Best Poker Players - Poker Player News, Stats, Bio and Pictures

Jamie Gold: The Golden Boy Of Poker

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:45:26 PDT

The history of poker hasn't seen a whole lot of Jamie Gold since he took down the biggest cash prize in the game's history, catapulting himself to the top of the all-time winner's list, but after taking a bit of time off he's back and ready to do some damage.

From a Celebrity talent agent turned celebrity poker player, Jamie Gold is the world’s top earning poker player, with over $12 million in prize money banked thus far in his short career.

Like many other world's best poker players, Jamie Gold began his life as something entirely different - a talent agent. Through his work, he brought some of today’s big stars into the spotlight; big names such as Lucy Liu, Jimmy Fallon, and Kristin Davis once worked closely with the now-famous Gold. He began his move into the professional world by obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the University of New York, and continued on to begin his study of entertainment law.

At the age of 21 Jamie Gold had acquired a good reputation in the world of entertainment, and continued in his life of success by founding an entirely new talent agency, JMG Management. Through this organization’s involvement with the world of poker, Jamie Gold became acquainted with renowned poker pro Johnny Chan, who gave the young businessman a few tips about the business of professional poker.

Jamie Gold was exposed to card games from an early age. His mother was an avid poker player, while his grandfather was a top ranked gin rummy player. For many years Jamie Gold restricted his play to recreational poker, reading books on poker strategy and playing online. In 2004 Jamie Gold began participating in several poker tournament, achieving his first money finish in August of 2004. Seven months later Jamie Gold picked up his first tournament win, taking home $54,225 from the Stars and Stripes No Limit Hold ‘em Tournament.

Jamie Gold finished in the money on another eight occasions during the course of 2005 and 2006, before landing the biggest prize in the history of professional poker. At the 2006 World Series of Poker main event, Jamie Gold easily outplayed his professional opponents and won the $12 million prize with a skillful bluff. Since taking his WSOP title, Jamie Gold has divided his time between playing poker tournament, poker charity events and running his talent agency.

Aside from his $12 million first place finish at the 2006 WSOP, Gold has a number of other in-the-money finishes under his belt, such as a fifth-place finish in the $300 No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2006 Winnin' o' the Green at the Bicycle Casino; a seventh-place finish in the $100 No-Limit Hold'em event at Larry Flynt's Grand Slam of Poker IV at the Hustler Casino in 2005; and an eighth-place finish in the $500 No-Limit Hold'em event at the 9^th Annual National Championship of Poker at Hollywood Park Casino in 2005.

In the wake of his win, Jamie Gold signed a two-year endorsement and production contract with his WSOP 2006 sponsor, Bodog.com. The agreement included the standard tournament buy-ins and promotional appearances as well as a $1 million television production deal. In addition, Jamie was to host his own table on Bodog.com, where he was to play frequently with Bodog.com players. Unfortunately, the deal wasn't to last, however, as Bodog Poker dropped Jamie Gold as a spokesperson in January 2007.

Jamie Gold's style of play has sparked controversy on more than one occasion. His most famous tactic borders on illegality, and involves disclosing his hand strength to force stronger hands to fold. As a skillful bluffer with a strong, aggressive game, Jamie Gold is able to hold his own against more experienced professional poker players.

Chris Moneymaker: The Moneymaker Effect

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:12:46 PDT

The poker world owes a great deal of gratitude to Chris Moneymaker. It is a funny thing that the 29 year-old accountant from Tennessee, who had never played a live tournament before the 2003 World Series Of Poker (WSOP), would go on to win the Main Event, and in the process become one of the most influential figures of the the modern poker age.

But there Chris Moneymaker is, walking proud and standing tall, and serving as an inspiration to all the people who sit down at their home games and dream of bigger things.

Before Chris Moneymaker's career was a skyrocket, he was a travelling accountant who spent many lonely hours on the road. Many a night he sat in his crummy hotel room trying to pass the time. He enjoyed playing poker but he found it difficult to find a game, so he turned to the internet. He started playing on PokerStars whenever he had free time which he still does under the same name, “Money800”.

Over time his game improved, so he decided to take a run at qualifying for the WSOP. As luck would have it he eventually won a seat, paying $40 in the process. Cash was tight and Chris realized he probably wouldn't even be able to afford to travel to Vegas to play poker, so he sold pieces of his action to his father and a friend.

It turned out to be a better investment than anyone could ever have imagined, and when the dust had settled Chris was clutching both the trophy and $2.5 million in cash. It is in this respect that Chris has emerged as the most influential figure in poker. His rags-to-riches story has prompted millions of average joes to take a shot at poker glory, both in live play at online poker.

As “Money800' on PokerStars, he entered, and won, a $39 satellite to the 2003 World Series of Poker. As Chris Moneymaker, he turned that seat in a World Series of Poker Championship and $2.5 million, capturing the world's attention and highlighting the fact that it's not just poker players that can win poker's most prestigious title.

Wearing his trademark, a cap and sunglasses that have become the uniform of poker's next generation, Chris Moneymaker finished day one of the WSOP with over 60,000 in chips and realized that although he was an amateur amongst pros, he had as good a shot as anyone at winning the tournament.

He has a 2nd place finish in the 2004 WPT Shooting Stars event for $200K, and two World Championship of online poker final tables for a combined $175K. In 2005, Chris Moneymaker also published an autobiography entitled, Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker.

Whenever someone has success there will always be people who attribute it to luck, and Chris Moneymaker is no exception. Many people have stated that they could have won the WSOP too if they were holding the same cards Chris Moneymaker held. It is undeniable that luck was on Chris' side during the tournament. He busted out Humberto Brenes' pocket A's when his pocket 8's hit a set on the turn, and he rivered an A to make a higher full house than Phil Ivey and knock him out in a bitter 10th.

But luck plays a factor in every tournament with large fields, and when the play got down to the final table Chris Moneymaker took control of the table. And what a tough table it was, with former World Champion Dan Harrington and feared cash player Sammy Farha. Chris played like a seasoned veteran and never backed down. He slowplayed his top pair to bust out Harrington in third and then went mano a mano with Farha.

On one critical hand, Chris bluffed Farha off of his top pair when the board turned up three to the flush. It was a ballsy all-in move that showed the heart of a champion, and it gave Chris a 2-1 chip lead. It set the stage for the final hand, when Chris' 4-5 flopped two pair to Sammy's pair of jacks. All the poker world.

Scotty Nguyen: The Prince Of Poker

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:23:54 PDT

His persona as a cigarette smoking, hard-drinking, lovable loudmouth proceeds him every where he goes, from the poker table to the liqour store. Scotty Nguyen or "Thuan Nguyen" is easily one of the top ten tournament spros active in the world today, a millionaire many times over and amongst the most cherished members of the poker community.

Yet beneath it all, he is a boy named Thuan who survived civil war, hard labor and worse only to reject the metropolis of Chicago because the weather wasn’t right. Thuan “Scotty” Nguyen is truly the Prince of Poker.

Thuan’s request would be granted and he’d finish his high school career in Orange County, California then head out to Las Vegas to find his fortune as a table cleaner in Harrah’s Casino. It was there that Thuan’s pit manager dubbed the future poker superstar “Scotty” because Thuan was “just too hard to say.”

Scotty Nguyen had his first poker experiences at the felt took place at friends' houses, and despite his inability to take down pots, his ambition led him to pool halls and backrooms, where he tested his game at the higher levels. When Scotty Nguyen was in in his early 20s he moved to Vegas to be closer to the action. Growing up, he had heard stories about the city, and after arriving in California his interest in it grew alongside his passion for poker. And blessed as he was with an insatiable appetite for excitement and cards, there was no better place for Scotty to put down roots and learn his trade.

He picked up a job cleaning tables at a casino and somehow managed to build a bankroll. Scotty then turned to the felt, where he hoped to transform his poker hobby into a true career. But his game still wasn't developed enough. He quickly lost his bankroll and took a job dealing cards, first at Harrah's Holiday Casino and later, the Golden Nugget.

Dealing poker turned out to be a valuable career move; Scotty Nguyen sharpened his understanding of the game by observing the methods and mistakes of his customers. He began applying his new knowledge to the low-limit games he played, and his bankroll - and confidence - started to grow. Scotty Nguyen cashed in hundreds of tournaments, including nearly 40 WSOP events, more than a dozen WPT tournaments, and countless standalone events like the California State Poker Championship, Aussie Millions, Poker Superstars Invitational, U.S. Poker Bowl, Caribbean Poker Classic, Monte Carlo Millions and Austrian Masters, to name a few.

Since Scotty Nguyen's first Series in 1995, he's collected five bracelets and made history as the first player to ever win both the Main Event (1998) and the $50k H.O.R.S.E. Championship (2008). Furthermore, of the numerous events he's cashed in, he's final-tabled in nearly half, and has rarely finished outside the top 25.

And his WPT record is nothing to sneeze at either. With more than half a dozen Championship finishes under his belt - most of them at the final table - Scotty holds several World Poker Tour titles and was the first player in history to win the triple crown of a WPT Championship, the WSOP Main Event and the WSOP H.O.R.S.E. Championship.

