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Freerolls at PokerStars in March for Dream Job Australia

Top ranked online poker room, PokerStars, is offering the chance of a lifetime: a job playing poker on the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) for one year. The winner of Dream Job Australia will play their choice of stops on the ANZPT as a PokerStars sponsored player. The prize package - valued at $100,000 - provides $40,000 to be applied to tournament entry fees and a monthly salary of $5,000.

Free, daily online poker tournaments begin March 1st, running Saturday to Thursday through the 25th. On Fridays, March 5th through the 26th, weekly finals will be held. The top 18 contenders will earn a seat in the Grand Final, Saturday, March 27, which will determine the 10 finalists. All of the tournaments begin at 20:30 AEDT (4:30am ET).

Finalists of the Dream Job Australia competition will then take a quiz of their poker knowledge, be introduced to Team PokerStars Australia in Sydney at the ANZPT, and spend the next six weeks drumming up support from the voting poker community by blogging, tweeting and posting on Facebook about their experiences.

The PokerStars community determines the winner of Dream Job Australia by “voting” for their favorite finalist. Dedicated tournaments will be held for each finalist, with each registration counting as a “vote” for the associated finalist. The voting tournament with the most players will resolve who wins the 12 month PokerStars contract, and becomes a sponsored player in the ANZPT.

Tom Marchese Wins NAPT Venetian Stop

PokerStars North American Poker Tour held their first ever tour stop at the Venetian in Las Vegas this week and the main event has finished up. The main event of the tour stop had a field of 872 and it was twenty two year old poker pro Tom ‘kingofcards’ Marchese who outlasted the other competitors to down the first place win.

Several poker pros and celebrities participated in the event including Vanessa Rousso, Tom McEvoy, Bill Chen and Greg Raymer. Celebrities included Orel Hershiser, Brad Garrett and Montel Williams. The buy-in for the tournament was $5,000 and the prize pool was so large that the winner earned just over $800,000.

The tournament took days to complete and when the final table began, Marchese found himself sitting beside Sam Stein, Daniel Clemente, Yunus Jamal, David Paredes, Thomas Fuller, John Cernuto and Eric Blair.

In the end it would be Marchese facing Sam Stein in heads up play. Marchese was sitting with the low chip stack but it would not be long until his controlled aggression helped him pull out the win. On the final hand Stein called Marchese’s river shove holding 4-2 on a 4-5-9-4-10 board when Marchese held pocket 10s. Stein would go out in second place and Marchese would earn the first place win.

Marchese commented on his first place win by stating: “When you get heads up you never know what’s going to happen. I was fortunate enough to make some hands and I got called pretty light. I know that it’s frustrating to go from a pretty dominate chip lead to suddenly being dominated yourself, so people tend to almost spite call. The tide really turned in the space of about five hands were it all went well for me and fell apart for him.”

Final Results:

1. Tom Marchese - $827,648
2. Sam KingKobeMVP Stein - $522,306
3. Daniel Clemente - $309,366
4. Yunus Jamal - $241,064
5. David Paredes - $184,816
6. Thomas Fuller - $144,639
7. “Miami” John Cernuto - $104,461
8. Eric blizair Blair - $60,266

Full Tilt Poker Celebrates Rush Poker With Fast $50 Bonus

Online poker giant Full Tilt Poker is offering $50 in bonus cash for all qualifying patrons to promote the recent launch of the exclusive, fast-paced Rush Poker. The Fast $50 (or more) Bonus will be available through March 14, 11:59pm ET.

Any Full Tilt Poker member who has completed their initial deposit, and does not have an active bonus is eligible to receive the Fast $50 bonus. You can access the Fast $50 offer by logging into your Full Tilt Poker client, clicking “Requests” at the top of the menu, and selecting “Check my Bonus Offer...” The bonus offer window will pop up, where you can click “Accept Offer” to initiate the bonus.

Those who currently have an active bonus will be required to clear their bonus before 11:59pm ET March 10 in order to qualify for the Fast $50. If you do this, the bonus will become available by March 12. If you haven't made your first deposit at Full Tilt Poker, the deadline for depositing and finishing the 100% First Deposit Bonus is 11:59pm March 10.

