I almost missed Celebrity Apprentice last night until I got a text from a poker pro friend:

I’m watching the bitch on the apprentice

… to which I responded:

you mean the woman who would be impressive to you if she were a man?

I didn’t really like her response to the Hitler jokes last week, nor her gratuitous blowjob promotion. (Strong means weak.) But now I think I understand why she’s not just brushing off comedic comparisons to the historical model for evil tyrants. After all, whether you like her or not, she is poker’s biggest ambassador right now … and when Joan Rivers let her have it this week, it wasn’t just an assault on her, it was an attack on all the poker people she represents:

Hmm, interesting … though one might refute the blood-money comment by looking at Joan Rivers’ love for African diamonds vs. Annie’s work for Darfur, the question it really raises: So what poker player did Joan Rivers sleep with in Las Vegas in the ’70s? Because that’s what she’s really saying here, right? She thought she was falling for a sexy badboy — it was so much fun while he was winning! — but then he explained the concept of a bad beat, she fronted his next couple buy-in, and poof! … he suddenly disappeared. I think I recognize the storyline from 2+2.

For the a little more context around Joan Rivers’ anti-poker tirade — and to hear Annie get called, essentially, a “Nazi pit viper piece of shit whore scum” — check out the extended clip here.

(And be sure to check out the non-pokery YouTubers’ comments as a reminder of how many still see her/us.)

Why are there different rules at a WSOP Circuit event than the actual WSOP? Late entry to WSOP=full stack, WSOP-C your missed blinds are taken.

As the online gaming industry anxiously awaits the introduction of pro-gaming legislation, the mainstream media has picked up on the story – online gaming versus the NFL and Christian Coalition. And today’s newspapers are all over the story, looking at the possible revenue for the U.S. government and online gaming’s enemies. Could this mean that Rep. Barney Frank is ready to introduce the bill in the coming days?

Eric Pfanner of the New York Times writes about the chance for legal online gaming in the U.S. here.

Frederic Frommer pits poker players against the NFL in this Chicago Sun-Times article.

The pressure – and the press – is on.

Remember back in the poker-boom day when an $85,000 difference in payout seemed to mean so little? Me neither. Anyhow, we’re nearing 5 hours into heads-up, and the average stack is now about 50 big blinds. There’ve been many lead shifts, and for awhile it looked like Lee was getting delirious and about to bite it. But he just doubled up and, by his own report, is “back in the game!”

NOTE: I was gonna make a compare-and-contrast joke about heads-up blind structures with the WPT Championship going on tonight/yesterday … but apparently they had quite the heads-up battle there, too … with Yevgeniy Timoshenko requiring 79 hands to dispose of Ran Azor for the World Championship. (Seriously, is that a record for WPT heads-up battles?)

UPDATE: It’s over. Baldwin wins.

Watch the vid below to see why Pokerati is clearly no ESPN:

Adam Schacter (bald, right) negotiating a 1st-place chop.

Kinda fun … with action still grinding away at the big table, our boy Adam Schacter just won the nightly. Nice! (And making a final table is always a good way to become “our boy”, fyi.) Actually he chopped when they were down to three players … but as the chip leader in that situation, he gets credit for the win and takes home more than $3k. Second place got about $2,700 … with third getting about $2,000.

Schacter, of course, is an ancillary Batface (kinda like a “Friend of Full Tilt”) who made four final tables in Pokerati Invitationals and DSOP’s. He was in town for a wedding and hadn’t played poker since August when he bought into this $120 event on a whim.

I still don’t know who won the WPT World Championship over at the Bellagio OK, now I do … I’m too caught up in the main event of the Venetian Deep Stacks … where it really is kinda interesting seeing seasoned pro Doug Lee (wow, remember when a WSOP Circuit event used to pay more than half a million? Me neither!) duking it out with relatively unknown tournament pro Eric Baldwin (“Basebaldy” online). They’ve been playing heads-up for nearly two four hours, with their stacks relatively even and each having more than 70 60 big blinds. Very real poker being played here … with an extra sigh of WSOP buy-in relief going to the winner. ($198k for 1st, $115k for second.)

Such a big game going on in the back corner of the Venetian poker room, and yet so few people seem to have a clue about the action taking place. (Floor staff gave up on calling the hand-for-hand action a couple hours ago.) Meanwhile, the nightly $120 (where Pokerati fave Adam Schacter is still alive with 6 remaining) has more railbirds.

A few interesting tidbits about the Deep Stacks main event:

– The underdog, Baldwin, has a bigger crowd watching, with 4 to 5 viewers, compared to Lee’s 0 to 1.

– Michael Skomac, the winner of February’s Venetian Deep Stacks main event, finished 4th.

