VH1 Poker Tournament in Las Vegas

The VH1 Classic Rock n Roll Poker Tournament took place at the Flamingo Las Vegas last week.
Five of rock's metal legends were there to take part in the action.
Godsmack's Sully Erna, ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, Pantera's Vinnie Paul, Anthrax's Scott Ian, and Ace Frehley of Kiss all had their best poker faces on.
The boys were competing against some of worlds toughest poker pros, including Phil Hellmuth, Phil "Unabomber" Laak, and Antonio Esfandiari.
The final results will remain a secret until the event airs in early 2007.

Team Bodog at North American Poker Championship

Online poker site Bodog.com has sent 11 players to the North American Poker Championship at the Fallsview Casino & Resort in Niagra Falls, Ontario!
The players earned their way onto the tournament by playing online poker at the Bodog website.
The televised tournament is the only Canadian stop on the World Poker Tour, and will run till October 29th.
In addition to its WPT satellite qualifiers, Bodog also holds qualifiers for the World Series of Poker, and this year alone sent over 500 players to compete.

World Poker Tour Canadian Open

World Poker Tour Enterprises announced that the first WPT Canadian Open will take place at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagra Falls!
There will be over 300 US & Canadian players, including Canadas poker pros Daniel Negreanu, Gavin Smith, and Isabelle Mercier.
The poker tournament will start on October 22nd and go to October 24th, with the final table being played on the 30th.

World Poker Tour Academy

WPT Enterprises is about to lauch World Poker Tour Academy, an interactive online poker education center.
The site will feature play by plays, video sessions with pro poker players giving tips & tutorials, as well as an interactive community.
Poker fans will be able to comment on their favorite hands, and give their thoughts and opinions.
Pros involved include Scotty Nguyen, Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, TJ Cloutier, Evelyn Ng and Vanessa Rousso.
World Poker Tour Academy will contain a database of over 1700 hands of WPT tournaments, including 900 that never made it to the air on the Travel Channel.

Poker Pro Sam Farha in the Movies

Professional poker player Sam Farha has taken his skills to the silver screen. Sam will be playing poker in the new film "Lucky You". The movie will star Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall, Robert Downey Jr and Debra Messing, and is set to be released in November.
Sam spoke out on poker and his love of games,
"I like games. I've always been good at them. It's the way my mind works. I love to play Monopoly and games like that too. I was a great pinball player, the best. I like shooting pool. I was great at that too. Poker is like all other games. You have to develop a strategy. Anybody can play poker when you have pocket aces. It takes something extra special to play when you have a four and a deuce."
Looks like Sam has developed his strategy quite well considering he hasn't had to work a typical "job" in 17 years.

Shana Hiatt Still a Poker Girl

Former World Poker Tour hostess, Shana Hiatt is still interested in poker TV.
After Hiatt left the WPT after only a few seasons, she was looking to work on NBC's, National Heads Up Poker Championship and new show Poker After Dark. But apparently NBC was informed that Shana couldn't work for the network, since she didnt complete her contract with World Poker Tour.
On Friday however, a judge ruled that she could still pursue work at NBC.
So look out for Shana on a poker show near you!

Source: Card Player.com

Earn your seat at The World Poker Tour by playing online poker!

Play Poker for a Good Cause with Vince Neil

Motley Crue's Vince Neil will be holding his second annual Off The Strip Poker Tournament on November 5, 2006.
The event will take place in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, and raise money for the TJ Martell Foundation to support cancer, luekemia, and AIDS research.
The Texas Holdem poker tournament buy-in is $500, and the there will be a cash prize pool of $50,000. There will also be silent auction featuring a collection of unique music, sports & entertainment memorabilia.
All proceeds from the poker tournament and auction will benefit the Skylar Neil Foundation, established by Vince Neil to honor his daughter who passed away from cancer. So far, Vinces charitable efforts have helped raise over $1 million for the TJ Martell Foundation.

Mark Newhouse Wins WPT Borgata Poker Open

North Carolina's Mark Newhouse took home the title and prize of $1,519,020 last night, when he won the 2006 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open.
The 21 year old was the youngest player at the final table, and the second youngest player to ever win a World Poker Tour Championship.
The Borgata Poker Open made history this year with its attendance records, and the main event whcih featured a prize pool of over $5 million, was the biggest tournament to ever hit Atlantic City.

Vanessa Rousso Wins Big at Borgata Poker Open

Vanessa Rousso impressed all at the WPT Borgata Open in Atlantic City on Thurs night.

The 23 year old law student survived over 300 top poker players to win the largest prize to date at the Borgata Poker Open, taking away $285,450.

The World Poker Tour was welcomed with a celebration at MIXX nightclub, where attendees included poker pros Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly.

Joanne 'JJ' Liu Wins WPT Ladies Night

Joanne 'JJ' Liu was the champion at the World Poker Tour Ladies Night 4 on Thursday evening. Joanne beat out fellow poker pros Jennifer Tilly, Vanessa Rousso, Anahit Galajian, and Erica Schoenberg for the WPT ring, and a seat at the WPT Championship event.
Joanne is known for her wild fashion sense, and even greater sense for the cards.
Jennifer Tilly won the tournament last year, but was the first to be eliminated this year.
Ladies Night 4 will air sometime in October on the Travel Channel.

