500, 33) Hasan Habib - 147,400, 37) David Plastik - 143,500, 40) Allen Cunningham - 140,000, 42) Chip Reese - 134,400, 46) Bill Gazes - 131,500, 48) Shawn Sheikhan - 124,000, 54) Blair Rodman - 113,900, 62) T.J. Cloutier - 89,800, 67) Gabriel Thaler - 80,000, 82) Phil Laak - 58,000, 83) James Woods - 56,200, and 93) Scotty Nguyen - 30,700.

*Not his nickname.

**We totally would.

Friday Night Parting Shot :: Happy Poker!

Hugs and Kisses to: Jessica Alba and WWTDD.com

Ali, Eli, Alan Lead LA Poker Classic

Day 1 has wrapped at the LA Poker Classic at the great Commerce Casino.  379 remain. 

Leading the field is Ali Eslami with 137,000. Stacked up with him is GSN High Stakes Poker reg Eli Elezra with 125,000, and former WSOP ME runner-up (and 2003 Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic WPT champ) Alan Goehring with 120,000.

Also among the leaders are Bill Gazes (115,000), Erick Lindgren (110,000), and Hassan Habib (90,000). Check out Poker Wire for full, updated chip counts and Tao of Poker for live blogging when play kicks up again today at 3:30pm (EST).

The TOKE: Golfer Wins Big...At Poker, Hold'em In the Cards in Oregon? (sorry), + A New Platform for PartyPoker

:: Golfer wins big at poker, loses scholarship.  If Tiger Woods is the Phil Ivey of golf, does that make Bobby Neary the Joe Hachem of poker?  The 21 year-old Neary (at right), a junior at Sonoma State University, and about 20 years too old to be going by Bobby, unless of course he was a NASCAR driver, banked $520k by finishing second in last month's Aussie Millions poker tournament. Unfortunately, the NCAA has declared Neary athletically ineligible, and not for his participation in the tournament, but for violating endorsement rules. See, Neary won entry into the tournament in an online satellite, and wore the company's logo at the Aussie Millions.  The NCAA, not known for EVER profiting off its athletes, did what the Aussie Millions fields (well, except for the winner) couldn't do...it sent Bobby to the rail.  KGET TV

:: Leave it to Beaver.   Legislators in Monroe, Oregon are crafting an ordinance to permit poker, if only on a small scale.  The legislative measure would be similar to what Senator John Sabini wants in New York.  Bars and small stakes home gamers everywhere (in Monroe) are getting ready to rejoice...and smoke weed. Gazette-Times

:: Party adopts new platform.  PartyPoker has launched a new platform with so many features, we don't even feel like describing them all!!!  Read all about it here, or by clicking that link right there--> CardPlayer

Chops Turns to Spite In Midst of Bad Run

Chops here.

In the midst of a losing streak that could best be described as “epic,” my only real diversion right now is lashing out at others who are currently more successful in the poker arena than I.

I love spite.

Enter Sammy “Killer” Reid.

See, starting last summer and ending in early December, I went on a tear that could best be described as “epic.”  I was doing very well. 

But the well has run dry.  Barren. 

My good friend Sammy though, he’s winning/final table’ing MTTs like he’s Maria Sharapova (as in, she’s good at tennis, wins a lot or something, and she’s hot, as demonstrated in the latest SI Swimsuit Issue, so we’ll post some pics of her here, which will cancel out the effects that will be rendered upon you at the jump, you’ll see what I mean).

So at the jump, I have assembled an assembly of digitally altered Sammy pictures, purely out of spite.  Well, the mustache is digitally altered, but for the most part everything about the photos are real.  Seriously.  Enjoy.  And for Sammy’s sake, let’s hope my luck (or skill) turns around sooner rather than later...

Cover Your Raise with Kimono Condoms

Snake: Chops, u ever see this commercial?

Chops: No.

Snake: Got anything funny to say about it?

Chops: Hmm, I can't think of any implied poker terminology that would be appropriate here.

Raise?

All-in?

Big Stack?

None work in this context.

Snake: Yeh I'm stumped too. Hey, don't the actors kind of look like porn stars? I mean the cheesy string bettin dude who goes all in has a ponytail. Isn't there a classic Socratic syllogism that goes:

All actors who have ponytails are porn stars.
This actor has a ponytail.
This actor is a porn star.

Chops: I'm not sure what male porn stars look like from the waist up.

Snake: Hey get this, the president of this condom company says, "Kimono is the choice for sophisticated young-adults; an important part of their wardrobe is the condom they wear."

Chops: You know, I was wondering when wearing a condom as an accessory would catch on. Been doing it for years. Hopefully the same will happen soon for my next favorite dick accessory, the cock-ring.

Snake: Btw, I'm using this email exchange for the post, in lieu of giving any more details about this ad..

Cool?

Chops: Daddy likey.

I'm "Daddy" in the context of the above sentence, fyi.

Use that, it's gold.

And use the fact that I said, "Use that, it's gold."