– “Known” pros in the money today included Sam Grizzle (23rd) and Michael Mizrachi (16th).

– The (plenty drinky) crew sweating Baldwin includes Cody Slaubaugh (on a tear of late), Adam Geyer from Austin, Justin Young (who finished 8th in the WPT World Championship this weekend), and Shannon Shorr (who finished 5th in the WPT Championship today). Needless to say, these guys are all having a good weekend and month … with nearly $1 million in winnings amongst them … probably more if you include their online tournament results.

It’s always fun running into people unexpectedly … happens regularly here in Vegas and today I noticed Lodge player Jerry Dolan (left) playing in the nightly $120 tourney at the Venetian … and when I went to snap a picture, lo and behold the player seated to his left was Adam Schacter (right), another occasional Lodge player and a final tableist in the 2005 Pokerati Invitational. They didn’t know each other … but would get to know each other in the end, as Schacter busted Dolan in this 129-player event.

Too funny! Small (poker) world. And good luck to Adam, as he’s currently chip leader with 19 players remaining.

Pro Poker, Too

So lots of big action going on in Vegas tonight. We’ve got the WPT World Championship final table at Bellagio (word around here is that somebody won — about $2 million), the Venetian Deep Stacks main event is down to heads-up (Doug Lee vs Vegas local Eric Baldwin — for about $200k), and over on the kiddie tables outside the Venetian poker room we’ve got a Lodge/Pokerati alum fighting to see if he’s got what it takes to take one the whole way (for about $2k). Good night in V-town.

Pokerati pal adam schacter is chip leader with 20 left in venetian’s nightly $120 tourney, fyi to his pals

Deep stacks down to heads up

funny/awesome! two lodge amateur poker players (jerry and adam) seated next to each other at venetian nightly – they dont even know each other!

Everybody and their dogma seems to be jumping on the Twitter bandwagon these days. Whether texting your whereabouts will prove to be fad or societal fabric a few years from now remains to be seen. In the meantime …

Doyle Brunson’s loving it as a way to share what’s going on in Bobby’s Room.
Annie Duke will let you eavesdrop on semi-private convos with her boyfriend and her catfight with Joan Rivers.
And now Jeffrey Pollack says Twitter is the way he’ll remain accessible to the people during his ever-hectic WSOP.

UPDATE: Interesting … Pollack is with Joan Rivers today in BH (Beverly Hills) … funny coincidence or evil WSOP ratings plot being hatched?

Right now you can follow the final table of the WPT Championship via Twitter, and the activities of their lead reporter, BJ, for a little unintentional real-life behind-the-scenes.

UPDATE: Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier just locked up WPT Player of the Year.

Pauly’s a little bummed I think … because last year Twitter was his semi-secret cybernook where he could relay the real WSOP dirty for his loyalist, most technologically advanced fans … but now this space is anything but “under the radar”.

UPDATE: @Pauly openfaced jerkchicken sandwich w/ jack cheese & dijonaise mustard …

Pokerati’s on the Twitter train now, too. Still trying to figure it all out — but so far definitely not “good for my poker”.

Feel free to add any peeps in the comments that you think we might-should pay attention to; and/or weigh in on whether or not you think this internet-texting convergence thing is “good for poker” will stick around.

Venetian deep stack main event final table getting under way. $200k to winner.

Two armed men dressed as police officers entered a poker room in rural North Carolina on Wednesday, shortly after midnight, and with weapons drawn shouted, “This is a robbery!” … to which one of the players responded, “No it’s not!”

Gun battle ensued.

One robber was shot in the shoulder and one player in the buttocks. The thieves reportedly made off with about $2,000.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Dept. say they are treating the players as victims, not criminals, as stopping the poker robbers (especially those willing to fire their weapons!) is more important than stopping 1/2 No-Limit Hold’em.

Police are hoping citizens will help them identify the bad guys, whose images were briefly captured by poker room surveillance video.

PokerRoad did an amazing tribute show to Justin Shronk, featuring Joe Sebok, Gavin Smith, Ali Nejad, Court Harrington, Scott Huff, and special guest BJ Nemeth.

If you knew Shronk, this is well worth the time. If you didn’t, it gives some insight into a life lost too early but a life well-lived and filled with friendship, respect, and love. Click here to listen to the heartfelt tribute.

On a personal note, thanks to the guys for putting together this show. Almost as difficult as feeling the loss of Shronk was hearing the heartbreak and sadness in your voices, but it is deeply appreciated.

Rest in peace, Shronk.

Hardly a shocker to see on an everyday Nissan Altima in the Venetian parking lot … but this isn’t even in the Poker Room VIP parking area … just a regular ole spot: