Full Shill Poker

So the UIGEA put your online sportsbook habit in the shitter? So what! There’s a carveout in the law for FANTASY sports. And now, Fantasy Sports Live has come up with a way for you to get your gambooool on without having to wait for a long-ass sports season to come and go!

Just go to Fantasy Sports Live, sign up using bonus code Falstaff, get your instant deposit bonus, and sign up for a contest. You’re competing in short contests against real people, from one to 9 other people. You pick your players, watch the games, figure out if your guys sucked or rocked, go back to Fantasy Sports Live (Bonus Code what? FALSTAFF!!!) and see where you finished. It must be super-easy, because I figured it out and won my first contest! I won a 6-person fantasy baseball contest and I don’t know SHIT about baseball!

So cruise on over to Fantasy Sports Live and check it out, and don’t forget Bonus Code Falstaff!

Eskimo Clark froze in mid-bet, then collapsed during the Stud Hi-Lo event last weekend, resulting in a stoppage of play, the Poker Sauna tent being cleared out while he received medical attention, and him being rushed to the hospital. Reports ranged from a heart attack to a stroke, and regardless of the real issue, he had to have play stopped twice this week during the $1,500 Razz event so that he could receive medical attention at the table. Clark made it through the day without dying, and then made the final table all the way to fourth place, his highest finish so far at the final table.

But is it worth it? I think Harrah’s should ban Clark from play until he gets medical clearance, much like you don’t send a linebacker back into the game with a concussion, allowing Clark to continue to play just opens Harrah’s up for liability if something happens. And that’s not to mention the effect it will have on the other players at the table. Just think, you’re sitting there afraid to check-raise this dude, because he could blow an O-ring if you draw out on him!

The more I hear about Clark’s predicament, the more concerned I am. There’s nothing poetic about playing through the pain of a heart problem. There’s nothing noble about being so stuck you have to be willing to die at the table to pay off your debts. And there’s no room for anyone to turn the other way as this shit happens. Please, ban Eskimo. For the good of the game if not for some modicum of concern for another human being.

So there’s more going on at the WSOP this summer than just poker, if you’re willing to look for it. Here are a few less-than-headline worthy stories that are still worth looking at.

First off, how can we have an internet shill site without internet celebrity Brandi Hawbaker? With a worldwide internet debut that included Captain Tom Franklin, spawned the term “huggles”, featured Mark Newhizzle Newhouse losing a fuckton of money on PokerStars, buttsex and handjobs, Brandi stormed into public semiconsciousness this spring.

She can actually play poker a little, too!

Now she’s hooked up with dirty old mentor David Sklansky for some high-level poker training (kneepads optional, I’m sure), and it seems to be doing the old number-cruncher some good. Sklansky has made strong showings in several WSOP events so far, including a 5th place finish in the $5,000 Stud Hi-Lo event and a 13th place finish in the $1,500 Limit Hold ‘Em event. He also had a strong showing in the $1,500 Razz tourney, but busted before the money bubble. Maybe all he needed to make a monster WSOP tourney was a shot of Brandi.

You too, can sign up and play on Full Tit, ummm, Tilt Poker. Use Bonus Code Falstaff, bitches!

In a move to attempt to prove to the world that there is poker being played outside Nevada this summer, the Borgata has re-upped their summer tournament series, with buyins from $500 to $5,000. So if you’re in Atlantic City, you better go to the Borgata. Because everything else in Jersey sucks.

Here’s the press release - (and what the hell makes Joseph Brooks an accomplished poker professional?)

Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, the premier travel and entertainment destination on the East Coast, kicked off the second annual Summer Poker Open yesterday — the largest poker tournament in Atlantic City this summer — with 456 players in Borgata’s 85-table poker room. The event launched with the $500 + 60 No Limit Hold ‘Em event and will culminate with the $5,000 + $200 No Limit Championship Event on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. Even with the World Series of Poker currently under way in Las Vegas, players from all over filled Borgata’s state of the art poker room for the start of the Borgata Summer Poker Open. Over 450 players registered for the $500 +60 Event #1, with a prize pool of $228,000.

Accomplished poker professional, Joseph Brooks, said, “The event ran like clockwork. Borgata runs the best tournaments on the East Coast. With the WSOP going on the same time, I did not know what to expect. Then I saw the full room and the atmosphere was great with the live action and the start of the Summer Open. This is a great event, close to home.”

The Summer Open Events are one-day tournaments. According to Tournament Director Tab Duchateau, “Borgata specifically designed the Summer Open structures and events to appeal to players taking day-trips. There is a great balance of tournament play, along with live action in our room.”

