PKR TIPS

In tonight’s line-up we have Cole South leaving CardRunners as both an instructor and owner, Brandon Adams on 60 Minutes not talking about poker, and more.

In Case You Missed It

The second day of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final saw 413 players hit the felt, but only 116 survive. See who made it through in the recap.

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team is bringing you all the action from the World Series of Poker Circuit event in Las Vegas. See who showed up and who will see Day 2.

The FTOPS XVI is underway and already, 15 events are in the books. We’ve got the results, the leaderboard, and what to watch for. Check out FTOPS XVI in Full Swing for more.

Did you miss the NAPT on ESPN this week? No need to fret. Here’s your recap.

South Moving On

Cole South recently posted a blog on CardRunners, the online poker training site he is part owner of and also an instructor on, stating that he was departing from the site as both an instructor and owner.

According to South, it’s a personal decision that has more to do with him than the site. “In the past year I have at the same time been a full time student, a professional poker player, and an owner/instructor of a poker training site, and I’ve found myself spread too thin. Leaving Cardrunners has been an incredibly tough decision for me, but it will allow me to focus on playing poker and completing my degree,” he said in the blog.

His CardRunners blog has more.

Want a WSOP Seat?

PokerNews and 888 Poker want to get you to Las Vegas this year for the World Series of Poker Main Event. If you sign up for an 888 Poker account or have previously signed up for one, you’re eligible for four freerolls throughout May, the last one being a one for a $16,000 WSOP package. This all assumes you’ve earned the required points, of course.

• May 20: $1,000 freeroll – must have earned 20 points

• May 21: $3,000 freeroll – must have earned 50 points

• May 22: $5,000 freeroll – must have earned 80 points

• May 23: $16,000 WSOP Package ($15k Main Event package + $1k cash added) freeroll – must have earned 200 points

Not only that, but 888 is giving you 8 ways to win one of 88 packages to the WSOP, as well. There are 41 Main Event packages up for grabs and 47 packages available for Event #54.

Find out more here.

Adams on Adderall

Recently, 60 Minutes did a feature on the drug Adderrall. It focused on how college students use the drug to study and focus on their work. Katie Couric talks to University of Kentucky students, a professor from UK, a doctor, and Brandon Adams — yes, the poker player.

There was no poker talk in this interview, Adams confessed to using Adderall in college and when writing his book. He also says it’s common in all professions, as well.

Check out CBSNews.com for more.

Dear Congressmen

Two Virginia congressmen, Bob Goodlatte and Rick Boucher, have taken it upon themselves to try to persuade their colleagues not to accept any appeals to the UIGEA, which is scheduled to go into effect June 1.

They’ve written a letter that is now circulating in Washington urging Congress to oppose any appeals saying that, “gambling wreaks havoc on our nation’s families, especially our youth and problem gamblers.” They’ve gone so far to put in a story of a college student who committed suicide because of an enormous gambling debt.

Pokerati.com has more.

View From the Rail

Gloria Balding and crew scoured the tournament floor at the European Poker Tour Grand Final and caught some of the action as it was happening. Then she caught up with a few of the players to talk about the hands they were involved in. Check it out below.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and be sure to add us on Facebook.

Harrah’s has put the Rio on the chopping block, we’ve got an update on a Full Tilt Poker court case, and more, and it’s all in tonight’s Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Day 1b of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final saw 497 players take the field ― not all survived. The Day 1b recap has the story.

We recently caught up with David “GhettoFabolous” Randall to talk poker, coaching and golf. Check it out.

The start of the World Series of Poker is just about a month away, and we’ve got a list of players that haven’t played before. You know how we like our lists. The first Rookie is Jeff Sarwer ― the chess pro turned poker pro will be making his first appearance on the WSOP felt and we’ve got a preview.

New Ringleader at the Rio?

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Harrah’s Entertainment is seeking to sell the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Two companies are submitting bids on the property: Starwood Capital Global LLC and Colony Capital LLC. The bids are valuing the Rio at around $500 million. This comes just months after Harrah’s purchased Planet Hollywood. There have been no comments from Harrah’s or either bidding company.

What does this mean for the future of the World Series of Poker? We know the Rio will be home for many of you this summer ― but there is no word on any subsequent WSOP.

You can read more about the Harrah’s/Rio story at BusinessWeek.com.