The Fast $50 bonus is released in 10% increments at a rate of $0.06 per Full Tilt Point earned. Players have 30 days to earn the required number of points and clear the bonus. Full Tilt Points can be earned in any of the real-money online poker games at Full Tilt Poker, including the Rush Poker format.

Full Tilt Poker's patent-pending Rush Poker system eliminates game delays by whisking players to a new table when they fold. Instead of waiting for the hand to play out, you are automatically moved into the next hand at a different online poker table. A Quick Fold option allows you to move on to a new table at a whim. Rush Poker is one of the fastest ways to earn Full Tilt Points, and clear those bonuses.

Brunson 10 Adds Poker Pro Alex Kamberis

It was recently announced that the Brunson 10 has added another pro to their team. Alex ‘AJKHoosier1’ Kamberis is the latest member of the Brunson 10, a team created by Doyles Room made up of young pros. Kamberis is debuting as a member of the team at the $25,000 High Roller Bounty Shootout at the NAPT Venetian Event.

The Brunson 10 had five members but back in January Alec Torelli left the team to pursue other ventures. That left only Amit Makhija, Zachary Clark, Chris Moorman and Dani Stern on the team. Since Torelli left, the addition of Kamberis is good news for Doyles Room.

Kamberis is already a successful poker player. He made the World Championship of Poker Main Event table in 2008 as well as winning the Super Tuesday. Kamberis has an impressive $4 million in online winnings.

Kamberis is only twenty three years of age and is a finance major. He first started playing poker in high school but his career would not take off until his first year at college. Kamberis opened an account at PokerStars at that time and he began to win regularly. So he decided to take a break from college to pursue a poker career.

Kamberis has stated that 2009 was a quiet year for him as he was enjoying the fruits of his labor. Kamberis told Bluff Magazine that he took a hiatus last year but this year he is going to be everywhere. He commented that he would travel to LA and then Monte Carlo. Kamberis will be competing online and in live events everywhere. He commented: “I’m going to remind people that I can play.”

Poker Pros to Compete in NBC’s National Heads Up Poker Championship

Returning Champion Huck Seed, Go Daddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Don Cheadle and Annie Duke are Among the Participants in this Year’s NHUPC Presented by Go Daddy.

LAS VEGAS (February 23, 2010) – The field for the 6th annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship presented by GoDaddy.com, the world's largest domain name registrar, is flush with a who’s who of the poker world, including a dozen World Series of Poker Main Event champions, top all-time money winners, online studs, and Academy Award nominees. Poker’s most prestigious heads up tournament brings 64 of the best poker players in the world to the Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room to compete in its distinctive, bracket-style head-to-head format for $1.5 million in combined prize money. The event will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May. The first round opponents for the brackets will be chosen at random during the GoDaddy.com Draw Party held at PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace on Thursday, March 4. The competition begins Friday, March 5 and continues through Sunday, March 7.

"The lineup of competitors for this year’s event is the best yet,” said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports. “Continually bringing together the best of the best to compete in this unique format has made the National Heads-Up Poker Championship one of the most anticipated poker events of the year.”

“We’ll of course be rooting for our Go Daddy Girl Vanessa Rousso,” said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “Vanessa is ready for another great run at this year’s 2010 Heads up tournament. She'll definitely bring her 'A' game given the fierce competition.”

The entire field (alphabetical order):

• Patrick Antonius
• Eric Baldwin
• Andy Bloch
• Doyle Brunson
• Joe Cada
• Johnny Chan
• Don Cheadle
• Allen Cunningham
• Pieter De-Korver
• Annie Duke
• Tom Dwan
• Peter Eastgate
• Eli Elezra
• Antonio Esfandiari
• Sam Farha
• Chris Ferguson
• Ted Forrest
• Jamie Gold
• Phil Gordon
• Barry Greenstein
• Bertrand Grospellier
• Joe Hachem
• Gus Hansen
• Jennifer Harman
• Phil Hellmuth
• Orel Hershiser
• Jesper Hougaard
• Phil Ivey
• John Juanda
• Gabe Kaplan
• John Paul Kelly
• Phil Laak
• Howard Lederer
• Erick Lindgren
• Mike Matusow
• Jason Mercier
• Dario Minieri
• Chris Moneymaker
• Darvin Moon
• Greg Mueller
• Daniel Negreanu
• Scotty Nguyen
• Annette Obrestad
• Brock Parker
• Dennis Phillips
• Greg Raymer
• Vanessa Rousso
• Kara Scott
• Huck Seed
• Erik Seidel
• Mike Sexton
• Gavin Smith
• Jennifer Tilly
• Paul Wasicka
• David Williams
• Leo Wolpert
• Jerry Yang