$500K Online Poker Dominates 8 Year Old Boy

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:15:27 PDT

Did an 8 year-old really win at online poker? Allegedly, the rumor is that Aashish Nanak, an 8 year old boy from Chandigarh, India, won approximately $500,000 which accumulaoted for a bout 22,912,500.38 Indian Rupees in an online poker tournament.

The Nanak family from Chandigarh knew their son had a gift after Aashish Nanak started showing a keen interest in computers aged just three. Apparently he was introduced to the internet by his mother, who would would sit him in front of a cartoon playing on a computer screen to keep him quiet while she went about her cleaning duties at a local hotel.

Form OnlinePoker.net states that according to his mother, Nanak has been using the internet since he was 3. He started to build web pages by the age of 4. Nanak started playing internet poker when he was just six. As Aashish’s mother Mrs Nanak explained: “Aash has always loved the internet and computers he started his own web pages when he was only four years old, he is a very clever boy.” However, what has really caused a storm is that Aashish apparently started getting interested in online poker aged six, and had clocked up some smaller winnings before hitting gold and taking down a $500,000 online poker tournament.

But the online poker site, which at this moment is unknown, where Nanak won the big amount is refusing to payout the money as it states that the boy was not legally entitled to play poker. Apparently Nanak won the huge sum on his uncle’s account. But the poker site’s terms and conditions do not specifically say that a child can not play under an uncle’s account.

The case for the poker room seems solid at this point, but the Nanak family has also put forth some strong arguments as well. According to them, it was well known by the mysterious poker site that Aashish had been playing at their room. They claim that a staff member from the site had even given him a nickname – the Little Poker Wizard.

The family of the 8 year old are arguing “that at no time was it stated that Aashish could not play in the games”. Also the staff at the poker site nicknamed him “littlepokerwizard”. Clearly they were well aware of his age. As a result of this the lawyer of the family is fighting the poker room decision not to pay the child.

The family claims there was never any problem as the child played and employees of the poker site knew how old he was. The family also claims that at no time were they told or read about the age restrictions while playing online poker.

There is no doubt the money would make a tremendous difference to Nanak and his family of twelve, who would then be able to move out of their present slum location and start a new life for themselves. As their lawyer explained: “Considering that the average wage in India is around 79,735.50 a year that is $1,740, the Nanak’s would be very well off indeed.”

Joe Hachem: Key Member OF Team PokerStars Pro

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:29:09 PDT

World's best poker player Joe Hachem is one of the most phenomenal poker players out there. With so many impressive wins under his belt, it's hard to see how Joe Hachem couldn't have made it to the top. He has managed to battle mounds of players and rake in the wins in order to create a great poker career that he and his family could be proud of. Just as most poker players in his position, he has been through several challenges that as luck would have it would not untune him nor stop him from getting the poker career that he had always dreamed of making a reality.

Joe Hachem is a native of Lebanon who moved to Australia with his family in 1972. He was working as a chiropractor (a person skilled in a particular type of therapy) but due to a blood disorder, he gave up his career and started playing poker. Before he go all-in at WSOP, Joe Hachem was not one of the thousands of online qualifiers - he bought into the event directly. He also cashed earlier in the series, closely missing a final table appearance.

As a regular at events in his home card room, the Crown Casino in Melbourne, he already knew his way around a poker tournament and his big score came as no surprise to those that know him. A lot of things changed with that win, but Joe Hachem has stayed true to his family values ever since, and he is considered one of the “Best Ambassadors for Poker” there has ever been. He then recognized win was his $25,850 in the $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em WSOP event where he got the 10th position.

In 2005, He won the 2005 World Series of Poker) $10,000 no limit Texas Hold'em Main Event beating 5,618 poker pros and he won $7,500,000. He was playing on a short stack until there were only 3 poker players on the table. To everyone’s surprise, Hachem called for a pre-flop raise from $300,000 to $700,000 with his 7C 3S. And the flop cards were 6H 5D 4D giving him a straight.

Moreover, Joe Hachem went agonizingly close to winning a second World Series bracelet in 2006, when he finished runner-up in a $2,500 No Limit Hold’em event for $256,800. Thanks to Hachem’s competitive nature he regarded that result as a failure, and he continued to pursue the big win that would underline his poker credentials. He didn’t have long to wait. In December 2006 he beat a strong field packed with pros to take down the Five Diamond World Classic, good for $2,207,575, but more importantly a victory in another of the world’s most prestigious poker tournaments.

Joe Hachem plays online poker only at one place – PokerStars. Like Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem acts as a spokesperson for the PokerStars online poker room, where he plays often. However, unlike the other two, Joe did not qualify for his victorious Main Event on the Internet, but instead paid the full $10,000 buy-in. He definitely got a good return on his investment.

"A million dollars changes my life, let alone $7.5 million, it changes everything. I can look after my family, my mum, my kids." – Jowe Hachem

Amarillio Slim: The Legandary Texan Poker Player

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:02:50 PDT

A facetious gambler, raconteur, a poker ambassador and an old school relic, Thomas Austin Preston Jr. also known as “Amarillio Slim”, was once noted a wise man that you can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once.

He spent his life proving this to be true, taking on and beating the opposition at every form of wagering known to man, and a few that Amarillo Slim devised on the spot. Slim was one of the original road warriors of poker, forming a deadly partnership along with Sailor Roberts and Doyle Brunson. They would pool their resources, help one another out when possible, and travel the country shearing the sheep.

The "poker trio" started with all sorts of gambling and travelled from town to town to make dollars or two. In fact, if there was anything that would give them an edge over their opponents, they played poker over and over again. As a poker player, Amarillo Slim rides on the edge of out and out excellence, winning 5 WSOP bracelets, including the main event in 1972, forever leaving his mark in poker history. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.

He is also well known for the crazy "proposition" bets he's won - including playing one-pocket pool with Minnesota Fats using a broom handle, golf with Evil Knievel using a carpenter's hammer, ping-pong with Bobby Riggs using an iron skillet, beating Larry Flynt at poker for $2,000,000, and beating Willie Nelson for $300,000 playing dominoes. He has also played poker with presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and drug lords Pablo Escobar and Jimmy Chagra.

Amarillo Slim is much more than just a poker player though, he is a Texas treasure, a great story teller, and a character of the world. Amarillo Slim Preston is the poker icon and a hero known the world over as a man who will bet on just about anything.

The Controversy

Being one of the greatest profiles in history of poker, Amarillo Slim finally decided to settle down with gambling. In March 2003 a grand jury indicted on three charges of indecency with his grand daughter. Thereafter, the poker legend endured an embarrassing legal ordeal, saw his family ripped apart and watched helplessly as a whirlwind media circus blew his reputation away like West Texas prairie dust. He was fined $4,000, given two years probation and ordered to undergo counseling. This may have prompted Amarillo's gambling in public to an end, seeing as a lot of players met him with disgust after the tragic event.

The Downfall

While other less deserving best poker players got rich and famous in recent years, Slim missed the poker boom entirely. Many of his old friends ignored him. A planned Hollywood movie about Amarillio Slim's life that will be portayed by Nicolas Cage, was dropped. Amarillio Slim's dexterity to peddle himself in a genuinely likeable manner contributed boundlessly to pokers acceptance in the modern poker world and brought flare to a game that previously was thought of as seedy and repulsive.

Poker is a game of people, It's not the hand I hold, it's the people that I play with. - Amarillio Slim

Jason Mercier: PokerStars Supernova Elite

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:32:32 PDT

Jason Mercier is a classic example of the young online poker success story. Hailing from Florida, Jason Mercier got all his action on PokerStars, where he was lucky and skilled enough to win a seat at the EPT San Remo No Limit Hold'em championship. He took full advantage of the opportunity, winning the event and $1,372,000.

Before his success in poker, Jason Mercier was studying to be a Math teacher before he made it big in the poker world. He then discovered online poker when he went away to college, and the next few years were spent mastering the game, picking up some impressive results in online tournaments along the way. He also began crushing the cash games, and became only the 16th player to become a PokerStars Supernova Elite.

In 2008, Jason Mercier was ready to make his mark on the live scene, and was about to have the kind of year that most can only dream of. Thousands of poker players spend years making small but steady cashes before hitting that big score. Thousands more never make it. Jason however was skilled enough to get that life-changing payday in his first major live appearance.

Jason Mercier came out of nowhere and beat a field of 700 other players to take down the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour San Remo event in April 2008, earning prize money of $1,372,893. Just six months later, he came close to picking up another EPT title when he came sixth in Barcelona, good for another $324,946. Days later the run continued, with an eighth place finish in the £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event at the World Series of Poker Europe in London, followed a month later by victory at the High Roller event at EPT London, beating a field full of poker legends for a cash of $944,847.

In 2009, Jason Mercier made two final tables at the L.A. Poker Classic in February, including a first place finish in a Pot Limit Omaha event. This was followed by another victory in a $1,000 Hold’em event at the Wynn Classic, worth $81,480. Then came the WSOP in Las Vegas, where Jason was able to continue an incredible year with four cash finishes and his first bracelet, after taking the top spot in the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event for $237,462.

Jason Mercier then went deep at the WSOPE in London, finished in fourth spot in the Main Event, good for $425,158. He recently won the £20,000 High Roller No Limit Hold'em event at the European Poker Championships in London for $944,847, outplaying poker superstars like Isabelle Mercier, David Benyamine, Isaac Haxton, Scotty Nguyen and John Juanda, all of whom made the final table as well.