NBA and Poker Pros come out to Play

The biggest names in the NBA and the poker world will be at the Trent Tucker Charity Poker Tournament on Sept 8th.
The Texas Holdem tournament will benefit the Trent Tucker Non-Profit Organization for youth programs.

NBA player Trent Tucker spoke out,
"It is going to be an amazing event that will allow us to further our impact on the community."
NBA stars to attend include Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Oakley.
As for poker pros, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson, and Phil Hellmuth are all expected to be there.
First prize is estimated at around $50,000.

Return of WPT Ladies Night

The World Poker Tour Ladies Night has returned to the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles.
Actress and poker pro Jennifer Tilly and the up and coming women of poker will be competing to support breast cancer research.
The winner will score a $25,500 seat in the WPT World Championship at the Bellagio, which will take place sometime in April 2007.
The Bicycle Casino will also be holding a gala and cocktail party to support cancer research on Saturday August 19^th, 2006.

Team Bodog's Jamie Gold Wins World Series of Poker

Jamie Gold, the former Hollywood agent, took home the WSOP championship including $12 million!
He held the lead in the poker tournament since last Friday, and when he sat down at the final table he already had $26,650,000 in chips!

Golds $10,000 entry into the WSOP was provided by online poker giant Bodog.com, who he will be regularly play for.

Jamie said it was his ill father who provided him with the most strength and motivation.
"He's not well and unable to travel", Gold said of his 76 year old father. "This is all for him."
Congratulations Jamie!

Surfrider Foundation Poker Tournament

The charity poker tournament was one of the many happenings at the Surfrider Foundation benefit event last night.

Paris Hilton, Kevin Costner and many of the "Laguna Beach" cast members were all in Costa Mesa supporting the cause.

Guests were treated to a fashion show, poker, Sprinkles cupcakes, and gift bags filled with goodies.

All proceeds raised went to support Surfrider, which help save beaches though public awareness in communities.

The "Oceans Thirteen" Poker lounge

Poker at work! At least for the cast and crew of the upcoming "Oceans 13".
The lucky actors and crew will be getting their own poker lounge when the movie starts filming this weekend.
Producer Jerry Weintraub had the poker room built for the exclusive use of the cast, so they'll be able to relax and play in between filming.
The poker lounge will also include a 24 hour bar where everyone can hang out at the end of the day.
Must be nice.
Oceans 13 will feature George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ellen Barkin and Andy Garcia.

Drew Barrymore Promotes Poker

Drew Barrymore made an appearance at the World Series of Poker at the Rio in Las Vegas to promote her new film "Lucky You".

Now that she doesnt have to stay in character, Drew said shes ready to get tips from the poker pros.
In "Lucky You", Barrymore plays a lounge singer, so she missed out on learning from the poker pros who starred in the film.
"I'm planning to pick up as many tips as I can from the experts so I can go home and kick my friends butts", Drew said.
Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson are a couple of the pros who make appearances in the movie, which is set to be released Sept 8th.

Shannon Elizabeth in Love with Poker

American Pie star Shannon Elizabeth is now becoming more well known as a poker player than an actress. She says that her card playing addiction is taking over her life, and that poker has become her second career. Shannon is playing against the pros in Vegas several times a month.

She told Blender magazine, “I have become addicted to poker. I am in Las Vegas two or three times a month these days, playing poker has become my second career".

She has now become one of the leading celebrity poker players and has already taken home some impressive winnings.

Her good looks seem to help in the game, and shes admitted to using her charm to distract other players.

"A lot of men get lost in their cards if you introduce a decent distraction".

The Australian Poker Rivals

It seems the Ausralian Poker pros Joe Hachem and Mark Vos aren't getting along too well.
Joe won the World Series of Poker last year, while Vos won $1.08 million in a poker tournament in Las Vegas this week.
Vos said that Hachem and himself were enemies and don't speak.
"We don't really get along. It's complicated." He told the Herald Sun yesterday.
The dispute supposedly started over a message sent on an internet poker site, which then escalated to harsh comments over the past few months.
Apparently Hachem thinks he hasnt been given any respect by the 20 year old Vos.
"Vos has got a big mouth", one source said. "Joe can't stand him."

Mike Sexton Taking Over the World Series of Poker

Not only is Mike Sexton the poker ambassador and host for the WSOP, but he is now taking home the winnings!
Mike took home $1 million when he won first prize at the World Series of Poker Circuit Tournament of Champions.
He got through 17 hours of the final table, and beat out some of the world's best poker pros at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Three time WSOP bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu came in second place, while Mike Matusow came in third.
Sexton won his first WSOP bracelet in 1989, so this was his first big win in 17 years.
He also plans to donate half his winnings to various charities.
Congratulations Mike!

Maxim Coming to Vegas!

Maxim magazine just announced plans to build a luxury $1.2 billion Maxim Hotel & Casino at the north end of the Las Vegas strip.
Construction for the resort is set to begin next year and then open in 2010.