ONLINE QUALIFIERS (7)

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship features 64 top poker players competing in a series of heads-up (one-on-one matches of No Limit Texas Hold'em) matches to determine the best heads-up poker player in the world. This tournament has a unique, single-elimination, bracket-style format modeled after college basketball's championship tournament, except that the finals are the best of three. The first-place finisher receives $500,000, with second-place taking home $250,000. The viewing gallery at the Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room is open to guests on a first-come, first-served basis.

GoDaddy.com is a world leader that enables people to build and maintain an online presence. GoDaddy.com offers domain names, Web hosting, Web design tools and SSL certificates among many tools to get online. To learn how to easily and affordably build an online presence, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

NBC's television coverage:
April 18 - Noon - 1PM ET/9:00-10:00 AM PT
April 25 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00AM PT
May 2 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
May 9 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
May 16 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
May 23 - Noon - 3PM ET/9:00-Noon AM PT

NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship Line Up Announced

The NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship is about to begin and the list of pros and celebrities participating has just been released. The list is full of poker pros and celebrities, a few new faces and several familiar faces that have participated before.

The event will take place from March 4^th to the 7^th at Caesars Palace and those who participate are required to post the $20,000 buy-in to play. A few new faces to the tournament will be Annette Obrestad and Kara Scott. Twenty two players earned their seat via qualifiers but two of the qualifiers are not on the list of names: Barry Shulman and Jeffrey Lisandro.

Players who qualified for the tournament did so as a result of their performance in past WSOP events and select tournaments that took place all over the world. Automatic qualifiers that are on the list includes: Sam Farha, Brock Parker, Phil Ivey, Jerry Yang, Peter Eastgate, Darvin Moon, Joe Cada, Greg Mueller, Jason Mercier, Peiter de Korver and Eric Baldwin.

Several more players were invited to participate and create the sixty four player field including celebrities. Those included are: Don Cheadle, Gabe Kaplan, Jennifer Tilly and Orel Hershiser. Seven internet qualifiers will also be included in the event as well.

Complete List of Players:

Patrik Antonius
Eric Baldwin
Andy Bloch
Doyle Brunson
Joe Cada
Johnny Chan
Don Cheadle
Allen Cunningham
Pieter de Korver
Annie Duke
Tom Dwan
Peter Eastgate
Eli Elezra
Antonio Esfandiari
Sam Farha
Chris Ferguson
Ted Forrest
Jamie Gold
Phil Gordon
Barry Greenstein
Bertrand Grospellier
Joe Hachem
Gus Hansen
Jennifer Harman
Phil Hellmuth
Orel Hershiser
Jesper Hougaard

Phil Ivey
John Juanda
Gabe Kaplan
John Paul Kelly
Phil Laak
Howard Lederer
Erick Lindgren

Mike Matusow
Jason Mercier
Dario Minieri
Chris Moneymaker
Darvin Moon
Greg Mueller
Daniel Negreanu
Scotty Nguyen
Annette Obrestad
Brock Parker
Dennis Phillips
Greg Raymer
Vanessa Rousso
Kara Scott
Huck Seed
Erik Seidel
Mike Sexton
Gavin Smith
Jennifer Tilly
Paul Wasicka
David Williams
Leo Wolpert
Jerry Yang

 Seven Online Qualifiers

Amanda Leatherman Joins the PokerStars North American Poker Tour!

PokerStars.net is pleased to announce Amanda Leatherman as a new addition to the PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour (NAPT). Leatherman will be the host for the NAPT Live web broadcast on www.napt.com/tv. She will be responsible for in-broadcast player interviews, table coverage and play updates.

“PokerStars.net and the North American Poker Tour are in a great position to pursue exciting growth opportunities in the rapidly expanding poker TV market,” said Leatherman. “The NAPT has positioned itself to be the most popular poker tour around, with a reputable television viewership and web broadcast reach. It’s a privilege to join the team and I look forward to seeing the NAPT grow firsthand.”