Jason Mercier is one of the best poker players on the circuit today, with lifetime live tournament winnings in excess of $4.39 million, all coming in a span of less than 2 years. He also defeated Daniel Negreanu, Pieter de Korver, and Phil Laak before losing to Scotty Nguyen in Round 4 with $75,000. He is a member of Team PokerStars Pro and plays online using the screen name “JasonMercier”.

Adding to his skyrocketed success, Jason Mercier was the 2009 Player of the Year. Thanks to a campaign that featured five tournament victories, 19 cashes and $1,354,026 in tournament winnings, the PokerStars pro took Player of the Year honors with 1,427.98 points in the Bluff rankings, edging out Eric Baldwin and Cornel Cimpam.

Tom Dwan Wins In 9 Minutes Against Patrik Antonius

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:28:32 PDT

World's best poker players Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Patrik Antonious squeezed in a very short session on Friday. Over the course of 9 minutes Tom “durrrr” Dwan managed to take Antonious for a very sizeable $230,710 extending his overall lead in the Challenge play to $1,986,418.

Things didn’t get any better in the latest session, which lasted just 61 hands and saw Patrik drop more than $230,000 at the $200/$400 heads-up Pot Limit Omaha tables.

The biggest chunk of that money came from a single $184,234.50 pot. In it Patrik Antonious saw a Broadway straight on the flop but was defeated by Tom Dwan who held two flush draws. Ironically it was Antonious who made the biggest raise of the hand pushing the bet up to $53,400 total in the final round of betting. Only a few short minutes after his massive hit Antonious called it a day to go nurse his wounds elsewhere.

Patrik Antonious lost a $81,998 pot when he flopped top set holding Jc-Js-4c-2s. He managed to get a check-raise in against Tom Dwan’s flop bet, but he called holding a wrap straight draw and then got the rest of the Finn’s stack when the turn card got him there. Another $76,799 pot went Tom Dwan's way when his Kc-Kd-6s-2h flopped top set against Antonius’ Ah-Ac-9s-3d and Antonius refused to slow down with his unimproved pair of aces.

"We're much happier to be playing in better games than facing each other heads-up,there've been so many great $500-$1,000 games. That seemed unlikely at the beginning of the year (when the Challenge was conceived). I'm sorry to everyone who got so excited about it and expected constant action, but I'd rather have the extra couple hundred thousand dollars I'll make by playing those other players.” Said Tom Dwan, who as of Tuesday at 4 a.m. ET was ahead by $62,677 with 42,753 hands to go.

"I've been waiting hours and hours every day, and I've been in the mood to play a lot, every time I ask Tom [to play], he says no, he doesn't feel like playing. It feels like he is always the one who always quits. He says like every second hand that he's just tired, that he doesn't feel like playing." Patrik Antonius said with obvious frustration.

The two high-stakes poker pros have now completed 33,303 hands in the Durrrr Challenge – they have another 16,697 to go. Between the two of them a total of $274 million has been wagered. Tom Dwan has the lead by $1,986,418, but if you think that’s insurmountable you should probably read up on heads-up PLO variance. Still, Patrik Antonius seems to be in a rut two-thirds of the way into the challenge and he’ll have to pull a pretty big comeback if he wants to avoid paying out a loser's fee of $500,000 to Tom Dwan.

With 31,000 of the 50,000 hands in the books, Tom “durrrr” Dwan is steadily pulling away from Patrik Antonius in their “Challenge Match”. The two players were able to log some 2,000 hands over two separate sessions with Dwan winning close to $150k over the two sessions; putting his total lead to $1,077,932. Tom Dwan is suppose to face Phil Ivey next, but with the length of time it has taken Antonius and Dwan to play 50,000 hands it seems quite likely the parameters of the challenge will be tweaked a bit if the match does take place.

Mclean Karr Wins At WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Event

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:31:32 PDT

The World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star, a poker tournament with a twist, drew to a close this weekend as McLean Karr emerged triumphant. A final table that began with so much promise flamed out rather quickly on the final day of the World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event in San Jose, California. The deep blind structure set up by Matt Savage and his tournament staff struck again on the final day of the tournament and a champion was not crowned until just before 3 a.m.

The final table of the Bay 101 Shooting Stars Classic concluded early Saturday morning as McLean Karr, down to just 10 big blinds with 27 players left when day 3 started, winning $878,500, which includes a $25,000 WPT Championship seat, defeating Andy “BKiCe” Seth in heads-up play. Phil Hellmuth was the first elimination at the final table, when his QQ lost to Seth’s AJ when another ace hit the river, causing Phil Hellmuth to curl up in the fetal position.

Though Phil Hellmuth looked to be in good shape heading into the final table at the Bay 101 Shooting Star Poker Tournament; the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner was 2nd in chips, and by far the most experienced best poker player left in the field. Unfortunately it was not meant to be for Hellmuth who was the first player eliminated at the final table. Hellmuth has yet to capture a WPT title, and is now 0-for-5 at final tables on the WPT.

The winner of the tournament and $878,500 was Mclean Karr, who eliminated three bounties in route to victory. Karr knocked out Erik Seidel, Greg Mueller, and John Cernuto to add $15,000 to his tournament winnings. Surprisingly, Mclean Karr was the tournament’s short stack with 27 players remaining. On his comeback, Karr told WPT Live Updates Hostess Jacque following his win, “I was on life support. I got it in good, tripled up, won a few coin flips, and thanks to this great structure… once you get a few chips back, you have a shot again.” McLean Karr said.

Andy Seth would soon find himself heads up with McLean Karr, who seemed an unlikely final tablist after being crippled on Day 3, but his patience payed off. Eventually, Seth found himself all in with two fours against Karr’s two eights, gaining no help from the board, to secure Karr his first WPT title and $878,500 in prize money.

The two players were neck in neck chip-wise when Seth shoved all-in with pocket fours and Karr called with pocket eights. The board brought no four and brought the ten-hour final table to a close with Karr besting Seth for the title. McLean Karr celebrated with his friends, fans on the rail and biggest supporter, Maria Ho after the win. The 28-year old online poker pro was ecstatic following his win, recalling how close he was to elimination just one day prior.

Here is a complete list of the final table results: 1st Mclean Karr with $878,500 2nd Andy Seth with $521,500 3rd Dan O’Brien with $292,800 4th Hasan Habib with $234,300 5th Matt Keikoan with $175,700 6th Phil Hellmuth with $117,000

Andy “The Rock” Bloch

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:41:53 PST

Andy Bloch started playing poker in the early 1990s, after graduating from MIT with two electrical engineering degrees. His poker career has been very successful, especially after becoming a full time professional. Andy Bloch grew up “with a deck of cards in his crib”, but he did not take poker seriously until he graduated from MIT.

During his MIT years he was a member of the MIT Blackjack Club “The Amphibians,” where he has said he made as much as $100,000 in one blackjack session. As his skills grew, he increasingly used poker and blackjack to earn money between jobs and even to finance his Harvard Law Studies.

In 1993, Andy Bloch lost his job. While he was unemployed, the Foxwoods introduced a new game, Hickok Six-Card Poker. It was similar to Caribbean Stud and instead of a table of other players, the gambler was up against the house. Around this time Bloch joined a poker group in Boston. He discovered them on Usenet and the group proved invaluable to players who were mathematically inclined in poker. Also around that time, Andy Bloch acquired a new job designing network computer chips. While at his new job, he developed some computer programs that helped to create strategies to beat the game Hickok. Poker started to take priority over his law studies, and he missed part of the last week of classes in 1997 and 1998 to play the World Series Of Poker (WSOP). After passing the bar he decided to delay his legal career to go into poker full-time, and he remains to this day a dedicated and successful poker player.

In 2001, he made it to two final tables of the WSOP. In January 2002 at the Jack Binion World Poker Open, No Limit Hold’Em event, he took eighth place and won $27,160. Then in November 2002 at the World Poker Tour Season One, Andy Bloch took first place at the Limit Seven-Card Stud event and earned $42,920. Then at the No Limit Hold’Em event, he took third place and earned $102,350. At the L.A. Poker Classic in February of 2003, Andy Bloch won another third place in No Limit Hold’Em and earned $125,460. Despite his success, Andy Bloch can no longer play in the World Poker Tour events. He refuses to sign the WPT agreement that he feels is unfair to the players and could place them in financial stress with other sponsors.

Andy Bloch has won over $2,800,000 playing poker tournaments. In 2006, he finished 2nd for over $1,000,000 in the first $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E tournament at the World Series of Poker, after the longest recorded heads up battle in WSOP history, where he had Chip Reese all-in 4 different times. Later in 2006, Andy Bloch won the Pro Am Poker Equalizer, which airs in early 2007.

Andy has had multiple WSOP final table appearances, 2 WPT final tables and 8 WPT money finishes, plus another Ultimate Poker Challenge win and three other UPC final tables. Other wins include the 2002 Seven-Card Stud event at the World Poker Finals, and the 2004 $1,000 No-Limit Hold ‘em Hot Tex tournament at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.

Lawyer, engineer, best poker player and even occasional poet – there is a section of original poetry in his website – Andy Bloch has probably still got a few more aces up his sleeve, and although he is rumored to be on the lookout for a law-related job, it does not seem very likely that he will make that career change soon.

