Young poker players taking a big gamble

Young poker players taking a big gamble Baltimoresun.com By Nicholas Leonhardt WHAT COMMUNITY can oppose a teenage activity that does not involve alcohol, drugs, sex, fast cars or violence? Apparently, quite a few adults object when the pastime is poker. The hobby that stereotypically attracts middle-age men with fat stogies and even fatter beer bellies is now the divertissement of choice for teenage boys. A notoriously fickle lot, young males have helped to make poker games such as Texas Hold 'Em wildly popular. Yet they are dumbfounded by the parental furor over a diversion that reinforces math, improves reasoning skills, involves social interaction and might even be profitable. Cash-only games at a friend's house are harmless, teens claim, especially when this perennially poor group must limit bets to the cost of a cheeseburger and fries. For these guppies pretending to be card sharks, the real danger is online poker. Although Internet sites state that players must be 18, youths find it easy to lie about their ages on the keyboard. Armed only with a credit card number and a buy-in as low as $10, children too young to baby-sit can enter a game. Each day, more than $100 million in bets passes through 200 online poker sites, according to Pokerpulse.com. To attract the naive, Internet poker rooms mimic the Vegas Strip with pulsating letters that scream "Play for FREE!" and "25% Bonus on 1st Deposit." It's not unusual to hear of 11-year-old boys spending an entire Saturday at their keyboards praying for a straight flush, or college students winning several thousand in one night. But their losses are not as publicized. Teens are enticed by a game that appears to require more skill than it actually does. Math-minded youths can learn the rules in 10 minutes and consider themselves experts by the end of the evening. Buoyed by beginner's luck, many forget that chance, not strategy, determines their fate. Teens who rack up chips are gambling with something far more valuable than money. They are risking an addiction that may be harder to cure than alcohol or drug habits. About 9 percent of young people already show signs of gambling addiction, according to the 2003 Annenberg National Risk Survey of Youth. A survey in Maryland reveals that the average gambling addict started playing at age 13. Those most at risk are well-educated, white males who are already highly competitive. The Task Force on Gambling in Maryland found that 89 percent of gambling addicts are male, 90 percent of them white. Sadly, the dangers don't end when the last player folds. Although players may keep a clear head while their weekly allowance is in the pot, 50 percent of young gamblers are likely to binge drink and 75 percent are prone to smoke marijuana in the future, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. Twenty percent of teens who bet consider suicide when their self-esteem plummets along with their winnings, the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling discovered. Some experts hope gambling is just a fad that will go the way of pet rocks, but many bet that the craze will persist. The problem gambling council reports that four out of five teenagers in North America wagered in the past year. Teens study the experts in televised poker tournaments on ESPN, Bravo and the Travel Channel, and two new gambling shows, ESPN's Tilt and A&E's Caesars 24/7, debuted this month. The winners on these cable shows quickly emerge as celebrities in the eyes of penny-ante players. Daniel Negreanu became the Brad Pitt of poker after winning the top money and the Player of the Year title last year. To attract an even younger crowd, toy stores offer poker sets to kids who should be hankering for a pair of skates, not a pair of kings. Party planners like The Poker Guy offer an expert who brings professional quality tables, chips and cards to birthday celebrations or bar mitzvahs. Teens who deal cards at home insist that a poker party is far safer than one involving binge drinking, drugs and sex. Even families who object to online poker find it hard to protest when a college student wins the thousands of dollars needed to pay tuition. But as the gambling addiction rate of youths doubles that of adults in North America, the only hope for teens is to know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em and when to cash in all their chips. Nicholas Leonhardt is a senior at Loyola Blakefield High School who lives in Lutherville.

SportsCrewPoker.com: Grand Opening of the Second Annual Charity Poker Tournament

SportsCrewPoker.com: Poker Takes on New Meaning with the Grand Opening of the Second Annual Poker Tournament, in Benefit of the Shriner's Hospitals for Children SportsCrewPoker.com: Poker Takes on New Meaning with the Grand Opening of the Second Annual Poker Tournament, in Benefit of the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children Attention Poker Players: Come join this Grand Tournament, help us raise funds for this noble cause and be a winner of a seat in the 2005 WSOP Main Event and a Chance to win $5,000,000 (PRWEB) January 28, 2005 -- For the second year in a row, SportsCrew.com teams up with the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children to celebrate this memorable event. In 2004, over $90,000 was raised for the cause of these children. The 2005 Charity Poker season kicks off Saturday, Jan. 29th with the $10,000 southeastern shoot out at the North Atlanta Trade Center. Come join about 500 other players -some of which travel thousands of miles to attend-, and play at one of the best live No Limit Hold'em Tournaments around. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children and… The second series of events starts Feb. 7th and culminates on March 29th. The Shriner’s Poker series consists of 56 satellite tournaments with the final winner awarded a seat in the 2005 WSOP main event and a chance to win $5,000,000. Visit www.shrinepoker.org or www.sportscrewpoker.com for further details. “All of us at SportsCrewPoker.com feel this is a great opportunity to give back to the children. 100% of the money raised at this charity event will go directly to the Shriners.” Says RJ Bergh, SportsCrew Poker Director, he continued to say: “Through our collective efforts with Gaming Club Poker.com our 2005 goal is to raise $500,000 for the childrens’ hospitals.” Join the cause, register to play and be a part of this tremendous event. Shriner’s Hospitals for Children could not be a more deserving, charitable cause. Help when it matters. For more information and to sign-up for the Shriner’s Charity events, please visit www.shrinepoker.org or www.sportscrewpoker.com. SportsCrew is a high-traffic sports and gaming portal (8,971 Alexa Ranking) that focuses its resources on the promotion and expansion of the online poker and gaming industry through print media, broadcast media, website marketing, guerrilla marketing strategies and live-event sponsorships. Visit SportsCrew.com today: http://www.SportsCrewPoker.com

Negreanu is likely to win World Poker Open

Negreanu is likely to win World Poker Open The tenth stop of the World Poker Tour known as World Poker Open started at the most popular spot to play near the Mississippi River, the birthplace of poker. According to Virgin Games, Horseshoe and Gold Strike Casinos saw 512 players aspiring to try their hands in the prestigious tournament. “This year’s competition draws a lot of poker players due to its substantial rewards. Buying a $10,000 seat in the tournament the player has a chance to win $1,511,282 and to advance to the WPT World Championship when the Tour's season culminates at Bellagio in April 2005. This year collected $5,120,000 total prize pool, a $1,664,950 increase over last year's event that saw 367 players”, Virgin Games spokesman said. Season Three's total prize pool has already topped the $30 million mark at $39,339,510, an $18,782,614 increase over Season Two stops to date. Many famous poker players have ventured to take part in the high-stakes event, including Chris Bigler, Doyle Brunson, Gus Hansen, Kathy Liebert, Carlos Mortenson, Daniel Negreanu etc. Their poker combat covered by the WPT Final Table television is scheduled to come to its end January 27. “We think that Daniel Negreanu has the best odds to capture the year award of the World Poker Tour. He might be followed by three of the best in the game with Men “The Master” Nguyen, Gus Hansen and John Juanda. However, other poker gurus like Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey, Scott Fischman, Antonio Esfandiari, and charming Annie Duke seems to be a real eye-catcher!”

Drew Barrymore set to play her cards in Lucky You

Drew Barrymore set to play her cards in Lucky You - MovieWeb According to Production Weekly, Drew Barrymore will co-star with Eric Bana in Lucky You, to be directed by Curtis Hanson. Production is expected to begin in Las Vegas in March on the drama, which is set in the world of high-stakes professional poker. The film is based on an original screenplay by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth, with additional writing by Hanson. The story focuses on Huck Cheever (Bana), a gifted young poker player confronting his personal demons as he attempts to win a world championship tournament in Las Vegas.

World's biggest online poker site considers IPO

World's biggest online poker site considers IPO By Matthew Garrahan in London For FT.com The world's biggest online poker site is edging towards a market listing, in what could be a further sign of a resurgence in investor interest in internet businesses. PartyGaming, the online poker and casino operator, on Wednesday appointed Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Investec to advise it on “strategic options”. PartyGaming, formerly known as iGlobalMedia, owns Party-Poker.com, and has 5m registered users. It has been sounding out banks in London over a potential flotation that could be worth more than £2.3bn ($4.3bn). Bankers who have seen the Gibraltar-based group's accounts say that it generated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of more than $350m in 2004. The group is keen to float in 2005, after witnessing the successful acquisition of Paradise Poker, a rival poker site, by Sportingbet, the UK-listed online betting company. After that deal, Sportingbet shares rose nearly 64 per cent. With online poker booming, bankers say investors are clamouring for a listed vehicle to invest in. “[PartyGaming] knows there is a window of opportunity here which is why they want to get the float away,” said one. A successful PartyGaming float is expected to catapult the group into the FTSE 100, creating a business similar in size to William Hill, the quoted bookmaker. PartyGaming is owned by a small group of investors, including Ruth Parasol, an American lawyer, and Anarag Dikshit, a software specialist from India. Ms Parasol formely worked in the “adult entertainment” industry, including web sites, but left in 1995 and set up iGlobalMedia in 1997. No single shareholder has a controlling interest. PartyGaming takes a percentage of “the rake”, the sum wagered by all players on a particular hand. At peak times group's poker operation has 65,000 simultaneous players.

eGaming Review - Gambling ads still circumventing Google ban

Gambling ads still circumventing Google ban Over-eager affiliates have been blamed for controversial paid placements that have run on Google recently for Party Poker and Betfair. Searches on Google for “online poker, internet poker and poker” yielded paid placement adverts for both Party Poker and referring site www.playatparty.com. Similarly a search for online betting on Thursday morning generated an advert for www.bettfair.com, although the offending advert was removed by the afternoon. The deliberately misspelled site, www.bettfair.com, is registered to Betfair’s owners The Sporting Exchange. The placements are in strict contravention of the ban on online gambling adverts put into place by Google during 2004. But it is believed some affiliates have discovered a way of getting around the ban using Google’s automated system. A Party Poker spokesman said the adverts were not placed by his firm, and it was not a strategy they would ever employ. Party Poker, the market-leading poker site, has around 60% of the poker market and operates a huge affiliate network. And it is thought increasing competition betweenaffiliates is leading to more inventive marketing techniques being adopted. The firm’s spokesman described the current affiliate environment as “brutal”. Paid-for placement adverts could also be found at the time of writing for sportsbook Sports Interaction.

