LAS VEGAS–The fireworks are still going off, just not as frequently anymore … and Tom has taken the chip lead. He’s been at a pretty tough table:

Seat 1 - Tony G
Seat 3 - John Juanda
Seat 4 - Tom Schneider
Seat 5 - Gavin Smith
Seat 6 - Howard Lederer

Click here to follow. Or here.

John Juanda (fantasy team disappointment) was just eliminated, so not sure if that means their table will break or have a player added. Also not sure where Jeff Lisandro stands, as an obvious typo has him listed with 146 chips (even though the antes were recently at 700).

At present, the official prize payouts and total number of entries haven’t been released yet, but we know (from our seat overlooking the action 12 miles away) that there were 78 players in the field, seven of whom get paid. Bottom payout is about $55k, top prize being $500somethingish-k.

UPDATE: Lisandro is the chip leader with 240,000. Tom is second in chips with 171,000. This doozy of a race for Player of the Year in a high-dollar obscure game played no-limit-style is back, baby!

BIASED JOURNALISM ALERT: Go Big Tom!

CLARIFICATION: Phil Hellmuth is also technically still in the hunt for Player of the Year. He reportedly has a paltry 25,000 chips. But he has had those 25,000 chips for at least two hours now. So for all we know he may or may not be the actual chip leader at some point during one of three levels.

ALT HED: Horserace Poker

(Yeah, but what a nail biter!)

LAS VEGAS–Some good discussion going on below about quality poker tourney coverage. And I just found some really good stuff here at Gutshot. They are not the most easily linkable site … but their on-the-floor coverage is solid — and it should be, as they’ve been following the WSOP semi-live since before the poker boom.

Scroll down a bit to see some interesting mystery prop bets going on between Mike Sexton, Doyle Brunson, and Chip Reese … and learn about a big, tournament-stopping controversy involving late buy-ins and artificially shortened chip stacks — complete with comments from players involved:

More…

In my last post on this subject, HERE, I was bitching about what I felt was inexcusable *coverage* by PokerNews’ “low-ranking, fresh-out-of-college interns”, as Dan Michalski described them in a very poor, and a bit unflattering, attempt to counter. He went on to explain that the cheap, inexperienced labor should not be expected to know all of the players in any given event. Dan, I agree 110%. But being able to identify the current top-ranked WSOP player and the only 2007 double bracelet winner should be a bit of a prerequisite for obtaining a media pass. BJ Nemeth also commented, a little more productively, stating “If the junior reporters are missing someone like this, we *would* like it brought to our attention”. He also invited me in on the efforts, saying “tell me, or Pauly, or whoever, and we’ll get it done.” Hmm. Ok. The critic in me gives PokerNews a failing grade on day-1 coverage, which BJ would later talk into a B+ based on customer service. I might have upgraded them to an “A”, but as this is being written, Tom is still without a chip count update for Day 1 of Deuce to Seven. But hey, least he’s listed.

[Ed. Note: They found him while Karridy was writing.-DM]

I start my day today by looking forward to the last WSOP Player of The Year point awarding event, hoping that my good friend Tom Schneider is able to keep Lessandro, Hellmuth, and the other POTY hopeful hounds at bay. Tom’s wife, Julie, is home in Arizona doing the same. I typically only get calls from Julie when Tom is doing great and can’t talk, or busted out and doesn’t want to. So, I was not crazy about seeing her name come up on my phone that early in the day.

“Karridy, I’m so freaking pissed right now. I’m just soo… I’m just sick of it!”

Below are the results of my request that Julie put her feelings in print. It should be known that Tom had caught wind of Julie’s intent to provide me this to post and he tried to talk her out of it. Sorry, dood. I’m thinking he hates the nametag too.

More…

LAS VEGAS–There are four people left in the media room this hour — yours truly, a guy from Gutshot, the very-short uneducated gent who picks up trash off the floor and re-velcro’s the table skirts, and a former CardPlayer intern who’s been promoted to cub reporter.

While lamenting the long hours and empathizing with PokerNews for their struggles with chip-counts and hand recall, CardPlayer guy says:

“I definitely made up suits of cards. All the time.”

A transcript from my PokerNews.com live support chat session:

12:14 AM Sarah: Hello, Karridy. Can I help you with anything today?
12:16 AM Karridy: I was curious… Why is Tom Schneider not being included in your SHOE chip counts?
12:17 AM Karridy: He has won two bracelets THIS YEAR in mixed events. He’s the POTY leader. What does he have to do to be listed as “notable”?
12:19 AM Sarah: Well, I don’t know. Our reporters are responsible for the content in live reporting.
12:20 AM Karridy: He’s the hottest player in the world right now. I would expect your reporters would pick up on that.
12:21 AM Sarah: Ok, I will check this.
12:21 AM Karridy: Anyways,… I’m not trying to bag on you, but for the sake of PN’s credibility I would try to mention it to the people in the field.
12:21 AM Karridy: Thanks, Sarah!
12:21 AM Sarah: Of course! Have a nice evening

I’m guessing that by “Of course!” she means, “Fat chance”. And by “Have a nice evening”, she means “Now go away”. But I’d love to be proven wrong.