The Queen Of The Hearts Poker Player: Tina Wallman

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:50:03 PST

Tina Wallman is one of the hottest "Poker Babe Model" and is also known as the Queen of the Hearts by many. Tina Wallman was raised in Sydney and is a Australian is finally set off in North America with appearing in many magazines and websites and now, in the poker room!

With her massive Myspace account with thousands and thousands of hits and she is piling up with many mypsace friends. In an interview on Australia’s Channel 7 show Today Tonight, Tina Wallman said she was one of the most hits on women on Myspace account. After looking at the numerous photos and pictures posted on the web, thats why it is the most sought-after in the web. And if that is not enough, she is the roommate of another Aussie hottie, Lynda Hancock.

This sexy poker model comes from Melbourne, Australia and pride herself as a very highly-flavoured Aussie accent. Tina Wallman has been featured on ZooWeeklys as the “Beach Girl of the Year” in 2007 that leads her in a famous international level swimmer and model.

In her intriguing qoutes, "I enjoy rubbing sun screen on my girlfriends when we go to the beach. It stirs up a lot of attention from the guys. I love to rub sun screen on their back and their bum." said on an video interview from ZooWeekly.

This best poker player has been a professional model for about 7 years that features in a various men’s magazines and calendars having a hot and sexy swim wear gist. She has also appeared in some renowned magazines suxh as the Australian magazines Inside Sport and RALPH, the Hungarian and Australian versions of FHM, the magazine SHOUT in Belgium, and the magazine FRONT in the UK.

Tina Wallman has also showed up on the cover of Maxim magazine in the Czech Republic. She recently traveled to Los Angeles, California and Miami, Florida where she did a photoshoot for the online men’s magazine NDCStyle.com with renowned photographer Robert Voltair.

With her dark features and alluring looks can make any man turn around. Tina Wallman was for a long time the hottest poker model of Poker.com.

Tina Wallman currently became a sought-after asset in the poker industry. She was named as the spokesmodel for the online poker site CarbonPoker.com and can be seen in the forum where players can ask a questions, the flagship of the newly formed Merge network. The site was previously known as Poker.com but now talk big with their new improvements.

Although she is also featured in their ads online and even plays at their site. Tina Wallman has not played in any live tournaments and neither currently ranked. When Tina Wallman is in the photoshoot or playing online poker, she likes to work out at the gym, read books, travel, and listen to music. Tina Wallman is the super hottest poker model that who poses close by nude on poker tables, holding playing cards or doing sexy things with poker chips.

The Magician Of Poker: Antonio Esfandiari

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:39:23 PST

Today, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari is an up and coming name on the poker pro circuit, and is known for his skill and success at Texas Hold ‘Em. At the age of 9, the family moved from his birthplace in Iran to San Jose, California, and there he was raised by his father and grandparents as his mother returned to Iran. In response to childhood teasing and bullying, Amir changed his name to Anthony, and later, for professional reasons, to Antonio. Antonio was an excellent student until a falling out with his father in his late teens, after which time he lived on his own and supported himself as he finished school.

When he was working as a waiter in a teen age year, Antonio Esfandiari saw a bartender perform a magic trick and developed a keen interest. He went to the local magic shop, bought supplies, and started teaching himself magic. He spent two years practicing magic twelve hours a day, and by twenty he was working as a professional magician. Over time he developed a private clientele through the restaurant he worked for, and was considered a skilled magician.

At the age of 20, Antonio Esfandiari had played a little poker, specifically $2/4 and $3/6 Hold ‘Em, but had not played in a tournament until he accompanied a roommate to a poker tournament at the Garden City Club in San Jose. He won that tournament, and spent some time thereafter researching and reading to improve his playing strategies and skills. By 22, the economy, and hence Esfandiari’s magic business, was declining, and poker was proving more and more financially beneficial for Antonio. At this point, Antonio Esfandiari quit magic and his day job waiting tables to play poker professionally.

Antonio Esfandiari is the youngest professional poker player to ever win a World Poker Tour Championship, which he won in 2004. He also took home $1.4 million dollars from the L.A. Poker Classic. He has also won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker No Limit Hold ‘Em $2000 Tournament. In 2005, he placed 6th at the World Poker Tour Invitational and went on to the World Series of Poker Tournament, placing 5th at the World Series of Poker 2005 $2500 shorthanded No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em event, winning $63,000.

Antonio Esfandiari is one of the most televised players on the professional poker circuit, famous for not only his prowess at the poker tables, but also for his ability to manipulate cards and chips for the camera. He won the 2004 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic main event, receiving nearly $1.4 million. At the age of 25, he became the youngest person ever to win a televised WPT event, as well as the youngest poker player to win a million-dollar prize.

He also won a World Series of Poker bracelet in the 2004 $2,000 pot-limit hold'em event. He finished third in the 2005 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, winning $125,000. In 2008 he made the final table of the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo. He continues to have success in tournament play having cashed in two events of the WSOP which is one being 24th of the Main Event and a WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic. He is also a skilled cash game player and one of the most televised players in poker. He has appeared on both Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker shows.

This best poker player created a new book, “World Poker Tour: In the Money” provides the everyday poker player with insights and strategies for playing non tournament poker. Cash games, a non tournament version of Texas Hold ‘Em, is popular in many casinos, as a home game and more. With Esfandiari's book, released in March of 2006, any player can improve his or her game.

Annette_15 Of Online Poker: Annette Obrestad

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:34:49 PST

A poker phenom from Norway, Annette Obrestad is one of the most talked about best poker players in the game today. Despite her age and relatively short poker experience, Annette Obrestad is famous for her extremely aggressive playing style and her consistently successful reading strategies. With her surprising talents have led this young girl into the spotlight in the world of poker.

At the age of 15, she has racked up winnings of close to $300,000 in the last two months alone and quickly began winning $100 tournaments and often took prizes upwards of $10,000 at a time. Her online play was so aggressive and successful that she began to play at tables with the highest stakes possible. She stormed onto the poker scene in 2007 with a slew of high stakes online poker victories, and then made headlines when she won the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe Main Event for $2,000,000 that same year at the age of 18.

Her success, or otherwise, has made her a “famous cause” in the online poker community and she probably has more threads on more poker forums devoted to her than any other player at the moment. A lot of people even criticized the way she was brought up as she admits to being taught seven-card stud by her dad at a very young age, and started playing online poker when well below the legal age.

When she started playing online poker she asked her mom for her credit card details so she could deposit some money but her mom refused. Not to be frustrated she entered a freeroll tourney and won $9. Since that day she claims never to have made a single deposit and has built up her bankroll to several hundred thousand dollars from scratch. What isn't in doubt though is that she’s an incredible player and has become one of online poker's biggest earners in less than 6 months.

“I remember back when I was building my bankroll and I was playing really tight, not making moves, never bluffed, just played ABC poker all day. That got me to a certain point and I knew I could beat the low stakes games. I had a long period where nothing happened and I just felt like I was stuck. I realized that in order to move up and be able to beat the big guys playing the higher buy-in tourneys, I had to change my game. So I started experimenting with raising marginal hands that I usually wouldn't play and decided to improve my post flop play even if that meant looking like a donk for a while. After making many funny moves and a lot of mistakes, I finally got the hang of it and I think that's when I really started winning a lot.” Annette Obrstad said.

Annette Obrestad has had multiple wins in PokerStars $100 and $50 rebuys, which usually attract several hundred runners, and has found herself competing on over 25 final tables in her short career to date. Annette Obrestad, from a small town called Sandnes in Norway, isn’t even old enough to set foot in a Vegas casino yet, but when she is, expect her to tear up a few World Series of Poker (WSOP) fields in the years to come.

She played in her first offline tourney in UltimateBet showpiece $5,000 buy-in Aruba Classic – at the end of September and hacked through a field of over 500, eventually finishing 37th which is good for another $12,415. But in September 2007 would see her shoot to super-stardom when at the age of 18 she outlasted a field of 362 to win the first-ever WSOPE Europe - good for a cool £1million. It also made her by far the youngest WSOP Bracelet winner in history, a record which may never be broken. The month after she proceeded to follow this up with 2nd in the EPT Dublin for another $429,181. All in all, her total live tournament winnings exceed $2,521,408 and all before she is old enough to even set foot in a Vegas casino.

Isabelle Mercier: The No Mercy Poker Pro

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:05:00 PST

For most of this mortal coil, poker was distinguished as a “man's game”. In the contemporary era, it is clear that anyone, man or woman, can establish the skills needed to play poker well. In fact, this is much of the game's appeal. One woman who is carrying the torch for female best poker player in the world is a French Canadian sensation Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier. Isabelle Mercier is a worldwide ambassador and called a “Media-genius.” Back then, Isabelle began working as a blackjack dealer at the Casino De Montreal while taking up at the University Of Montreal. At 23, she took a job as a poker dealer at the reputable Avation Club De France, and worked her way up to become a poker room manager working underneath Bruno Fitoussi, a famous poker player. Though these poker pro was successful, Isabelle Mercier knew vthat she could make more money by playing poker, so she gave up her job to hunt down being a professional poker player.