Cage Puts On His Poker Face

Cage Puts On His Poker Face Star to team with Milos Forman for card-shark biopic When Nic Cage visited London recently to talk up National Treasure, he dropped a few hints to us regarding his future projects. One, a remake of The Wicker Man, is still unconfirmed (with Cage unlikely to convince as a prim Scottish policeman, a gaggle of screenwriters is surely hard at work retooling the character as a groovy, leather-jacketed street cop). Long-awaited comic book adaptation Ghost Rider, he revealed, is finally ready to go before the cameras. But one forthcoming film the star didn’t mention is a biopic of professional poker player Amarillo Slim Preston. Perhaps he got the idea in his hotel room later that night, watching Celebrity Poker Club into the early hours. As colourful a character as Cage himself, Preston is famous for his unerring ability to read signals around a poker table. As well as winning the Poker World Series in 1972 and various other mega-stakes tournaments, he claims to have wiped the floor with porno-king Larry Flynt in a game for $2 million. He’s also set himself up as a poker guru, inspiring wannabe card-sharks with his book Amarillo Slim In A World Full Of Fat People and sayings such as, “Look around the table. If you don’t see a sucker, get up, because you’re the sucker.” Having lightened the wallets of some of the world’s richest men, he’s not without his enemies. According to Flynt, for one, he’s “a fucking liar… his whole reputation has been built on lies.” It remains to be seen which side the movie will come down on, but, interestingly, the man in the director’s chair will be Milos Forman, who championed Preston’s defeated foe in The People Versus Larry Flynt. Though the biopic will mark the first time that Cage and Forman have worked together, the director had a different real-life role in mind for the star back in 1998: the Andy Kaufman part in Man On The Moon. Screenwriters Stephen Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson are currently writing the movie, which will presumably be made shortly after Cage dismounts from Ghost Rider. Postscript: In case you’re reading, Mr. Cage, we don’t actually believe that you have nothing better to do late at night than sit in your hotel room watching Celebrity Poker Club. Although, if you do happen to enjoy the show, there’s really nothing wrong with that. It can get quite exciting, especially when Keith Allen’s on.

Poker and blackjack play expected to begin in a few days

Poker and blackjack play expected to begin in a few days Paperwork holds up expansion CATOOSA OK Associated Press 1/24/2005 A paperwork delay in Washington, D.C. is being blamed for a delay in the start of poker and blackjack card games at an Oklahoma Indian casino, but tribal officials say the games should begin in the next few days. David Stewart, chief executive officer of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, said the card games are expected to be in operation at the Cherokee Nation Casino Resort by the middle of next week. The poker and blackjack play has been approved by the Interior Department and was expected to start by this weekend. But the paperwork moved slower than expected, and the Interior Department's approval has yet to be printed in the federal register _ a must to give the games the green light, Stewart said. Stewart said the addition of poker and blackjack gaming is the latest step in the Cherokee Nation Casino Resort in developing into a major gaming and entertainment destination for Tulsa and area communities. Stewart said the expanded casino complex has what is known as a ``niche market that combines gaming, conference facilities, rooms and good food all at the same location.'' ``That is unique to Tulsa,'' Stewart said. The Cherokee Nation has casinos at Catoosa, Roland and West Siloam Springs. When the new gaming becomes a reality in a matter of days, the Cherokee casino at Catoosa will be waiting on card players with about 70 tables for poker and blackjack action. There also will be a VIP room for high rollers who have the wallets to play such games as high-stakes blackjack or no-limit Texas Hold'em poker. The card games are allowed through a compact with the state of Oklahoma, which was approved by voters in a November election. The casino games at Catoosa are played 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to filling an ``entertainment'' gap, the opening up of the card games also will have an economic impact, Stewart said. The tribe, which has been training card dealers, already has hired an estimated 100 people and has plans to bring on another 200 or so as the games at Catoosa pick up and the card games are started at Roland and West Siloam Springs in a few weeks. The tribe's $80 million gaming facility at Catoosa includes the gaming center, a luxury 150-room hotel with swimming pool and a golf course. The Catoosa casino opened in 1992. At its three casinos, Stewart said, Cherokee Nation Enterprises has about 1,800 employees. Another 200 to 300 work on the corporate side.

World Poker Tour - Texas Hold Em on Your Mobile Phone

World Poker Tour - Texas Hold Em on Your Mobile Phone MFORMA Group, Inc. and WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE), announced the release of World Poker Tour™ Texas Hold ‘Em, a new multiplayer mobile poker game that is coming soon to mobile phones everywhere and incorporates elements of World Poker Tour (WPT), the highest rated TV series in the history of the Travel Channel. World Poker Tour, one of the world’s leading poker brands, and MFORMA, the world leader in mobile entertainment, are collaborating to capitalize on the current poker phenomenon and the accelerating demand for casino-style mobile games. World Poker Tour Texas Hold ‘Em features real-time, six-player capability. World Poker Tour, which reinvented poker as a televised spectator sport, will launch its third season on March 2, 2005 and airs every Wednesday at 9pm ET/PT on the Travel Channel. “We set out to make the best mobile poker game and we are very pleased to be working with World Poker Tour to bring World Poker Tour Texas Hold ‘Em to market,” said Scott Jensen, vice president, head of licensing and brand partnerships for MFORMA. “The World Poker Tour has vastly increased the audience for poker and this game, associated with the leading poker brand, delivers the most realistic poker environment in mobile. This game incorporates the style of the popular TV show and each of our WPT-branded applications will allow interaction with the show or WPT events through promotions, on-air commentary, tournaments, and prizes.” World Poker Tour Texas Hold ‘Em features superior graphics and a unique way of displaying the environment as the camera pans smoothly from side-to-side to follow the action. Gamers can play against five others at one time, simulating a real six-player-to-a table-game. Play against friends or foes and increase career chip counts or play in an online elimination tournament for prizes. “The tournament play and weekly awarding of prizes will not only be fun, but will also keep users engaged on a continual basis,” said Audrey Kania, executive vice president of WPT Enterprises, Inc. “Our collaboration with MFORMA has yielded a very exciting mobile multiplayer poker experience and we are very pleased to see World Poker Tour go mobile.” MFORMA and World Poker Tour are working closely together on marketing and are offering unique opportunities to maximize the user experience. Players can compete to win WPT-branded merchandise that will be awarded as prizes to winners every week. Unique grand prizes, such as trips to view a live taping or participate in a WPT televised tournament, will also be awarded. MFORMA and World Poker Tour will promote the prize offerings through many channels, including online and on-air marketing, and joint promotions with wireless operators.

Poker stud

Poker stud Daniel Negreanu is a star. He's loved by fans, feared by competitors. Last year, he won $4.5M playing Texas Hold'em poker. Not bad for a skinny Toronto kid Thane Burnett -- For the Toronto Sun Luck doesn't come to you. You go and find it. Daniel Negreanu slips into the Atlantic City resort like he owns the joint. Hustling through the polished revolving door of Harrahs Casino, the Canadian-born high-stakes poker player carries all the luggage he'll really need this business trip -- $100,000 in cash stuffed not so neatly in a plain brown envelope, tucked clumsily under one arm. The small fortune -- 20 stacks of $100 bills -- could just as easily be his lunch, the way he's now lugging it to work. It's midnight in this New Jersey gambling town -- once the fight capital of the U.S., now a sorry contender to the brighter lights of Vegas. In Atlantic City, a pretty girl will bring you a drink in a plastic cup right to where you're gambling. In Vegas -- where Negreanu lives -- a prettier girl will bring your drink to you in a proper glass. But there is the same chance of a fortune or a fall here. For the next 14 hours, the Toronto-reared gambler, arguably the best young poker player in the world, will reign supreme, and be cut off at the knees, in this east coast den. Almost a decade ago, as a young gambler in the Finch and Leslie area, Negreanu knew he'd never "work" a day in his life. So this -- in unprecedented access to his calibre of player -- is as close to an average day on the job as it gets. Around Negreanu, as he walks through Harrahs, women with battleship-grey hair, and unhappy looking men with big buckles holding back bigger bellies, straddle banks of slot machines. Cigarette smoke forms storm clouds around them. The silver slots -- flashing lights and annoying sounds -- constantly feed from the players' casino debit cards, rather than old time coin drops. Many of the plastic cards are attached to strings around the gamblers' necks -- umbilical cords from human host to suckling machine. Negreanu doesn't see the slot players or smell their smoke. You know how you spot a real poker player in a crowded casino? The way they walk. Tourists and others wearing cheap watches search for luck as they move in zig-zags, from contraption to craps to their next losing proposition. The poker player cuts a sharp line to where he wants to go. This is what Negreanu is heading straight towards -- within hours, after paying a $10,000 buy-in entrance fee, he'll sit down and play in a World Series of Poker tour event. More than $2.5 million dangles before him. Again. Hundreds of the best players, as well as mere mortals who've luckily won online or satellite qualifying matches, are here. But only a few gamblers create the kind of ripples the slight-framed Canadian causes when he walks in. Here, he is a rock star, stopped every other step by someone with a playing card or autograph book for him to sign. Men offer respect. Women have offered much more. "Keith Richards is getting old," Negreanu reasons. "Poker players are the new celebrities." Thanks to round-the-clock TV coverage and online casino sites, the top, no-limit, Texas Hold'em poker players are worshipped as kings and queens. But there's more than glory waiting on the green felt table. Last year, Negreanu, 30, who cut his teeth at charity casinos and illegal "rounder" games in Toronto while a teenager, won more than $4.5 million in tournament pots. Last fall, he won the Borgata Poker Open in Atlantic City, earning more than $1.1 million, and another $1.8 million at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in his backyard of Las Vegas. A good salary for a kid who was more interested in hustling billiards and cards than school work at Vanier and A.Y. Jackson high schools. If you could earn a PhD in poker, Negreanu would be a doctor who, on this night, is gladly making another house call. "They say Canadians are nice. It plays to my benefit," he smiles. Wildly patriotic, he wears NHL hockey jerseys while playing big matches. Doesn't smoke. Drinks water or tea. And lambastes America's obesity woes -- his mom brings him veggie sandwiches while he plays. He is Michael J. Fox clever -- the Canadian in the room who seems to get the joke when others don't. He routinely brings that sharp humour to the tables, where fellow players take themselves so seriously. One sunglassed star, Chris Ferguson, fashions his long locks -- and even autograph -- after "Jesus." But there are some, still licking wounds, who would argue Negreanu has an all-Canadian gentle nature. Describing his play time in Las Vegas, during an online interview with Askmen.com four years ago, a cockier Negreanu said: "I usually play in the high-limit section, and sometimes those games don't even start until 9 p.m., so I'll get down there by 8:30 p.m. to survey the poker room, look for a juicy game with lots of tourists, or even better, a game with a couple of drunks at the table. Some nights, a game like that doesn't materialize. Then it's just five or six professionals sitting around waiting for meat." He's been criticized as being too opinionated when it comes to the politics of the game, and how it's marketed. Maturity and a new sense of God, he says, is smoothing out a rough, angry side, as well as his judgmental nature. Right now, he seems too tired for strong opinion. He's arrived from a tournament in the Bahamas with a quick stopover in Grand Rapids, Mich., to visit with his nanny girlfriend -- a woman whose family is so conservative, they don't dance and are shocked at the phrase "dumb ass." The man, whose last regular job was a single day spent as a telemarketer, won her parents over with a good pitch. "I try to explain, that what I do is no more of a gamble than the man who opens a restaurant or the businessman who deals in the stock market," he told them, adding: "I'm just better at it." No selling job was needed a half-hour ago at the nearby Borgata -- the newest casino in the east-coast town. It is gold, completely circled from top to bottom in eerie neon. An overjoyed casino official there was only too pleased to cash his cheque for $100,000. The man didn't blink when Negreanu asked for it all in cash. Now minutes after he's stepped out of the cab from the Borgata -- a healthy tip to a driver who can't believe his luck for a three-minute ride -- a chatty and happy Harrahs tournament official is suddenly at Negreanu's side. Just to make sure he's taken care of -- including a room when none is available in the city to anyone else. "I don't understand this," says a puzzled reception clerk with 'trainee' on her name tag, looking at her computer. "Your reservation wasn't here a half-hour ago? Now it is." As Negreanu heads to his miracle room on the fourth floor, fellow high-stakes players stop to chat. Or do their banking. One exchanges two $5,000 casino chips -- common currency among players who don't like to travel far with too much money -- for $10,000 from Negreanu's brown bag lunch. Negreanu casually stuffs the exchanged chips into his pants pocket, as if they were loose change. A young man in sneakers and rumpled sweatshirt says a few quick words to the Canadian. Without stopping his walk, Negreanu reaches into his envelope, grabs two stacks of bills -- each wrapped tightly with a strip of paper -- and tosses another $10,000 over. The man and mad money disappear. "In the business world, that would have taken contracts and lawyers," Negreanu says as he adjusts a ballcap. "I would trust a gambler before I'd trust a businessman. "You can sign a contract with a businessman, and tomorrow he can turn around and cheat you. That guy (I just handed $10,000 to) won't run away. I'll get the money back." He once lent another poker player $30,000. Negreanu didn't even bother to find out his last name. If the man ever vanished, all Negreanu would be able to tell the police is that he gave the money to "Al the stud player." The cash he carries tonight is a tool of the trade. He'll use some of it for his own buy-in, as well as to back another player, along with a half-share of a third tournament contender. The rest will be stuffed in the pocket of his jeans, or left, not in a safe or in a drawer all night, but tossed on a bed in his room. It will spill out onto the comforter, next to a pair of dirty socks and TV remote. "The best poker players have a total disregard for money," says Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson, the aging Texas patriarch of high stakes poker players -- a cowboy who will sit to the left of the Canadian during this tournament. "Money is just the way we keep playing," adds the 72-year-old gambler, who once bet a friend $1 million he could lose 100 pounds. The big Texan got smaller and much wealthier. He has respect for the young Canadian. But within limits. "I was playing in a tougher atmosphere when I was his age," the gruff legend notes, using his Texas Hold'em inscribed cane and a bad knee to limp down a casino hallway. The game has changed from when Brunson started playing in dusty, southern halls. Negreanu is a poker teacher to the stars, including actor Tobey Maguire and NHL players who have time to kill these days. Negreanu has also penned a deal with Microsoft for their XBox gaming system, and makes a bundle as a host on an online gaming site: pokermountain.com. The makers of a vitamin supplement have shipped a package of their product to this casino, hoping -- begging -- the Canadian vegetarian will sign on with them. "Supposed to help your short term memory," says the man who long ago memorized all the poker odds along with the digits in his wallet -- including credit card numbers. He'll try the vitamins, as long as they contain no caffeine. He also won't drink -- Molson Dry is his preferred beverage -- the night before he plays. Tonight -- rather this morning, as time still passes in a place without clocks -- he'll break his ritual and have four beers. It will be 5:30 a.m. before he'll finally fall asleep in the bed beside the one his cash is lounging in. He rises six hours later -- a half-hour before trying to again win millions in one of the 40 to 50 tournaments he'll play this year. "People say, 'Do you ever worry about losing it all ... gambling it away?' " he says, leaning back in his bed. "I made it gambling. Do people look at Shaquille O'Neal, who makes millions at basketball, and say after three years, 'Why doesn't he give up basketball?' " Negreanu wants a family and children, beyond his dog Mushu, whom he now longs for like a doting father. His mom, who lives in Toronto during warmer months, is now settling into her own Vegas apartment. He knew she could no longer stay with him the day she blew on his tea to cool it down. It was no image for the man who is dubbed the "Canadian Al-Qaida" by a female poker player who calls out the nickname as he gets into an elevator. He prefers the "Mike Weir of poker." Now, with little sleep and the bitter taste of breaking his drinking rule, it is time to ante up -- just past noon, morning for a poker player. Armed with bottles of water and $10,000 in chips, he is now just another shark circling leather-rimmed poker tables. ESPN television cameras focus hard as the dealing begins. There's quiet conversation. But it's hidden under the constant and nervous clatter of fingers manipulating chips. The room sounds like it's filled with angry crickets. Masseuses roam from table to table -- rubbing tense backs and already worried brows. Others -- veteran players -- keep a lazy eye on a football game playing silently on nearby big screen televisions. Many here have placed bets on that game as well. At Negreanu's table, it's like a Saturday night with the boys. Chips fly. Cards are dealt. And talk is of Canadian beer -- they agree it's good -- and the hockey lock-out -- the owners fault, they decide. If Negreanu has a poker face today, it's wrinkled by constant yawns. At a nearby table, with only a few hands down in a series of games which will run over days, an excited player jumps up -- tossing his chair back -- then yells: "That's the way it's done." As quick as that, two players both go bust. Spectators strain against brass barriers. They can't see anything but men and a few women sitting around card tables. But you could believe they were watching acrobats balance on electrical wires. Ron Cameli, a 43-year-old mailman from Pennsylvania, has come, not to win big at the casino, but to score autographs. "Daniel is young and exciting and reads people well," the mailman explains of Negreanu. "He's colourful in a game that's on fire right now." Others are not so star-struck. Barry Greenstein last year won two major tournaments with purses of more than $1 million each. All that money he simply passed over to charities. The Chicago math and computer whiz -- in 1991, he retired at 36 years old to play poker full time -- isn't willing to concede anything to the Canadian. "I'm not intimidated by (Negreanu)," he says. "During a game, I'm not looking at him and he's not looking at me, thinking 'I got to pick this guy off.' Instead, we're looking at the other (lesser) players at the table, trying to take as much money as possible from them." Negreanu -- sharing a table with eight other players -- yawns again, casually tossing thousands more into the pot. It's more than an hour since the games began. He's playing off a 3 and 2 of Diamonds. The pot grows to $16,000. Cards are dealt. Bluffs made. And he -- as quickly as taking a drink of water -- goes broke. With his $10,000 in chips gone, he's out. This tournament ends for him -- one of the best, and one of the first, players out the door. He pushes his chair away from the table, gathers up his empty water bottle, and leaves as if a commuter bus has suddenly pulled over to his stop. With very little to say, he waves goodbye to millions. There is a reason they call this gambling. "I'm just as happy to lose," he says as he makes his way through a crowd of fans -- some of whom don't realize he's done. "If I'm not going to win a tournament, I'd rather lose early and get home to my own couch and my dog." On his way up to his room, some loud-mouth tourist he passes in the hall challenges him to a game. "Hey, Negreanu's on my floor! It's you and me, pal. It's on." The wounded shark just smiles and keeps walking. Within a half-hour of crashing to earth, Negreanu is on his phone in his room, booking the fastest ticket out of Atlantic City. Spilled change is left on the floor. Multiple twenty-dollar bills wait on the bed for the maid. As quickly as he can change his pants and gather what's left of his bankroll, he's exiting the same revolving door he entered hours before -- this time leaving for Las Vegas. "I've always had a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Atlantic City," he says, as he heads to a waiting taxi. This match had too many players and too little time, he reasons. It just wasn't his game. His day. His pot. He leaves beaten by the house, but in far better shape than most who walk out with him. You'd swear he owns the joint as the faithful clamour to get one more autograph. In his backpack, he has stuffed what remains of the $100,000 -- still wrapped like a left-over sandwich. His track-pant pockets are lined with chips -- including four $25,000 tokens. And then there's always Tunica, Miss. Within weeks, he'll slip easily through the front doors of the Horseshoe casino there. $1.5 million sits ready to be taken by someone. The same deal will begin there. When your day at the office depends on the turn of a card, luck doesn't come to you. You go and find it.

Undercover agents gathering information on poker tournaments

Undercover agents gathering information on poker tournaments By ALAN SAYRE Associated Press Writer State liquor regulators are going undercover to gather information on poker tournaments staged by Louisiana bars and starting raids on establishments hosting the games, a top official of the state Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control says. Last fall, the agency warned establishments with liquor licenses that it would be considered illegal to have "Texas Hold 'em" poker tournaments. Bar owners have contended the game is legal as long as bar owners or tournament organizers do not take a cut of the pots. But ATC said that since the bars sell more drinks during the tournaments, they are, in essence, running a gambling business by piling up "indirect profits" - mostly through increased drink sales on the nights of the games. A crackdown could result in criminal charges against bar owners and loss of liquor licenses, ATC has warned. In Texas Hold 'em, players are dealt two cards each and can use five community cards flipped over in the middle of the table to make the best hand. Players can risk everything on a single turn of a card. The game has resulted in similar enforcement fights against illegal gambling in other states, some of which are studying possible changes in their laws. In the Louisiana case, bars filed suit in Baton Rouge in October to stop the planned crackdown. But a judge ruled that no such action could be taken unless actual charges were filed. Both sides in the dispute have conceded that the issue will have to be decided in court. "If you have a Monday night or a Tuesday night tournament, and these barrooms have been closed on that night, and it turns into a $2,000 to $3,000 night, then that bar is benefiting from the tournament," Steve Spalitta, ATC director of enforcement, said Friday. Undercover ATC agents are working statewide to identify and observe bars staging the tournaments, Spalitta said. "We're in a fact-finding mission; we now have undercover agents out there," he said. "We have undercover operations going on throughout this state." Agency head Murphy Painter said the first concern was ferreting out bars where owners or tournament organizers are taking a cut of the pot, which he said is a clear violation of state gambling law. So far, ATC agents have made arrests in the cases of two bars hosting the tournaments. Both cases involved illegal payments, Spalitta said. In early December, two people were arrested at an Ascension Parish bar after ATC agents accused the tournament organizer of taking a cut of the pots and the bar owner of paying the organizer to stage the tournament. About the same time, three people were arrested at a Lafayette bar were dealers allegedly were demanding tips from winning players. In addition, documents suspected to be tied to illegal sports betting were seized by ATC agents, Spalitta said. Spalitta said making cases on "indirect profits" will take more time. "That is next," he said. "We have not done any inspections yet on those, but it's coming. That will require a complete audit by a CPA, financial records and payroll records. What we do will have to hold up in court."

Wellington poker player's $1m hand

Wellington poker player's $1m hand Wellington poker player Jamil Dia has played his best hand yet, beating 262 others to win a $1 million championship at a casino in Melbourne. Mr Dia runs the Alamir Lebanese bakery and kebab shop in Miramar. He has been playing cards for 30 years but had never won anything like this. After three gruelling days facing some of the world's best players, Mr Dia won the A$1 million (NZ$1.08 million) top purse at the Crown Casino's "Aussie Millions" poker championship yesterday. Each player paid A$10,000 to enter. Mr Dia, 48, who came to New Zealand from Lebanon 15 years ago, has entered many competitions, winning up to $18,000. "I have a large family, a wife and four children, and the $1 million will come in very handy. It is a little life-changing, but I won't be giving up the day job just yet," he said in Melbourne before flying back to Wellington last night. There was joy at the family home in Miramar. "It's very exciting," said his wife, Wafaa Dia, who was so stuck for words at her husband's triumph that she asked their son Ali, 14, to do the talking. He said his father had travelled as far as Russia to play in championships.

Poker News: Gaming Club Poker Go From Strength To Strength

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Poker Craze Collides With State Laws

Poker Craze Collides With State Laws BRIAN BAKST Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. - David Bischoff thinks he got a raw deal last year when state gambling regulators raided his bowling alley, shut down his weekly Texas Hold 'em poker tournament and confiscated his cards and chips. For months afterward, the threat of criminal charges hung over Bischoff - and his card tables sat vacant - until prosecutors concluded that Minnesota's laws against poker were too vague to enforce. Minnesota is now one of several states where legislators are looking to clarify laws dealing with card games at a time when poker is becoming an all-out craze. "These are just people who have been watching poker on TV and they want to come out and play and be like the people on TV," said Bischoff, whose tournaments are up and running again. "It's not about spending money and winning money. It's just about the competition and seeing who can be the best." The game at the center of the poker mania is Texas Hold 'em, in which players are dealt two cards each and can use five community cards flipped over in the middle of the table to make the best hand. Players can risk everything on a single turn of a card. As the popularity of the game has grown, so have problems for gambling regulators. In Iowa, a couple of American Legion posts heeded warnings and halted their regular tournaments rather than jeopardize their charitable gaming licenses. A similar concern led a firehouse outside of Pittsburgh to call off its games. Police in Wyoming started breaking up Texas Hold 'em tournaments in bars, and the state's attorney general advised that the events were probably illegal. In Texas itself - where the game thrived in smoky back rooms before becoming a smash hit on cable TV - prosecutors are questioning whether bars are improperly profiting from tournaments. "The popularity of the poker shows has created a whole new beast for us as far as regulations," said David Werning of Iowa's Department of Inspections and Appeals. Inquiries about poker became so common that the agency recently compiled a fact sheet on poker laws. Minnesota law allows card tournaments at bars and businesses as long as the hosts do not directly profit from the play and players do not gamble with real money. Bischoff said he complied with those rules by charging no entry fees and limiting awards to hats and T-shirts. His situation drew the attention of state Sen. Dave Kleis, who this month introduced legislation that would define Texas Hold 'em as a "social skill game" and lump it with card games like cribbage and rummy - games in which players are allowed to win money in Minnesota. Kleis' bill would explicitly permit poker tournaments as long as the prizes do not exceed $200. "It's no different than cribbage, 500, euchre or bridge. Those are played all over the state, whether it be in nursing homes, restaurants or bars," Kleis said. "Why don't you raid the nursing home for playing cribbage and bridge?" Kurt McPhail of the Amateur Poker League, a Kansas City-based business that runs more than 400 events a week across nine states, complained that regulators are unfairly clamping down on poker tournaments. He said regulators in some states are blurring the distinction between high-stakes games and those that do not require players to put in their own money. "You hear poker and you immediately think gambling. We've taken the money issue out of it and are doing it strictly for entertainment," said McPhail, the league's vice president. "It's on the line of a band or karaoke. It's just a form of entertainment the bars are bringing in to attract customers." For now, Minnesota regulators are not wavering from their hard line on Texas Hold 'em, even while acknowledging it will be difficult to keep a lid on it. "It's the soup of the day. It's very popular," said Frank Ball, director of Minnesota's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division. But, he said, "It's not gin rummy. It's not 500. It's not hearts. Those are all games of skill. This is a random game, and it's a gamble."

Poker club offers safe haven for legal winnings

Poker club offers safe haven for legal winnings By DANIELLE WELTY / Daily Nebraskan January 20, 2005 Dan Morris wanted to find a place where he and a few friends could play poker without worrying about the legal consequences of underage gambling. So, the junior math and political science major created one: the UNL Poker Club. “Over the past few months, poker has become really popular on college campuses,” Morris said. “My friends and I wanted an environment that we could play in legally, so we submitted the paperwork to create one.” In November, Morris, now club president, proposed a letter of intent to Association of Students of the University of Nebraska to have his club recognized as a UNL student organization. But he encountered a stumbling block – finding a way to let members play poker for money without violating state or university gambling laws. The solution: He made the club a non-profit organization and regulates the cash prizes given out. Morris arranged for 25-35 percent of the $20 monthly dues from each member to be donated to a charity and the prizes given at each tournament to be regulated. “We hope to bring about four or five charities as options to the meetings and we will vote each month on which charity we choose to give to that month,” Morris said. Martin Frenzel, freshman physics major and community service chairman for the club, said the members hope to give to a different charity each month a tournament is held. So far, Frenzel said he has picked out two charities – Mosaic, which provides support for people with developmental and physical disabilities, and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. The club will spend the remaining money on supplies, such as cards or advertising, and the prize money, he said. Morris said the club would hold Texas Hold ’Em tournaments on a weekend toward the end of each month, with prize money and prizes like gift certificates divided among the top three finishers. “Because the winnings have a set price it’s considered a prize, not winnings,” Morris said. “It’s no different than signing up for a raffle ticket at a basketball tournament.” Ben Keele, chairman of the ASUN Special Topics Committee, said the poker club was a legitimate student organization as long as it followed requirements, including a minimum number of five members, abiding by the non-discriminatory clause, adopting a constitution and having a faculty adviser. The UNL Poker club received its approval the first week of December and held its first informational meeting Tuesday. Morris said he estimated 40 people have shown some sort of interest in the club and expects more in the future. He said those who choose to continue to play for larger amounts of money without campus approval would not diminish the poker club’s numbers. As word gets around, he said he hopes to have about 200 people involved. “People who are really serious about poker as a game will play in the sanctioned, consequence-free version that the poker club offers,” Morris said.

I’ll Show You Mine, If You Show Me Yours

The Poker Gazette: I’ll Show You Mine, If You Show Me Yours For some reason, which I don’t really understand, the issue of showing cards at the end of a hand creates a great deal of controversy. First, I think the basic rule that is both the most simple and most sensible is: 1. If there has been action on the last round, the last aggressor (bettor or raiser) shows first. 2. If there has been no action on the last round, the hands are shown in order. The first person to check is the first person to show. 3. If there is one or more side pots, the pot with the fewest participants is shown first. There is no reason why any game — live, tournament, or Internet — shouldn’t follow this basic rule. Now, we come to more problematical issues. An early-position player shows his hand and a late-position player concedes the pot by folding. Do the other players in the hand have the right to demand to see the folded hand? Do the other players at the table, but not in the hand, have that right? The main argument advanced for enforced showing of a losing hand is that it prevents collusion. This is a very shallow argument, since any colluders with IQs higher than room temperature would realize that any hands they don’t wish to show should be folded without calling the last bet. My own feeling is that no one should be required to show a losing hand. There are several pluses to this method. It’s faster. It doesn’t embarrass weak players, bluffers, or maniacs. And it prevents the problem of someone who shows his hand when requested having a winning hand. Believe me, this does happen, and when it does, a long discussion ensues as to whether the hand was dead, touched the muck, and so on. This always creates arguments and hard feelings, and in some cases can even break up a game. If you are playing in a game in which anyone can ask to see the losing hand, I consider it poor form to ask. When someone in a multihanded pot asks to see the losing hand of one of the raisers, it is often a thinly veiled accusation of cheating. Sometimes a nonparticipant in the pot will ask to see a hand, hoping to learn how someone plays or just to annoy him. How can that be annoying? Imagine losing a large pot to a two-outer on the river. You are trying to breathe deeply and maintain your cool, when some jerk across the table asks to see your losing hand. (I’ll save my First Amendment arguments for freedom of speech at the poker table for another column.) If you really are curious, ask a player if he would mind showing his hand. Quite often, someone is willing to show voluntarily, especially if you extend the same courtesy to him on future occasions. What about showing a card in the middle of a hand? Most tournaments won’t allow it because it gives people an opportunity to influence the outcome of a hand. In a tournament, influencing the outcome of a hand can affect players not in the hand. The origin of this rule dates back to a famous hand in which Ray Zee, no relation, was in contention for a best-overall-player tournament award for his finishes in earlier events. In the late stages of the final event, no-limit hold’em, he needed to advance a few places to win the award and, I think, a car of some kind. He made an all-in raise, and while his opponent considered a call, he showed two aces. His opponent folded, he eventually won the car, and the no-showing-cards rule came into being. In my mind, this is crazy. The decision should have been to outlaw best-overall-player awards, since they continually reward unethical behavior. (A typical situation may find two or more players left in a tournament. One player can win the best-overall-player award, for which his opponent(s) is not in contention, by winning the tournament. If they decide to make a deal, his winning will add additional money to the pot that they have to split. What kind of deal should they make? What kind would you make?) The conditions of a contest should never let this type of situation arise. I am completely convinced that card-showing (and banter) should be allowed in heads-up pots. I think it makes the game more fun to play and more fun to watch, and adds another dimension of skill in the form of reading and manipulating the other players. Again, I ask, “Why deprive skilled players of another tool?” “Because it might influence the outcome of the pot,” you answer. Well, really, isn’t that the idea? Isn’t everything we do at the table designed to influence the outcome of the pot? As long as anyone has the right to do it, it is fair for everyone.

Armed Men Rob Poker Game

Armed Men Rob Poker Game VANCOUVER -- Armed men forced 13 poker players to the floor of a Vancouver apartment yesterday, beat one, then robbed them all. The apartment owner answered a knock on the door just after midnight. "When the guy looks through the peephole, the suspect shows a handgun," said Vancouver police Const. Howard Chow. The gunman and at least two others forced their way inside the apartment, Chow said. The suspects went from player to player demanding cash, then fled, Chow said.

Online poker choots up

Online poker industry shows constant growth Since its inception two years ago, online poker activity has seen a huge rise in its popularity. The UK poker industry has grown from an initial $100,000 per day in January 2002 to between $2 million and $2.5 million. According to PokerPulse.com statistics, online poker industry has more than tripled in the past year unlike other online gaming activities showing weak growth. UK Register reported that the top UK online poker operators are earning around $200 million per year, while an impressive amount of $16 billion (estimated) was wagered at online poker sites in the last year alone. A big number of gaming companies have recently entered the poker market, particularly in the UK. There are now some 300 web sites, about 20 networks or stand-alone rooms, and there are many more commercial and gaming brands planning to launch a poker room. Some wagering companies fuelled their profits with the extension of their business through the purchase of poker operators. Sporting Bet bought one of the four largest poker companies Paradise Poker for $297million in October 2004. In recent months, Paradise Poker has brought its revenue to over $7 million and now it is boasts about 721,000+ registered customers and 97,000+ active players. The poker gaming market is still far from saturation and it can hold a large number of branded poker rooms. However, a very small percentage of British people who indulge in online poker gaming, are a major factor restraining the further growth of poker industry. This number of online poker players is expected considered to grow in the UK, although predictably not at the same rate as it did in the past year. However, online poker is just starting to take hold in continental Europe. At present British players make up about 80 percent of the European market. 30 to 40 per cent of them are female players compared to only five per cent of females who play offline. Therefore, apart from other markets such as the Far East, the rest of Europe is only now beginning to open up. Another important factor behind the poker industry growth is online and offline poker tournaments. Such events draw millions of newcomers, who cherish a dream to win lumpsum playing poker. The increase of poker rookies will substantially boost the entire poker gaming market. Their money will result in larger prize pools provided by poker championships and will make the competition even more attractive to new gamblers.

FHM in deal with site to promote poker as a man's game

FHM in deal with site to promote poker as a man's game LONDON - FHM and the online poker site The World Poker Exchange have signed a deal designed to promote poker as an essential man-skill. The deal culminates in a TV special to be aired on Bravo and Ftn. The campaign kicks off in February with a series of advertorials in FHM magazine, complemented by a microsite on FHM.com, where users can download videos outlining poker techniques. Readers will be encouraged to visit the World Poker Exchange site where the top 10 ranking players will be invited to play for £10,000 at a London poker night. The progress of the contenders will be filmed and broadcast on Bravo and Ftn. David Pullan, the managing director of FHM Worldwide, said: "This unique partnership with the World Poker Exchange will enable our readers to learn, interact and truly be the stars of this campaign. This landmark campaign will see the FHM brand returning to broadcast with Bravo and Ftn and will involve the FHM and FHM.com community in a primetime national television programme." Haden Ware of World Poker Exchange added: "FHM is the ideal partner for us to introduce our international online poker room to the younger British gamers, who make up 20% of the UK gambling market worth over £40m every day. "The World Poker Exchange London will be a truly unique perennial lifestyle

Magic Poker Cards Software Lets Online Poker Players Customize Their Cards

PRESS RELEASE: Magic Poker Cards Software Lets Online Poker Players Customize Their Cards Create decks of custom cards with images of your choice for online poker rooms. Use images already on your hard drive, from your digital camera or scanner, the Windows Clipboard, and any area on your screen with the built-in screen capture feature. Fayette, AL (PRWEB) January 18, 2005 -- Magic Poker Cards .com announces the release of Magic Poker Cards 1.1, an image utility for the Windows platforms that lets online poker players create decks of custom cards with their own images for the most popular online poker rooms (Party Poker, Empire Poker, Paradise Poker, and Poker Stars). Magic Poker Cards uses images from existing image files (supports dozens of formats), digital cameras and scanners via the TWAIN image acquisition standard, the Windows Clipboard, and any area on the screen with the easy to use built-in screen capture feature. The intuitive interface makes Magic Poker Cards the perfect tool for both experienced software users and online poker players who may be new to using software. Each card is made simply by pointing, clicking, and dragging with the mouse. Other features include the ability to make one deck for one room and then copy that deck to another room; a proof sheet to see what the saved cards will look like on the poker room's tables, and to easily select the next card to work with; and export/import decks to/from buddies via email or disk. A fully functioning free demo is available at www.MagicPokerCards.com.