LAS VEGAS–Donkey Bomber is playing in the $1,000 7-stud Hi Lo and is hanging on by a thread as Day 1 nears a close. I’m following via infrequent text as I am currently not at the Rio and PokerNews hasn’t noticed he is in the tournament yet, which is fine, because really, Tom’s bracelet was so early-June 2007 — like what has he done lately? — and his stack is small.

One thing I found kinda interesting is what I think is a new feature (it’s possible journo types can miss something, ya know) on the chip-count leaderboard … check it out, and you’ll see a column for “sponsor.” I like it … though all are currently blank, even though, indeed, there are a few folks playing with the backing of another company.

You know another reason why this is relevant — beyond the fact that so much of the 2007 WSOP has been about making the World Series sponsor-friendly? Because there’s so much talk about backing deals … and whether or not these should be disclosed. At least one Pokerati journo believes they should be, for multiple reasons — most generally in the spirit of being fair, open, and honest.

The soon-to-be-poker-standard-setter WPA – whose black-and-yellow spade patches have become the red ribbons of the 2007 WSOP — hasn’t had anything specific to say about the notion of sponsorial disclosure, but they probably should … as well as something about whether it should apply to just corporate backers or individuals as well.

LAS VEGAS–Will be an interesting final table in the $1,500 Razz event. Not just because Men the Master should be sobered up by 3 pm (pacific) today when cards go in the air; and not just because German poker lass Katja Thater is showing she really knows her shiznit … The big question mark buzzing over lots of heads right now is about Eskimo Clark — who made the final table, despite collapsing twice en route, stopping tournament play while he received medical attention. Oh, and O’Neil Longson is going for his second razz bracelet in three years.

From Bodog Beat:

Paul “Eskimo” Clark collapsed at an earlier event while in the heat out in the “poker sauna”. The incident was attributed mostly to poor health triggered by the conditions in the tent. However, today in the air-conditioned Amazon Room during the $1,500 Razz event, the same convulsions put him on the floor again. Twice.

After both episodes (one of which involved Clark County Fire and Rescue), Eskimo was helped back into his chair to keep playing pursuant to his request to do so (he actually was gripping the bumper of the table, not wanting to leave). At the time, poker players around him were visibly upset at the decision to let him continue, but at time of publish he seems cognizant and well - although no one is sure for how long he will remain so. Whatever the issues are, he is also playing a mean game of Razz. He is currently second in chips with only 12 players remaining. Hopefully, he will remain well enough to play in the final table tomorrow.

When I walked up on it all, paramedics were making their way through the Amazon Room to tend to Eskimo, who had just suffered his second collapse of the day (third of the Series). With play temporarily suspended, players and fans were texting fiercely and making calls, presumably about more than just chip counts. “I don’t know why,” said one rubbernecker on the rail. “He just started twitching and shaking.”

Meanwhile, floor supervisors were keeping an eye on the tournament area as people got moved back. They were discussing rules and plans as it pertained to handling his chips. “That’s what we’ve gotta do. But still call Jack, he needs to know.”

It wasn’t mayhem per se. But there clearly was a frantic buzz inside the ropes. Rio security and Clark County medical were all professional and methodical as they moved (through) the masses. So were the dealers and tourney staff charged with protecting both players and chips. It’s times like these — with both money and actual lives on the line — that certain people’s jobs really matter, no?

At least a few folks in the media believe that, I know. And not to make it about media coverage — because really, it’s not, or at least it shouldn’t be. But there were those who were clearly aware that something newsworthy was happening and kicking into gear while others, just like old times, were physically trying to stand in our way. I suppose the difference is between those who see the WSOP as a public sporting event, and those who see it as a casino marketing event. If I coulda taken any picture, it would’ve been of a wife taking a souvenir photo of her smiling husband posing with a gracious Jennifer Harman, as Paul “Eskimo” Clark lay on the ground semi-conscious (but in the money!) about 12 feet away.

For different unofficial perspectives, check out Wicked Chops and The Poker Biz.

LAS VEGAS–The Fresh Princess is on dinner break in the $1,000 “World Championship” Ladies NLH event … and she’s standing strong as they’re nearing the bubble — with $30k in chips. This is a particularly important event for her to cash in, because she is playing backed by another player. (She made me promise not to reveal his name yet, but I can tell you that he’s on Todd’s Batface fantasy team, not on her fantasy team, and Tom thinks this guy is the very best player in the world right now.)