Her dream was realized in 2004 when she won the World Poker Tour Ladies Tournament. Although Isabelle had previously finished 2nd in an €800 No Limit Hold'em event in Amsterdam for $53,499, the international spotlight provided by the World Poker Tour hurl her to fame. Isabelle Mercier also likes to practice her tournament play on the site during her downtime, playing under the name "NoMercy."

While many professional poker players enjoy playing cash games to earn their money, Isabelle Mercier prefers to play in tournaments. She enjoys the action and aggressiveness of play, which contrasts to the tone and pace of cash games, where players have to be more patient and disciplined. Isabelle Mercier has been the commentator for the 3 editions of the WPT Championships at the Aviation Club de France, and has twice been nominated for the "European Poker Awards" in the "Casino Staff Person of the Year" category and once in the "Rookie of the Year" category.

In 2005, Isabelle Mercier came in 10th place at the European Poker Tour in Monte Carlo, beating out players such as Julian Garner, Gus Hansen, and Martin De Knijff. The winnings earned her $31,000. Isabelle Mercier took part in the World Poker Tor Championships, she came 28th place and won over $56,000. Other poker tournament she had joined is the World Poker Tournament events.

Isabelle Mercier’s aggressive game at the Ladies Night Out event brought her to the attention of PokerStars. She was chosen to be one of a team of sponsored players that represent the site at all the various tournaments. However, ast September 14, 2009, after her five years as a member of Team PokerStars Pro, Isabelle Mercier quits to one of the most renowned sponsorship in the poker industry to take on a new project.

Isabelle Mercier's immensely online score is a 3rd place finish in the PokerStars Sunday Million this past July for $115k. From time to time, Isabelle Mercier is a renowned hottest poker player and an uppermost influence it world of poker with her tons of projects which bring to the fore of her creativity and dexterity for business.

Pete Sampras: Wimbledon Tennis Champion To Poker Player

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:28:01 PST

Poker has become one of the most played card games in the world and has seen a countless of celebrities and sports taking to both the live poker and at online poker rooms in their bid for excitement and profit and the latest to have fallen for the love of poker is seven times Wimbledon tennis champion Pete Sampras.

The tennis champion managed to raise his earnings while playing on the tennis courts, acquiring a whopping $43,000,0000 during his time as a tennis professional. This amount of money would have set anyone up for life, but Pete Sampras is looking to add a little more excitement into his spare time. The tennis star revealed his love for the game while attending a VIP dinner that was hosted at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

According to the sources, Pete Sampras has already been playing poker in a tournament stage, saying that they can reveal that the player has been entering poker tournament that present a buy in fee of $30,000. Pete Sampras is far from the first aging athletic champion to take up poker as a replacement for the sport he can no longer play competitively. Former England soccer star Teddy Sheringham, ex-Australian cricket captain Shane Warne, and Pete Sampras' fellow former tennis pros Boris Becker and Yevgeniy Kafelnikov are all regularly spotted at international high-stakes tournaments. It's doubtful Sampras has any plans to join them any time soon, but if anyone ever plans a charity poker tournament with ex-athletes they could probably do worse than giving old Pete a call.

It all begun when a little child from California discovered an vintage tennis racquet in his basement and begun striking a tennis ball off of a car dock door. When the shots started to make dents in the doorway, they all knew this child was certain thing special. Pete Sampras begun playing tennis when he was young and makes no designs to halt anytime soon. The man who has a serene demeanor, boyish shyness and the examines of a celebrity verifies afresh and afresh what so numerous players, detractors and followers can't deny: he can win, and habitually does. In 1990, when Pete Sampras was only 19 years vintage and seeded twelfth in the U.S. Open, he banged his way into the finals and became the least old man to win the tournament. And we all knew after that first Grand Slam triumph there would be no looking back.

Over the years, the calm monster has gone on to win 13 more Grand Slams: 7 Wimbledons, 4 more U.S. Opens, and 2 Australian Opens. Pete Sampras' most beloved names have arrive on the grasses of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. In 1993, he won his first Wimbledon name, and since that year up to 2000, has gotten to and won in every last, except for a quarterfinal beat by Richard Krajicek in 1996. He is the winningest man at Wimbledon in the Open Era, binding the all time record of seven names that was set in the late 1800's. The historic surrounds of Wimbledon and the intimate Centre Court has become a dwelling to Pete Sampras, a "cathedral" as he one time said. His undeniably flawless grass-court tennis game has made him the best tennis contestant of his time, and he will undoubtedly proceed down in the annals publications as the greatest.

Paul “Kwick Fish” Wasicka Wins At WSOPC In Tunica

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:41:50 PST

Paul Wasicka, The 2006 WSOP Main Event second place finisher took first in the WSOP Circuit Tunica Championship Event Wednesday, banking $139,422 and a seat in this year’s Main Event. The $5,000 buy-in tournament attracted a total of 96 players consisting of mainly local pros and some big-name out-of-towners like poker player Paul Wasicka.

The fifth stop of the WSOPC 2009-2010 season at Harrah's Tunica in Tunica, Mississippi begins Jan. 20 with the first of 19 ring events. The tournament began on Monday with 96 players putting $5,000 on the line to take down a WSOP Circuit Championship, a diamond and gold ring and, perhaps more importantly, their buy-in for the 2010 WSOP Main Event. With slightly over $440,000 on the line for the final 9, play was marked in the early going by the professionals taking the lead over the best amateurs the Mid-South had to offer. Top online professional Matt “All In At 420” Stout was atop the leader board, with such players as 2009 European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona champion Carter Phillips, two time WSOP Circuit ring winner Dwyte Pilgrim, and Victory Poker sponsored pro Paul Wasicka. Such pros as Gavin Smith, Tommy Vedes, and Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler were among those not to survive Day One.

WSOP-C Tunica Results
1.Paul Wasicka - $139,422
2. Larry Gurner - $94,488
3. Richard Robb - $62,965
4. Shane Zell - $44,975
5. Carter Phillips - $35,980
6. Dwyte Pilgrim - $26,985
7. Matt Stout - $17,990
8. Robert Thornhill - $14,617
9. Jerry Saucier - $12,368

“This is something that I’ve been searching for, for a very long time, “This is just awesome, it was always about the money, but now it was about just taking one down.” poker pro Paul Wasicka said.

Paul Wasicka then made flush in a battle of ace-ten suited hands to send Shane Zell out fourth and just a few hands later, Robb’s ace-jack fell to Gurney’s ace-nine to set up the heads-up match. Wasicka and Gurney began about even, but after winning a 270,000 pot right at the outset, Wasicka took a lead he would never relinquish.
He eventually built up more than a 5-1 chip lead before Gurney shoved with pocket fours on a 9 of Hearts, 8 of Spades and 6 of Clubs flop. Wasicka called with 9 of Diamonds, 8of Diamonds for top two and the title was his.

About Paul Wasicka: Paul Wasicka was born in Dallas, Texas on February 17, 1981. At the poker table he has a nickname of “Kwick Fish.” Paul hasn’t been a poker player very long, he began playing in 2004 when he went to an underground tournament in Denver, Colorado. Before he had started playing poker, Paul had worked as a bartender and restaurant manager.

Paul Wasicka is known primarily for his second place finish to Jamie Gold in the 2006 World Series Of Poker Event (WSOP). Paul Wasicka won $6 million for his performance. Paul also won the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, taking home $500,000 for his victory He has also made one final table at the World Poker Tour, finishing fourth at the LA Poker Classic, earning $455,615. To date, Paul Wasicka has won over $7.3 million and play online poker at Full Tilt Poker.

Unabomber Replacing The Poker Legend in Party Poker

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:21:38 PST

Anticipation is growing for the Party Poker Premier League IV, which is set to be played from February 12th to 18th. Today came the announcement of where the tournament will be held and who will be replacing poker legend. The Party Poker Premier League IV is set to begin in just a few days and news has been released that poker pro Phil “Unabomber” Laak will be replacing Doyle Brunson in the star studded event. Phil “Unabomber” Laak will join other poker pros like Roland de Wolfe, Luke Schwartz, Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, David Benyamine, Tony G, Phil Hellmuth, JC Tran and Yevgeniy Timoshenko at the event.

As the PokerNewsDaily.com reported yesterday, Doyle Brunson had to pull out of the event since he had to undergo dental surgery on Monday. The poker legend has decided to take a break from poker to recover from surgery as well as rest up and be ready for the WSOP. Doyle Brunson will be missing several events including the Party Poker Premier League IV. On the other hand, the Phil Laak is excited about the chance to play in one of the biggest buy-in tournaments in the world, but he is also aware of the stakes.

“This is the most money I have ever wagered against the toughest field I have ever faced,Collectively, my opponents have over $45 million in tournament winnings, so this will be the best ride ever.” Phil Laak said during the announcement.

PartyPoker also outpoured qualifiers to pinpoint a total of 16 players any person who are all in Las Vegas to play in a Premier League Poker play-off for a spot in the Premier League main event. Plus, one of the 16 qualifiers will be picked by PartyPoker to receive a $100,000 Team Party contract. The 12 performer field for the PartyPoker Premier League IV will be overflowing out with couple other players yet to be determined. One seat is reserved for one of 16 online poker qualifiers any person who will determine a heroic person prior to the commence of festivities in Las Vegas. The second will go to the winner of a special tournament between Team PartyPoker members. The 12 players any person who generate the PartyPoker Premier League IV roster will military it out in couple six-handed semifinal fits and the Championship Event, which will be filmed for television.