Leatherman will continue her role as a contributor for PokerRoad.com, where she writes for The Daily News Brief and hosts The Poker Mind. Leatherman began her career with Pokerwire.com in 2006 and quickly signed on with PokerNews.com as a live tournament reporter and on-air correspondent. Prior to joining the NAPT, Leatherman was a poker TV hostess on Fox Sports Network (FSN).

The North American Poker Tour, sponsored by PokerStars.net, launched in January 2010 at the PokerStars.net Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The second stop for the NAPT is underway, with a multiple event series in Las Vegas. For a full NAPT season 1 schedule please visit www.napt.com.

“I am exited to have Amanda join the NAPT and PokerStars.net family,” said Team PokerStars.net Pro Daniel Negreanu. “She is at every major poker event and has made a great name for herself as one of pokers best media contributors and presenters.”

The NAPT recently announced an exclusive deal with ESPN2 to begin broadcasting the NAPT events on the cable network in April 2010. ESPN2 will televise 16 original hours of the groundbreaking poker tour, as well as multiple reruns, featuring all the NAPT stops, including the PokerStars.net Caribbean Adventure. Joanna Krupa, who was featured on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and the ‘PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge’ will be one of the show’s hosts.

For more information on the NAPT and up-to-date events, please visit www.napt.com.

Poker is a game of skill says PPA to Massachusetts Committee

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide and over 25,000 members in Massachusetts, will testify today before the Massachusetts State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies as the committee considers H4069, which would classify poker as a game of skill in the state of Massachusetts.

“There is a vast, and growing, body of academic research proving that poker is game in which who wins and who loses is predominantly determined by skill, not chance,” said Randy Castonguay, Massachusetts state director of the PPA. “I am extremely proud that Massachusetts is on its way to codifying this fact into law and preserving our citizens’ rights to play the game they love.”

In most jurisdictions in the United States, and in Massachusetts, the definition of gambling depends on whether or not a game's results are predominantly due to skill or chance. Given the law’s reliance on the skill versus chance classification, legislation like H4069 is critical to ensuring that every American has the freedom to play poker, either with friends around the kitchen table or online at the computer table.

Testifying on behalf of the PPA will be Patrick Fleming, director of PPA’s Litigation Support Network, and Andrew Woods of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) at Harvard. At the hearing, PPA will also be submitting a white paper describing the role that skill plays in determining the outcome of a game of poker, and offers an overview of the scientific studies that address that question.

The bill, introduced by Representative Brian Wallace, is the result of a robust grassroots effort by PPA members in Massachusetts. While PPA is uncertain of passage of this bill as stand alone legislation, the bill could be included in a larger casinos bill that the Massachusetts legislature plans to consider this summer.

“At the core of our efforts to protect poker players’ rights to enjoy this great American pastime wherever and whenever they chose is to explicitly categorize poker as a game of skill on the law books,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “PPA applauds Representative Wallace and the committee for holding a hearing on this bill and looks forward to working with them to see H4069 enacted into law.”

Field of World Class Pro Poker Players to Compete in NBC Heads Up Poker Championships.

Last year's Head's Up Poker Champion Huck Seed and Godaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso are set to go head to head against players like Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, and newly divorced Phil Ivey in this years NHUPC.

The field is set for the 6th annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship, and includes a dozen World Series of Poker Main Event champions pitting their skills against some of the worlds top all-time money winners, Academy Award nominees. This event is known for it's glitz, it's glamor, and for the stars on and off the felt that love the game of poker.

The event brings 64 of the best, and best known players in the from around the world, to the Caesars Palace Casino Poker Tournament Room where they will compete in this bracket-style heads up tournament, fighting it out, one on one, for$1.5 million in combined prize money. T

"The lineup of competitors for this year’s event is the best yet,” said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports. “Continually bringing together the best of the best to compete in this unique format has made the National Heads-Up Poker Championship one of the most anticipated poker events of the year.”

“We’ll of course be rooting for our Go Daddy Girl Vanessa Rousso,” said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “Vanessa is ready for another great run at this year’s 2010 Heads up tournament. She'll definitely bring her 'A' game given the fierce competition.”