It's gold.

PartyGaming Expands Empire With $250M Purchase

Finally, the feud has ended. 

PartyGaming has acquired Empire Poker, aceclub.com, and starluckcasino.com for $250,000,000 dollars.

Our favorite online soap opera is no more.

The whole "flap" began in Q'4 of last year, when Party ripped the skins off of Empire Poker. The loss of players from the skin reduction left Empire in ruins, reducing the number of players on its site by 40 percent.

This obviously de-valued Empire's, um, value, and PartyGaming swooped in to buy.

Legal wrangling ensued.

With posturing and prosecuting aside, PartyGaming can now peacefully go about doing what it does best...making ungodly sums of money again.

Valentine's Day Bumps Poker Off Top of Lycos Search List

Last year, in our epic Paris, Pamela, and Poker post, we detailed how poker was moving up the Lycos top search term ranks.  Since then, poker has dropped the hammer on Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Lindsey Lohan, and anyone else that teenage girls and pervy old men search for on the so-call "Internet".

In fact, it took a "holiday" that only the WPT could find some value in, Valentine's Day, to knock poker off its pedestal.  We're sure that will change next week, as poker takes its rightful spot on top of Anderson, Spears, and all comers.

Here's the top 10 Lycos searches for last week, in case you're interested, clearly making us wonder what uncreative, derivative saps were searching for "love poems"?

1. Valentine's Day
2. Poker
3. WWE
4. Pam Anderson
5. Britney Spears
6. Super Bowl
7. Love Poems
8. NFL
9. Paris Hilton
10. Pokemon

Gratuitous Poker(?) Ad of the Week

Company: Victoria's Secret
Product: The Sexy Little Things™ Sexy poker kit. 52 cheap playing cards, 60 cheap plastic chips, "all-in" a slinky, polyester pouch.
Cost: 28 bones.
The Big Idea: Surround cheap, gimmicky poker set with Alessandra Ambrosio, Marisa Miller and other Vickie models in their V-day skivvies.

Poker Brings Pair Together...Ahhhhh

Story provided by: Beans

Typically, poker (and online poker, in particular) is known to wreck relationships.

So on this Hallmark-induced holiday, it’s good to see poker unite man and woman for a change.

Party Poker is taking responsibility for the marriage of two of its fishies, Gary Suffir, a lawyer from New York, and Jackie Johnson, an artist from Las Vegas. The two met while playing Omaha on the site and will be going all-in on their commitment (ceremonially at least, let’s hope they’ve sealed this biblically already) during a poker-themed ceremony in Las Vegas on March 7, 2006.

The online match gives hope to BlackSpys everywhere.

After the wedding, the pair is reportedly spending their honeymoon aboard the Party Poker Million V cruise. There will also be an online tournament for guests of the wedding.

This wedding may have larger repercussions than just the end of Gary’s bachelorhood, as Party Poker has realized that it can potentially tap in to a different market and demographic. According to Party Poker spokesperson Warren Lush, “Since hearing about Gary and Jackie, we've now done a deal with LavaLife for some private poker dating tables. Perhaps we should think about creating our own online dating site."

This of course would make for some wonderfully awkward “Meet the Parents” type introductions.

“Hi Mom and Dad. This is John. I met him at 3 a.m. on a $5-$10 NLH table a few months ago. His tag cracked me up. He calls himself, ‘Poopface Killa.’ It was meant to be.”

Anyway, congratulations to Gary and Jackie and may you never take any relational bad beats. And Gary, you might be the only guy in the world that could actually buy WPT jewelry for his better half without facing certain relational death as a consequence. Bravo.

Top Dog: Ayre Looking for Next Poker Phenom

Screw the Bachelor (not in the literal sense, though).  Survivor...so five years ago.  The Apprentice...well, you know.

Finally, a reality show that can live up to the brilliance of Temptation Island, Season 2. 

Yes, Bodog has decided to get real.

Like Daniel Negreanu, Bodog is looking for the next big poker talent.  But here's the big difference between the two shows, try to guess which is which: 1) Show #1 you get to hang with a skinny little guy who, while very cool/funny/amiable, is not a bunch of barely clothed girls on a Costa Rican compound, or 2) on Show #2 you get to hang out with a bunch of barely clothed girls (like Bodog Holiday babe Luiza Madejak at right) on a paradise-ical Costa Rican compound while playing against numerous celebs and pros.

Show #2 is the Bodog one.

With the new Hef, Calvin Ayre (at left), at the hosting helm, 20 poker hopefuls will compete against 10 celebrities (Estella Warren and Shannon Elizabeth, anyone?) and 10 pros for a winner-take-all prize of $500,000.  All selected contestants be flown down to Costa Rica (land of online gaming, hookers, and internships) and get set up at the Bodog Compound.

The six-episode show will be taped in March and begin airing on Saturday nights, starting April 15th, from 11:00 p.m - 1:00 a.m. (EST).

