Poker News that You Can't Blame the Editing On

:: Libertarian Nick Gillespie wants to puke after reading what pro-gambling Harvard professor Charles Nesson had to say in a recent article. [Reason.com] :: Our favorite top-dropper Keeley Hazell drops the top once more, this time looking sin-sationally hot in Maxim Ukraine. [Flisted.com] (NSFW) :: The WSOP Circuit event in Indiana starts today!!! [BluffMagazine.com] :: Wow, look! Another Brazilian super model with a perfectly flawless body. [DoubleViking.com] :: Somehow Daniel "Gomez" Schleben, who just got nabbed for being a big time coke dealer, is "a champion poker player" after finishing 336th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event. [Knoxnews.com] :: We still like the photos Jody Palmer took of herself in her bathroom but her new Maxim Hometown Hotties shots are worth the look. [Maximonline.com] :: The WSOP Circuit event in Indiana starts today!!! [PokerListings.com] :: When Aussie hottie Lynda Hancock and her girlfriends have a poker night, it ends up with them half naked in a spa together. Yep, we even read the article. [Bastardly.com]

Dan Druff's Rebuttal to Mark Seif on RawVegas.tv

Todd Witteles, otherwise known as Dan Druff from NeverwinPoker.com is pissed. In our last episode of Wicked Chops Poker’s "The Toke", Mark Seif had some choice words for Dan. Now Detective Druff is in studio to defend himself and give his stance on the Absolute Poker Super-User Account scandal.

Watch Dan Druff's video rebuttal below or at RawVegas.tv

Denise Pernula Showing Sexy Halloween Costumes Makes for a Good Post

While we wait for Dan Druff's response to Mark Seif's vid on RawVegas.tv later this morning, now is a good time for 2007 November Playboy model Denise Pernula to remind what Halloween is all about. Yes, we know what you're thinking, but no, Halloween is not about the Great Pumpkin or candy corn or stupid kids cutting holes in a sheet to dress as ghosts or how many drive by eggings we did while in high school (497ish).

Instead, Halloween has somehow [miraculously] evolved into the one day a year where girls having a foolproof excuse to dress as slutty as they want...truly making it America's greatest holiday. Hopefully all of your girlfriends/fiances/wives/friend's girlfriends/friend's fiances/friends wives/sisters/co-workers look as good as Denise does in these outfits.

Happy Halloween...

Jonathan Little Big Stacked, Guns for Second WPT Title This Year

With Day 3 wrapped and only 18 remaining, Jonathan Little has taken over the chip lead at the WPT North American Championship. Little is stacked at 1,576,000.

Little won the Mirage Poker Showdown in May of this year, beating an impressive final table that included Phil Ivey, Cory Carroll, Amnon Filippi, and Darrell "Deep" Dicken.

Little is trailed by David Cloutier, who has 1,340,000. Other notables remaining include Barry Greenstein (612,000), the intense stare of Scott Clements (190,000), and Dale Pinchot (263,000).

Jean-Robert Bellande was knocked out in 39th place, cashing $19,453. Watch Kimberly Lansing feign interest in what he had to say about yesterday's action in the below vid.

Get full chip counts and payouts here.

Heads Up: Neverwin Poker's Dan Druff to Respond to Mark Seif on RawVegas.tv, And Other Updates

Neverwin Poker's Dan Druff (at right) is set to respond to Mark Seif on RawVegas.tv on Wednesday around 9am EST. Click here around 9am to watch the video, or come back to WCP for the embedded version.

In case you missed AJ Green's potripper.com site launch, click here.

Earlier today, Seif blogged about his interview on RawVegas.tv, clarifying some key points. Read that post here. Watch his RawVegas.tv interview here.

For the top 10 topless movie scenes of all-time, a list that features poker player Shannon Elizabeth, click here.

Breaking: AJ Green Launches Website to Clear His Name

The dirty rotten scoundrel behind the Absolute Poker cheating scandal, AJ Green has reportedly resurfaced in Canada and launched a website to help clear his name.

On the site, which is not-so-ironically named Potripper.com, Green dances around the allegations leveled against him but does say that he wants to "make you understand" why he did what he did.

See what Green has to say at www.Potripper.com.

Developing...

Poker News and Girls Your Mom Would Be Proud Of

:: Big gamer Barry Greenstein is predicting Congress will pass legislation contrary to the UIGEA in less than 6 months. Wonder if he's taking bets on that. [PokerNews.com] :: British sex pistol Vikki Blows is freaky hot in her 2008 calendar pics. [NS4W.org] (NSFW) :: The EPT Dublin kicked off today with UK poker pro Roland de Wolfe looking to defend his title. [PokerListings.com] :: Media whore and whore whore Kim Kardashian classes up a bit in the latest issue of Playboy, in that none of the photos show her getting banged by some dude. [Celebslam] :: Las Vegas Sun business writer Jeff Simspon ain't too happy with the last two WSOP champs and he doesn't think Harrah's is either. Join the crowd. [Las Vegas Sun] :: Are we smoking crack if we think Lucy Pinder's face kind of looks like Riki Lake or are we just smoking crack because we're looking at her face in these photos from Ralph Magazine? [Egotastic.com] :: Shay Laren is a dirty little exhibitionist who likes to do the Jenny Woo on camera. These pics are as clean as they come. Give 'em a look then google away. [HollywoodTuna.com] Our "Hottest Girl in Poker search is heating up with Lacey Jones way out in front and Brandi Hawbaker a surprise second based on your emails and comments. Got a favorite? Did we miss someone in our post? Chime in here.

Jean-Robert Bellande Has Up and Down Day at WPT North American Poker Championship

Like a roller coaster or some other metaphor that symbolizes having an up and down day, Jean-Robert Bellande, that kind of obnoxious poker player with the French sounding name who is on Survivor: China right now, had a roller coaster day.

Starting Day 2A as chip leader with over 200k, Bellande's stack diminished down to around 60k. He eventually rebounded back to 214k by day's end. We're pretty sure something got cracked or someone called his bluff or sucked out on him for that swing to have happened. Whatever.

Bellande trials chip leader Kofi Farkye, who is stacked at 404,900. Second overall is Joe Cassidy with 330,500.

Of the 79 remaining, notable names include Dale Pinchot (255,000), Lee Markholt Jr. (239,100), Scott Freeman (215,000), star of Meerkat Manor Jeff Madsen (213,200), Scott Clements who will fucking kill you (205,900), Nordberg! (175,500), Bill Edler (167,800), David Singer (148,500), Jonathan Little (143,900), the spectacularly-breasted JC Tran (at right, 142,200), Allen Cunningham (131,800), Nick Schulman (128,200), Tuan Lam (108,300), Jen McCarten, a woman (99,700), and Barry Greenstein (67,900).

