Al “Sugar Bear” Barbieri is our special guest. The show takes place just before the DonkDown WSOP Party at Insert Coins. We talk about the situation with Full Tilt getting its licensed suspended, and are joined by Dan “Pokerati” Michalski. Jewdonk comes on the show to act psychotic, as usual. Ken Scalir checks in from a pay phone. Micon sleeps through his own show’s starting time, and we wake him up.
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The Alderney Gambling Control Commission has suspended the gaming license of Full Tilt Poker and Vantage Limited dba FullTilt.com. The AGCC says they must stop any and all operations from the UK Crown Dependency immediately.
Is this a final nail in the coffin for the once almighty poker dominion belonging primarily to a man named Jesus?
Alderney is one of three eight “white-listed” regulatory jurisdictions in the UK — along with Isle of Man and Gibraltar — meaning their licensees can advertise freely and enjoy the benefits of fully legitimate, properly taxed corporations.
Mark and Matt are back for another wrap-up of the WSOP events of the week, as well as an in-depth look at the latest Full Tilt Poker developments. Oh, and there was something about a new iPoker bill that's starting to make its way through the US Congress. All this and more on this week's Rabbit Hunt!
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Dr. Pauly and AlCantHang head out to a soccer match and a poker tournament broke out…
2011 WSOP – Episode 23: Brazil’s Mothership Invasion with AlCantHang (2:50) – Pauly and AlCantHang are on the rail inside the Mothership watching the heads-up battle between American Nachman “The Landlord” Berlin and Brazil’s native son Andre Akkari. Al and Pauly record a quick episode moments after Akkari won a decisive pot to cripple Berlin, and the Brazilians went berserk.
I spent the first part of today chilling at my place for a few hours, getting in a light workout then writing a couple emails. Then I made my way to the VW dealership. I drive a 2010 Jetta that I’m a pretty big fan of and it was time for my free 10k mileage maintenance and car wash. Before this car, I drove the 2007 version. Two days before my lease was up on that car, it got totaled when a drunk driver blew a red light in West Hollywood where my girlfriend and I were for the weekend. Neither of us were hurt, thankfully. He took off after we smashed into him, but he couldn’t get very far with the condition his car was in. A good samaritan followed him and was able to let the police know where they could find him. I had my car towed to a VW dealership and was like, “My lease is up… here’s your car back!” Then I leased a brand new model that same day.
I picked up KK in the first orbit of NL in late position, raised and picked up the blinds …
While at the dealership today I read through 944 magazine a bit. If you happen to live in a city that 944 covers, and you like going out, doing stuff and checking out new things in your city, I highly recommend picking up a copy. I also highly recommend they pay me for this advertising I’m giving them but that’s probably not going to happen. There are always so many things changing in the city of Las Vegas–new restaurants, DJ appearances/residencies, happy hours, special events–that it is nearly impossible to keep up. It’s fun to try though, and it’s obviously tough to get bored here.
After VW, it was that time: 7pm on a Thursday, which means Pokerati 1/2 PLO/NLH at the Palms. When I got there around 8 there was a full game up and running and Danielle was already on the waiting list. It took about 15 minutes before we had enough people to start a second table. Pretty impressive, I must say, but not entirely surprising. The half-and-half nature of the game is just so much more interesting and entertaining in my opinion, that I think you’ll eventually see it spread elsewhere more regularly. This coupled with the fact that the WSOP is in full swing means there’s no shortage of players around.
This is an “extra special episode” for Benjo and will be the last time Dr. Pauly, Dan, and Benjo record an episode for the 2011 WSOP…
2011 WSOP – Episode 20: Adieu, Benjo (8:40) – After almost a week of speculation and rumors, Benjo confirms that he’s leaving Las Vegas and heading home to France. His brief stint at the WSOP is officially over. One chapter ends, and a new one begins. Dr. Pauly, Dan and Benjo hang out in the dive bar inside the bowling alley at Gold Coast to listen to Benjo bid his farewells.
2011 WSOP – Episode 16: Brickless Cash Games Reprise (3:22) – Dan and Pauly recorded a quick follow-up to their previous episode while they hang out on the rail of the high-stakes cash games. They spot Eskimo Clark, “Cowboy”, and other broke dicks lingering around seeking handouts from the high rollers.
Dr.Pauly has a special guest, the infamous Joe Dub, to discuss an Eskimo-related incident on the rail. Here’s the story…
2011 WSOP – Episode 22: Eskimo Dementia with Joe Dub (3:33) – Pauly bumps into Joe Dub while covering the final table of the $2,500 Razz. Joe Dub is eager to tell the story about how he saw Eskimo lurking around the rail of the Razz event and unsuccessfully trying to bum a stake off of someone with dementia. Joe Dub also shares a personal story about Eskimo asking him for money the first time they ever met.
The Federated-Sports-plus-Gaming-and-Semi-Nebulous-Professional-Poker-League-now-with-more-Heartland-Poker-Tour got itself a Twitter-friendly name today — the Epic Poker League … just in time for their upcoming $1,500 Pro-Am at the Palms (no longer a Maloof Casino Resort).