Says Calvin Ayre, "Poker and television -- combined with Bodog-style entertainment -- will make for one heck of a show, and our next step into the world of reality TV."

Amen.

Apply online by Feb 17.  And read more about the show by clicking this underlined blue line.

Andy Beal v. The Corporation: The Saga Continues

If you aren't following the latest on Andy Beal's stratospheric-stakes, heads-up, limit-hold'em matches against The Corporation, well, you're missing out on the makings of a very entertaining follow-up to The Professor, The Banker and The Suicide King, the book by Michael Craig that chronicled the most expensive poker game ever played.

The brainy billionare Beal, who's made some serious bucks in banking, real estate and poker and has lost some serious bucks in wacky space exploits and poker, came back to Vegas recently to take on the Corporation (a consortium of top cash players including Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Todd Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Chau Giang, Barry Greenstein, Ted Forrest, Gus Hansen, Ming La, Phil Ivey, and Johnny Chan).

This time at the Wynn and starting Super Bowl weekend, Beal and members of The Corporation fought a seesaw battle of $50k-$100k limit-hold'em, with Beal out ahead until Ted Forrest got the best of him, as well as $5 million. A drop in the bucket to a billionare, Beal surprisingly declared that he was "done with poker for good" soon after his losing session against Forrest. As many expected though, including Lou Krieger, who predicted Beal's return on his blog, the billionare was back in Vegas just 5 days after his announcement, and most recently was going heads-up against Jennifer Harman.

For those looking to catchup, here's how it has played out, via CardPlayer's coverage, since September 2004, just a few months after the famed Bellagio series of $100k-$200k limit-hold'em:

- Sept. 2004 - Frustrated with the fish tales being told, Beal makes an offer to the Corporation for a rematch.

- Oct. 2004 - Doyle responds on behalf of the Corporation, saying 'Let's Play an $80 Million Freezeout!'

- Nov. 2005 - Mediator Barry Shulman proposes a compromise.

- April 2005 - Beal accepts Brunson's counter . . . almost.

- Feb. 2, 2006 - A deal has been struck and Beal is back to take on the Corporation.

- Feb. 10, 2006 - Andy Beal announces "he's done with poker for good."

- Feb. 11, 2006 - 5 days later, Andy Beal unretires and heads back to Vegas.

- Feb. 12, 2006 - Beal v. The Corporation continues.

A Guy Named Mats Wins EPT Event ... Again

The Scandinavians have struck again on the European Poker Tour, as 23-year-old Swede Mats Iremark has won the EPT's French Open in Deauville. It's the fourth consecutive time a Scandi has taken the top prize in the EPT's second season, and the third time in a row it was a guy named "Mats" who claimed the 1st place cash (Danes Mats Gavatin and Mats Andersen won in Dublin and Copenhagen, respectively).

When the final table got underway on Saturday, Iremark was the sole amateur among the eight, which included Ram Vaswani, Isabelle Mercier, Stuart Nash, Mark Boudewijn, Theo Jorgensen, Patric Mårtenson and Kirill Gerasimov. But after more than 10 hours of final table play, the young civil engineering student from Gothenberg, Sweden was the sole man with chips in front of him, earning €480,000 + a seat in the €10,000 EPT Grand Final, to be held in Monte Carlo, March 7-11.

Here's the final table results:

1. Mats Iremark (Sweden) €480,000 + seat in €10,000 EPT Grand Final
2. Mark Boudewijn (Holland) €259,000
3. Kirill Gerasimov (Russia) €155,300
4. Theo Jorgensen (Denmark) €118,500
5. Ram Vaswani (UK) €97,700
6. Patric Mårtenson (Sweden) €76,800
7. Isabelle Mercier (Canada) €60,800
8. Stuart Nash (UK) €43,500

For more on the action, check out Gutshot.com and PokerStarsBlog.com, and get the Suffolk Punch's reaction on another Scandi win over at his column in The Sun.

(photo of Mats Iremark: gutshot.com)

Scandis Still Strong as the Final Table's Set in Deauville

The Allied poker invasion, as described by The Sun's Simon Young, continues this afternoon with the final table getting underway at the EPT's French Open, held at the Casino Barriere in Deauville, France.

The multinational, 8-handed battle started with 2 Brits (Ram Vaswani and Stuart Nash), a French-Canuck (the lovely Isabelle Mercier), a Dutchman (Mark Boudewijn), a Russian (Kirill "the Matt Damon of Moscow" Garasimov) and to no surprise 3 Scandis, including 2 Swedes (Patrick Martensson and Mats Iremark) and 1 Dane (Theo Jorgensen).

Here's what the chip counts looked like, courtesy of our friends at Gutshot.com:

1. Ram Vaswani (England) 1,191,500
2. Isabelle Mercier (Canada) 428,000
3. Mark Boudewijn (Holland) 911,500
4. Kirill Garasimov (Russia) 215,000
5. Patrick Martensson (Sweden) 291,000
6. Stuart Nash (England) 125,500
7. Theo Jorgensen (Denmark) 809,500
8. Mats Iremark (Sweden) 397,000

Top place takes home €480,000, plus €10,000 buy-in into EPT Grand final and free socialized healthcare for life.