Get full chip counts here.

* Photo Source: LaylaKayleigh.com

Patrice Hollis and Denise Pernula Make Us Aware of their Breasts

Cheap thrills and public service information abound in the below video featuring Playboy Playmate Patrice Hollis (Miss September 2007) and RawVegas.tv's Denise Pernula, who you can see in the November issue of Playboy. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the two girls meet poolside in Las Vegas to demonstrate how to give breast self-exams, or from a guy's viewpoint, feel them tig ole bitties up in a hot tub.

Did we mention cheap thrills?

Patrice Hollis and Denise Pernula breast exam tutorial

For another of our favorite instructional videos, be sure to check out Jenny Woo Wants You To Have a Better Sex Life.

Surprise! Absolute Poker Screwed PR Firm Out of $43,000

The New York Times, which is like the Gambling911.com of everyday news, except not as respectable (in the reporters with nice boobs department), did a story today on a PR firm that's reportedly owed $43,000 by Absolute Poker for services rendered in connection with a college tuition promotion that ran a few years ago (not to be confused with the "Intern for AP, Get Herpes" campaign.

The firm, Publicity Guaranteed, charges for each article it successfully pitches and after Absolute failed to pay in full, it took the online poker site to court. It also recently sent out a statement to about 100 newspapers, detailing Absolute's failure to pay.

Commenting on the public shaming, Nat Kurok of Publicity Guaranteed said, "We're just saying we're someone else that got shortchanged by Absolute Poker, and this should be public knowledge."

According to the article, an Absolute Poker executive named Paul Leggett promised he would call back with a comment but did not.

Check out the NY Times piece here.

In news just as shocking as the above, Paris Hilton once again looked like a stupid ho for Halloween.

Photo above of Absolute Poker spokesmodel Serinda Swan because we couldn't find a photo of Absolute Poker spokesman Paul Leggett posing provocatively in lingerie.

D'Amato Sees WTO Claims as Wild Card in Internet Gambling Fight

The chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, Al D'Amato, told the New York Post that the U.S. looks "like the ugly American" in the way its handled its WTO treaty obligations and that massive compensation claims by US allies may strengthen lobbying efforts to overturn the prohibition of Internet gambling.

"In a matter of months, you're going to see billions of dollars in trade sanctions coming down against the United States," the former US Senator told The Post.

"Then, I believe we will start to have a profoundly new and different group lobbying, saying you've got to stop this prohibition [on Internet gambling]," he said. "We look like the ugly American."

The WTO ruled last December that it was illegal for the US to target Internet gambling without applying the same rules to US-based operators of remote betting on horse and dog racing. After the ruling, Washington declared it would remove Internet gambling from its WTO treaty obligations, which pissed off our allies and resulted in billions of dollars worth of compensation claims filed against the US by Japan, Australia, Canada, the European Union, India, Antigua, Macau and Costa Rica.

In related news, if you missed Howard Lederer and some lady who needs a good bangin' on CNBC talking about Internet poker, watch the video after the jump below or here.

Source article: New York Post - Poker Faces Weak Hand

Photo of Bar Rafaeli from this year's SI Swimsuit issue for reasons that have nothing to do with any of the above.

Jean-Robert Bellande, That Kind of Obnoxious Poker Player with the French Sounding Name Who Is On Survivor, Leads WPT North American Poker Championship

If we had been watching Survivor: China, we'd be very aware of the fact that poker player Jean-Robert (pronounced Roe-bear, so gay) Bellande was doing what he seems to do best: annoy people.

But unfortunately we lost all interest in Survivor like six years ago, and lost even more interest recently when Survivor's first pick for a poker player, Daniel Negreanu, decided against it, and then lost even more interest because this anorexic Courtney chick keeps popping up in all of the scenes this season. Skinny chicks are cool. Super-skinny chicks are creepy as hell. It's like, she had a good idea, "Hey, I want to be skinny," but then she took it too far. She needs to refocus her efforts on more productive obsessions, like blowjobs.

Anyway, according to the WPT tourney reports (on the excellently redone WPT website), Bellande has been regaling his table with his Survivor exploits during the WPT North American Poker Championship. Says Bellande:

"Every girl in camp was annoyed with me and I didn't care."

This remains consistent with what we read on a Surivivor episode recap:

Arriving at the private retreat, Fei Long squeals with excitement as tea and snacks are laid before them. Immersing their exhausted bodies into steaming bathtubs of clean water, Courtney is careful to distance herself from Jean-Robert in order to fully enjoy her break from the game. "He took the [tub] on the far end; I took the [tub] on the other far end. Every single part of me wants to see Jean-Robert go. I just don’t like him, he’s a horrible person."

So he may be horrible, annoying, and have a French-sounding name, but he's riding high as Day 1C and overall chip leader, stacked just above 200,000.

Play resume tomorrow at noon EST, when Day 1A "Survivors" (led by Jonathan Little at 164,000) and Day 1B "Survivors" (led by Marc Karam at 126,200) all come together.

Get full chip counts here.

Friday Night Parting Shot: Grace Park

When we discover a girl like the blazingly hot Grace Park for the first time it makes us feel like Amerigo Vespucci or something, discovering a new land, if google searches for "hot Asian chick in lingerie" is anything like that. Born in LA, Park is of Korean descent and grew up mostly in Vancouver, a city in Canada surprisingly without igloos but chock full of girls who look exactly like Park. We like Vancouver. If you know Park it's likely from the show "Battlestar Gallactica" or if you saw a beaver today, from the teen soap "Edgemont." Or maybe you saw the movie Romeo Must Die and recall the scene in the club where the two hot girls kiss each other and the one on the right pulls down the other's top. That's Park. The photos below (click to enlarge) are from a photo shoot Park did a few years ago for Maxim, a video of which you can view here. One more photo of Grace Park after the jump.

Mark Seif on Absolute Poker Scandal: "I Had Nothing To Do With This"

For this week's websiode of "The Toke," Absolute Poker pro Mark Seif talks about the super-user account scandal at AP and attempts to clear the air about his involvement while addressing accusations leveled against him. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner shares how he initially heard about the scam and gives his take on AJ Green, the creepy looking kid reportedly behind the insider cheating scam. Seif also says that what happened could also happen at PokerStars.com or Full Tilt. Later in the video, Seif addresses accusations that he himself cheated during a session back in 2006 and takes shots specifically at DanDruff, co-owner of NeverwinPoker.com, for "fanning the flames."

Watch the full Mark Seif video below or at RawVegas.tv here.