Full Tilt Poker Dodges Bullets

Full Tilt Poker has had plenty of legal worries, but the company is now minus two of them. A court case involving Lary Kennedy and Greg Omotoy, in which the two sued FTP for false advertising, libel, and fraud was thrown out by the Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles. The two had alleged that the company had taken over $80,000 out of their accounts. Full Tilt dismissed the claims as “frivolous” and “baseless.”

The second case, in Kentucky, involved parent company Pocket Kings. A Franklin Circuit Court declared that Pocket Kings had not been served in a timely fashion and therefore discovery could not be permitted. It’s not out of the woods yet ― “As of entry of this order, the only named defendant, Pocket Kings Ltd, has not been served. The Court finds that allowing discovery here would be premature until Pocket Kings has been served, and until the Court has reviewed any responsive pleadings that Pocket Kings may file.”

RecentPoker.com has more.

Absolutely Scandalous

We know the Absolute Poker scandal happened a while ago but it has come to our attention that some information has been confirmed. Haley Hintze has posted a pretty long blog uncovering the identity of the person associated with the “Potchopper” account, which was the “observer” account that monitored the “PotRipper” account. There are screen shots that are said to be “unphotoshopped” that tie the account to Scott Tom, one founder of Absolute Poker. The blog goes into the PotRipper account history, as well.

Hintze alludes to more news on the AP and UB scandals, which we’ll presumably hear about in future posts, but for now, check out the latest one at Haley’s Poker Blog.

World Team Poker

The World Team Poker event at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas is just a few weeks away now and more team lineups have been released.

Eli Elezra will be known as the captain of Team Israel. Josh Arieh, David Levi, brothers Robert and Michael Mizrachi and Abe Mosseri will make up the team.

Team China has two team captains, Johnny Chan and David Chiu. The team is comprised of Maria Ho, Chau Giang, Winfred Yu, and Yuegi “Rich” Zhu.

The event is open to the public, so if you’re in Vegas on May 19, head on over to the Golden Nugget to check it out. PokerNews will be bringing you all the updates from the felt as well.

Check out WorldTeamPoker.com for more.

Moneymaker on Break

Gloria Balding caught up with Chris Moneymaker on the break of Day 2 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final. They talk about how his day is going (he was the chip leader for a bit during the day), why he’s content playing the stakes he’s playing, and his EPT schedule.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and be sure to add us on Facebook.

Harrah’s has put the Rio on the chopping block, we’ve got an update on a Full Tilt Poker court case, and more, and it’s all in tonight’s Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Day 1b of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final saw 497 players take the field ― not all survived. The Day 1b recap has the story.

We recently caught up with David “GhettoFabolous” Randall to talk poker, coaching and golf. Check it out.

The start of the World Series of Poker is just about a month away, and we’ve got a list of players that haven’t played before. You know how we like our lists. The first Rookie is Jeff Sarwer ― the chess pro turned poker pro will be making his first appearance on the WSOP felt and we’ve got a preview.

New Ringleader at the Rio?

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Harrah’s Entertainment is seeking to sell the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Two companies are submitting bids on the property: Starwood Capital Global LLC and Colony Capital LLC. The bids are valuing the Rio at around $500 million. This comes just months after Harrah’s purchased Planet Hollywood. There have been no comments from Harrah’s or either bidding company.

What does this mean for the future of the World Series of Poker? We know the Rio will be home for many of you this summer ― but there is no word on any subsequent WSOP.

You can read more about the Harrah’s/Rio story at BusinessWeek.com.

Full Tilt Poker Dodges Bullets

Full Tilt Poker has had plenty of legal worries, but the company is now minus two of them. A court case involving Lary Kennedy and Greg Omotoy, in which the two sued FTP for false advertising, libel, and fraud was thrown out by the Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles. The two had alleged that the company had taken over $80,000 out of their accounts. Full Tilt dismissed the claims as “frivolous” and “baseless.”

The second case, in Kentucky, involved parent company Pocket Kings. A Franklin Circuit Court declared that Pocket Kings had not been served in a timely fashion and therefore discovery could not be permitted. It’s not out of the woods yet ― “As of entry of this order, the only named defendant, Pocket Kings Ltd, has not been served. The Court finds that allowing discovery here would be premature until Pocket Kings has been served, and until the Court has reviewed any responsive pleadings that Pocket Kings may file.”

RecentPoker.com has more.