Last I looked at Gutshot, the UK's Stuart Nash, a cash player at London's Vic, went out in 8th, thus placing the hopes of a nation, or at least the Suffolk Punch, in lone Brit left, Ram Vaswani. It looks like the EPT Dublin winner may be up to the task, as he's held the chip lead for a good part of the day, although last I saw Marcel Luske's countrymate Mark Boudewijn holds the biggest stack.

For Isabelle fans, her day is done, as it was "fin" in 7th for "No Mercy" Mercier when her pocket nines got knocked by Boudewijn's big-slick after his top card connected on the turn.

UPDATE: So much for the Allied invasion. Ram Vaswani is the most recent casualty, falling in fifth after getting canoned by two big hands and going out when Kirill called his K-8o all-in with A-Jo and nothing connecting for either on the board. It's now up to the Russian and the Dutchman to stop the two Scandinavians left in the field (Jorgensen and newcomer Iremark) from winning their 4th consecutive EPT title.

Stay posted on the outcome over at Gutshot.com (click on "Live Coverage").

Also, be sure to read John Caldwell's From the Felt column today over at his site Pokernews.com. Caldwell (at left) laments just a tad bit about the effects of running a successful poker site on his poker playing, but most of it is on the success and quality of the European Poker Tour as well as a recount of his role as Le Donk Americain in Deauville this week.

Friday Night Parting Shot :: Happy Poker!

Accomplices: Adriana Lima, Ana Beatriz Barros and GorillaMask.net



see all of Adriana and Ana here; more shots here, and here.

World War III at the EPT French Open

The Suffolk Punch, aka Simon Young of the UK's The Sun newspaper, turned the tables today on metaphor-happy journalists who tirelessly, and often erroneously, use poker lexicon to discuss geopolitical issues and international brinkmanship.

Young (at left) is in Deauville, France (about an hour’s jaunt from the Normandy landing beaches) for the European Poker Tour's French Open, and in his column today, the Brit describes his outing, as well as that of other UK and U.S. players, as an "Allied poker invasion of northern France."

And who are the Axis powers?

Well, it's not the Germans (do they play poker?).

No, it's those damn Scandis, the nonpareils of neutrality from Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, who've been dominating the EPT this year, taking the grand prize in the tour's last 3 tournaments and having 10 players cash in the top 3 of the tour's 5 events so far. Consider for one Finland's Patrik Antonius (at right), who's cashed over a mil and a half since September, mostly due to his 2nd place at the WPT's Five Diamond in December but also thanks to his 1st place EPT finish in Austria and 3rd in Barcelona. And this amazing run by these players from the land of Hot Chicks, Volvos and Mohammed Cartoons is by no means something new, as we chronicled at the 2005 WSOP.

In his column today, Young begins, "While I was killed off by a rogue Frenchman after ten hours of play on my first day, 2004 world champion Greg Raymer from the US was floored on just his SECOND hand of his first outing yesterday."

Indeed, the 2004 WSOP Champ became a causualty no more than 5 minutes after "stepping out onto the beachhead here in Normandy to do battle."

"But at least Greg was taken out by a Brit, not a Scandinavian," declares Young. "They have become our new poker enemy – winning most things in sight."

For more, check out the Suffolk Punch's column and keep posted as he chronicles the remaining battles of the French Open.

Also, for Jen Leo fans, be sure to check out her blog to see how her BBE, John Caldwell of PokerNews.com, fared in Deauville.

I Re-Raise You Two Huge Wads of Cash

Story provided by: Beans

If anyone has seen High Stakes Poker on the Game Show Network, then you have seen what can only be described as the most fascinating poker ever shown on television. 

Not that it was more dramatic or packed with greater story lines than other poker shows, but it was just more...well, real. It's kind of like watching the Discovery Channel and seeing "creatures" act in their "natural habitat," which in this case, is the cash game (and thankfully comes without any of the mating scenes). 

Instead of the "zoo" that is tournament poker, which normally is full of characters, plots, back-stories, and crazy ass bitches, what you have here are high-stakes players risking hundreds of thousands of real dollars on every turn of the deck.

Not that tournament poker isn't great to watch, but there is just something more visceral about watching these poker heavyweights take on each other dollar-for-dollar.  It's hard to explain the distinction to a layperson (I tried and received glazed over eyes in response), but if you have ever played in a tournament and a cash game then you know the mental subtleties between the two.

The premise behind the show is that players bankroll themselves at a minimum $100k buy-in, and that each chip is worth exactly the corresponding amount that it displays.  So it's just like what you'd get to see in Bobby's Room if the Big Game had cameras to show you the hole cards.  And at these stakes, the GDP of some small countries is in the pot just waiting to be picked up on any given hand. 