Software Flaw Led to Abuse by Absolute Poker Official, Lacey Jones is the Front-Runner

Gambling911.com is reporting that a known flaw in Absolute Poker's recent software update was used by at least one high ranking official to his advantage. Or maybe it was her advantage. Neh, chicks don't cheat people for money. They get fake boobs and hair extensions instead. Sure, some may say that's cheating too but we see it differently. Not sure how, but we do.

Anyway, according to G911: "While the abuse has been well documented, reports of how key individuals came to take advantage of key flaws remain a mystery until now."

Read how, more or less, here.

Meanwhile, Wicked Chops Poker is reporting that former Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones (in photo above) is by all accounts the front-runner in our hottest girl in poker search. Some may accuse us of favoritism because Lacey is our favorite and when we say favorite we mean she's the girl who knows all of our dirty little secrets, ones that could send us to prison and we can't go to prison. We're way too pretty for prison.

Keep emailing in and/or posting your picks for hottest girls in poker. Think outside the box, so to speak.

Heads-Up: Mark Seif Video Interview Coming this Afternoon

Mark Seif stopped by the RawVegas.tv studios yesterday (we love those guys) to chat about the Absolute Poker insider cheating scandal, and among the topics discussed include:

- Meeting AJ Green and his impressions of the most hated man in online poker
- How he found out about the scandal and how he feels about the way Absolute's handled the situaton so far
- His response to the accusations of cheating leveled against him on the forums
- NWP's Todd "Dan Druff" Witteles and why he may sue him

Full video interview to be posted here at Wicked Chops Poker and RawVegas.tv this afternoon.

Until then, watch this related video of booth babes at the WSOP talking about "suck outs". Come to think of it, the video has nothing to do with the Mark Seif interview. But neither does this photo of Grace Park and that shouldn't stop you from looking. At least it didn't stop us and we're frickin' role models.

Nina Moric Videos Make for a Good Post

Rather than write something about all the good press the PPA got with its lobbying trip to DC we thought we'd go instead with a video of that hot Croatian chick we posted about the other day, Nina Moric. We really don't know much about her except for the fact that she's gorgeous and has been blessed with the same perfect backside as Elena Santarelli and Melissa Satta and that's kinda where our minds are right now. And by kinda we mean exactly.

If Nina's anything like the freaky Croatian models we met in Vegas awhile back, you should try to track her down. We would but the current/first wives frown on us covering hot foreign models with oil and tossing hundreds at them. No fun those wives of ours.

If you must, links to some recent PPA lobbying stories here and here but not here.

If we must, another video of Nina Moric after the jump.

Vanessa Rousso Ruins a Good Argument

Vanessa Rousso is kind of hot, which is the first prerequisite in our reasons on "why you should listen to what a girl has to say." Other reasons include (in descending order of importance): big boobs, morally casual attitude, mother, because they are smart.

From what we can tell, Vanessa Rousso (at right on the left) is also smart as hell (she was her high school valedvictorian valedictorian and graduated early from Duke, which we're not 100% sure but think is where she went to college), which means she fits at least two of our five criteria. We're not good at math, but that sounds like enough reasons for us to listen to her.

The PPA is in Washington D.C. again lobbying for a carve-out from the UIGEA, and Rousso was there to tell everyone why online poker should be legalized in U.S. America. Says Rousso:

"It's hard sometimes to be a girl and sit down at a live table. Women can start playing [online] with a level of anonymity. They're not singled out as the only woman on the table; they can just practice poker, which is what it's all supposed to be about."

And single-handedly, just like that, Rousso convinced Congress to make online poker legal for us all!

Source: Chicago Tribune.

Wicked Chops Poker and RawVegas.tv Looking For The Hottest Girls in Poker

Ok, it's time to take a break from all this AP drama and scamming and get to the really important issue in the poker world. It's been debated on the best poker forums and blogs for years. It's importance has been paralled to that of "how did the universe begin" and "how many beers can I drink and still be under the legal driving limit?" Who is the best looking girl in poker? It's time to make it somewhat official. So Wicked Chops Poker (through our show on RawVegas.tv, The TOKE), is looking for the answer. Here are what we feel are some pretty simple criteria: 1) The girl must have a cash in a major event (WSOP bracelet tourney, WPT, NBC National Heads-Up, etc.), 2) The girl must be hot, and 3) The girl must be hot. So while these criteria eliminate some of our faves like like Kimberly Lansing, Layla Kayleigh, and shit, even Joanna Krupa, you've still got plenty of good options. For a sport filled with as many fug dudes as poker does, we actually do have a bounty of babes who know how to treat a big stack. From classics like Clonie to Hollywood carpetbaggers like Elizabeth and Tilly, to online hotties like Jennicide, crazy/hots like Brandi, strip poker sultrusses like Erica, and FOWCP stunners like Lacey, Michele, and (on sponsor's exemption) Dee. And we haven't even gotten to Evy, Carmel,Liz or Vanessa from Duke yet. All you need to do is send your submissions (up to 5 choices) to [email protected] or comment on them below. We'll pull the list of winners and present them on The TOKE in a couple of weeks. Maybe even come up with some sort of award. Why not?

The Pwning Continues

If there's one thing we've learned from this whole Justin Smith Saga, it's never loan Justin Smith money that you can be sued for blasphemy tooken is a new word we should all use never take money from Micon and not pay him back.

Actually, unstrike the "never loan Justin Smith money" one. That one still holds.

Micon continues his warpath with his latest recorded phone call, this time urging Smith to tell his tale on RawVegas.tv.

We contacted RawVegas.tv (it wasn't difficult) to see when the Smith interview would take place. Said our well-placed source: "We called the guy, but [Smith] refused to go on camera to tell his side. Guess we'll save our resources to film more hot girls giving each other lap dances or partying in bikinis on Lake Mead and shit. Oh well."

Is the "Saga" coming to an end? Just like that song from Asia, only time will tell...

Listen to Micon's call here. Watch Micon's TOKE again here.

* Photo from Card Player.

Absolute Poker Scandal: New Statement Released, Nothing New Said

Absolute Poker just released a new statement about the super-user account scam through its Costa Rican neighbor PocketFives and Nat Arem on 2p2 that basically says exactly what its old statement said.

The gist is that Absolute was a victim, the perp was a "consultant," Absolute responded "immediately" every step of the way (are "stonewall" and "listlessly" synonyms of immediately?), and the problem's been resolved and people will get their money back.

Ironically, it doesn't claim unicorns are real.

No name appears to be attached to the statement but our guess is it's from the guy in the image to the right.

Read the new Absolute statement after the jump.