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WPT Enterprises To Offer Poker Tips And Trivia On Syndicated Radio

WPT Enterprises To Offer Poker Tips And Trivia On Syndicated Radio LOS ANGELES, California -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Many fans who watch the World Poker Tour (WPT) Wednesday nights at 9pm on the Travel Channel are looking for ways to enhance their poker skills. Now, they'll be able to pick up tips directly from the World Poker Tour on both radio and the Internet. WPT Poker Corner, a 60-second audio feature with tips and trivia about the nation's favorite card game will include everything from betting strategy to the latest tournament news. The content will cover such topics as poker schools, player profiles, how and where to enter tournaments, poker etiquette, poker book reviews, poker magazines, poker news, playing strategy, and life on the WORLD POKER TOUR as well as interviews with players and commentators. WPT Poker Corner will be exclusively syndicated by 4thStreet Media Group as a result of a licensing agreement it signed with WPT Enterprises, Inc. The audio feature will launch Feb. 1 on XM Satellite Radio and AudioFeast.com. Content is being made available to broadcast and satellite radio, subscription services, and Internet sites. Additional affiliations will be announced shortly. "A day doesn't go by without someone asking us when WORLD POKER TOUR content will be available on radio and that includes the stations, the listeners, and the advertisers," noted Steve Lipscomb, founder and President of WPT Enterprises, Inc. "With the advent of filming for our Third Season, we felt now was the perfect time to start bringing WPT's high quality brand of poker programming to the audio media sector." Network radio veteran Dan Forth is helming the effort – his 4thStreet Media Group is developing, producing, and marketing the features. Forth has more than 25 years of experience with national and local radio. He is former President/CEO of Sony Worldwide Networks, VP Content Licensing for Launch Media, and Vice President/Group Direct of ABC Young Adult Radio Networks. Along with his partners, Forth produces and distributes a variety of audio content for broadcast, satellite radio, and the web. "Over 50 million people in the U.S. play poker… and probably another 50 million talk about it every day," stated Forth. "I look forward to working with the leading and most recognized organization in the game, THE WORLD POKER TOUR, to deliver powerful, entertaining audio content that will be both accessible to the beginner and compelling to the most experienced player." National Sports Radio talent David Stein will host the audio feature. In addition to hosting radio programs for Fox Sports Radio and STUFF Magazine, Stein, an author and comedian, is also the creator and host of television's "It's Funnier That Way." About 4thStreet Media Group, LLC 4thStreet Media Group develops, produces, and markets audio content for major media companies including Discovery Channel Radio, CNN, XM Satellite Radio, AudioFeast.com, and Harryman Lasley Corporation. About WPT Enterprises, Inc. WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) is a media and entertainment company engaged in the creation of branded entertainment through the development, production and marketing of televised programming based on poker and other gaming themes. To date, operations have principally revolved around the creation of the World Poker Tour brand through the production and licensing of a reality television series exhibited on the Travel Channel that is based on a circuit of previously established high-stakes poker tournaments that has been affiliated under the "World Poker Tour" brand. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: LACO).

Bar owners upset over debut of Argosy poker pit

Bar owners upset over debut of Argosy poker pit 01/17/05 2theadvocate.com staff From a report by WBRZ's Ken Pastorick Baton Rouge's Argosy Casino debuted its new poker pit on Monday after taking a seven-year hiatus from the card game. But some local bars are crying foul because the state has been moving toward shutting down their poker games. In a time when Texas Hold'em is sweeping the nation thanks to national broadcasts of the game by ESPN and Fox Sports Net, Argosy Casino decided to get back into the action by providing seven 10-player poker tables on the third deck of its casino riverboat. "Texas Hold'em is a lot more exciting, significantly faster, and, as you can get more hands out per hour, it becomes a little bit more profitable for an operation like ours," said Argosy General Manager Frank Quigly. Owners of local bars like The Rack have been hosting poker tournaments several times each week in the last six months. But state authorities have begun shutting down poker games at bars, and owners are wondering why the casinos are getting their chance. "We don't have any money coming out of the pot to pay for lighting or to pay for the tables, or to pay the one gentleman that actually takes the money and does the list," said Marion Willett, manager of The Rack. "The dealers are all independent volunteers." While The Rack does not take a cut off the pot, Argosy collects a 10 percent cut up to $4 per hand. For this reason bar owners feel they have a legal right to host poker tournaments.

Iowa poker tourney bets state regulators are bluffing, plays on

Iowa poker tourney bets state regulators are bluffing, plays on CARTER LAKE -- Organizers of a poker tournament that the state says is illegal may be headed for a high-stakes showdown with regulators. The Chez Paree, a business in this western Iowa town, hosted three days of gambling last weekend, and said the 10-week Texas Hold 'Em tournament would continue this weekend. Up to 200 players are expected. The state Department of Inspections and Appeals warned the business that such gambling is illegal, but the Chez Paree is gambling that it will not be prosecuted. That's because Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber, who would prosecute any case, has told organizers he thinks what they are doing is legal. Wilber interprets Iowa code to read that such a poker tournament is legal under Iowa law -- not as gambling but as a winner-take-all-contest. Wilber said he does not condone such an event, but believes it would be a waste of taxpayer money to fight it. The state argues that the law does not authorize any form of casino gambling. Iowa code, it says, permits only "cribbage, bridge, chess, checkers, dominoes, pinochle and similar contests, leagues or tournaments. Last weekend, a state inspector shut down a hot dog stand at the facility and fined Chez Paree building owner Fred "Butch" Levell $100 for operating the food stand without a license. "Why are they harrassing us?" asked Chez Paree's attorney, David Richter. DIA spokesman David Werning said his office is treating the organizers as all the others who have inquired about holding tournaments. "We give them the information it is illegal and that is usually the end of it," he said. Werning said the agency isn't bluffing, saying the case has been referred to the Department of Criminal Investigations and the Attorney General's Office. DCI Agent Julie Hamilton said her office continues to monitor the situation but said any action would come from the Pottawattamie County Attorney's Office. Chief Deputy County Attorney John Jacobmeier said his office has no plans to intervene. "We are sticking to our position that it is not illegal," he said.

Poker sharks seek revenge in Vegas on "Tilt"

Poker sharks seek revenge in Vegas on "Tilt" Tilt, ESPN's new series about high-stakes poker players, is set in Las Vegas, but unlike some other prime-time series we could name, it's not something the Chamber of Commerce will adore. It introduces three young poker sharks -- Eddie (Eddie Cibrian), Clark (Todd Williams) and Miami (Kristin Lehman) -- who initially seem to have nothing in common other than perhaps some mutual contempt. But, as we're gradually shown, they're a team, and they're on a mission. Each has some sort of grudge, in some cases dating back to when they were children of people who should have been in Gamblers Anonymous, against a big-time professional card player, Don Everest (Michael Madsen). In Las Vegas and international gaming circles, he's known as "The Matador." Everest plies his trade at the Colorado Casino, a fictional Las Vegas gaming hotel. The Mod Squad-like trio is determined to settle old scores with him, and so is Lee Nickel (Chris Bauer), a small-town cop who makes a clumsy attempt at trying to play at the same high-roller table with the Matador and catch him cheating. The poker legend apparently took Nickel's brother to the cleaners, underhandedly, the lawman believes. Now, potential viewers well may ask: What, beyond the payback plot, does Tilt have to offer that NBC's Monday night hit Las Vegas doesn't? For starters, a less romantic view of Sin City. Some might even call it a seamy view, what with casino management referring to patrons as "suckers" and houses doing whatever they can to improve their odds. The executive producer is Orly Adelson, who served the same function on Playmakers, an ESPN dramatic series that met a premature demise because NFL officials were livid at its intimating that professional football players used illegal substances, tomcatted around and acted overindulged. Luckily this time, Vegas doesn't have a commissioner or a players' association. Madsen's character takes full advantage of his reptilian qualities, the hood eyes and cobra stare, and Don McManus plays casino manager Bart "Lowball" Rogers like a human oil slick. And they're just the tip of a lowlife iceberg in this show. Along with its favoring of underbelly over glitz, the other seductive thing about Tilt is the way writer-directors Brian Koppelman and David Levien take viewers into the thick of the poker games. Television often has been called a medium of close-ups, but rarely has its natural bent been so adroitly exploited. Tight head-shots, expressively inexpressive faces and masterful editing turn bluffs and raises into High Noon showdowns. Whether Koppelman and Levien can sustain the tension of the premiere is anybody's guess. Taking down the Matador seems like a limited premise. But given that millions of people watch celebrity wannabes play cards, don't bet against the vastly more compelling Tilt keeping card-obsessed viewers at the table for a while.

Poker's popularity on the rise

Poker's popularity on the rise By: Brett Tackett & Web Staff Poker, which just five years ago was considered taboo by many, is fast becoming one of the biggest sporting attractions out there. More than 150 of the best Triangle players met Thursday for a chance to play for millions in Las Vegas. "Once I started playing online for play money it just dragged me in,” said poker player Douglas “Moose” Jones. “I haven't been able to stop since." Jones is the number one player in the World Tavern Poker Tour. He's been raising and folding at poker tables for three years. For the past two he's seen a considerable jump in interest of this centuries-old card game. “It's grown 100-fold,” he continued. A prime example is the number of players at the champions tournament at Jillian’s in Raleigh. “We've seen it go from 20 people a night to over 100 people a night,” Jones said. Many people see an unlimited potential for this game of chance and skill. But the real question is why? "It started from a guy named Chris Moneymaker who won the World Series of Poker two years ago and was just sort of your average guy who played poker at a house and he won it,” explained Mike Matsinger of the World Tavern Poker Tour. Players sas when a person sits down and feels the rush of winning or losing it all they're all in. "Poker's unique among other games and sports in that anybody can sit down with the best in world and play it,” said poker player Ken Wexel. “You have to condition yourself for 25 years to challenge the pros." In North Carolina it's illegal to gamble with money so instead of winning a big pot of cash, these players are eyeing card tables and poker memorabilia. The ultimate prize is a paid trip to Las Vegas and a chance to win millions in the World Series of Poker. Jones adaded, “We'll worry about the millions I could win on TV once I get past tonight." It costs $10,000 to enter the World Series of Poker. The winner of the Tavern Tour gets a free flight, hotel, and the $10,000.