2010 NBC Heads Up Poker Championship Roster:

• Patrick Antonius
• Eric Baldwin
• Andy Bloch
• Doyle Brunson
• Joe Cada
• Johnny Chan
• Don Cheadle
• Allen Cunningham
• Pieter De-Korver
• Annie Duke
• Tom Dwan
• Peter Eastgate
• Eli Elezra
• Antonio Esfandiari
• Sam Farha
• Chris Ferguson
• Ted Forrest
• Jamie Gold
• Phil Gordon
• Barry Greenstein
• Bertrand Grospellier
• Joe Hachem
• Gus Hansen
• Jennifer Harman
• Phil Hellmuth
• Orel Hershiser
• Jesper Hougaard
• Phil Ivey
• John Juanda
• Gabe Kaplan
• John Paul Kelly
• Phil Laak
• Howard Lederer
• Erick Lindgren
• Mike Matusow
• Jason Mercier
• Dario Minieri
• Chris Moneymaker
• Darvin Moon
• Greg Mueller
• Daniel Negreanu
• Scotty Nguyen
• Annette Obrestad
• Brock Parker
• Dennis Phillips
• Greg Raymer
• Vanessa Rousso
• Kara Scott
• Huck Seed
• Erik Seidel
• Mike Sexton
• Gavin Smith
• Jennifer Tilly
• Paul Wasicka
• David Williams
• Leo Wolpert
• Jerry Yang

The above poker pro's will pit their skill against 7 qualifiers from online poker rooms.

Catch the tournament on NBC

• April 18 - Noon - 1PM ET/9:00-10:00 AM PT
• April 25 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00AM PT
• May 2 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
• May 9 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
• May 16 - Noon - 2PM ET/9:00-11:00 AM PT
• May 23 - Noon - 3PM ET/9:00-Noon AM PT

Mixed Power Hour Starts Today at UB and Absolute Poker

Starting today, online poker rooms UB and Absolute Poker will be offering players the Mixed Power Hour. Players will be able to earn double UltimatePoints and AbsolutePoints non-stop until February 28^th. Players who enjoy H.O.R.S.E. and H.O.S.E. are sure to enjoy this special week.

H.O.R.S.E. and H.O.S.E. have become quite popular at the online poker rooms and this week is going to reward those who enjoy the games. For those who are unfamiliar, H.O.R.S.E. is Hold’em, Omaha hi/lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud High, Eights or Better and H.O.S.E. is H.O.R.S.E. without the Razz.

Players who compete in the ring games of H.O.R.S.E. and H.O.S.E. will be able to earn double the UltimatePoints and AbsolutePoints. The special week of double points starts at 00:00ET on the 22^nd and continues until 23:59ET on February 28^th.

Players will find that the extra points will automatically be added to their player account and then players can use the points to purchase items in the UltimatePoints Store or the AbsoluteRewards Store. Both Absolute Poker and UB have a schedule that lists qualifying ring games and tournaments for the week which includes Sit n Gos and STEP tournaments. Games that are eligible are identified as such in the lobby.

Both sites will also be offering extra earning opportunities at special times during the afternoon and at night during the special Mixed Power Hour week. This week is an excellent opportunity for Absolute Poker and UB players to earn extra points while playing the games they love or trying something new.

PokerStars’ 40 Billionth Online Poker Hand Dealt

The world's largest online poker site, PokerStars, celebrated the play of its 40,000,000,000th hand around lunchtime today. 400 million of those hands were dealt since last Wednesday, when PokerStars began awarding cash prizes to players seated in every millionth online poker hand in anticipation of the upcoming 40 billion milestone.

Each of the online poker players who participated in the long awaited 40 billionth hand received $400 for each VIP Player Point (VPP) accumulated at the fateful table over the previous 40 hands leading up to number 40 billion. The winner of the climactic poker hand was awarded twice that amount.

Thousands railed the online poker game to watch the 40 billionth hand at PokerStars dealt to table Naef III. The $2/$4 No Limit Texas Hold'em game was won by Senecady of Stockholm, Sweden. The board showed 7s Qh 7d 10c 7c, with Senecady holding Kc 10s for a sevens over tens full house. Senecady claimed $24,000 in prize money for his achievement as the winner of the 40,000,000,000th hand, in addition to the $350 pot.

The other five players of the monumental poker hand earned cash prizes for their participation in the 40 billionth hand, as well. 13_Xerxes_13 of France and Joe Hahn of Holland were each awarded $1,500. jeckjeck of Sweden received $12,400.80. thecooler992 and zawaaa – both from the US – were each given $15,590.20.