Melissa Satta and Elena Santarelli in a Video Together Makes for a Good Post

We've always thought Italian women to be among the most beautiful in the world, or at least they are up until the cannolis and cigarettes finally get the best of 'em, and right now two of the hottest are Elena Santarelli and Melissa Satta. If you recall Elena and Melissa graced one of our posts yesterday (the two doing the look-from-behind pose) and like Christmas come early, today they appear in a video together.

As a bonus, after the jump is a video from Melissa's day gig on the Italian TV show "Striscia la notizia." The girl has talent.

WTF Baby! Scotty Nguyen Pimping Absolute Poker at US PokerBowl

Looking over at CardPlayer's coverage of the inaugural US PokerBowl, we couldn't help but notice the photo of Scotty Nguyen decked out in an Absolute Poker cap. Anyone know how to say "super-user account scam" in Vietnamese? If so, get with the former World Champ who we last saw pimping Full Tilt Poker at the 2007 WSOP.

Oh wait, we see that Scotty was playing on Team Detroit Absolute Nuts along with fellow Absolute Nutters Mark Seif, Kenna James, Kathy Liebert, Nick Brancato and Nickelback fan Rick Fuller. The embattled poker site run by cheaters for who knows how long, allegedly, must have been the team sponsor.

The Absolute Nuts. Frickin' hate the poker world sometimes.

In related news, the US Poker Bowl concluded, one of the teams won and we're pretty sure no one cares. Maybe it will play better on television when it eventually airs on Fox Sports. Kind of like the "So You Think You Can Porn" reality show we're working on.

Get results from the US PokerBowl here.

Learn how to master the swipe in Scotty Nguyen's break dancing tutorial here.

Photo of Scotty Nguyen from CardPlayer.com

Absolute Poker Paying Super-User Sleuth to Visit HQ in Costa Rica

In what may be a really good/bad idea, one of the sleuths who first broke open the Absolute Poker super-user account scandal, Nat Arem (in photo), has accepted an invitation by Absolute to visit the company's heaquarters in Costa Rica in an attempt to gain further insight into the insider cheating scam that hasn't so much rocked the online poker world as it has merely fueled forum fodder for the past few weeks with zero effect on the poker site's bottom line.

In a post on 2p2, the 25-year-old Arem, who many know as the founder of thepokerdb.com and who has a small stake in Bluff Media, makes it known up front that he is receiving compensation from Absolute Poker. How much, he isn't saying yet.

While most seem hopeful that Arem's visit will shed light on the actions of AJ Green, Scott Tom and his Absolute frat tards, many question what can really be gained from a paid trip by Absolute taking place on its own turf with everyone putting on their best face. No doubt this is more of a paid public relations ploy than anything in attempt to win back the trust of the online poker community by winning over one of the guy's speaking for that community.

When asked himself what he is hoping to accomplish in Costa Rica, Arem stated:

I'm hoping to bring back a detailed report for online poker communities explaining my thoughts on the cheating that went on (they have promised to show me details of how it happened), the current management, the effectiveness of the audit, etc.

Arem also states that he plans plan on offering Absolute "a fair amount of advice" on how it should handle the situation from here on out, which, considering they plan on compensating him, sounds a bit like a paid consultant gig to us.

Last we checked the forums, Arem, a stand-up guy who's worked endlessly on uncovering this scandal for absolutely no money, seems to be reconsidering his plans to go to Costa Rica on Absolute's dime. Keep track of the latest in the 2p2 thread here.

UPDATE: Arem just posted on 2p2 saying "FWIW, I am not going anymore on AP's dime" and states that he's most worried about the appearance of being compromised if paid by Absolute. Read about here (scroll down).

Nat Arem's personal blog here.

Poker News that Sandwiches Two Hot Chicks Doing the Look from Behind with Two on their Knees

:: Danish poker pro Soren Kongsgaard didn't have a comcastic finish to Full Tilt's Sunday $1 Mil Guaranteed after his internet connection froze while heads-up against Bluff Magazine's Chris Vaughn (aka BluffMagCV). [PokerListings.com] :: Petra Nemcova, who once mysteriously dated a midget pop singer, is back doing what she does best. [Popoholic.com] :: The French don't just annoy the crap out of us, they're also pissing off the European Commission for arresting Petter Nylander, the CEO of online gambling site Unibet, for breaking 19th century gambling laws. [The Times] :: Italian goddess Elena Santarelli and her calendar have made this a very good year so far. [Republicca.it] :: A writer not just a fighter, Calvin Ayre followed up his MMA challenge to 1st Tech's Scott Lewis with another blog post. [Calvin Ayre's blog] :: Sticking with the Italian theme, the sin-a-liciously hot Melissa Satta is now officially our favorite bella from the boot. [DoubleViking.com] :: The PPA's lobbying efforts in Washington DC this week are making headlines, if not changes to the UIGEA. [USA Today] :: Swimsuit model Pania Rose is the Gisele Bundchen of Australia, with the added bonus of a pretty face. [HornyOyster.com]

High Stakes Golf: The Sheiky Love Fest Continues

RawVegas.tv's "High Stakes Golf" (aka "The Bash Shawn Sheikhan Show") continues with its latest webisode titled "Hole 15" which we hear took place on the 15th hole.

This week Gavin Smith, Daniel Negreanu and others continue to do what they have done every week, rail into Sheiky for being such a shit. We almost feel bad for Sheiky, except he's such a shit.

Watch the webisode below or head over to RawVegas.tv to view. Also new at RawVegas.tv is a red carpet interview with a confusingly looking-like-crap and wearing-too-much-clothes Carmen Electra and another interview with flame-ous blogger Perez Hilton, which is only worth viewing 'cause the nectarously hot Andrea Tiede is doing the interview. Watch those videos here and here.

Absolute Shocker: Did AJ Green et al. Scam $7 Mil with Super User Account?

Online gaming portal Point-Spreads.com is reporting tonight that it has well-placed sources in Costa Rica who are claiming that the Absolute Poker super-user account scam has been going on much, much longer and involves much, much more money than previously thought:

"[T]he scam has been going on for three years and the actual amount that was skimmed from online poker players is estimated at close to $7 million, not the 700k amount that was previously reported. The actual amount is still unknown as an internal audit is underway.

A former employee of Absolute Poker confirmed to Point-Spreads.com that the security department at AP suspected something years ago and we're told it was just the owners testing out the system and to forget about it."

Their sources are also saying what most already believed to be true, that it was Scott Tom who was observing tables using the super-user account while AJ Green (seen in photo with Gambling911's Jenny Woo and her breasts) played as Potripper.

The story goes on to say that the plane carrying Scott Tom, his pregnant wife Gilda Cortés, Oscar Hilt Tatum IV (Absolute's director of CS) and Tatum's wife Sarah Bennet that crashed on the runway in Costa Rica this past September was rumored to have also been carrying a cargo of $2-3 million in cash. How anyone would know that, besides the Toms and Tatums, beats us.