The players at the $500+60 final table did not mind playing into the wee hours of the morning. Chris Kwon of New Jersey captured the coveted championship, and $67,000 in prize money. Reginald Leonardo of New York, finished in second taking home $35,340 in prize money. The third place finisher was Pennsylvania resident Krzysztof Perka, who won $18,200 for his efforts.

Perka commented, “Borgata does things right. Of course the poker action is everything in the game, but the massages from the Spa Toccare therapists are truly amazing. They helped me make it this far!”

The 2007 Borgata Summer Open will offer players a chance to participate in twelve main events, including Texas Hold’Em No Limit, Texas Hold’Em Limit, 7- Card Stud, and a Ladies-Only Tournament. In addition, the fourteen days will be filled with super satellites, second chance cash, and sit-and-go tournaments. The Championship Event is a four-day event, starting on Saturday, June 23rd and concluding on Tuesday, June 26th. Players will start with $50,000 in tournament chips and play in one of the best-structured tournaments around.

On-Site Registration for all Borgata Summer Open events is in the Poker Room, where all tournaments will take place.

Ok, so I want you to sign up for Pokerstars or Full Tilt by clicking one of my banners, which won’t make me rich, but might get you there. This weekend marks the biggest weekend of the year for WSOP Main Event Qualifiers, with Full Tilt and Pokerstars combining to give away over 250 seats on Sunday. That’s pretty huge, right?

Well, it gets better. Win the seat on Full Tilt, then win the Main Event (you saw that Jamie Gold donkey do it last year, so it obviously doesn’t require skill) and Full Tilt will give you a cool $10 million bonus. If you read about it here first, I want 10%. Shit, I’ll settle for 1%. Hell, gimme a hamburger, I’ll be thrilled! But you can’t win if you’re not in, so sign up for Full Tilt and play the 100-seat guarantee this Sunday at 6PM Eastern. You can also satellite into the 100-seat guarantee for as little as 2 bucks, so go for it!

Stars is going even bigger with the guarantee, but a little smaller with the bonus. They’re only (yeah, ONLY) giving a $1 million bonus to Main Event winners, but they’re stacking their deck, giving away a guaranteed 150 seats this Sunday at their 4:30PM EDT tourney. Stars has a little better track record, with Moneymaker and Raymer both winning their way into the ME on Stars, but I’m sure if a Pstars player walks off with the big bracelet in July they’ll be pretty well hooked up.

So Click a banner, pay my web hosting fees, and win a shitload of money!

Harrah’s
License Company, LLC, an affiliate of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:
HET), announced today that video content from the 2007 World Series of
Poker(R) Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light will appear exclusively on V
CAST from Verizon Wireless.

“Delivering our content through V CAST is an important part of our
global distribution strategy,” said Craig Abrahams, director of
broadcasting and new media for the World Series of Poker. “This is the
second year that Verizon Wireless has carried World Series of Poker content
and we appreciate their making this event available to millions of Verizon
Wireless’ customers.”

Two World Series of Poker videos are being broadcast daily on V CAST in
the Sports channel. The video will include action from the World Series of
Poker tournament floor, interviews with top poker professionals and updates
on current leaders. Content is provided courtesy of Bluff Media.

“We set out in our relationship with Harrah’s to provide fans of the
World Series of Poker with the most authentic experience available for the
mobile phone,” said Robin Chan, director, entertainment programming for
Verizon Wireless. “We are very excited to distribute rich World Series of
Poker content for the second year in a row.”

To get V CAST, Verizon Wireless customers can equip their V
CAST-enabled phones by adding a V CAST VPak subscription to their Verizon
Wireless calling plan. The $15 monthly subscription includes unlimited
basic video — including video from all 55 bracelet events at the 2007
World Series of Poker — but application download fees apply for 3D games
and premium video. There are no airtime charges to download, stream or
watch V CAST Video.

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AS long as I get some of the Milwaulkee’s Beast girls to be my valet when I’m in Vegas, this might be worth it. But how much IS a year’s supply of Beast?

Milwaukee’s Best Light, the official
presenting sponsor of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), has kicked off its
seven-week “Online Virtual Poker Challenge” promotion, awarding one seat
per week to the 2008 WSOP Main Event. The poker tournaments, which invite
legal-drinking-age consumers to enter and play at
Milbestlight.com, are free and culminate in a weekly grand prize
tournament to award the seat to next year’s prestigious $10,000 buy-in
championship event.