The Hotel and Casino will be built on 9 acres of land, feature indoor and outdoor concert spaces, and the usual swimming pools, spa, restaurants, stores, and conference spaces.
There will also be a Maxim Lounge, run by Cindy Crawfords ex Rande Gerber.

Carmen Electra Hosts Poker Tournament

Carmen Electra hosted the Head to Hollywood Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament & Auction this past week.
The tournament took place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and featured a buffet as well as a silent auction.
The charity was founded by Carmen, and provides brain tumor survivors & their families a celebrity experience in Hollywood.

Poker Pro Chris Ferguson Signs with Glu Mobile

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson has just signed on with Glu Mobile, mobile entertainment creator and partner of Harrah's Entertainment & the World Series of Poker.
Glu Mobile's chief creative officer stated, "Based on Chris' tournament success, worldwide popularity and expert poker skills, we're thrilled to incorporate him into our mobile products."

Glu will feature a WSOP Texas Holdem game, which will feature Chris as the in game advisor. Poker players will be able to improve their skills by getting advice from Ferguson on how to play their hand.
"The team at Glu is doing a fabulous job of creating an authentic poker experience, and I'm honored to be a part of these cutting edge mobile products," said Ferguson.

World Series of Poker Caesars Palace Event

The World Series of Poker Championship event at Caesars has crowned John Spadavecchia its king! John's a poker veteran, and he seems happy to be in the spotlight again.
He beat out over 200 poker players last week when he took the prize of over $648,000, and a WSOPC ring. The event at Caesars was the first held in the Vegas resorts new poker room!
John told the Las Vegas Sun, "I'm glad Casears is back in the poker business. This has been a very lucky place for me."

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sold

The Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has just been sold for $770 million. The Morgans Hotel Group purchased the 41 acre property, which includes the 647 room hotel & 30,000 square foot casino, a beach club, Body English nightclub, a concert hall, 5 restaurants, and a spa & fitness center. The Morgans Group also manages hotel and bar brands such as Mondrian, Hudson, Royalton, and Skybar. The Hard Rock brand was founded in 1971, and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was built in 1995 in Las Vegas and then doubled in size in 1999. Still waiting for a poker room though.

Joe Bartholdi World Poker Tour Winner

The World Poker Tour crowned Joe Bartholdi its king of 2006! The 26 year old took home the WPT Championship and $3.76 million! The former Vegas card dealer said he didnt think much of his chances of winning when competing against over 600 other poker players. Though he did quite well at last years World Series of Poker, taking home $71,445. Canadian Davidson Matthew finished in second place, walking away with $1.9 million.

World Poker Tour Final Table Revealed

Today is the day!
The World Poker Tour final table will begin at 4pm PST! Yesterday was day 5 in the WPT Championship at the Bellagio Las Vegas, and 7 out of the 19 remaining players were eliminated.
The 6 players that will be battling it out include Men "The Master" Nguyen, James Van Alstyne, Joe Bartholdi, Claus Nielsen, David Matthew, and Roland De Wolfe.

Poker Leader Bodog.com Announces Charitable Foundation!

Calvin Ayre, CEO of online poker giant Bodog.com announced the launch of the Calvin Ayre Foundation website! The foundation supports charities around the world, and works in the lives of disadvantaged families and communities. The Bodog Entertainment Group has worked with various charities including The Humane Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation, and the Animal Avengers Organization. The Calvin Ayre Foundation is also working on sponsoring better education for underprivileged youth.

Online Poker Site Bodog gives out Poker Chip Sets!

Online poker giant Bodog.com will be giving away poker chip sets to Oscar nominees! The poker chip sets will be in a gift bag with other items given out to Hollywoods finest at the Extra Awards Lounge. This event will take place just days before the Academy Awards, and nominees attending will recieve one of these exclusive bags valued at over $12,000! Some of the celebrities invited to attend include Charlize Theron, George Clooney, Kiera Knightly, Reese Witherspoon, Heath Ledger, and Matt Dillon! You can get involved in betting on the Oscars at Bodog too!

Online Poker Site Bodog & The Card Player of the Year Awards!

Online poker site Bodog.com threw a massive party for Card Players "Player of the Year Awards" Gala! The "oscars" of Poker took place at the Music Box Theatre in Hollywood, California and turned out to be a huge success! The event was glamourous and exciting, and showcased the hottest players in poker today! Here are some of the results:


Player of the Year - Men Nguyen
Best Cash Game Player - Chip Reese
Best No Limit Player - Phil Ivey
Most Entertaining Player - Mike Matusow
Lifetime Achievement Award - Doyle Brunson
Most Feared Player - Phil Ivey
Best Female Player - Jennifer Harman
Favorite Player - Daniel Negreanu
Favorite Celebrity Player - Jennifer Tilly

Matthew's end of 2005 letter

Hi, it’s time for my end of year 2005 letter….even if it’s already 2006. Happy New Year!So for a few years now I’ve been writing these little end of year summaries. I started because I was getting lots of end of year letters from my friends telling me about their family story, and I didn’t have one — my end of year sumaries would have been pretty self-indulgent! I’d also got some good responses