Finally, sources in Costa Rica confirm what we've been hearing more and more from our sources, that AJ Green was a divisive personality, or put another way, a total shit-head.

Read the entire Points-Spread.com piece here.

This post written while an Absolute Poker television commercial runs on ESPN during the WSOP broadcast.

Poker Players Alliance Heads to Washington Tomorrow

The Poker Players Alliance, the online poker lobbying group chaired by former US Senator Alfonse D'Amato (at right), is flying in 100 of its members to Washington DC tomorrow to lobby lawmakers for a poker carve-out from the UIGEA.

According to an AP article that hit the wires this afternoon, among the players who will be there is Chris Moneymaker. While we figured he's going because no one picked the 2003 World Champion for their US Poker Bowl team, the truth is Moneymaker is still the most recognizable name in poker outside the poker world and will serve well for handshakes and photo opps with the elected shysters in our Nation's Capital.

Other pros set to be there include Andy Bloch, Chad Brown, Barry Greenstein, Victor Ramdin, Howard Lederer and Vanessa Rousso, a woman.

Sounds like a party.

Notably, Harvard Law Professor Charles Neeson of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society is expected to speak at one of the scheduled policy forums.

Find out more about the events scheduled by the PPA in Washington here.

For the very latest on how Jennica St. Foxx's racial slur may end her porn career, go here.

Bryan Micon Talks About Justin Smith Swindle, Needs a Shower

While the Absolute Poker insider cheating scandal has been the biggest story to ever hit 2+2, with endless threads active day and night and no end in sight, over at NeverwinPoker.com it's been the story of Bryan Micon getting rolled for 12 dimes by a guy named Justin Smith that has had the forum degenerates chatting ad nauseam.

For the latest webisode of "The Toke with Wicked Chops Poker", Micon stopped by the RawVegas.tv studio in Las Vegas to talk on camera about how Smith, a purported resident of Beverly Hills, purported celebrity schmoozer and purported heir to the Chase fortune, rolled him for $12k and others, including oil heir fattie Jason Davis, for much more. For those who have been missing out on the fun over at NWP, the video is the Reader's Digest version on how Micon has turned the "fuck you machine" on to try to get his money back. For those who already know the story, it's a video of Micon. Hilarity ensues, whether you're laughing with him or at him.

Bryan Micon-Justin Smith video.

Poker News that Has Absolutely Nothing to Do with Absolute Poker Scandal

:: The inaugural US Poker Bowl featuring a bunch of pros representing a bunch of teams in a bunch of conferences playing a bunch of tournaments is underway at the Palms in Las Vegas. Someone dumb this down for us. [CardPlayer.com] :: Emily Scott, the Keeley Hazell of Australia, has very talented boobs. [Maxim UK] (NSFW and worth the sign up) :: Some well-known but maybe not well-liked US American poker players are crossing the pond to play in the Great British Poker Tour. [PokerListings.com] :: If there's one thing we learned from all of our Adriatic yachting excursions, Croatian woman are great lovers, if you pay them enough, and Nina Moric would be worth every damn kuna. [DoubleViking.com] :: The Duchess, owned by Jason Flemyng from the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, is just one of the pubs taking part in the Ladbrokes Poker Pub series. [UK PokerNews.com] :: Hey look! It's that hot Croatian Nina Moric again. This time even hotter. [Maxim UK] :: We're fans of shyster and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, and not just because he wants to bomb the fuck out of the Ayatollahs. We also like him because he think it's ridiculous to call either poker or sports betting a game of chance. [Boston Herald] :: If you've ever wonder what Keeley Hazell looked like covered head to toe in clothes, you're dumb. But here you go. [RateThisHottie.com] :: Giving credit where credit is due, MySpace "Friends" whore Tila Tequila has yet to enter the world of midget porn as we expected and is instead bidding for online gaming domination with her own online casino and poker site. Maybe she can hire AJ Green to manage her operations. [TilaCasino.com] :: We'll have to remember Casey Batchelor the next time we do a JC Tran has spectular breasts post. [HornyOyster.com]

Absolute Poker Changes Story Again, Digs Deeper Hole, AJ Green Implicated

So maybe unicorns aren't real. Absolute Poker has finally released an official statement on the insider cheating scandal that has rocked the online poker world this past week, and not surprisingly, no one is buying it.

On deck to deliver the Absolute bs word this time is Joe Norton (photo at right), an ex Grand Chief of the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and owner of Tokwiro Enterprises, which holds a 100% interest in Absolute Poker.

While the statement (which you can read in its entirety after the jump) consists mostly of a bunch of empty words written by lawyers and spinsters that gloss over many of the glaring questions raised over the past month, we do learn that Absolute Poker is changing its "geek employee trying to prove a point to senior management" story and is now going with "a high-ranking trusted consultant whose position gave him extraordinary access to certain security systems."

So who be that?

Well Nat Arem and Serge Ravitch, two of the online poker players who've dedicated a ridiculous amount of time to uncovering the truth in the AP case and who should be hired by another online site and paid ridiculous amounts of money as security consultants, are suggesting on 2+2 that AJ Green is the man at the center of the cheating scandal. If you recall, Green is reportedly Potripper and Scott Tom's best friend. He was formerly the VP of operations at Absolute, was ousted and was a manager at Nine.com BUT, and that's a BIG BUTT, according to Arem, Green has in fact been "running daily operations at AP" and is actually the guy who was sending out and approving the early AP statments on the scandal.

So why don't they crucify Green for the sake of saving Absolute? As Arem surmises on 2+2:

"Think about how much he knows about both the money flow, ownership, other scandals, etc within AP and UB. Lots of people with heavy interests in both of those either don't want those stories coming out or they don't want their dirt being told to law enforcement. Basically, he has them by the balls because he has their dirt. Described at the simplest level as blackmail."

If this is true, expect Absolute to continue digging its hole deeper as online poker players refuse to let up until heads roll or Absolute is shut down. Or both.

We have more to say on this but it's time to go eat some tacos.

Read the 2+2 thread on Norton's statement here. See what the P5ers are saying here. Find out what Kemo Sabe means here.

ONE OTHER THING: Meant to post this earlier but unrelatedly, Scott Tom and Oscar Hilt Tatum were passengers in a plane that skidded off the runway in Costa Rica this past September. Some accounts suggest Tom is still the CEO and Hilt the CFO of Absolute and UB. Read the translated news story on the accident here.

UPDATE: Gambling911.com's Christopher Costigan offers some insight on AJ Green, including that he "is described by those who know him in Costa Rica as an 'a**hole'" and that he does not appear to be a part of the fraternity all the original founders belonged to. He also heard a rumor that the person implicated has a coke problem. Read his story here.