PokerStars was established in 2000, and broke the 25 billion hand mark only a year ago, on the morning of February 16, 2009. At this rate it won't be long before that 50 billionth hand comes in!

Poker Robber Found Dead after SWAT Stand off

The Broward Sheriff SWAT Team endured a five hour standoff with a Coral Springs man who was suspected of robbing the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino in December 2009. Dominic Zibuda was the man in question and the standoff began when the police got a tip of where Zibuda was.

Zibuda was suspected of robbing a poker room cashier of thousands of dollars last year and police were told he was hiding in a duplex in Oakland Park. The SWAT Team arrived at the house and surrounded the area when two men and a woman inside the home came out. They were questioned by police and then released.

Zibuda refused to come out and fired several shots one of which broke a front window, thankfully no one was hit. Deputies closed off the street near the home and told everyone to stay in their home.

A neighbor, Cru Edwards, stated:  "There were five gunshots and then about half an hour after that or an hour after that I heard three bangs, like they were trying to bang the door in and then 30 minutes to 45 minutes after that I heard one gunshot.”

The SWAT Team entered the residence at around 9:30pm and found Zibuda’s body. The final shot was Zibuda committing suicide. After police entered the home they identified that Zibuda was in fact the man suspected in the poker robbery. The Seminole Police used surveillance tapes from the casino to determine the identity of the poker robber.

2010 WPT Celebrity Invitational This Weekend

This weekend the World Poker Tour’s Celebrity Invitational is set to take place in Los Angeles at the Commerce Casino. The tournament will run on the 20^th and 21^st of February and will have a star studded line up raising money for Chrysalis a nonprofit organization which helps the homeless and economically disadvantaged to find jobs.

The World Poker Tour has invited over one hundred people to compete in the charity event. The list of confirmed participants is quite long and is full of several actors. Teri Hatcher, Jesse Metcalfe, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Chris Kattan, Marlon Wayans, Ethan Embry, Matthew Lillard, Chris Masterson, Danny Masterson, Shannon Elizabeth and Eddie Cibrian are just a few of the players invited to participate.

And of course no poker tournament would be complete without poker pros. The poker pros that have been confirmed for the event are: Phil Laak, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Antonio Esfandiari, J.C. Tran, Mark Seif, Jennifer Tilly, Howard Lederer, David Pham, Andy Bloch, Erik Seidel, Bill Edler and Allen Cunningham.

The event will kick off with a red carpet walkway and a VIP cocktail party on the 20^th. The tournament will begin just one hour later at 8pm. Players will be able to purchase $200 re-buys during the first two forty minute levels. The re-buys will go directly to the Chrysalis organization. Players who make it through day one will come back on day two to compete to the final six players.

The final six will come back on March 3^rd to participate in the final table which will be taped for a future television broadcast. The tournament will have a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool and will offer a $25,000 seat to the WPT championship which will take place in April.

PPA, Greg Raymer to Highlight Advocacy Efforts at the Annual Conservative Political Action Conference

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, will be a booth-sponsor at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this Thursday through Saturday in Washington, D.C.   This will be the second year PPA has attended CPAC and used the conference as an opportunity to increase its advocacy with conservative audiences and make the case for supporting poker player’s rights.

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker champion, will participate in an autograph signing session for attendees on Thursday and conduct interviews with conservative bloggers and talk radio hosts.  An opinion column authored by Greg Raymer was recently published on The Daily Caller, an emerging source for news and politics.

“Americans enjoy the game of poker no matter their political stripes,” Raymer said.  “We need to make sure that both politicians and activists are aware of the ridiculous attempts to prohibit online poker and empower them with the information and the tools necessary to stand up for our freedoms to play.”

Additionally, PPA has launched a CPAC site that includes conservative commentary, news reports, and talking points relating to protecting poker for both CPAC attendees and conservatives across the country.

Poker Player/Songwriter offering WSOP Cash to Song Downloader’s

Jason Mershon is an award winning songwriter and a professional poker player. He has released a new song that was written about poker called ‘Playin Poker for a Livin’ and to promote his new song, Mershon has decided to do something a little different.