The show features poker royalty such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein, Johnny Chan, and Jennifer Harman, but also brings the spotlight to some relatively unknown (until recently) cash game specialists such as Shawn Shiekhan, Fred Chamanara, and the ever-entertaining Dr. Jerry Buss.  As you can see, the firepower at this table is not to be underrated or even matched during regular tournament play. Where would you find all of those names at the same table (not counting Fox's terrible Poker Superstars)?

Here are some of the more salient rules of play from the GSN website:

Persian Poker Is Scary, May End World

Perhaps it's because poker was derived from an ancient Persian bluffing game called "As Nas" or maybe it's because foreign policy commentators are even more desperate to use poker metaphors than sports and business writers, but for whatever reason, people can't help but to talk "Poker" when discussing the West's current stalemate with Iran over the latter's nuclear ambitions.

In fact, it's even become a game now that we like to call Persian Poker.

And if you believe Kenneth Timmerman, of David Horowitz's Frontpagemag.com, this game of heads-up against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadineja, the "Crazy Bitch Williamsen" of Persian Poker, just may come to an ugly end faster than Ollie Hudson's one-hand journey at this year's main event.

Read the story or just look at the above pic of Dr. Evil incarnate to get the point.

WPT Out To Ruin Valentine’s Day for Well-Intentioned Men Everywhere

Alternate Title: Yeah, Honey, You Know How I Play Poker All of the Time and Stuff?  Well to Constantly Remind You of That, I’ve Bought You This Beautiful WPT Neclace!!!

The WPT has decided to lend it’s name and image to something that will get every poker playing male in a lot of trouble this Valentine’s Day: WPT Jewelry.   The potential for many a relational bad beat on this is off the charts.

Seriously, let’s try to follow the logic behind this move.  While WPT continues to find interesting ways to capitalize on the poker “fad” sweeping the world by partnering with Jewelry Crossings on this venture, is whatever financial gain they receive from WPT bling enough to justify the possible retribution of shamed males the world over?

Reports Susi Van Wickle, owner of the Jewelry Crossings Company and Web site, “WPT jewelry allows men and women to give a unique gift that incorporates love and love of poker on the most romantic day of the year. The WPT jewelry brings an element of fun to gift-giving for both men and women, and we hope the jewelry brings romance and good luck to all our customers.”

Herein lies the problem.  Many good-intentioned males will buy their significant other an item from this poker-inspired jewelry line thinking, “I like poker, she likes jewelry, this is a win-win situation!”
Unfortunately, what could be less “win-win” than giving her a constant reminder of the monosyllabic grunts she hears in response to her questions while you are in front of your laptop, or the “sshhing” you give her in the middle of a big hand, or the time spent sitting by herself at home while you are out (more than likely) losing money, and the interminable “bad beat” stories that accompany you when you finally come stumbling through the door at 2am.

Just remember, it is never the thought that counts, only what you make her think about (kind of like in poker, “what does he think I have, or what can I make him think I have”, get it?).

Oh, and on a side note, having the “popular comedian 'ANT’” (at right, creepy) showing off one’s jewelry does not a fortune make, nor does using the words “popular” or “comedian” make him either of those things.

Editor's Note: This story was submitted to Wicked Chops Poker by Beaner, aka Beans, aka JW Linde, of sotherewewere.  Beans will be a regular contributor to WCP. Also, for those who think we have too many pictures of attractive women on the site, hopefully the Ant picture cancels out any tingly feelings you might have had from the pics on our last few posts.

Will Snoop's Rapper's "Shootout" Stay Afloat?

So Snoop Dogg (aka Calvin Broadus) is planning a poker tournament on Cinco de Mayo (aka May 5) down in Playa de Cuba Norte (aka Miami Beach) aboard some death trap on water (aka the Big Easy casino ship), with mad cake (aka $2 million cash purse and 1 mil grand prize) on the line. The event has a 15 Gs buy-in that gets you a seat in the tourney as well as a round trip flight and 3 nights in a ho-tel.

With at least two seats at each table reserved for hip hop/rap artists, promoters are billing the tourney as "The Rapper's Challenge," although we think "The Rapper's Shootout" would be a much catchier name. Perhaps Snoop was worried about pissing off the always-pissed-off Spike Lee any more than he already has by perpetuating the stereotype that there's a shootout anytime a bunch of rappers get together.

I mean, why would anyone think that?

Anyway, based on our extensive research, and when I say extensive I mean hasty, irresponsible and inconclusive, it appears Snoop and posse will need to either cancel their high seas poker adventure or find another casino ship. This past Saturday, it was reported in the Palm Beach Post that the Big Easy casino ship has stopped operations just three months after it opened for business. Plagued by an inability to get proper certification cards for its staff, the ship was finally docked for good when the U.S. Coast Guard stripped the ship of its certificate of inspection, said Francis Murray, President and CEO of Palm Beach Casino Line, which owns the Big Easy.