Bodog's Calvin Ayre to 1st Tech's Scott Lewis: Let's Duke It Out for a Million Bucks

On his personal blog, Bodog's grand poobah Calvin Ayre is challenging 1st Technology's Scott Lewis to a 3-round MMA-style fight. On the line for Ayre would be a million bucks, and for Lewis, the Bodog domain names his company swiped in a default judgment this past summer.

The challenge is in response to a series of emails Lewis sent to Ayre this week as well as the recent federal court decision upholding 1st Tech's $49.9 million judgment. The court is also ordering Ayre to appear under oath in the U.S. on November 2 or face an arrest warrant.

While we're not so much fighters as we are guys who pay other people to do our dirty work while we lounge around lazily on expensive furniture, we kind of like the idea of Ayre and Lewis settling their dispute with their fists, kind of how we liked the idea of Jamie Gold and Crispin Leyser settling their dispute last year with a good ol' fashion slap fest, because that's how bitches fight.

All right, read Calvin's post here.

In marginally related news, there is a new Bodog Girl pictorial. Her name is Pressely, she rides a horse and freakishly looks like a manequin, which is kind of hot in a Kim Cattral 20 years ago kind of way. Some of her pics below. See the rest here.

Photo above courtesy of Bodog Fight. To see more of WCP fave Katie Nault and her sister check out the naked choke hold pictorial here.

Absolute Poker Says 'Geek' Employee Hacked System, Unicorns are Real

It wasn't Scott Tom or AJ Green who cheated players out of hundreds of thousands of dollars on the online poker site AbsolutePoker.com, an anonymous company spokesman told MSNBC this afternoon.

In news that will surely be dismissed by those who have been following the scandal and likely only make matters worse for Absolute, true or not, the spokesman claimed that instead it was some "geek (employee) trying to prove senior managment that they were wrong" who hacked into their system and exploited a flaw that allowed him to see other player's hole cards.

"We acknowledge a significant internal security breach whereby a resource who was infinitely knowledgeable about the system was able to get into the accounts in question. He played on those accounts and he saw hole cards," the spokesman told MSNBC without naming the employee.

"We have closed that security breach and we have identified a very serious issue internally as far as communications flow and we’re resolving that," he said.

The spokesman also told MSNBC that the employee did not withdraw any of the money from the accounts that were used and that the company was contemplating filing a lawsuit and criminal charges against the employee.

Adam Small, co-owner of the Costa Rican-based PocketFives.com, talked with an official from Absolute Poker last night and is quoted in the article saying, "What they said on the phone was that it was not Scott Tom ... and that (the employee) has sort of framed Scott Tom."

Sort of framed? Say what?

In just as credible news, the spokesman concluded by saying he saw a unicorn the other day ridden by a stripper who's really into him.

Full article here.

Images of unicorns here.

Developing...

UPDATE: Absolute Poker has gone hush since yesterday while the forums continue to swell with chatter. One of the most interesting reads we've found has to be online poker pro Chris Savage's thread on PocketFives.com about a call he had last night with someone from the UltimateBet/Absolute Poker system. The person asked Savage: "What if the latest release from AP is all that they can give you? Are the people causing the most uproar over this going to risk killing online poker just to hang someone?" From what we've seen, most are responding to that question along the lines of P5er "New Shawboy" who said, "If the only online poker world I can live in is one where guys like Scott Tom can violate our trust and not be personally accountable, then I don't want to be part of it."

Check out the thread here.

IRS Issues Press Release On Reporting Poker Tournament Winnings

Clearing up any recent confusion about the reporting and withholding of poker tournament winnings by casinos, the IRS issued a press release today addressing such.

You can read the entire press release after the jump below but the gist of the requirement is as follows:

:: Starting March 4, 2008, the IRS will require all tournament sponsors to report tournament winnings of more than $5,000, usually on an IRS Form W-2G.

:: Those who comply with the reporting requirement don't need to withhold federal income tax at the end of a tournament.

:: However, if a tournament sponsor doesn't report the tournament winnings, it is resposible then for withholding the taxes (normally 25 percent of the winnings) and sending the money to the IRS.

:: Tournament winners must give their tax ID number to the tournament sponsor, and if they don't, the tournament sponsor must withhold federal income tax at the rate of 28 percent.

:: Heidi Montag, despite being dumber than the average dumb girl with kind of a dumb face, has a nice body worth looking at.

Absolute Poker Talking; Statement on Insider Cheating Expected Today

We've been playing catch up on the Absolute Poker cheating scandal but it seems things are coming to a head now, whatever that means. In addition to the word late yesterday from Absolute Poker's Costa Rican neighbors PocketFives.com, Gambling911.com is also reporting today that the online poker site has finally admitted what everyone has been saying for the past month, that a breach had occurred internally.

Company officials have told Gambling911.com that "Absolute had only uncovered who the culprit was Thursday" and that "no management personnel were involved in this incident" which in layman's terms means they found a scapegoat yesterday. It also means anyone who still is playing on Absolute has the IQ of a shoe.

Finally, Gambling911.com was told that "Players who were affected by this unfortunately situation will be paid in full." But as Paul Phillips notes in a comment to one of his own recent blog posts, it is highly unlikely that Absolute will compensate everyone who was affected by the cheating as the list extends to anyone who has ever shared a table with these guys.

What hasn't been said yet is what will happen to the criminals who have stole hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, from online poker players for who knows how long. Tossing salad for a dozen years or so in a Costa Rican jail sounds like justice to us, but is unlikely.

Stay tuned here for the latest news on the Absolute Poker cheating scandal as an official statement from Absolute is expected later today. Or hang in the forums for the latest. They likely won't be napping this afternoon like us.

Can't They Do This To All of Atlantic City?

Casino operator Pinnacle Entertainment imploded the Sands Casino Hotel last night in front of a cheering audience of crack whores, pimps, I-talians and a politician who should be dead. The mayor of the city was not in attendance.

Pinnacle, which bought the Sands in 2006, plans to use the property for a multi-billion-dollar, 20-acre gaming resort along the AC landfill boardwalk.

Video of Sands Casino implosion here.

Breaking: Absolute Poker to Admit Insider Cheating Took Place

Well Mark Seif said earlier today that he wants to find out the truth as do the thousands of online poker players who have been following the Absolute Poker cheating scandal, and it looks like they're about to get it. Perhaps.

Adam Small, one of the owners of the Costa Rican-based PocketFives.com, just posted on the P5 forum saying that they have received a phone call from Absolute Poker confirming the suspicions of the online poker community over the past month.