Absolutely Scandalous

We know the Absolute Poker scandal happened a while ago but it has come to our attention that some information has been confirmed. Haley Hintze has posted a pretty long blog uncovering the identity of the person associated with the “Potchopper” account, which was the “observer” account that monitored the “PotRipper” account. There are screen shots that are said to be “unphotoshopped” that tie the account to Scott Tom, one founder of Absolute Poker. The blog goes into the PotRipper account history, as well.

Hintze alludes to more news on the AP and UB scandals, which we’ll presumably hear about in future posts, but for now, check out the latest one at Haley’s Poker Blog.

World Team Poker

The World Team Poker event at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas is just a few weeks away now and more team lineups have been released.

Eli Elezra will be known as the captain of Team Israel. Josh Arieh, David Levi, brothers Robert and Michael Mizrachi and Abe Mosseri will make up the team.

Team China has two team captains, Johnny Chan and David Chiu. The team is comprised of Maria Ho, Chau Giang, Winfred Yu, and Yuegi “Rich” Zhu.

The event is open to the public, so if you’re in Vegas on May 19, head on over to the Golden Nugget to check it out. PokerNews will be bringing you all the updates from the felt as well.

Check out WorldTeamPoker.com for more.

Moneymaker on Break

Gloria Balding caught up with Chris Moneymaker on the break of Day 2 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final. They talk about how his day is going (he was the chip leader for a bit during the day), why he’s content playing the stakes he’s playing, and his EPT schedule.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and be sure to add us on Facebook.

PartyPoker has signed a new member to the team, the EPT has released their schedule for season seven, and more – all in tonight’s Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

The PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final kicked off on Sunday. Plenty of notables were in the field and some managed to make it through to Day 2. Check out the Day 1a recap here.

We’re back with the Sunday Majors results. Would you expect anything less on a Monday? Check them all out in The Sunday Briefing.

Miss the latest episode of High Stakes Poker? Well, Negreanu’s curse may be back and Matusow was the beneficiary. This recap has all the hijinks.

Here for the Party

PartyPoker has added another member to its team. Formula 1 driver Jaime Alguersuari will be the newest face representing the brand. The 20-year-old is the youngest driver in F1 history and he’ll be taking part in exclusive tournaments online where the winners will get a chance to meet Jaime and go to one of his races.

“Some say that I am a novice in F1 and I would say the same about poker. I have loved the game from afar but with all my driving commitments, I have a lot to learn. I recently got my first points in F1 and am now about to secure my first PartyPoints at PartyPoker.com,” Jaime said. “The popularity of poker in Spain is on the rise and I cannot wait to be part of it and improve my skills at the table by playing online. Poker is so popular among the F1 drivers at the moment, by becoming an ambassador for PartyPoker.com I aim to be the best of them all!”

You might not be able to take Jaime on on the course, but you can take him on at PartyPoker. Sign up here.

EPT Season Seven

The PokerStars European Poker Tour has announced dates for season seven. All the tour favorites are still on the schedule including Barcelona, London, San Remo, and everyone’s new favorite, Snowfest. Season seven kicks off in a new location, Tallinn, Estonia, on August 11.

Check out all the dates revealed so far below:

Aug 11 – 16: Tallinn, Estonia
Aug 28 – Sept 2: Vilamoura, Portugal
Sept 29 – Oct 4: London, England
Nov 22 – 27: Barcelona, Spain
Dec 13 – 18: Prague, Czech Republic
Jan 7 – 16: PCA, Bahamas
Jan 25 – 31: Deauville, France
Feb 17 – 22: Copenhagen, Denmark
March 20 – 25: Snowfest, Austria
April 5 – 10: Berlin, Germany
TBC: San Remo, Italy

There are plenty of qualifiers running for other PokerStars tours, sign up for an account today and win your way to somewhere new.

FTOPS XVI Results

The 16th FTOPS has begun, plenty of money has already been awarded, and gold jerseys have been handed out. Everything kicked off on Friday when 3,673 players took to the virtual felt in $200 + $16 no-limit hold’em event, hosted by Allen Cunningham. There was a $750,000 guarantee and “BRO20″ took home $134,250 for the win.