Palm Beach Casino Line is not giving up though. It is contemplating flagging the vessel under a different country, which would make it easier to meet regulations. We're thinking Panama would be a good place to register it. Just ask the Egyptians who were aboard the Al Salam Boccaccio 98.

The Big Easy by the way is no minnow of a ship, as it is equipped with a 30,000-square-foot casino with four-decks and holds about 1,200 people.

"She's a special vessel," shared Murray. "But we never got to a level of stability regarding having enough qualified personnel."

Qualified personnel? Oh details, smetails.

The TOKE: Jenna Jameson Sucks in a Good Way, Nickelback Sucks in a Bad Way, + How This Relates to the Yahoo! Finance Message Board

Wicked Chops Poker is used to random linkings.  But today, in a mere six-hour span, we surpassed even our own wild expectations.  And those disparate links are the focus of this self-promotional TOKE.

:: Wicked Chops Loves Jenna.  First, Brianna loved Jenna.  Then, Bella loved Jenna. Next, Jenna loved pain. Now, does Jenna love Wicked Chops?  While we're fairly certain the answer to this is a resounding "no" (or more likely, a resounding, "Who?"), a Jenna blog showed WCP some love today by mentioning our mention of the McCarthy-Jameson liaison.  Jenna Fatigue.

:: Nickelback has fans?  Yes, it's true.  The worst band in the world, Nickelback, actually has some rabid fans.  And five months after our initial post on how Nickelback reminds us of something terrible and shitty, their fans find our article and discuss it in forum-format.  While the only thing that many of you would think is worse than actually listening to Nickelback is reading what their fans think of Nickelback, the true gem in this forum is Weathered's own Aye-Aye chiming in on his thoughts.  Try and guess which one he is.  Nickelback Fan Forum Editor's Note: The tools at Nickelback have removed Aye-Aye's comment from the message board.  Thanks to those who let us know.

:: Yahoo! We make the message boards!  Stock message boards are a fantastic way to vent and speculate.  Hopefully, we gave the good people on WPTE's board some decent cannon fodder.  Yahoo! Finance Message Board

Gratuitous Poker Ad of the Week

Beneficiary: MultiPoker.com

WPT Hires Financial Advisor, Looks to Sell or Merge Its Operations

Apparently, all of the activity surrounding WPT Enterprises Inc. (WPTE) the past few weeks was just a warm-up.

WPTE said on Tuesday that it has hired a financial adviser, Thomas Weisel Partners LLC, to help indentify additional revenue opportunities--including the potential merger or sale of the company.  Says WPTE CEO Steve Lipscomb, "We need to seek opportunities to increase our scale and reach." 

Initially, this news struck investors well, as shares were up 8%.  However, shares have dipped as trading has continued today.   

While the company is making financial strides overseas with its Granada Ventures partnership, as well as the highly anticipated World Poker Tour magazine launch, the United States market is still ripe for mining.  And the most obvious revenue avenue is the online poker market, but the WPTE has not dipped its toe in the U.S. pool yet. 

In a 60 Minutes feature last year, Steve Lipscomb (at left) and MGM/Mirage CEO, Terri Lanni, discussed the U.S. government's regulatory effects on the online gaming industry.  Lipscomb pointed out that, “[The U.S. government] keep[s] the legitimate companies out of the business, and all of that goes to offshore companies that in no way can be regulated…. or taxed.”  Lanni's MGM/Mirage operation had launched an online gaming operation, but had to shut it down because, as a U.S.-based business, they couldn't tap into the U.S. marketplace. 

And this is a major issue, since Internet gambling sites are raking in $10 billion in profit this year, and 80% of this comes from the U.S.

New York Euphoria Capture Bodog Lingerie Bowl III

Game 7 of the '91 World Series.  The Rumble in the Jungle.  USC-Notre Dame '05. 

Now, the sporting world must add another classic to the list of all-time great games: Lingerie Bowl III.

As posted yesterday, poker (or in this case, an online poker site) offered a number of alternatives to the Super Bowl (of American football). At the top of the list was Bodog's Lingerie Bowl.  And it certainly lived up to the hype.

In a battle of true epic proportions, the New York Euphoria defeated defending champs the Los Angeles Temptation by a final score of 13-12.

Uber-whore Trischelle Cannatella took home MVP honors.  After claiming the MVP trophy, she celebrated by getting shitfaced off Tequila shots and having a ten-thousand-forty-seven-some with every male in the stadium*.

Finally rebounding from her career apex of Singled Out, the event was ably hosted by rumored Jenna Jameson fling Jenny McCarthy.  The alleged affair to remember took place in a Vegas bathroom.  We know there are cameras everywhere in Vegas casinos.  So please, please if you're in charge of video monitoring for the establishment this took place in...please leak it on the Internet. 

For more pics of the event (that is, the Lingerie Bowl III), hit the Bodog Beat.

* Unsubstantiated.