"While we need to be vague in this post to respect their wishes, we can say that their systems were compromised, and that they are prepared to provide the details in a statement coming shortly," shared Small.

"Part of the statement will include a plan to refund players affected by this compromise."

For Small's complete post on the Absolute Poker news, go here.

While we've yet to express our opinion on what all this means for online poker, as some have asked, we will say for now that the guys we met a few years ago running Absolute Poker came across as a bunch of greedy, unscrupulous frat dards content with sucking and with very little concern in ever building a legitimate business operation. We also think that this is an extremely isolated incident involving a couple of despicable fucks who cheated players out of thousands despite, if the claims about Scott Tom and AJ Green are proven true, already making millions rather easily from running a poker site. And oh yeh, we can't understand how anyone is still playing on Absolute Poker but thousands still are right now. Baffling.

Developing....

Absolute Poker to Be Audited As Evidence Of Insider Cheating Mounts

After a month of allegations of cheating involving a super user account that could see player's hole cards, endless forum threads that seem to prove the existence of such and now damning claims that the super user account belonged to its former CEO and new Davidson Matthew Club member Scott Tom, Absolute Poker will now finally be audited by someone other than Absolute Poker.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which granted the gaming license to Absolute's owner Tokwiro Enterprises, has directed Gaming Associates to "conduct a thorough audit of all circumstances, provide findings and recommendations to the commission."

"The audit will not be restricted to examining theories circulating in Internet chat rooms and forums," said KGC commissioner David Montour.

The pending audit follows Absolute Poker's own investigation, which resulted in a statement posted on Mark Seif's blog on BluffMagazine.com that a super user account never existed but pots of gold at the end of rainbows do exist as do leprechauns, unicorns and strippers who dance just to get through college.

As of tonight, Seif, who reportedly has a stake in Absolute Poker, finally issued his own statement on the matter, saying among other things:

"I want to find out the truth. I want to know what, if anything, may have happened . . . I am open to the possibility that improper, unethical and perhaps even unqualified cheating may have occurred at AP. I am even open to the possibility that present or former AP employees, or executives may have participated, condoned or were negligent in failing to discover the alleged improper acts."

Breaking: Doyle's Room Returning to U.S. Market

We learned late last night from multiple sources that Doyle's Room was planning a return to the U.S. market. The site has now released an official statement marking its return.

Read the full release after the jump. Read gambling911's take on it here.

Gus Hansen Does Not Win WPT Spanish Championship

Holding the chip lead going into final table play, Gus Hansen was primed to capture his record fourth WPT title.

However, as our lead in to this story (and headline) indicate, that did not happen.

The WPT Spanish Championship final table took place in a castle, similar to the one we own in Scotland that has a moat, draw bridge, and (still actively used) torture room.

Hansen chip lead took an early hit when on hand #21 he called the all-in re-raise of Markus Lehmann. Hansen held As-Ts, Lehmann 8c-7c. Lehmann hit the 8 and won the hand. Hansen was out 15 hands later when his As-Ts this time lost to Ludovic Lacay's pocket aces.

The tournament was eventually won by Markus Lehmann of Germany, who banked $786,805. Ludovic Lacay finished second ($418,505). The rest of the final table payouts look something like this: Christer Johansson -$214,073, Steve Sung - $166,438, the aforementioned Gus Hansen - $142,621, Vladimir Poleshchuk - $118,945.

In slightly sexier news, below is Kimberly Lansing and Layla Kayleigh doing the Flamenco.

Gus Guns for Fourth WPT Title

Continuing an awesome tournament year that includes an Aussie Millions win, a 61st at the 2007 WSOP Main Event, and a 10th at the 2007 WSOPE Main Event, Gus Hansen will now gun for his record fourth WPT title.

Hansen previously won two WPT season one tournaments (the Five Diamond Classic and LA Poker Classic), and season two's Caribbean Poker Adventure.

Final table play at the WPT Spanish Championship will begin with Hansen as chip leader, stacked at 950,000. He's trailed by Christer Johansson (840,000), Ludovic Lacay (415,000), Steve Sung (395,000), Markus Lehmann (190,000), and Vladimir Poleshchuk (150,000).

UPDATE: Chip counts have been corrected on WPT. They are: Gus 962,000, Christer Johansson 855,000, Steve Sung 670,000, Ludovic Lacay 400,000, Markus Lehmann 329,000, and Vladimir Poleshehuk 176,000.

Also, a Kimberly Lansing interview with Gus below.

Can I Verify That With Your Mom? - The Bryan Micon/Justin Smith Saga Continues

It's been a couple of weeks since we last reported on Bryan Micon getting scammed by scam artist scammer Justin Smith.

For those who need it, a quick recap: Micon agreed to pay a man he believed to be a big timer, Justin Smith, a sum that eventually reached $12k. In return, Smith would reimburse Micon $100k within 24 hours. The next day after the money wasn't wired to Micon, Smith, doing what grifters do, asked for $10k and promised that he'd repay Micon $1 million in a few days. Micon didn't get his money back, got suspicious, and took it to the always entertaining Neverwin Poker Forum.

Now Micon has unearthed some new gems on other Smith scams:

Jason Davis, a real heir to a real fortune and Bradley Spalter, a music executive were both conned by Justin Smith as well. If anyone out there in interweb land knows anyone that works for NBC or Dateline NBC, point them to the Justin Wade Smith is a Con Artist thread. Second to last Justin call, most recent one. (don't need to be logged in to listen anymore)

Of the latest revelations, the biggest/most entertaining is how Smith allegedly scammed Bradley Splater out of $30k. Smith got Bradley buying a story that Smith was buying Bradley's entertainment company for $52 mil. They go off to Hawaii together to celebrate. Smith gets Bradley to foot the bill on his credit card and Smith bails.

And best of all, for some indiscernible glutton for punishment reasons, Smith keeps calling Micon knowing full-well Micon is recording the calls. Micon asks Smith if he can verify one of his b.s. stories with his mom, and Smith tells Micon he better not get any t-shirts made about the incident (as Micon requested ideas from forum readers).

Catch up with the thread here. Be sure to listen to the phone calls here and here. And the ones on this thread page here.

We're working on getting Micon to interview about this all on this week's edition of The TOKE. Stay tuned...

WPT Spanish Championship on Siesta After Day 2, Unlike Spanish Workers Since 2006

Aside from the hot Spanish babes (like Emilia Attias below) and good drugs, one thing we always admired about Spain was their tradition of a taking two-to-three hour daily siesta (or "nap" in English) during lunch.

It's a common bond us Entities share with our Spanish brethren. We as well take siestas each day, although ours are from around 9am till 8pm, because as everyone knows, a good nap is the best way to recharge or recover from a hangover or drug induced blackout.