Mershon is going to compete in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event. Mershon has stated that he will share 50% of any Final Table winnings he may earn with the first 15,000 people who download and purchase his song “Playin’ Poker for a Livin”.

The new song can be listened to at www.playinpokerforalivin.com and the lyrics are listed on the site as well. Those who want to download the song for a chance to win a piece of his final table winnings, that is if Mershon makes it to the final table, must pay $1.49 to download the song. The Limited Edition of the song will be available until June 30^th 2010.

Mershon stated that this offer is his way of saying thank you to his fans that like the new song. Mershon stated: “"I wrote the song to humorously tell what it's really like being a professional poker player; the sarcastic attitudes of many professional poker players; and the monotony of actually playing poker for a living and grinding out the long hours in a casino card room."

Mershon stated that he knows it is tough to make the Final Table of the Main Event but somebody has to make it. Mershon has won smaller poker tournament in California and Las Vegas so he thinks it’s time for him to participate in the WSOP.

The offering by Mershon is an excellent way to promote his new song and if it catches on who knows maybe it will become the theme song for poker sites and pros everywhere. Go check it out for yourself at the song’s website and see what you think and if you get there quick enough and purchase the song you may find yourself a richer poker fan.

Isildur1 Returns to Full Tilt Poker after Cheating Scandal

There have been possible sightings at Absolute Poker, and he’s been seen at some lower stakes here and there. But his brief appearance yesterday, and his much more exciting re-debut today, Isildur1 has been harder to track down than Elvis and 2pac since he got bitch-slapped by the card player fellow’s.

Since he’s been gone, we at 4flush have been forced to do some crazy things, like call an earthquake a hurricane, misquote some very dull drama, and throw crumpled up balls around the news room to amuse ourselves.

Isildur1 was spotted by playing a wicked stretch at Full Tilt Poker where he met up with LuvtheWNBA (who‘s bankroll he lightened by about 120k.), also known as Isaac Haxton, and Justin Bonomo known as Zeejustin when he’s playing poker online.

Isildur was down to Haxton early on but he picked it up, before moving on to accept a game with ZeeJustin,

Zeejustin lost $550k to isildur1. Amazing.

Good news for Bonomo though, according to High Stakes News, a buddy had a piece of his action, cutting his laws. After dumping 550k + at tables,

ZeeJustins backer, backed out. He told Isildur1 he could continue playing, but he’d half to drop down to the $100/$200 tables, Isildur1 passed, claiming he was to tired for that, and the two bid each other good night.

In all seriousness though, the question we’re all dying to see answered is this: Will Isildur1 face Brian Hastings (and team) again?

According to High Stakes Poker News, the Swedish poker player’s bankroll should be right around a million bucks right now.

National Heads-Up Poker Championship Returns to Caesars Palace for 6th Season.

One of the most prestigious heads up poker events will be back in Las Vegas Nevada in just a couple weeks. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship kicks off March 4th 2010 and will continue through the 7th .

Sixty-Four of the worlds best poker players  will meet up in the  Caesars Palace Poker Tournament Room to compete in the, bracket-style head-to-head tournament that carrries with it a prize pool of $1.5 million in combined prize money.  The event  which will be taped for broadcast on NBC over six consecutive Sundays in April and May.

"We’re excited to bring this annual tradition back to Caesars Palace,” said Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports. “The National Heads-Up Poker Championship’s compelling poker action has become a must-see for the casual and hardcore poker fan alike.”

Chris Ferguson, will be attending again this year, along with Phil Helmuth, and newly divorced Phil Ivey. Danny Negreanu will be in attendance, as will this years World Series of Poker Main Event winner, Joe Cada.

Also duking it out this year, last years heads-up finalists Vanessa Rouso and Huckleberry Seed.

“It takes a lot of skill and mental toughness to get through a field of such exceptional players,” said last year’s Heads-Up champion Huck Seed, who is the only player in the history of Heads-Up to cash in all five years of the event. “But I look forward to defending my title and trying to win it again.”

The ever beautiful Leeann Tweeden host the event, as well as reporting back to us from the sidelines.

Nevada Casinos Experience Largest Revenue Drop in State History

When 2010 began the Nevada Gaming Control Board released the casino revenue figures for the month of November. During that month the state broke a twenty two month losing streak of decline so all seemed well. However the figures for December showed that the state of Nevada had seen the largest drop in revenues since recordings began over fifty years ago.