Dude, where’s my card? The Pokerati in chief wins a satellite into Epic’s $1,500 pro-am. “It was easy. Now I’m a pro.”
I happen to get a near-front row seat, as everything leading up to their first event — a 3-day $1,500 pro-am, August 5-8 — takes place at the Palms, a place where the Pokerati Game, you all know, has found a delightfully raucous, if not cozy home for our brand of “high-stakes action for low-stakes players” in the form of 1/2 NLH/PLO.
It should be an up-close look at one of the more interesting side stories of the 2011 WSOP — the birthing of Jeffrey Pollack and Annie Duke’s poker lovechild emergence of a new professional poker league … a difficult labor to be sure!
Meanwhile, in my initial exploration of Epic (before I even understood how “Epic” it would be) … I happened to win a satellite this weekend into the first $1,500 event. So now I’m a pro, obv! I’ll get an even closer look — behind the rails with actual chips in play — at how this league is really taking shape, what it means for players looking at it as a vehicle for future poker success, and even though I never wanted to be a real poker pro … a chance to more legitimately claim status as a card-carrying pro at stake.
It’s not The Micros, and I still think the guys at Quadjacks are a little off with their anti-Full Tilt fury … but still, their new video comic has potential for recurring humor with the occasional splash of satire … and years from now will probably be a reminder of the uncertain poker times we’re currently living in. (But hey, at least we can laugh at how stupid we all were … not to mention the clothes lol!)
Episode 1 here … we’ll see where they are by episode 5. They being the Quadjacks creators and/or Team Full Tilt. Meanwhile, still looking forward for sure in a different way for the next episode of The Micros …
Holy moly! Pokernewsdaily.com sold on eBay today for the bargain price of $63,100. I think it’s funny that the top bid increased by more than $13,000 in the last 60 seconds of the auction, but the winning bidder got the site for just $100 more than some other guy who wanted it. I guess that’s the beauty of eBay!! I personally enjoy being a last-minute eBay swooper — like that time I got the Weird Al Yankovic Ultimate Video Collection that someone thought they had locked down for 99 cents when I swooped in all ninja-style to nab it for $1.99. Danielle 1, random bidder 0.
With 23 bidders and 88 bids in the fight for PokerNewsDaily, I can only imagine the joy “b***2″ felt upon binking the auction. No word on who that buyer really was. But they didn’t even play in the game for Pokerterms.com, a sister site to PND also put up for auction that went to “s***n” for $8,359.
This is the first time I’ve heard of an on-line auction for a poker site. It seems as if Protos Marketing, the site’s parent company, was trying to unload these domains (and related assets) pretty fast. I wonder if they are feeling the effects of Black Friday on affiliate-based poker media, or if the previous owners needed cash for WSOP Satellites something bigger and better yet to come.
I’ve overheard several people at the Rio talking about friendly wagers they had on the selling prices for these sites. Curious if people here participated in any prop bets … or the actual eBay auctions?
At the World Series of Poker, they announce the event and coveted bracelet winners and then play the national anthem of the country they come from. Play stops at all the cash games and the players stand and remove their hats. When an American won, my table stood with their hands over their hearts and sang. I looked out over that vast sea of poker players and was overcome by emotion. The song always gives me tingles but there was also a love and astonishment at how wonderful the playing conditions have become for this sport. Yes, it is a sport.
The players’ manners are terrific today compared to the past. Johnny Moss was known for being abusive to dealers. Puggy Pearson was worse. He pissed on one once. Another Hall of Famer, Joe Bernstein, bit a dealer.
I cannot sing enough praise for the poker management of Harrah’s. I had long conversations with Bill Sattler, Director of Poker, and aslo Jake Reville, Cathy Klufer, and Carrie Jacobs. For twenty years, I taught management subjects at Texas Tech. The magnificent professionalism of Harrah’s management makes me wish I could go lecture on how great they are. I played in the cheap no limit where you only buy $300. I’ve never lost at the Rio, but only played there seven times. I’m not trying to beat the best in the world anymore. I’m too old.
Dr. Pauly finds KevMath at a dive bar playing video Keno…
2011 WSOP – Episode 19: KevMath Keno System with KevMath (6:31) – Pauly and KevMath hang out at the dive bar in a bowling alley at the Gold Coast. KevMath was in the middle of crushing a video Keno game, when Pauly asked him to share a couple of his big secrets to beating the game.
Dr. Pauly and Timtern are covering the final table of a Donkament inside the Mothership. Here’s their story…
2011 WSOP – Episode 18: Mothership Stench with Timtern (2:43) – Pauly and Timtern are in the press section inside the Mothership, while sweating the final table of the Donkament. Timtern shares a story about a couple of railbirds who put him on mega-tilt, including the guy who took off his shoes. Pauly also describes the sketchy, yet pungent scene inside the Mothership.
Online gambling bills from Congressmen in Texas and Washington State are ready to follow in the success of Barney Frank’s efforts! Plus, Internet betting is almost ready to launch in Washington DC while a major software provider gets some support in California!
randompoker: RT @MeanPokerDealer: I think it's SO cool how you guys loop the earbuds around your ears so they're hanging there all not in your ears and stuff. I hate you. 1 hour ago