Why 2005 Will Be a Terrific Year for Poker and What You Can Do to Make it a Banner Year for You, Too

Why 2005 Will Be a Terrific Year for Poker and What You Can Do to Make it a Banner Year for You, Too by Lou Krieger So compelling is poker nowadays that it’s become the thing to talk about at dinner parties as well as around the water cooler at work; even people who had no prior interest in card games of any sort are wondering just what all the fuss is about, so they give it a go, too. Everything builds upon everything else, and poker is, as the current vernacular goes, “blowing up.” The coming year promises to be a great one for poker. The television boom — all poker, all the time, or so it seems — hasn’t yet reached its peak despite televised poker tournaments at almost every hour of the day or night. All the pizzazz stemming from the fact that the last two World Series of Poker champions found their way to the big dance through Internet satellites (at PokerStars.com) continues to popularize online poker beyond the wildest dreams of Internet poker site operators only a few years ago. If you looked for a book about online poker prior to 2003, you’d be looking a long time. But John Vorhaus, Matthew Hilger, and yours truly along with Kathy Watterson each wrote a book about Internet poker that year, and all were published within about three months of each other. Because most of the 2005 World Series of Poker will take place at the Rio, the crowds figure to be even bigger than they were in 2004, simply because the Rio has more space than the Horseshoe. At this juncture, 3,000 participants for the main event seems not so much a PR man’s fantasy as it does a starting point for estimating just how big this event can possibly grow. All of poker’s growth elements are self-enhancing, and that produces the feeding-frenzy phenomenon we’re seeing today. TV brings people to live events, and so has the democratization of poker and low-cost entry paths provided by Internet satellites. When 3,000 people show up to play in a poker tournament, that’s news, and the media gives it the attention it deserves. Their coverage causes more people to take an interest in poker and begin playing in local casinos and on the Internet. Tournaments are bigger as a result, and poker’s newcomers, bitten by the craze, can’t get enough of it as a spectator event on TV. This leads to made-for-TV poker events that bring even more players into the game. The “craze” elements of poker’s popularity mean new opportunities for poker players everywhere. You’ll find more games available at your casino, the casino across the street, and the casino in cyberspace. Many of these games are very loose, and are populated by players who have yet to learn that winning requires selectivity as well as aggressive play. Until new players learn that lesson, there’s a huge opportunity awaiting anyone who understands these twin concepts well enough to take advantage of those who don’t. Television’s fascination, for the most part, centers on no-limit hold’em tournaments. That’s good news as well as bad. The bad news for you and me is that some new players will learn to play the game extremely well because they have the inherent talent and discipline, avail themselves of books, videos, and personalized poker lessons that are available to them, and supplement these things with whatever acumen they gain by critically dissecting the poker tournaments they watch on TV. The good news, however, far outweighs the bad. Many new and eager players will never learn to play well. Some of them just don’t have the right stuff, while others are simply action junkies — table-cowboys who belly up to a poker game only for the action it provides — and see it as just another gamble. While these guys will have their winning nights, in the long run, they can be picked clean by anyone with a modicum of skill and discipline at the poker table. Like kudzu vines choking the life out of other plants, no-limit Texas hold’em seems to be driving away other forms of poker, and you seldom find Omaha, Omaha eight-or-better, seven-card stud, and seven-card stud eight-or-better spread in land-based casinos. The only exception occurs when these games are spread as cash-game adjuncts to tournaments. But outside of tournaments and those “training-wheels” no-limit hold’em games spread with a maximum, and generally very affordable, buy-in of $100 or $200, most of the games you’ll find in traditional casinos are played with fixed betting limits. There’s a world of difference between no-limit tournaments and fixed-limit cash games — and new players, weaned on Internet tournament poker and tethered to their nightly TV poker fix, will need to make lots of adjustments to master both games. Many tournament adherents, if for no other reason than their lack of playing experience in fixed-limit games, will be the designated live ones for quite some time in cash games. This is another opportunity for skilled limit hold’em players to win more money in 2005. Variety is the spice of life. Everyone needs a change every once in a while, and that includes poker players. I predict that many hold’em disciples will begin to develop an appetite for other games, and if you can get out ahead of the curve by learning to play them well, you’ll have a huge edge over hold’em players who decide to give Omaha eight-or-better a tumble and apply their hold’em strategies because the games look remarkably similar, and they don’t have any other frame of reference from which to select playing strategies. Poker’s growth affords remarkable opportunity for players as well as for individuals looking to advance their careers in the poker industry. 2005 will bring more games, in more locations, and if you’re willing to take the time to put in the effort and study that are guaranteed to improve your game, you should find yourself improving faster than your opponents and increasing the gap between your skill level and theirs. That can only bode well for you in the long run. Have a happy new year; I’m predicting 2005 will be a good one.

Harrah's Looks for Poker Face

Harrah's Looks for Poker Face ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The world's richest sporting event seeks stoic, emotionally detached man or woman to fill role of spokesperson. Eager, energetic candidates need not apply. Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET), which owns and operates the World Series of Poker, is launching a national search to find the ultimate poker face to star in commercials promoting the tournament's coverage on ESPN. The first auditions will be held Jan. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Eden Lounge and Sapphire Bar at Harrah's Atlantic City. The auditions will take place during the first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit event, which began Jan. 7 and concludes Jan. 18. The new commercial will be the second "poker face" spot to run on ESPN. The first ad depicts a man maintaining a perfectly nonplussed expression while an interviewer asks him to react to both fantastic and horrible news. The new spot will build on the initial concept by depicting not only the ultimate poker face, but also outtakes from auditions in which people could not maintain stoic expressions under humorous interview conditions. "The response to the first ad has been tremendous," said Ginny Shanks, Harrah's senior vice president of acquisition marketing. "Hosting auditions for a new spot at each of our World Series of Poker Circuit events will allow us to involve a huge number of poker enthusiasts in the development of the commercial and build interest in it before it ever airs." Subsequent poker face auditions will be held at World Series of Poker events at Harrah's Rincon outside San Diego, Harrah's New Orleans, Harrah's Lake Tahoe and the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Audition dates for those events have not been finalized. At least one person at each audition will be chosen as a finalist to appear in the spot. Various subsidiaries of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. own or manage 28 casinos in the United States, primarily under the Harrah's and Horseshoe brand names. Founded 67 years ago, Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its valued customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. Additional information about Harrah's Entertainment is available at http://www.harrahs.com.

Kleis announces Texas Hold'em bill

Kleis announces Texas Hold'em bill - By Lawrence Schumacher ST. PAUL -- Dave Bischoff said he's still a little upset that he never got his poker chips back. But the owner of Granite Bowl in St. Cloud said he's hopeful that a bill at the Minnesota Legislature will prevent others from having their business raided to bust a free Texas Hold'em poker tournament. "They came in with their guns drawn," he said of a Department of Public Safety-led raid in July at Granite Bowl. "They held everybody for about 21/2 hours. They took all the poker chips and the cards. They took everybody's names and addresses and took pictures of everyone." Bischoff told his story at a crowded news conference Wednesday near the Capitol as Sen. Dave Kleis, R-St. Cloud, announced he would push to make it legal for owners of bars and bowling alleys to host Texas Hold'em tournaments. Kleis said he would introduce a bill this week to add the popular poker variant to a list of other games including cribbage, bridge, gin, pool, darts and whist that Minnesota law allows to be played in public tournaments for prizes worth no more than $200. Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall this fall declined to press charges against Bischoff, saying the law was not clear enough to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Kleis said he wants to clarify the law and make sure other establishments don't suffer the same fate as Granite Bowl, which has resumed its tournaments. The change would only apply to Texas Hold'em tournaments.

E! to Launch Hollywood Poker Show

E! to Launch Hollywood Poker Show LOS ANGELES, January 12: This March, E! is planning to launch Hollywood Poker Night, a weekly hour-long series that promises to deliver a new spin on the celebrity poker genre. Ted Harbert, the president and CEO of E! Networks, noted, "The series offers the fun and challenge of cards, but will also gives viewers a unique glimpse into the lives and homes of some of today's top young stars." Held each week in a different celebrity's home, each game will feature three stars and each of their best friends. Those set to participate include Macaulay Culkin, Andy Dick, The Italian Job's Set Green, That '70s Show's Danny Masterson and Wilmer Valderrama, and Tony Hawk, among others.

Senator Drafts 'Texas Hold 'Em' Bill

WCCO: Senator Drafts 'Texas Hold 'Em' Bill: "Senator Drafts 'Texas Hold 'Em' Bill" Shakopee, Minn. (WCCO) A Republican state senator plans to introduce a bill allowing poker players to gather for tournaments in places other than Minnesota casinos. Sen. Dave Kleis of St. Cloud is an aficionado of the poker game known as "Texas Hold 'Em." Last summer, he heard the owner of the Granite Bowling Alley in his district was busted for running a poker tournament. He decided Minnesota law should be changed. Sen. Kleis will announce details of his bill at a news conference Wednesday morning. When WCCO spoke to him on Tuesday, he said he was still working on specifics. He also said he thinks it's a waste of resources to have undercover investigations going after something that is a recreational activity. Right now, Canterbury Park is the only public place in the metro area where people can legally play in a poker tournament. Poker enthusiasts at the Shakopee casino have been anxious for this bill since they first heard about it last summer. "I see nothing wrong with it," poker player John Huie said. "You have gambling that's prevalent throughout the state, in Indian casinos, even bingo halls." Sen. Kleis' bill does have its critics. "One thing a gaming casino can provide is security," Canterbury Park's Joe Anderson said. "There's a lot of money that's in house. With security, you have the safeguard of someone watching."