The state posted a 3.24% year on year decline for the month of December to generate just $859 million in revenues. In 2009 the state’s gaming revenues had fallen to $10.4 billion which is down 10.4% compared to 2008. This was the largest drop in revenues since 1955.

Frank Streshley the Control Board Tax and License Division Chief commented on the results stating: “Prior to this decade, since we’ve tracked the numbers since 1955, we’ve not ever had a decline until 2001, and then within this decade we’ve had four declines, with the largest being 2009 at 10.4 percent.”

It has been stated that gaming revenues in Nevada have been strongly falling since the September 11^th 2001 terrorist attacks. The revenues have continued to drop as the economy has taken a downturn in the past few years.

Despite the negative aspects of the year there were a few positive items. The Las Vegas Strip did see an increase of 5.9% in revenue for December. This increase was the result of the new CityCenter development which cost $8.5 billion and the improved baccarat for casinos.

Economists have stated that the state should benefit once the global economy improves. The Strip is a tourist draw and once people have money to spend they will be back to enjoy what Las Vegas has to offer.

University of Florida Group Hosting Charity Strip Poker Tournament

When you hear the term ‘strip poker’ you think of playing cards with your girlfriend or maybe a big group of friends at home. What does not come to mind is the word charity. But that is exactly what one college group is using the favorite game of many to do, raise money for charity.

The Pledge 5 Foundation is a group that promotes public service at the University of Florida and throughout the community in Gainesville. Students at the University work with several charitable causes and this Saturday the Pledge 5 group will be hosting something a bit unusual to raise funds for charity.

Pledge 5 will be hosting a strip poker tournament this Saturday for charity and prizes will be given away during the event. Around 200 people are expected to participate and the event will be taking place at the Ocala Poker Room and Jai Alai from 2 to 7pm.

Now I know what you are thinking…Strip poker?  Yes it’s true. The poker tournament will be a regular no limit Texas hold’em tournament and people will be competing for a $1,000 cash prize. There will also be prizes up for grabs as well including cruises, bar tabs, tanning packages, restaurant gift certificates and much more.

During tournament play, participants will be asked to take off one article of clothing when their chip count falls to under the average. The rules of the tournament state that participates may wear as many articles of clothing as they want to and they may not strip past swim wear.

So as you can see even though the participants will be stripping off clothing, not everything will be coming off. Players are not required to remove clothing but if they want to win a prize they must donate at least five pieces of clothing. The tournament will definitely be interesting and will most certainly draw a crowd since players will be losing clothing.

Clothing that is donated during the tournament will go to Goodwill Industries and the St. Francis House. The Pledge 5 Foundation provides these type of events to give students an opportunity to give back. The group is named Pledge 5 because it tries to get people to donate at least five hours to charity event.

Large Alabama Poker Tournament Busted by Police

This past Saturday afternoon over seventy poker players were surprised by police when a poker tournament was raided in Pelham, Alabama. About six dozen people were at the poker tournament when it was broken up by police for being illegal.

Over a dozen Pelham police officers and member of the Shelby County Task Force arrived at the scene to serve a search warrant after months of investigation. According to Lt. Scott Tucker over seventy people were involved in the illegal Texas Hold’em poker tournament including dealers and the people in charge.

The people at the tournament were not arrested but were identified and then released. According to Lt. Tucker, once the investigation is completed the evidence will be turned over to the Shelby County District Attorney and then it will be determined if charges will be filed.

In the state of Alabama simple gambling and promoting gambling is a misdemeanor but this has not stopped people from hosting Texas Hold’em Poker Tournaments from taking place in the state. Some bars even hold tournaments though they do not play for money.

Lt. Tucker stated that the tournament on Saturday was not a spontaneous card game between friends. Tucker stated the people involved in the game on Saturday did not know each and every player and they were not all from the area.

Lt. Tucker commented: “I wouldn’t consider an organized card playing game as one that you would play sitting at your kitchen table with your next door neighbors or your buddy from work. This is a totally different element.

Lt. Tucker also commented that the raid had nothing to do with the Governor’s Anti-Gambling Task Force or bingo but rather it was the result of a joint investigation between the Hoover Police, the Shelby County Task Force and the Pelham Police.

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