Each week, from June 3 through July 22, eligible consumers can visit
Milbestlight.com, play Texas Hold’em Poker and attempt to
increase their point total to position themselves for the grand prize
tournament. Players also can accumulate bonus points by logging on each
day, answering trivia questions, referring friends to the website, entering
product codes found on specially marked packages and by taking brief
surveys. Then, every Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern, the top 500 qualifiers will
compete in a grand prize tournament. The winner will receive a $10,000 seat
to the 2008 WSOP Main Event along with round-trip airfare, hotel
accommodations and $1,000 spending money.

“Milwaukee’s Best Light has been the beer of choice at countless poker
games around the country for years, so what better way to show our
appreciation than by giving poker players a chance to win a seat to the
most prestigious poker tournament in the world,” said Kevin Rutherford,
Milwaukee’s Best Light senior brand manager. “It’s true that Milwaukee’s
Best Light is the official beer of the World Series of Poker, but we’re
also the unofficial beer of poker games everywhere.”

The contest rules and additional details about the “Online Virtual
Poker Challenge” are available at Milbestlight.com.

The “Online Virtual Poker Challenge” is only one aspect to Milwaukee’s
Best Light’s multi-faceted WSOP sponsorship. Throughout the 2007 WSOP
tournament, a Milwaukee’s Best Light-themed No Limit Lounge at the Rio
Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will help quench the thirst of poker players
and fans. As if delicious Milwaukee’s Best Light beer weren’t enough, the
No Limit Lounge also will feature celebrity bartenders periodically,
including poker pros Annie Duke and Robert Williamson III. And for the
second straight year, Milwaukee’s Best Light is holding the “Bubble
Playoff,” which gives the final 10 WSOP contestants who are eliminated “out
of the money” a chance to compete in a single table poker event to win a
seat at the 2008 WSOP and a year’s supply of Milwaukee’s Best Light.

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More new products from the folks at PokerTek, this time a stand-alone “entertainment” version of their heads-up machine. Sounds like a shitload of these things will go into bars and people can sit and play each other for $20 a throw, right?

Right. Except these machines are for “entertainment” purposes only.

PokerTek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEK) announces Heads-Up Challenge(TM), an
innovative new heads-up poker table that enables two players to compete
against each other in a game of Texas Hold’em poker for entertainment
purposes. The company anticipates placing units in bars and restaurants
around the world, starting this summer.

“People love to play heads-up poker,” said James Crawford,
President of PokerTek. “It’s fast-paced, it’s one-on-one and the
competition is intense. Bringing the world’s greatest card game into
the amusement space is an exciting next step for our company.”

PokerTek is leveraging its agreement with Harrah’s License
Company, LLC, an affiliate of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc (NYSE: HET)
to co-brand this new table with the World Series of Poker, a name
synonymous with excellence in poker.

“The success of any sports property is directly related to its
ability to introduce the brand to new audiences,” said World Series of
Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “The Heads-Up Challenge(TM) World
Series of Poker® Edition fits right into our strategic plan by creating
new ways to experience our unique blend of thrills, strategy, and
entertainment.”

Heads-Up Challenge(TM) World Series of Poker® Edition marks the
first venture into the amusements category for PokerTek. “This product
extends our reach into a large market outside the gaming space,
leverages our intellectual property and maintains focus within our area
of expertise, which is Poker,” said James Crawford. “The World Series
of Poker brand is a powerful addition to an already amazing product,
and we look forward to introducing this new game to players in bars.”

The Heads-Up Challenge(TM) World Series of Poker® Edition table
will be revealed — fittingly — at the 2007 World Series of Poker in
Las Vegas. Pollack will host the unveiling, which will take place at
noon on July 5th in the Milwaukee’s Best Light No-Limit Lounge on the
Main Event floor at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. Pro players and
friendly rivals Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari will be the first
challengers to play on the table after its public introduction. The
tables will be placed in the PokerPro® booth at the Gaming Life Expo
the remainder of the week, allowing all visitors an opportunity to
experience the ultimate heads-up battle.

The 2007 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best
Light, the world’s richest sporting event, began June 1st at the Rio®
All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

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In a press release issued earlier this week, Full Contact Poker has announced that it will no longer host a poker playing site, returning to its original format as a poker forum and a place for Negreanu-worship. Player accounts will be transferred to PokerStars.com.

Here’s the press release -

After much thought and consideration, Full Contact Poker has decided
that it is in the best interest of its poker players to merge with one
of the industry’s top poker sites, PokerStars.com. 
As part of this merger, all FCP player balances (cash and player
points) will be transferred to PokerStars.  Full Contact Poker and
PokerStars will try to make the account transfer process as easy and
seamless as possible.

We would like to thank you in
advance for your cooperation and understanding during the transition
process, which will take place over the next few days. Please take care
to read the information that follows very carefully. 