Speed Poker Debuts in Australia

Speed Poker Debuts in Australia AUSTRALIA – As reported by the (Australia) Advertiser: "Speed poker, the newest, made-for-TV variation of the grand old card game, made its Australian debut at Melbourne's Crown casino yesterday - and it's all thanks to Keith `Bendigo' Sloan. "The new game, which pits six players against two dealers and a 15-second clock, with up to 100 hands dealt an hour, is the brainchild of the former Bendigo resident - better known to some as Mr Poker. "…The new game has attracted plenty of interest ahead of this weekend's inaugural World Speed Poker Championship at Crown this weekend. "…Almost $300,000 worth of prizemoney will be available in the World Speed Poker Championship, including $100,000 for the winner. "…Billed as a Poker Roller Coaster Ride, the speed version of the game aims to combine the pace of Internet poker with the thrill of the live game, where face-to-face, the elements of bluff, strategy, psychology and showmanship all come into play. "Games typically last for four to five hours, with up to 100 hands per hour played in that time…"

Extreme Poker Ltd. Announces Filming

Extreme Poker Ltd. Announces Filming: "Extreme Poker Ltd. Announces Filming" Extreme Poker Ltd. (OTC: EXTP) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to produce the pilot production of the reality T.V. program, "THE GREAT CANADIAN POKER TOURNAMENT." Extreme Poker Ltd., along with Pear Pillow Incorporated, will be producing the first episode of "THE GREAT CANADIAN POKER TOURNAMENT" on Friday January 21, 2005. The production will be available to networks within 2 weeks from filming. Full production, consisting of 13 episodes, will be made available upon acceptance by a national television broadcaster. The 12th and 13th episodes consisting of a grand tournament, concludes the reality series. The two episodes, 12 and 13, are open to the public at absolutely no cost of entry, and crowns one individual, "THE GREAT CANADIAN POKER CHAMPION." Extreme Poker Ltd. is in the process of providing licensed operations in other locations worldwide. Extreme Poker Ltd. has entered into discussions with representatives in Europe and South America. With continuity of theme, it is anticipated that ultimately a world champion player will be crowned. For more information, see our website at www.greatcdn.com

Poker broadcast being negotiated

Las Vegas SUN: Poker broadcast being negotiated By Liz Benston - Las Vegas Sun Harrah's Entertainment Inc. has hired a sports television consulting firm to help the company negotiate a broadcast agreement with ESPN and develop new programming related to the World Series of Poker tournament. Pilson Communications Inc., a company run by former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson, negotiated a $2.4 billion network television agreement with Fox, NBC and Turner to air NASCAR events and structured a $2 billion agreement to air the Olympics on NBC. Other clients include Major League Baseball and the Arena Football League. "I think poker is perhaps the hottest sport on television right now," Pilson said. "The ratings, I think, have surprised both Harrah's and ESPN and the entire industry." The World Series of Poker is also attracting demographic groups attractive to advertisers, especially young men ages 18 to 24, he said. Pilson declined to speculate on the kind of broadcast deal that would emerge from the talks and whether it would yield more money for Harrah's. He also declined to say whether other networks were interested in airing the tournament. "Harrah's has a terrific relationship with ESPN and we're looking to work with them," he said. "I think it's in ESPN's interest and ours to maximize coverage of the sport but at the same time we don't want to dilute the basic presentation of the World Series of Poker, which is the dominant brand in televised poker today." ESPN has aired the poker tournament, held at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas, for the past seven years and has broadcast poker on television since 1994. Harrah's took ownership of the tournament last year, the same year of record turnout for the event as well as ESPN's highest ratings for the tournament. The existing broadcast contract with ESPN predates Harrah's purchase of the poker tournament. More than 2,500 players competed in the final no-limit Texas hold 'em championship game of the World Series of Poker last year. Harrah's is expected to host 5,000 players for this year's tournament, which runs through July 15. Harrah's recently created a separate World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit, a series of five poker tournaments that will run prior to the final championship event, to transform the month-long event into a year-round sport. ESPN will also be taping the main events in the circuit, which kicked off Friday in Atlantic City.

ESPN's poker series likely winner

Sports: ESPN's poker series likely winner By JOHN C. COTEY, Times Staff Writer After sadly bowing to pressure from the NFL and scrapping its successful Playmakers series last year, ESPN is done licking its wounds. At 9 p.m. Thursday, it gets back into the business of the episodic series with Tilt, a drama based around the poker world (of course). Without NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue to deal with this time around, ESPN has crafted an edgy, dark but highly entertaining look at poker players in Las Vegas, hoping to cash in on the game's recent rise in status and popularity. After watching an advance copy of the first episode, it's clear ESPN will get two things out of its latest effort - a hit, and more controversy. The controversy will come from two scenes, neither of which forwards the plot of the series at all. In one, the series' main character, Don "The Matador" Everest (played by Michael Madsen), engages in a sex act in the bathroom. In another, an underground poker game among black players immediately turns into a gun-pointing near-shootout, while all the other games featured among white players in the pilot are calm and civilized events. Both scenes are pointless and could be deleted without harming the quality of the episode. Unless, of course, the whole idea is to inject something into the show that will get the critics in a lather and create some press. In that case, job well done. Created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Rounders), Tilt shows a lot of promise. Set at the fictitious Colorado Casino in Las Vegas, the series revolves around the efforts of three young, beautiful (it's called artistic license) professional players who are backed by some syndicate hellbent on bringing the well-connected and dastardly Matador down at the upcoming World Poker Championships. A small-town cop is also on the Matador's trail after being cheated at a game. Tilt is not nearly as over-the-top as Playmakers was, and the acting is superior. Eddie Cibrian is believeable as the young hotshot poker player, and partners Kristin Lehman and Todd Williams play their parts just as well. Madsen is perfect in the role of the Matador. Whereas Playmakers portrayed football players as cheaters and philanderers, chances are there won't be too many professional poker players complaining about being portrayed as beautiful, well-dressed, well-meaning people trying to take down the bad guy. That, and the absence of a "poker commissioner," should ensure Tilt's survival and give viewers something Playmakers was never allowed to deliver. A second season.

It's Men vs. Women for Seven Episodes of GSN's 'POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES'

It's Men vs. Women for Seven Episodes of GSN's 'POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES' Syndicated Radio Personality Tom Leykis and Kennedy Represent Their Respective Sex And Spar As Hosts The World's Finest Poker Players Ante Up Including Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Paul Wolfe, Kathy Liebert, Jennifer Harman, and Clonie Gowen Poker Royale Inaugurates GSN's New Casino Night Friday, January 21 Do men have the advantage over women in the game of poker? GSN, the network for games, dares to find out pitting 12 of the world's top professional poker players together in a no-holds barred poker tournament like never before seen. POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES, is a seven episode invitational tournament hosted by syndicated radio personality Tom Leykis, who is known for defense of the male species. This marks Leykis' first hosting duties on television. He is joined as host by Kennedy, the outspoken TV and game show veteran, who proudly represents the female voice. Also joining them as the play-by-play commentator is Robert Williamson III, one of the most respected and skilled poker players around. The announcement was made today by Ian Valentine, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN. POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES will break new ground when it premieres on GSN's new Friday Casino Night, January 21 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Immediately following POKER ROYALE is WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK featuring the world's finest blackjack players vying for their chance to win the $250,000 grand prize. "Based on the success of our first poker series, we wanted to follow with a second installment with a unique twist. POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES is entertaining and engaging for players of every skill level," said Valentine. Valentine continues, "There's a real ongoing debate in the poker world as to whether the women are as good as the men. We sit our viewers right at the table to watch the play and hear the banter." Leykis, the controversial sharp tongued broadcast radio personality, will undoubtedly root for the men. The "Tom Leykis Show" has been syndicated from Los Angeles since 1994, and has developed its reputation as a forum on male/female issues. In the ladies corner is TV personality Kennedy, who will lend her sassiness to the women's corner. Kennedy began her career as a radio DJ on LA's KROQ-FM, and later became known as a witty MTV VJ. Most recently, she was host of GSN's FRIEND OR FOE? and mediated over WHO WANTS TO BE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA?, GSN's game show about California's historic Governor recall election. POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES includes the world's top players including Chris Moneymaker (2003 World Series of Poker 1st place), Paul Wolfe (2003 World Championship Online Poker final runner up), Greg "Fossilman" Raymer (2004 World Series of Poker 1st place), Amir Vahedi (2001 No Limit Texas Hold'em Player of the Year), Layne Flack (5 Time World Series of Poker Champion) and Antonio Esfandiari (World Poker Tour first place champion). In the women's corner are Kathy Liebert (2002 Party Poker Million champion), Jennifer Harman (World Poker Tour Bellagio 4th place), Evelyn Ng (World Poker Tour Ladies Night 2nd place), Karina Jett, Kristy Gazes (2001 World Series of Poker Shoe 5th place) and Clonie Gowen (World Poker Tour Ladies Night champion). In each of the first six episodes of POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES three men and three women from the teams of men and women will play a game of No Limit Texas Hold'Em. Every episode champion wins $10,000 and six points. The player who finishes second receives five points, third place receives four points, fourth place receives three points, fifth place receives two points and last place receives one point. In the seventh episode's final match, the top three point leaders for the men and women will face off for the championship. The winner of the tournament takes home $100,000 and wins an extra $30,000 to be split among the remaining team members. GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network features game shows, reality series, light sports, documentaries and casino games. GSN is the industry leader in interactivity and as such allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via GSN.com. Reaching 56 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.