Stupid Poker Criminals Hall of Fame Welcomes Jace Moore to Its Hallowed Gallows

On the heels of welcoming Steve McCewan, Cindy Streets, and Ryan Bisson, the Stupid Poker Criminals Hall of Fame has just elected its latest member, giving an open-arm embrace to Jace.

Jace Moore (at right), 22, proved to be quite the ass when he confronted alleged Donkey Dustin Danner about paying up on some owed poker monies. When Dustin didn't check in with the funds, Jace grabbed a steak knife and carved up poor Dustin's butt, stabbing him four times.

Moore left the scene with $276 cash and an iPod. Apparently, iPod's are to poker players what Air Jordans were to gangbangers.

Jace remains on the loose, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Beware. He's armed with a steak knife and he's not afraid to use it. So if you owe Jace Moore poker money, you best watch your ass.

Poker Proves to be Popular Super Bowl Alternative

The Palms hotel and casino hosted their inaugural Legends Celebrity Invitational Poker Tournament Friday night, providing a great-escape for sports greats who wanted to get the hell out of Detroit this week.

John Elway, Dan Marino, and Roger Clemens were among those who eschewed the 8-mile, ensuring that the only bullets they'd be facing were pocket Aces. 

That's right, we'll take a stand and say that Detroit is a violent-hell-hole-of-crime-and-murders.  Jimmy Kimmel be damned!

So instead of facing the icy stare of some thug trying to steal their Rolex, these sports legends instead faced the icy stare of Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, or Jen Harman trying to steal a pot.

The Palms isn't the only place to get your poker fix during all of the Super Bowl ballyhoo (or hullaballoo, if you prefer).

Wicked Chops fave Bodog.com will be hosting its Lingerie Bowl III at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  You can order by pay-per-view and witness, as only Bodog could put it, "...what promises to be the greatest sporting spectacle played in female undergarments..."  Beauts like Willa Ford (top left) and Cindy Hemme (right) are among the combatants.

And if you really just don't care about the Seahawks and Steelers match-up, or you can't get enough of Vince Van Patten, the Travel Channel will be running a WPT marathon so you can get your poker/Van Patten fix. 

Hooters Opens Casino in Vegas - Company Personifies All That is Great About America

Thursday night, Hooters officially opened its casino and hotel in Las Vegas. Horny single men and athletes looking to impregnate beautiful buxom redneck woman around the world rejoiced.

We kid.  We love Hooters. 

Hooters is all that's great about America.

Located just off the Strip and across from the MGM, the too-corny-to-be-true 696-room property was revamped from the old San Remo hotel and casino.  Unlike the average breast size of its female employees, the 696 room hotel is actually much smaller compared to its competitors.  For comparison's sake, Hooters has roughly 4,300 less rooms than the MGM.

This is fine though, because the real story here is the ever growing Hooters empire.  In a testament to all that is great about America, Hooters, based right here in Atlanta, was started by six fun-loving businessmen, with no experience in the restaurant industry. The first joint opened in Clearwater, FL (so appropriate) with just some girls in orange shorts, lousy chicken wings, an owl logo, and some big breastseses.

Since then, Hooters has grown from A-cup to D-cup proportions, now with 375 restaurants, a magazine, an airline, and a casino with a poker room.

As Yakov Smirnoff would say, "I love this country."

Wicked Chops Poker just missed the grand opening while in Vegas a few weeks ago, but it will certainly be on the docket during our next Sin City trip.  If any of our Vegas readers have been, please let us know what you think.  We're hoping there's plenty of girls like what you'll find at the jump to keep your mind off of all the money the house is plucking from your wallet.  Which is fine. Because if any company in the country deserves your money, its Hooters.

Phil Hellmuth Is The New Paris Hilton

It used to be that if you had something to promote, you'd hold an event, roll out the red carpet, invite Paris Hilton and call the media. Then the Supreme Sultana of Skank would expose all the goods her momma gave her while getting out of a limo or walking into a club, and even though the entire world has already been publicly privy to her private parts many times before (as well as her mom's), somehow they still appeal to the prurient interests of middle America as well as all the women out there who are eager to join her ever growing harem of Hilton hussies. And somehow, her showing her "stuff" causes people to go out and buy the watch she was wearing or go to the club she was visiting or don the perfume with her name on it or watch the reality show she starred in.

Well, now it looks like Ms. Hilton has some competition in the shameless hustler department, and he goes by the name Phil Hellmuth.

And while thankfully the 9-time world champ and national heads-up winner hasn't been showing his "stuff," he has been seen everywhere lately as he ponders numerous ventures including a poker fantasy camp called Camp Hellmuth, a London-based reality show and a U.S.-based reality show, the "Phil Hellmuth" clothing line to be sold in Wal-Mart, a kid's clothing line not surprisingly called "Poker Brat", a stake in CardPlayer magazine, "Phil Hellmuth" sunglasses and cell phone games, his new poker blog, and finally, a movie about his life called "The Madison Kid" that may or may not star Kid Vader himself, Hayden Christiansen (who may or may not be dating Sienna Miller, who was once seen chumming with Doyle's poker playing bud Leo DiCaprio as well as snogging the poker playing new Bond but she still has nothing to do with poker but we keep mentioning her anyway because she's hot, apparently doesn't hate poker and seems pretty easy).