Full
Contact Poker will cease all poker and casino operations in all
countries and return FullContactPoker.com to its roots as a forum-based
poker community that features Daniel Negreanu and his popular blog,
video diaries and a new video poker school that is in development. FCP
players now have the opportunity to shift their FCP accounts over to
PokerStars, where they will join over 9 million other players on the
World’s largest poker site, assuring themselves of a game of poker any
time of day.

In a separate agreement, Daniel Negreanu has
signed as a member of Team PokerStars, showing his commitment to where
he sees the future of online poker.

The
soon-to-be-revamped Full Contact Poker website and community will now
have the best of both worlds.  Daniel will continue to be an active
leader in the FCP Community, while at the same time PokerStars has
agreed to become the new home for many of our community’s online poker
events, including Negreanu’s Protégé 3, future Weekend at Daniel’s
events, the weekly Negreanu Open and much more!

The
following is a list of very important dates and details on how the
transition of players from FCP to PokerStars will happen:

• Monday , June 11 th - The following software functions will be turned off:
• FCP players will no longer be able to make real money deposits at fullcontactpoker.com
• FCP
  players will no longer be able to make withdrawal requests through Full
  Contact Poker.  However, you will be able to make withdrawal requests
  from PokerStars once you have initiated your account balance transfer
  to PokerStars (these account transfer instructions will be detailed in
  an e-mail message to this address directly from PokerStars on Thursday
  , June 14 th)
• FCP Casino will be shut down

• Tuesday
  Morning, June 12 th - FCP poker room on the Digital Gaming Network will
  be shut down and players will no longer have access to the software.

• Until
  Wednesday morning, you will still be able to log into your player
  account to view your account balances and FCP points balance.  You will
  also be able to redeem your FCP points for merchandise in the FCP
  Store.  After Wednesday morning around 9:00 am EST, your FCP points
  will no longer be available to redeem in the FCP Store, but they will
  be transferred to PokerStars and converted into PokerStars Frequent
  Player Points (FPPs).  For every 2.5 FCP points you have, you will
  receive one PokerStars FPP that can be used in the PokerStars store
  and/or redeemed for tournament entries the same way current PokerStars
  players are able to redeem their points.

• Wednesday
  Morning, June 13 th - FCP player accounts will be locked and players
  will no longer be able to log into their FCP accounts.  At this point,
  all player account balances will be prepared for transfer to
  PokerStars.  (Note: Bonus money balances will not be transferred to
  PokerStars and will expire.)  All currency conversion adjustments
  necessary to determine a final U.S. dollar value will use the
  international currency rates posted for June 13th , 2007.

• Finally,
  by Thursday , June 14 th, PokerStars will send FCP players a welcome
  e-mail and have a secure web application ready for you to authenticate
  your account identity and then transfer your account balances.

The
welcome e-mail from PokerStars will detail the final transfer
instructions and confirm the day and time you may begin this
authentication process.  We kindly request that you do not contact
PokerStars Support prior to receiving this email, as they will not be
able to give you any details on how this procedure will work at this
time.  Once it becomes active, you may also visit the following link to
access these transfer instructions https://www.pokerstars.com/welcomefcp

If
you signed up at FullContactPoker.com or FullContactPoker.net, but
never created a real money account, you too may receive an e-mail from
PokerStars describing their services and explaining the best way to
create a new account.  If you wish to learn more about PokerStars,
please visit http://www.pokerstars.com.

For
the latest news please visit the Full Contact Poker website and forums,
where we’ll be making updated announcements and addressing any commonly
asked questions.  If you have questions that are not addressed on the
FCP website and forums, you can send an e-mail to info@fullcontactpoker.com.

We
sincerely thank you for your business and support during the past two
years and look forward to an exciting new beginning with a restructured
FullContactPoker.com website and a relationship with PokerStars.

-Team FCP

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As I was flying home from Vegas, Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth was accepting his 11th WSOP bracelet from the two men he passed on the list of most bracelets won, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson. Hellmuth had shared the honors with Texas Dolly and the Orient Express since he captured his 10th World Series of Poker bracelet last year, but his victory in event #15, $1,500 No Limit Hold ‘Em, left him alone on the top of a mountain of gold bracelets.

“This is the one I really wanted,” Hellmuth said afterward in a
post-tournament press conference. “I have so much respect for Doyle and
Johnny. To now be at the top of the all-time (WSOP wins) list is really
about as good a feeling as I have ever had.”

“Poker players everywhere measure themselves against each other by how
many WSOP bracelets they have,” Commissioner of the World Series of
Poker Jeffrey Pollack said. “Now, all WSOP bracelet holders must
measure themselves against Phil Hellmuth. He is a true sports champion.”

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