And that's where the Spanish were genius. Spain not only recognized the power of napping, they embraced it. Not siestaing in Spain would be like electing a woman President in U.S. America. Totally, completely unfathomable. It was woven into the fabric of their culture.

Yet, for reasons that we'll never understand, the Spanish Government began mandating a new one hour lunch break instead of the traditional multi-houred siesta last year.

Did Spain lose a non-1898 war? Did they elect fascists? How could they let this happen?

Chip counts here. For more on the importance of napping, here

Archie Karas Lost A Lot of Money

Among Vegas gambling lore, there's no greater figure than Archie Karas.

Jack Binion once said he never met anyone with more gamble in him than Archie Karas. And he should know. During a span from around 1993-95, Karas reportedly went up as much as $22-45 million at Binion's playing craps and poker. Karas won millions off Chip Reese...and blown millions back rolling dice.

We caught up with Karas recently to talk poker. Watch the latest webisode of The TOKE below. And after the jump, watch a The TOKE recap of the Shawn Sheikhan immigration battle.

Dia Uno's Terminado en WPT Spanish Campeonato

The WPT goes south of the border this week to Spain for their first ever WPT Spanish Championship.

Wait. Mexico is south of the border with the ugly chicks and bad drugs. Spain is the one with all the hot chicks (like Ariadne Artiles, at right) and good drugs. Ah dammit. We would've totally gone if we had realized that earlier.

Anyway, both Day 1's have wrapped. The ovearall chip leader is Maurizio Carra at 59,975. He's followed by Carl Hostrup (55,750) and Guillaume De la Gorce (50,450).

Some notable big stacks making it into Day 2 include: Fabrice Soulier (45,750), Max Pescatori (44,400), Erik Friberg (40,075), Gus Hansen (30,500), Ozzy Sheikh (30,000), Steve Billirakis (27,875), Annette Obrestad, a woman (24,600), John Juanda (21,675), Allen Cunningham (20,625), and Erik Seidel (20,250).

Get full chip counts here. Read our favorite Spanish poker blog, Poquer Red, here. For more Ariadne Artiles, here.

Dropped: 25% Withholding Tax on Poker Tournament Winnings

As first reported on PokerNews.com here (and inaccurately reported a couple of stories down here), the proposed IRS rule to withhold 25% of all poker tournament earnings over $5,000 isn't going to happen.

Reports PokerNews.com:

According to Wally Chalmers, Vice President of the American Gaming Association, a powerful group that works on behalf of land-based casino interests, the 25%-withholding idea was abandoned after an assessment of the rule's viability and negotiations with the IRS's rules-making group. The AGA's Tax and Finance Task Force played an important role in lobbying against the proposal, which would have both significantly increased casinos' reporting burden and reduced the liquidity of tourney pros as they move from one event to the next.

This turn/clarification of events directly disputes earlier reports that the 25% withholding rule had already passed. Under the AGA's new guidelines, players will be issued something like a W-2G form to declare their winnings.

For more on the story, here. For more on Irwin R. Schyster, here.

Where Is Jerry Yang?

The 2007 WSOP final table airs in a just few hours tonight on ESPN.

And this got us thinking: what happened to Jerry Yang?

Jerry Yang is the guy who won the 2007 WSOP Main Event, btw.

(And rumor has it that it will be revealed tonight that the hand that Jerry Yang's final table roll started, when Lee Childs held Queens...Yang...held...Jacks.)

Could Yang have gone more silent in recent months?

Aside from these photos we found of Yang pulling a Chris McCandless-esque journey into the wild and across Canada, there hasn't been a peep from him since the win. No Jamie Gold-esque lawsuit. No Salty Joe Hachem "oi oi oi!" Yet, nothing...except some talk about giving money to something called "charity," which we thought must've been the name of some stripper he was banging but then learned it actually is a word in the English language that means, "generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless."

People seriously do that shit? We thought most people just made fun of or threw stuff at or pushed the poor, ill, or helpless down stairs and stuff.

Anyway, we've written before that for the good of poker, we really needed a dynamic final table and, in particular, winner this year. Who knows how Yang will be edited, but "dynamic" isn't the "d" word that usually comes to mind from people in the poker world when they think of him.

Let's see what kind of job ESPN does tonight. More Jerry Yang partying/tramping across the country photos after the jump.

PartyGaming's Vegas Is Showing

PartyGaming, owner of what was once the world's largest online poker room, Party Poker, may be looking to sell its operations.

According to the Financial Times, Mitch Garber, CEO of PartyGaming, is showing his Vegas, saying that the company "would like to hear from the major [casinos] in Las Vegas."

He also refused to comment if he's already in talks with any major Vegas property at this time.

And really, why wouldn't a MGM/Mirage or Harrah's corporation be interest? As a financial analyst noted:

”Online gaming is currently prohibited in the US. However PartyGaming is listed in the UK where EU legislation allows online gaming. It gives the casinos direct online access to the UK market.”

Read the full article here. For information on Stonehenge, here.

* Thanks to reader Seth for the tip.

Somebody Won the USPC

Somebody had to do it.

Somebody had to win the United States Poker Championship.

Over the past 10 years, winners of the event included Daniel Negreanu, Men the Master, John Hennigan, Toto (IV) Leonidas, and Alex Jacob. Hellmuth, Juanda, and Seidel were among runner ups.

This year, we get Adam Gerber and Louis Lee.

Maybe it's because nobody wants to go to the shithole that is Atlantic City. Or because the circuit is saturated with $10k events. Or because the world is filled with a bunch of pussies who hate the United States now. Or because Atlantic City is a shithole. But whatever the reason, the numbers are slipping from the USPC. ESPN won't cover it. Only Poker Listings was there to report. Like Britney Spears, it's just nowhere near as hot as it once was.

For the win, Gerber banked $606,095. Lee took home $318,160.

Get full results here.

Richard "The Chinaman" Lee and His San Antonio Sweatshirt Charged in San Antonio Bookmaking Investigation in His Hometown of San Antonio

It's been a long time since we've heard anything about the illegal gambling case against 2006 WSOP final table-ist Richard "The Chinaman" Lee. Last we even thought about it was at the 2007 WSOP when we spotted Lee, wearing his San Antonio sweatshirt, hanging around the Sau Paulo and playing a single table satellite against Leif Force, Daniel Baldev, and Miserable Fuck.

Despite some opinions that Lee would not be charged (mostly because some high ranking Alamo officials were rumored to be clients), Lee has now face (a negotiated misdemeanor) charge of "gambling promotion." Arraignment is set for November 7th and Lee could face a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Read a bunch more about it at Poker News here.