FTOPS XVI Results

Event #2 (no-limit hold’em super-turbo six-max)
Buy-in: $310 + $12
Guarantee: $300,000
Entrants: 1,436
Winner: scout315

Event #3 (limit hold’em six-max)
Buy-in: $200 + $16
Guarantee: 150,000
Entrants: 619
Winner: Randomizer2

Event #4 (pot-limit Omaha six-max)
Buy-in: $500 + $35
Guarantee: $400,000
Entrants: 742
Winner: -BeatMe79-

Event #5 (no-limit hold’em rebuy)
Buy-in: $100 + $9
Guarantee: $600,000
Entrants: 1,936
Winner: apestyles

Event #6 (no-limit hold’em rush turbo)
Buy-in: $200 + $16
Guarantee: $250,000
Entrants: 1,900
Winner: 4high20

We know there were FTOPS tournaments yesterday, but you’ll have to check out the Sunday Briefing for those results – no use repeating ourselves. If you want a gold jersey all your own, you need to sign up for a Full Tilt Poker account here.

Have a Sweat

Want to get in on a piece of some FTOPS money but don’t grind it out for 10+ hours? Well, you could always buy a piece of someone. Ask the lucky eight who bought a piece of “MagicGog,” who finished second in FTOPS XVI event #7 that garnered him a payday of $141,791. He offered up 50 percent of his action but not all his shares were bought, so he and his backers shared a nice payday.

MagicGog still has a few tournaments left in his ChipMeUp combo, or you could always buy a piece of someone else. Check it all out here.

Chatting with PA

Gloria Balding caught up with Patrik Antonius for his yearly PokerNews chat at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final. They talked about golf, poker, and more.

Follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

The Cake Network is getting new digs, a funny thing happened on the way to the World Poker Tour World Championship final table, and the PokerNews Live Reporting Team is on the move once again – you can find all these stories and more in tonight’s Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Day 5 of the World Poker Tour World Championship saw the field shrink to 10 players. And what a stacked final 10 it is. Find out who’s hopes are still alive for a WPT final table in this recap.

Wynn is threatening to move its headquarters. Want to know where? You’ll have to check out Inside Gaming for the answer.

Another FTOPS series kicked off today. There are 30 events this time and $25 million in guaranteed prize pools. Check out the schedule here.

We already brought you Part 1 of Keeping Your Range Open with Ryan D’Angelo, what good would we be if we left you hanging. Here’s Part 2.

Poker Mindset

We know we told you about Sam Chauhan and his newest pupil Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal the other day, but his track record is really something that should be looked at again.

The World Poker Tour World Championship is down to 10 players at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Josh Arieh, one of Chauhan’s pupils, just missed the final 10, when finished in 16th place, good for a $47,033 payday. Phil Hellmuth, who has the shortest stack of the 10 left, has been working with Chauhan for a while and is looking to make back-to-back final tables. David Williams, who has been working with Chauhan for just a few weeks now, well he’s fourth on the leaderboard with close to 2.5 million in chips. Where do we sign up again?

Check out the WPT World Championship leaderboard here and find out more about Chauhan at MindsetVT.com.

Win Your Way to the WSOP

Looking to get that World Series of Poker seat on the cheap? Well, PokerNews and 888 Poker want to help you out. If you sign up for an 888 Poker account or have previously signed up for one, you’re eligible for four freerolls throughout May, the last one being a one for a $16,000 WSOP package. This all assumes you’ve earned the required points, of course.

• May 20: $1,000 freeroll – must have earned 20 points

• May 21: $3,000 freeroll – must have earned 50 points

• May 22: $5,000 freeroll – must have earned 80 points

• May 23: $16,000 WSOP Package ($15k Main Event package + $1k cash added) freeroll – must have earned 200 points

Not only that, but 888 is giving you 8 ways to win one of 88 packages to the WSOP, as well. There are 41 Main Event packages up for grabs and 47 packages available for Event #54.

Find out more here.

Making the Move

The Cake Network has moved to Malta and was recently issued a letter of intent in regards to its application for a gaming license. By making this move, the Cake Network will be able to offer current or future network partners the option of being regulated by Malta or under Cake’s gaming license in Curacao.

“We are excited about being in a position to offer our existing and future partners licensing through the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority. This will greatly assist existing partners as they undertake further marketing within the European region and allow existing European White listed operators the opportunity to take advantage of the Cake Network’s suite of services,” Director of Marketing for Cake Network Andrew Turner said.

Read more at Gambling911.com.

Where in the World is the PokerNews Crew?