Phil Laak has earned through $1.8 million in his tournament poker career, according to the Hendon Mob database, with a WPT label among his achievements. His quirky style at the office desks, where he will do push-ups and offer currency for resistance to demonstrate their cards, is simply topped off by his attire of a hoodie and sunglasses that earned him the nickname “The Unabomber.” He newly also opened his have poker room, Unabomber Poker, which is component of the Cake Poker Network.

With Phil Laak replacing Doyle Brunson and the final players close to motivated, the prize pool for the PartyPoker Premier League IV will come $1.5 million, with the extra $300,000 contributed by PartyPoker. The motion ought be riveting, as numerous of the seal players in the game today vie for a championship that has been won in years beforehand by such labels as Tran, Irish poker heroic person Andy Black, and Finnish poker star Juha Helppi. PokerNewsDaily.com will have all the results as the PartyPoker Premier League IV determines its heroic person commencing this Friday.

Chris Moorman: The Poker Legend in The Making

jannahstrat@gmail.com (Lyka Adams) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:54:20 PST

One of the most young and best poker players in Britain to emerge last year was Chris “moorman1” Moorman. He turned as a poker pro for about 9 months ago and since then has had a remarkable run online, taking down tournament winnings of around $200,000, including third in the PokerStars Second Chance recently, good for $18,000.

According to the PocketFivesLive.com, Chris Moorman has ranked the nember 1 spot as an online poker tournament player for 2009, jumping over previously number one ranked player Shaun “shaundeeb” Deeb. Chris Moorman owns the second best PLB Score and Pro Poll Ranking on PocketFives.com and has claimed a record-setting 8 Triple Crowns. The accolade is given to players who take down three $10,000 prize pool non-satellite tournaments across 3 online poker sites within a 7 days.

Chris Moorman boasts career earnings of more than $1.6 million dollars. The moorman1 is currently on his home turf at the WSOP Europe festivities in London, with the Main Event of the prestigious series kicking off on Saturday. On his play at the tables, PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Jessica Welman told Poker News Daily, "Chris has an unpredictable style of play that always keeps his opponents guessing and serves him well at the tables. I think you only need to look at how long he's been ranked in the Top 10 on PocketFives.com to see how much his peers respect his game."

In August, he bagged his biggest win to date when he chopped the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) $300 rebuy event for $204,000. We sat down with him to discuss why he crushes online poker, his plans to play more live and what strategies simply don’t work anymore.

“It was the second week of the FTOPS, the first week had been a total wipeout. This day had been going pretty bad but I decided to play the $300 rebuy even though it was a late night tournament and I was pretty tired. For a tournament like that, you know if you go deep, it’s going to finish at midday so I wasn’t really feeling it. I was getting some energy drinks in and had busted out of all my other tournaments. ” Chris Moorman said.

In an interview of Chris Moorman in PokerNewsDaily.com about his honed poker skills and career, Moorman responded:

Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?
Chris Moorman: A few friends of mine in the university found a student freeroll on the internet. We started playing competitively between ourselves, but it didn’t really become fierce for a few weeks. One week, I managed to fluke a second place. I’m not sure how, but I just must have gotten a run of cards or something. I got about $100 from that and started playing low-stakes sit and gos and multi-table tournaments. I built that up to about $300 and thought that the game was easy and a money-winner.

Then, I discovered cash tables and that was my downfall at the time. I was only playing $0.05/$0.10 with a $20 buy-in, but I didn’t really understand the concept. I was just pushing all-in for $20 each hand. I’d win the blinds a few times and run it up to $21 and thought it was easy. Then, I’d run into a big hand like queens, kings, or aces and break my luck. So I was quickly down to about $25, was never going to play the game again because the sport was rigged, stuck it all on one sit and go, and won $120. Then, I learned how to play the game properly.

With the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event, as Doyle brunson praised the arrival of Chris Moorman to DoylesRoom, explaining in a press release:

“Moorman reminds me a lot of me, except for the British accent. He’s a poker natural, a legend in the making, and that’s why I’ve handpicked him to be the next member of The Brunson 10, my new team of elite poker players who truly are young legends of the game.” Doyle Brunson said.

Chris Moorman's other poker tournament that he participated including the Absolute and Full Tilt 1k's and a chop of the Sunday 2nd chance on Stars. He final tabled the Full Tilt $750k Guaranteed in January 2008 for $36,600 and became the #1 ranked online poker tournament player worldwide in January 2009. His second-largest online cash came in April '09 when he final tabled the PokerStars SCOOP High Stakes Main Event for $113,000. In February '09, he won the PokerStars $100 Sunday rebuy for $88,200.

Joanna Krupa: Hot and Sexy Poker Spokesmodel

noreply@blogger.com (Lyka Adams) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:38:39 PST

Polished supermodel, activist, actress and TV host Joanna Krupa is definitely a true self-made sensation who knew early on that she was destined to work in the fashion world and showbiz. Now skyrocketed her fame to the poker world. Joanna Krupa is well-known for being diverse - with regards to looks, talent and content.

Being a hit on the internet, Joanna Krupa who is one of the most googled women on the net went beyond some of the hottest social media websites today like Myspace and Facebook. Her own site and has made a big splash with her new love – Poker (Aww! Guys, don't be jealous). In 2006, she was signed by a renowned online poker site, TitanPoker, to be their official spokesperson. She play poker regularly on TitanPoker and used the site to hone her skills for World Series Of Poker which is her first major poker tournament.

Before she was hooked-up in a poker game, she had once done a photo shoot for Donald Trump's magazine, Trump World, and was invited to the Trump Towers in Atlantic City. She was invited to try playing poker to a charity tournament against the magazine's editors and the cast of The Apprentice. Though its her first time to play poker, Joanna Krupa won the $1,000,000 charity tournament prize. Until now, Joanna Krupa stated that she is a fan of poker, and that she's even playing online poker.

Although Joanna Krupa's first experience with poker actually turned out to be her first big win. Joanna Krupa made an excellent play regardless of having only played poker about a year before the WSOP main event. With a TitanPoker on her t-shirt, she outlasted over 5,000 poker players and celebrity poker pros like Shanon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly and poker pro Greg "Fossilman" Raymer.

Joanna Krupa said,"I am happy that I beat a lot of pros from the first day, they play all the time and this is only my second time in a tournament. I'm very pleased with myself."

Being physically active and gracing around 100 covers of world-renowned magazines, Joanna extends her talent to notable film and television projects. In reading through the interviews she has in some of the magazines that have voted her as the "Most Beautiful Girl In The World". Joanna Krupa comes off as down to earth and sincere. No small feat for someone who has received such recognition.

As for a good cause, Joanna Krupa joins PETA's campaign and turned out to be a massive success around the globe. The billboards are a traffic stopper from Hongkong to France with her quote, "I Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur". She also support the Humane Society with her mission "helping those who depend on us the most: children and animals”.

In 2008, Joanna Krupa has been been featured as one of the world sexiest women for the "Sexiest People" series on E! Channel and "Model Of The Year" in Maxim magazine. Parallel she has been developing shows, scoring high at poker tournaments and devoting herself to the fight for animal rights.

Joanna Krupa's versatility shocked poker fans by taking part on some movies an TV shows including Planet of the Apes, Max Havoc, Mercenary, The Ripple Effect, Las Vegas, ER, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Skinner.

Jayde Nicole: Playboy Bunny Turned Poker Player

noreply@blogger.com (Lyka Adams) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:32:07 PST

The 2008 Playboy Playmate Of The Year turned poker player Jayde Nicole known for running around with Hugh Hefner and scanty bikinis between appearances on MTV’s show "The Hills" with her ex-boyfriend Brody Jenner and now she's also proving her career on taking home the pot in poker.

Jayde Nicole took part in a number of Celebrity Poker tournaments, including Poker Stars Million Dollar Challenge where she played in a televised event a couple of weeks ago against poker pro Daniel Negreanu who she claims is her favorite poker player. This might just be because he’s the most recent poker pro she's come in contact with, but she also attributes it to the fact that he's down to earth and lacks an ego that many other professional poker players have, and he’s also a fellow Canadian.

Jaydie Nicole also participated at the recent Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) poker tournament at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas this past weekend with ex-boyfriend Brody Jenner together with other celebs including Adrian Grenier, Kelly Rowland, Nelly and World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion Joe Cada, she traded in The Hills for poker playing. She’s getting lessons from a different poker player pro each month to prepare for the World Series Of Poker tournament, as part of the All In Project. She learned to play poker with her ex, but she says Brody Jenner has no hard feeling she gets to play with the poker pros while he sits on the rail.

In an interview of PokerNews.com, Jaydie Nicole show her poker face and on how she was bitten in a poker bug:

PokerNews.com: So Jayde, tell us, how did you stumble into poker for the first time?

Jaydie Nicole: Well, I first started playing poker with my boyfriend Brody Jenner who loves poker. He has big poker games from time to time, and I took to the game right away. I then met All In Magazine publisher Kasey Thompson and I agreed to doing the "All In Magazine Project" where each month I train with a different professional poker player and track all my progress and results in the pages of the magazine.