SEC Subpoenas Brunson's Webmaster

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a subpoena for Doyle Brunson employee Wallace Nakano. Nakano ran doylesroom.com when poker legend Doyle Brunson posted his unsolicited, $700-million bid to buy WPT Enterprises Inc. on the site.

According the the LA Times, Nakano's lawyer, Leonard Sharenow, doesn't think his client has any information to share on the matter. Says Sharenow, "It's my understanding that he doesn't have information relating to this offer. I've communicated that to [the SEC]. I don't understand why they're so insistent on him testifying."

The day after Brunson's announcement, which was for twice the market value of the WPT at the time, WPT shares rose to $29.50, up 66% from the previous day's close.  Shares fell 12% the next day.

The TOKE: WPT Attracting More Attractive Viewers, Q'4 Rev for 888 is Great, + No Indian Poker for You

:: WPT to air programming to lots of beautiful people.  In what has been an active week for the WPT, the beloved poker behemoth has announced that it will now air its popular poker programming to some of the world’s most attractive populations, including Brazil, Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, and Chops’ personal fave, Iceland.  So if an influx of beautiful foreign women flood the tournament circuit, Wicked Chops Poker and the rest of the poker world has this message for you, WPT: “God bless you.  Bless you indeed.”  Poker News

::  It appears as if this online poker thing is still huge across the board and John Anderson will not be discussing his penis size.  888, owner of Pacific Poker and other entitities, announced that Q’4 2k5 revenue was up 22% from Q’3 2k5.  Even more impressive, Q’4 revenue was up 138% from the same period last year.  According to Chief Operating Office, John Anderson, 888 will be looking to buy a sports betting operation this year to go along with its online poker and casino holdings.  Also according to Chief Operating Officer John Anderson, he will not be discussing the size of his penis.  In responding to rival PartyGaming’s claims that they will soon dominate the online casino marketplace, Anderson said, "I don't go around saying mine's the biggest."  How his penis size relates to the online casino marketplace escapes Wicked Chops Poker, but if you were hoping to learn more about Chief Operating Officer John Anderson’s penis size, he will not be discussing how big his penis is.  You will have to go elsewhere to learn about the size of Chief Operating Officer John Anderson’s penis.  Penis.  Reuters

:: Please, just smoke a peace pipe so we can play live poker kind of near us.  In a follow-up to our post last week on live poker being allowed at Harrah's Cherokee Casino, well, it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen.  Of course, would you expect anything less from the Carolinas?  Carolina officials probably sent a bag filled with small pox to Cherokee representatives as their way of breaking the bad news.  Sometimes you just gotta say, "Enough is enough."  Let the Cherokees have their way with this one.  Come on.  WWAY

Grinder Wins Second WPT Title

Cementing his status as one of the world's best tournament players, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi won his second WPT in the span of a year by taking the Borgata Winter Open.

Like Grinder's previous win at the LA Poker Classic last year, he found himself up against Erick Lindgren at the final table.  Lindgren had Grinder on the verge of elimination when play was four-handed, as Grinder was all-in with pocket 4's vs. Lindgren's A-Q.  When a Queen hit on the flop, Mizrachi was on the ropes, but was bailed out when he spiked a 4 on the river.

Lindgren was eliminated soon thereafter by John D'Agostino.  Grinder got on a roll, taking a few big pots off D'Agostino, then won it by hitting two-pair on the final hand.

For the win, Grinder pockets $1,173,373.  D'Agostino banks $591,312.  Here's the rest of the final table breakdown: 3) Erick Lindgren - $282,721, 4) Amnon Filippi $184,785, 5) Josh Spiegelman $147,828, 6) Stuart Patterson $110,871.

Lindgren, Grinder, D'Agostino Lead WPT Borgata Final Table

Another 2006 major event, another group of big name pros filling out the final table.

The WPT Borgata Winter Open has four of today's most respected tournament players (with three WPT titles among them) vying for the title.  Leading the way is two-time WPT winner Erick Lindgren.  Erick is stacked at 2,635,000. 

In second is the man, the machine, the legend, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.  The Grinder won his WPT title at the LA Poker Classic in February last year.  He's sitting with 2,040,000.

Josh Spiegelman, who has no WPT titles or major event cashes to speak of, is third with 1,635,000.  He's followed by John D'Agostino.  D'Agostino always seems to show up for the AC events, and sits with 1,340,000.

Stuart Patterson is the fifth largest stack with 1,060,000.  This is Stuart's first major event cashing as well.  And the short-stack at the final table is 2005 Bellagio Challenge Cup winner Amnon Filippi with 820,000.  Filippi has 16 tournament cashes in his career and over half-a-million in tournament earnings.

Check out Tao of Poker for live final table blogging.