Last week, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team was in San Remo, Italy, for the PokerStars.it European Poker Tour San Remo. Sunday, the Team will be bringing you coverage of all the action from the felt of Le Sporting Club in Monte Carlo for the EPT’s Grand Final.

Stalk them here. They like that kind of thing.

Following us on Twitter is a really good idea. Another good idea? Facebook.

Miss any Nightly Turbos this week? Well, you missed news on The Ivey Room, a new World Poker Tour stop, and more.

New World Poker Tour Stop

The World Poker Tour is expanding its reach across the globe with its newest stop scheduled for the 2010–2011 docket in France. The WPT Amneville series will run from October 30 through November 6, with the €3,500 Main Event beginning on November 2.

“The Casino d’Amneville is located at the perfect crossroad for European players, with close proximity to Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. We are delighted to welcome the World Poker Tour to Amneville for this unique French tournament,” said Christophe Schanne, general manager of the Casino d’Amneville.

A variety of qualifiers for WPT Amneville will be running at Aviation Club de France and The Grand Casino Basel in Switzerland. Super-satellites will be running at the Casino d’Amneville, as well, from October 29 through November 1.

Check out WorldPokerTour.com for more.

The Ivey League

Invitations have been sent out for a $1 million poker invitational celebrating the opening of The Ivey Room. Yes, it seems that those rumors of a poker room dubbed with the name of one of poker’s greatest aren’t just rumors.

The Ivey Room will open at the Aria Resort and Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas on May 22. An invitation-only poker tournament is scheduled with a $100,000 bounty on Phil Ivey’s head. The winner of the invitational will compete in a heads-up match against Ivey for $250,000.

Pokerati.com has more.

Women in Poker Hall of Fame

The Women in Poker Hall of Fame has changed the way it is doing things regarding the process for nominations of this year’s inductions. Previously, it was a members-only nomination process. This year, anyone can nominate a candidate for consideration.

There are three requirements:

• Must have been active as a player or industry leader for a minimum of 15 years.

• Must have contributed to the world of poker in a significant way.

• Must be a proponent of women’s poker – meaning that even if she doesn’t play them, she must support women’s events.

Voting will also be available to the public and will account for 50 percent of the results. Inductees and board members will account for the other half of the results.

Read more about it here.

6th Street

Joe Cada chronicled his life from the time he made the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table until just after he won it in November. A preview of it was uploaded to YouTube and before we knew it, the TwoPlusTwo community grabbed hold. As always, it’s about 50/50 in the thread on “fail” or “cool” status.

Quite possibly regretting his decision, Cada has pulled the plug on his role in the series. He posted his thoughts on the preview in the thread and had this to say, “Don’t really know what to think of it because some of the scenes are pretty embarrassing that I wish didn’t make the trailer…” Rumblings from our Live Reporting staff in San Remo say that he’s no longer doing the show.

That’s obviously not the entire post, but we like to keep things short here, so you’re going to have to check out the thread on TwoPlusTwo for more.

Team PokerStars Pro Canada

PokerStars has announced the newest additions to the Team PokerStars Pro Canada Team. Joining Daniel Negreanu and Darus Suharto, newcomers Greg DeBora, Patrick Pezzin, Marcello Del Grosso, and Anh Van Nguyen will now be repping the Canadian flag on a patch on their shoulders. Congratulations to the new pros!

Want to take on one of the newest members of Team PokerStars Pro Canada? Sign up for a PokerStars account today.

Krost’s Party

Aussie Millions 2010 winner Tyron Krost has just joined Team PartyPoker. The 23-year-old, who won $2 million AUD at the southern hemisphere’s biggest poker event, will become a global ambassador for the site. His first big event wearing the PartyPoker colors will be at the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris in May.

“Tyron crushed the field at the Aussie Millions and it is a pleasure to get him on the team. When I first saw him I thought he may need a trike but now I expect him to be a Tour de Force in the poker world! There is so much more to come from him,” Team PartyPoker member Tony G said.

Krost joins The G, Mike Sexton, Kara Scott, and many more on the team. Want to play against the Team? Sign up for a PartyPoker account today.

House Arrest

Daniel Tzvetkoff was taken into custody last week as the first person to be accused of UIGEA violations. He awaits trial on four charges related to UIGEA violations, money laundering, and bank fraud of more than $500 million. Tzvetkoff faces 75 years in prison if convicted.

A Las Vegas federal judge granted Tzvetkoff bail even though prosecutors objected, claiming he was a flight risk. It is believed that he has $100 million in cash hidden somewhere, and that coupled with the fact that he is a foreign national, was the cause for concern of the prosecutors.

Tzvetkoff’s father put up his $1.2 million home in Australia as a guarantee that his son would show up at federal court in New York’s Southern District. His father has said that he will drive his son to NYC from Las Vegas to ensure he appears in court.

Pokerati.com has more.

EPT San Remo

The European Poker Tour San Remo is in the books. Liv Boeree has beaten the record-breaking field and Gloria Balding caught up with her just after the win to discuss how it feels and what she’s going to do with the over €1 million first-place prize.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

It helps your “please sponsor me” case if you’ve won a major tournament – just ask Aussie Millions winner Tyron Krost. Another poker tournament is being filmed – this time it’s the High Roller event at the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris. You can’t find out more about these two items and more in tonight’s Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

The PokerStars.it European Poker Tour San Remo has found its champion. Liv Boeree has the trophy in her hands and €1.25 million in her pockets. Read how it went down here.

The final 18 are set at the World Poker Tour World Championship. Find out if last year’s champ made it through Day 4 or if a new champ is in our future with this recap.

Is it the Year of the Tigress? First Duke, then Selbst, and last night – Boeree. We sat down with Vanessa Selbst to talk about her win at NAPT Mohegan Sun.

We caught up with Ryan D’Angelo to talk tournament strategy and keeping your range open. He recounts a hand that he was involved in at NAPT Mohegan Sun here.

Krost’s Party

Aussie Millions 2010 winner Tyron Krost has just joined Team PartyPoker. The 23-year-old, who won $2 million AUD at the southern hemisphere’s biggest poker event, will become a global ambassador for the site. His first big event wearing the PartyPoker colors will be at the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris in May.

“Tyron crushed the field at the Aussie Millions and it is a pleasure to get him on the team. When I first saw him I thought he may need a trike but now I expect him to be a Tour de Force in the poker world! There is so much more to come from him,” Team PartyPoker member Tony G said.

Krost joins The G, Mike Sexton, Kara Scott, and many more on the team. Want to play against the Team? Sign up for a PartyPoker account today.

On the Small Screen

The World Poker Tour has added a second event to the Grand Prix de Paris schedule at the Aviation Club de France. A €20,000 High Roller tournament will take place on May 14.

The final table of the Main Event has moved to May 15 and the High Roller Freeze-Out final table will play down to a winner on May 16, providing two days of back-to-back final table action. Both final tables will be filmed for television.

The Aviation Club de France is holding satellites for the Main Event beginning May 1 and the High Roller event on May 13.

For a complete WPT tour schedule, check out WPT.com.

House Arrest

Daniel Tzvetkoff was taken into custody last week as the first person to be accused of UIGEA violations. He awaits trial on four charges related to UIGEA violations, money laundering, and bank fraud of more than $500 million. Tzvetkoff faces 75 years in prison if convicted.

A Las Vegas federal judge granted Tzvetkoff bail even though prosecutors objected, claiming he was a flight risk. It is believed that he has $100 million in cash hidden somewhere, and that coupled with the fact that he is a foreign national, was the cause for concern of the prosecutors.

Tzvetkoff’s father put up his $1.2 million home in Australia as a guarantee that his son would show up at New York’s Southern District federal court. His father has said that he will drive his son to NYC from Las Vegas to ensure he appears in court.

Pokerati.com has more.

New and Shiny Things

The next time you log onto Bodog Poker, you might notice a couple of changes. The site has rolled out some enhancements to the playing experience.

The first change comes to mucking cards. Players will be able to choose to show one card if they wish when mucking their hands. The automatic muck button is still there, but if you want to change things up a bit, you can now show just one.

In addition to that, if you reach a final table of a multitable tournament, you’ll get new graphics that will make you feel like you’re at an exclusive final table – probably shiny lights and what-have-you. Also, instead of tournament credits for winning entries into events such as the WSOP or Bodog’s weekly tournaments, you’ll get tournament tickets.

Want to test out Bodog’s new changes? Sign up for a Bodog account today.

San Remo Recap

The PokerStars European Poker Tour San Remo is in the books. Gloria Balding recaps the week and hands out some awards.

Follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

The World Series of Poker Circuit is in Las Vegas for the second to last stop this season, the LA casino jackpot lawsuit was dropped, Sam Chauhan takes on a new pupil, and more – all in tonight’s Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Day 5 of the European Poker Tour San Remo saw the final eight players revealed. Check out the recap to find out how the day went.

The third day of the World Poker Tour $25,000 World Championship saw a Day 1 chip leader climb to the top again. This recap has more.

“Odonkor” has taken the high-stakes tables on Full Tilt Poker by storm. There’s chatter that he could be “Isildur.” Though nothing is confirmed, he might not be. Find out more here.

Matthew Kredell has taken a look at Full Tilt Poker’s legal woes. Here is his analysis of the situation.

Director of Matchroom Sport, Eddie Hearn changed up the format of the PartyPoker Big Game IV. He chatted with us about that and what else we can expect in this interview.

WSOP-Circuit Las Vegas

The second-to-last stop on the World Series of Poker Circuit is well under way in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace. Eight events have been played and plenty more are on the schedule before the end of the event on April 30.

Here’s a quick run down of the winners of gold ring events:

Event #1 – $200 + $30 NLHE: Robert Feathers
Event #2 – $300 + $40 NLHE: Nick Coukos
Event #3 – $500 + $50 NLHE: Everett Carlton
Event #5 – $300 + $40 NLHE: Brandon Terry
Event #6 – $200 + $30 NLHE: Robert Koerber
Event #7 – $200 + $30 NLHE: Jeff Clayton
Event #9 – $500 + $50 NLHE: Two-day event – not concluded
Event #10 – $300 + 40 Ladies NLHE: Huichen Kuo

Yes, we know there isn’t a number four or eight in there, it’s because neither were gold ring events. In any case Jana Kincaid won Event #4 and David McGeachie took down Event #8.

Check out the remainder of the WSOP-C Las Vegas schedule at WSOP.com.

Dismissed

According to reports, an LA County Superior Court Judge threw out a lawsuit filed in May 2009 by Dennis Chae and Jeff Kim against five LA County casinos. The two alleged that the five casinos were falsely advertising their jackpot poker games. It was the “no purchase necessary” disclaimer at the bottom of the advert that irked them. They felt as if they were in fact paying because of the $1 that was taken from the pot in the jackpot games.

A law in the late ’80s stated that jackpot games were illegal lotteries and thus casinos have dubbed them “no purchase necessary,” to get around the issue. It was Judge Emile H. Elias who tossed the case out, claiming that the two players “chose to play the games despite the knowledge that they would be charged” and thus could not sue to recover losses from gambling.

The LA Times has more.

MMA Mindset

Sam Chauhan has a new pupil to add to his growing roster of celebrities and poker players. He has taken on MMA fighter Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and prepped him for his fights in the cage, one in particular that changed his MMA career. Lawal was undefeated going into his fight against Gegard Mousasi but was not the favorite. Of course he was preparing physically, but he looked to Chauhan to help him prepare mentally. It seems like it paid off for the MMA star, he defeated Mousasi in a unanimous decision.

So, let’s get this straight. First, Antonio Esfandiari makes a deep run in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Then Josh Arieh comes in second at the WPT Five Diamond, Gavin Smith takes first in a Canadian Poker Tour event, Phil Hellmuth final tables the WPT Bay 101, and now Lawal, who was a big underdog, gives his opponent a beating in the octagon? Wow, where do we sign up?

Find out more about the man changing the way we think at MindSetVT.com.

Let the Voting Begin

The European Poker Tour Awards in Monte Carlo are just days away and voting has opened for the EPT Player’s Choice Award and the EPT Achievement of the Year Award. All EPT Season 6 Main Event players are eligible to vote and will be receiving email soon regarding the voting process. Any player from EPT Season 6 can be nominated for the player’s choice award. The EPT Achievement award, however, has a list of nominees. Among them are Sorel Mizzi, EPT Serial Qualifier Pierre Neuville, Allan Bække, Luca Pagano and Shaun Deeb, among others.

If you played a Main Event in Season 6 of the EPT, make sure you check your email. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be covering the Grande Final of the EPT from Monte Carlo beginning April 25.

EPT San Remo

The European Poker Tour San Remo is in the books. Liv Boeree has beaten the record-breaking field and Gloria Balding caught up with her just after the win to discuss how it feels and what she’s going to do with the over €1 million first-place prize.

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