PokerNews.com: Who have you trained with so far?

Jaydie Nicole: My first instructor was Jamie Gold. I then trained with Bluff Magazine Online Player of the Year David "The Maven" Chicotsky, and next up is Daniel Negreanu.

PokerNews.com: Hotter accessory, a WSOP bracelet or a Playmate of the Year diamond pendant?

Jaydie Nicole: If I were ever lucky enough to win a bracelet, I would have to ask them to custom make me a special one. The bracelets are so big and heavy and are obviously designed for guys. So for now, I would have to go with my Playmate of the Year pendant.

PokerNews.com: Who is your favorite poker player and why?

Jaydie Nicole: Daniel Negreanu is definitely my favorite. I just love the way he plays the game and he is Canadian like me. So many poker players seem to have big egos, and he is so sweet and fun to be around.

PokerNews.com: Where can we expect to see you at the poker tables next?

Jaydie Nicole: Well, I plan on playing 2 to 3 poker tournaments at online casinos each week. I'm also playing in an Ante Up for Africa event this week, and then Ill be playing in the PokerStars Caribbean Challenge in the Bahamas in January.

She was recently been rumored to be dating with Joe Cada, the youngest WSOP main event champ after Peter Eastgate.

2010 WSOP Rules Change Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Lyka Adams) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:47:34 PST

World Series Of Poker, one of the most prestigious poker tournaments, announced recently a change of their rules. Another speculations that catches peoples attention is about what the new commisioner, Mitch Garber, can do now that Jeffrey Pollack left. On the otherhand, Twitter and other social media sites has been a huge help in promoting poker to people and giving the latest news and updates in what's happening in the tournament.

Previously, Poker Players were not allowed in using their phones for any purpose while seating at the table. A huge factor in this cellphone banned may have been because of many poker apps which is being available in cellphones. Because of the positive effects of these kind of media sites to the industry. The WSOP updated their rules regarding cellphone use for the 2010.

Poker Players who is involve in on-going tournament having a live hand must adhere the rules. On the otherhand, those who is not involved in a live hands may use their phones. However, as a courtesy to others. Players who wish to make a call on their phones must be at least one table length away from the play before making or accepting calls.

As we all know, many known poker players have twitter and other social network accounts. Big names like Annie Duke (@RealAnnieDuke), Howard Lederer (@HowardHLederer), Phil Hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth), Men Nguyen (@sjnguyen) and other poker players gave a warm welcome to this news. Another rule was regarding poker players sponsors which many of us know that some of them are wearing even naked.

The new rules regarding this 2010 WSOP series can be seen at WSOP's official site.

note: The following article was taken from the official WSOP site.

World Series of Poker® Official 2010 Tournament Rules Unveiled

Logo Policy Unchanged from 2009; Minor Tweaks Made to Incorporate TDA 2009 Revisions

World’s Longest-Running, Largest and Most Prestigious Poker Tournament

Set to Run From May 27 - July 17, 2010 at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 14, 2010) – With the 41st Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) just a short 133 days from commencing, the official rules governing the largest set of poker tournaments in the world are now available online at WSOP.com for all players.

Players are encouraged to download the PDF document from the official WSOP website and become familiar with them prior to playing in any events.
The 8-page, 105-rule guide details the variety of regulations in place under the following seven categories:

    Tournament Registration and Entry

    Tournament Scheduling

    Prizing & Seating

    Player Conduct & Tournament Integrity

    Player Likeness & Image

    Poker Rules

    Tournament Operations, Policies & Procedures

Click here to view and download the official rules.

"Poker has evolved exponentially the last decade, and with so many new players to the game, it’s important that we as tournament officials, dealers and players are all familiar with the rules," said Vice President of International Poker Operations and World Series of Poker Tournament Director Jack Effel. "We believe that as the industry leader, it’s important for us at the WSOP to have the most comprehensive rules in the game today."

While no major additions were added to this year’s rules, several tweaks were made to better define some rules and to incorporate the revisions made in 2009 by the Tournament Directors Association (TDA).

The logo policy, which was adjusted in 2009, remains the same as it was for the 2010 event.

A more manageable and enforceable cell phone rule (Rule #55) has been adopted, in part, in recognition of social media applications such as Twitter, which has become a favorite task of poker players.

The penalty tracking system which was implemented in 2009, returns and will be in effect for 2010. A total of 186 penalties were tracked, or an average of 3.72 a day during the 2009 WSOP. Penalties ranged from warnings to disqualification from the tournament and removal from the premises. The most common penalty imposed was a one-round penalty and the range of infractions included: exposing hand, acting out of turn, removing chips from the table, abusive language, excessive celebration, soft play, cell phone use, throwing cards, dealer abuse and discussing the content of a hand.

The WSOP, an annual poker extravaganza, which dates back to 1970, is televised exclusively on ESPN from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and consists of a comprehensive slate of the game’s most popular variations running from May 27-July 17, 2010.

A total of 57 coveted gold bracelets will be up for grabs in 2010 – equal to last year’s total.

ABOUT THE WSOP

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2009, the event attracted 60,875 entrants from 115 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded over $174 million in prize money. The WSOP in December, 2008 was named the 7th most admired sports brand in North America by the Turnkey Sports Survey, trailing only the older and more established NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and PGA Tour among sports properties. In addition, the WSOP has experienced groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker EuropeSM. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit our website at www.wsop.com.

source: http://www.wsop.com/news/varchive.asp?aid=2658

WSOP 2009 Champ Joe Cada Not Dating Poker Hottie Jayde Nicole

noreply@blogger.com (Lyka Adams) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:26:54 PST

An image of the recent youngest WSOP 2009 main event Champ, Joe Cada, and Poker Hottie and Playboy Playmate, Jayde Nicole was posted in a thread on TwoPlusTwo Forums. The image of the two (Joe's arms were around Jayde) sparked rumors that the said poker celebs were currently dating.

Poker News Daily confirmed that the rumors are all utterly rubbish - false - not true. In their interview with Dan Frank, Joe Cada's Agent, that the new record holder of being the Youngest 2009 WSOP Main Event Winner he told them about playing a few hand of blackjack with Nicole, but that was it. The only thing that heated between the two is during the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA).

Joe Cada told PokerRoad that they were just friends. Poker Players may have think about the impact this issue will provide the poker industry.

"wsop champ dating playmate of the year would be awesome for poker," wrote TwoPlusTwo forum member "Krax".

Jayde Nicole, the 2008 Playboy Playmate of the Year, has recently taken to the felt with an appearance on the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge. Nicole was the adversary of Sergeant Denny Luna on the series’ second episode, ultimately falling to the PokerStars qualifier.

Jayde Nicole break-up with Brody Jenner, the son of Olympic decathlon star Bruce Jenner. Nicole is also a regular on the MTV reality series "The Hills." Jayde was also reportedly seen with Entourage star, Adrian Grenier, who plays Vincent Chase on the HBO franchise.

Joe Cada's recent ex-girlfriend has been an instrument to his success in WSOP 2009 main event last November. He has been linked to a variety of women this recent weeks. Now Wicked Chops Poker reported in their poker blog, that Joe has a new hot girlfriend. The pictures of the two was posted in Joe Cada's Facebook page.

Conclusion, Joe doesn't have any hot and sexy relationship or whatsoever with Jayde Nicole. He has a new girl which can be seen in his facebook.

Jayde, on the otherhand, is seeing with another hot guy from Entourage, Adrian Grenier.

Poker Pro Amir Vahedi Died, Poker Community Mourned

noreply@blogger.com (Lyka Adams) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:00:29 PST

The whole poker community mourned over the death of one man known for, not only his poker skills, but also his smile, colorful personality and cuban cigars. The 46 years-old Amir Vahedi, a well-known professional poker player not only to his co-players but also around the world, died last friday, January 8, 2010 due to complications from diabetes.

The news spread through the use of Twitter, social media website. Mark Seif, another poker pro, post a tweet stating, "I've just been told by close friends of Amir Vahedi, that Vahedi passed away in Las Vegas on January 8, 2010, due to complications involving blood sugar levels. Waiting for more details. Devastating news. Very very sad."

Another poker personality known as the former director of The World Series Of Poker, one of the most famous and prestigious poker tournament in the world, Jeffrey Pollack tweeted, "Amir was one of my favorite people in poker.... This is so sad, RIP my friend, your laugh will always be missed!"

Other well-known poker players and poker fans also made use of the website to express their feelings to the loss of one great poker personality. Here are some of the message:

"Amir Vahedi Rest In Peace my old friend...Amir was one of the nicest, gentlest guys on tour, and everyone loved him...Very sad, diabetes..." - Phil Hellmuth

"RIP Amir Vahedi. Amir was a hard worker that did everything to support his family. My condolences to the Vahedi family. Must be tough." - Daniel Negreanu

"We will miss Amir Vahedi. He represented Doylesroom for a year or so, was a great guy, willing to do anything that was asked of him...RIP" - Doyle Brunson

"Amir Vahedi was the first player Huff and I ever did a video with. Truly a kind soul. Miss him already." - Joe Stapleton

"Still thinking about Amir. What a nice, sweet, funny soul. I keep picturing him with his cigar and his smile. 2 things he always had." - Annie Duke

"In total shock & deeply saddened that my dear friend Amir Vahedi had just passed away. U will truly be missed. Rest In Peace! ;(" - Liz Lieu

"wow. this is real? few people showed me as many smiles and as much love as amir vahedi, in my poker infancy. truly heartbroken...rip...:(" and "...you must be willing to die, in order to live... rip, amir vahedi..." - Joe Soebok

"Amir Vahedi is in his own way the man who started it all for me. RIP Havana Banana. Your smile through a stogie will be missed." - Scott Huff

"rip Amir Vahedi. #poker" - Patrik Antonius

"Amir Vahedi was one of the good guys. I'm very sad. RIP" - Howard Lederer

"One of the great personalities & funniest guys in poker is no longer with us. RIP Amir Vahedi! You’ll be missed!" - John Juanda

"I am heartbroken for multiple reasons today, not the least of which is the passing of my friend Amir Vahedi, we lose again as a race!" - Gavin Smith

"Amir was one of my favorite people in poker... This is so sad, RIP my friend, your laugh will always be missed!" - Matt Savage

"Woke up to the sad news that Amir Vahedi died. He had a special personality & spirit & will be sorely missed by all who knew him." - Erik Seidel

"RIP Amir =(" - Jennifer Leigh

"Oh no! RIP Amir Vahedi ... he was literally the first pro I ever played with. He came to Chumash in Santa Barbara to play an event." - Jeff Madsen

Amir Vahedi was an Iranian professional poker player that resides at Sherman Oaks, California. He started playing poker in 1997. The best thing about him (considering he is one of the poker industry's poker pro and who also mentored celebrity poker pro Ben Affleck in playing No-Limit Hold'em), is that he enjoys playing poker. He was a former Iranian soldier who moved to the US as a political refugee.

Shirley Rosario mentioned in her website that he asked Amir Vahedi about his tournament success, Amir replied her that he know that he is not the best No limit player in the world, he know that he is not the best Omaha player in the world, but he also knows that he is a great tournament player and that is what separates him at the table.

Amir also said that he doesn't play to survive, but he plays to win. He doesn't want sixteenth or thirteenth place, he wants the first. Having that kind of mentality may seem a little ambitious but if you got though all that, it pays big time!

One of his interview in WSOP he said, "I am not afraid to put money out there and sometimes you just need to let these plauers know who is the boss. You wanna mess with me, it's going to cost you. Sometimes you have to be willing to die in order to live in these tournaments. That is basically it."

Amir Vahedi's colorful personality was displayed at his sixth-place finish in the 2003 WSOP (World Series Of Poker) main event were people all over the world was just started to get interested in the game. His playing style, put his opponent on a week hand. If his opponent hadn't had the Ace, his move would've worked.

Sometimes too much aggressiveness may result to downfall. However, it's the one Amir felt comfortable with. Amir's fierce and unpredictable playing style makes it very difficult for his opponents to read him easily. He may not be on the top but he did get almost great results.

Amir Vahedi's skills and his notorius objective indeed get results. In 2001, he was awarded as the "No Limit Texas Hold'em Player Of The Year". He also had nine No-Limit Hold'em Final Table appearances in 2003 alone. He welcomed the new year last Jan. 3, 2004 by winning the Limit Hold'em Event at Hollywood Park.

Like other people, it took him some time to develop money management discipline. As we all know, this is just one among the many things we really should know especially if you're in this industry. Many poker players didn't give this one much attention and eventually fall deep into the list.

He also admitted that he had urges to play other casino games like blackjack and craps but he overcame that phase and advises others who are serious in playing poker to stick to poker. "If you're in the meatpacking business, you don't go into trucking. The same goes for poker. If your business is poker, then don't touch any other sort of gambling," he said.

"Although poker is largely a game of skill, the beauty of the game is that at any skill level it's possible to walk into a poker room and beat the champion on a particular day." Amir Vahedi said about playing poker.

To Amir Vahedi, rest in peace. Thank you for everything. What you shared to all of us in the poker community you'll be always be in our hearts. To his family, condolence.

Poker After Dark Season Six Is Set

noreply@blogger.com (Lyka Adams) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:40:56 PST

It's interesting mix of High-Stakes Cash games and regular visits from some of the best professional poker players made Poker After Dark continually gather more and more audiences especially now with poker in the limelight.

After a competitive but a great run and continuous success for five seasons, NBC's Poker After Dark is back and all set for season six. It will be held at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The debut title of the first episode of Poker After Dark is called "Commentators III". It features some of the poker industry's renowned poker players namely: Howard Lederer, Joe Sebok, Gabe Kaplan, Ali Nejad, Kara Scott and Mark Gregorich.

The second episode will be much more interesting (at least for me) because it will have some of pokers (well let's say) interesting nicknames and some of the best poker players today namely: Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, Erick "E-Dog" Lindgren, Annette "The Huntress" Obrestad, Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, and Phil "The Poker Brat" Hellmuth. This will be so much fun since two of poker's reknowned loud (and well... bad) mouths are here. (Guess who?)

Poker After Dark's first cash game of the season will feature a solid line-up and $50,000 minimum buy-in that will keep viewers interested. Making rounds are Brandon Adams, Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Mike Matusow, Esfandiari, and Hellmuth.

It will also have two other BIG buy-in cash games like $100,000 minimum buy-in with Phil Hellmuth, Eli Elezra, Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, and Laak. The other one will feature $150,000 minimum buy-in match with Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, David Peat, Elezra Kaplan, and Alan Meltzer.

For those poker newbies who isn't familiar with Poker After Dark here is a quick intro. Poker After Dark is NBC's hour-long poker TV program that made a debut on the first day of 2007 (Jan. 1, 2007). You may have recognized it because I featured it's first sexy poker host, Shana Hiatt. She presented the poker TV show (Poker After Dark) for two seasons both of which was aired in the same year (2007).

She was replaced by Marianela Pereyra, another sexy model (because Shana Hiatt is a model too), as the host for Poker After Dark Season Three and then Poker After Dark Season Four was taken over by Leeann Tweeden. All seasons has been voiced-over commentary by Oliver "Ali" Nejad.

Poker After Dark had some early ratings success according to BODOGbeat.com. (In the U.S.) During season one's second week, even though The Late Late Show is broadcast 90 minutes earlier, Poker After Dark attracted on average a larger audience among adults 18-34 than The Late Late Show did in the same week.

I think Poker After Dark will be a success in it's sixth season especially now that Poker has never been this hot (for me) to online casino poker players and others before. But because of the sudden HUGE win beating some of the industry's best poker players by some mysterious online poker pro in Fulltilt who's username has been in top of the searches in poker news, namely "Isildur1."

Surely, Poker After Dark fans and loyal viewers have high expectations on the upcoming new season. I really hope Poker After Dark Season Six will be great. Goodluck!

Wizard's Gilbert Arenas Draws Gun Over Gambling Debt?

noreply@blogger.com (Lyka Adams) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:37:35 PST

He was just recently been busted for having handguns in his locker. And now, reports say that Washington Wizards star shooting guard, blogger and WCP favorite Gilbert Arenas and his teammate Javaris Crittenton pointed guns at each other in the locker room on the day of Christmas Eve because of a gambling debt worth $25,000 that Arenas owes to Crittenton.

If you guys remember, CNN reported back in 2006 (if you heard the news) that during halftime breaks of the game, Gilbert Arenas was playing online poker in the teams locker room which he admitted. His reputation as a high-stakes gambler sours high for betting thousands of dollars while onboard the team jet.

The story behind the fiasco (according to different sources) is that Gilbert Arenas believed to have owed Javaris Crittenton $25,000. On December 19, 2009 last year, Crittenton became angry because Arenas seemed to be in no hurry in settling his debt. Crittenton told him, "I'm not your punk!" On Christmas Eve, Arenas tried to intimidate his teammate (Crittenton) by placing three guns near Crittenton's locker and telling him to choose one. Both players drew guns and pointed on each other, but no shots were fired.

"I can’t speak on that. But if you know me, you’ve been here, I’ve never did anything (involving) violence. Anything I do is funny – well, it’s funny to me." said Gilbert Arenas, commenting about this incident.

"That’s bad judgment on my part to store them in here, and I take responsibility for that," he said. "I have to deal with the police investigation..I have to put it in their hands and see what they say." Also admitted that he brought and stored guns into the locker room at the Verizon Center in order to keep away from his three children.

"We were friends before, we’re friends now," Arenas added trying to diffuse the recent gun-pointing incident.

The NBA allows players to possess a firearm but the rules on carrying guns at league facilities or while travelling on league business are strict.

"These guys have a tremendous image to try to improve on all the time, because, you know, these buildings we play in are not all full and any time you have situations like that (in Washington) that makes people a little bit more skeptical about coming and watching you play," Utah Jazz team, Jerry Sloan said.

"What’s their priority? When those things draw more attention to what’s going on than the game itself, then we’re probably going in the wrong direction – and I don’t think that’s good for basketball," he added.

However, his six-year $111 million dollar contract with the Washington Wizards might be voided.

The Washington Wizards officials remained silent over the incident involving two of their players but announced that, "We are continuing to co-operate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA and will have no further comment at this time."

The Washington Wizards officials also stated that they will wait for the results of the investigation before determining proper punishment to be imposed on both players involved.