Click here to follow Michele’s progress — though the official WSOP website isn’t being all that well updated for this event, she is near the chip lead as they are under 200 players. (1286 started, 99 get paid.)

Go Fresh P!

Meanwhile, Tom Schneider somehow stayed alive in the $2,500 HORSE event. It wasn’t looking good when I took off for dinner, but when I returned, he had about 25,000 in chips … against a tougher and tougher remaining field. Click here to follow his action.

382 entries in this field … not sure how many are left — 100ish maybe? His stack seems somewhere between slightly below average and slightly above. And this comes after a huge grumble: “I just lost a huge [amount] with rolled-up fives. Rolled-up fives! Can you believe it?!?”

UPDATE: 80 players left. 40 get paid. He now has about 19k … a little below average but not overly threatening.

Um, no Tom, I cannot. I also cannot believe that the chip counters had no clue who you were until Pauly corrected the situation about 10 minutes ago. Geesh, you’d think Rodney Dangerfield Donkey Bomber would get a little more respect having won a bracelet. Don’t they know how insecure he is about this sort of thing?

Speaking of … there’s a new episode of Beyond the Table up. Check out the player to the right or right-click here to hear Tom talk about how much he hates Stud and Hi-Lo events … before he won a bracelet in them.

(Wonder if youwannapoker.com will even read this before they gank it.)

I had pretty much forgotten about the abundance of poker content thieves out there — was just gonna keep doing my thing and not let them bring me down. But then I read Gary Carson’s blog … and he reminded me that really, while maybe we can’t stop this practice outright, that doesn’t mean we should stand idly by as our “good friends” at Full Tilt continue to profit off the “work” of known internet thieves.

I’m being kinda serious: I think it might be time for a good-ole-fashioned lawsuit! Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Clonie Gowen, Ray Bitar, Michael Craig … so many others — just dropping a few names who might take note and have a concerned interest in this matter — are you listening?

(Ultimate Bet, we’re looking at you, too.)

More…

I think I’m flummoxed. I mean sure, SEO is so 2006 … but Pokerati’s traffic has been growing, our content has been improving, other blogs continue to find reason to link us up, and we’re ready to bust nuts at the super-big frickin’ WSOP! Yet in the eyes of almighty Google, we are less than we once were — as Pokerati’s “page rank” has dropped from 5 to 4.

This may not mean much to most of you, but it’s kind of a bummer to poker web geeks, especially those of us who just finished reading Search Engine Optimization For Dummies. You see, we have long been a 5 here at Pokerati, and frankly, kinda felt like we should be a 6 … or at least wanted to become one because all my friends were 6s. But Big Brother Google must have recently recalibrated its algorithm or something, because their page ranks have dropped, too. Check it out:

Pauly dropped from 6 to 5
PokerProf — from 6 to 4 (LasVegasVegas dropped from 7 to 5)
Bill Rini — from 6 to 5
The Fat Guy — from 6 to 5
Iggy — from 7 to 5
PokerBlog (run by the SEO team at PartyPoker) — from 6 to 4
Wicked Chops — from 5 to 4
PokerWorks — from 6 to 5
CardPlayer — from 7 to 6
Bluff — from 6 to 5
worldseriesofpoker.com — from 7 to 6
PokerStars Blog — hanging tight at 6
Up for Poker — hanging tight at 5
The Poker Biz — from 4 to 3

More…

On a lighter note…Bluff Magazine and PokerNews announced today they would be partnering up at the WSOP. Bluff, who will be covering the action in the Amazon Room and future circuits, has PokerNews.com providing the live updates.

Also on Pokernews, our friend Amy has posted about the new Europe/Asia Neteller Debit Card. Who kept saying it’s all about Europe and Asia?

First off, since we’re makin’ fun … let’s give some due props to our friends at CardPlayer — their new CardPlayerTV section (new to me at least) I gotta say is pretty damn good … from a functional interactive internet layout user-friendly usability perspective, very well done. As to the content itself, well that’s another story:

Just have a gander at “The Mouthpiece,” starring/featuring/all-about Mike Matusow. Wow, and you thought some of CP’s favorite poker pros-cum-writers were bad …

I did find two interesting timestamps, however … 1) at 2:20 he starts a bit that ends with a vociferous “Fuck off!” … and 2) at 15:00 Matusow panders to endorse non-overtly pokery products such as Vitamin Water (pink bottle) and Ritalin.

Now if only CardPlayer were willing to let us embed these videos in our own sites, people might actually watch them regularly enough to elicit good-ole-fashioned commercials from companies without affiliate codes or deposit bonuses.

= +

Exhibit A: by Pauly
Exhibit B: by Otis

Is there any doubt that these guys are clearly the two best writers in poker? Sorry McManus — you’re still great and all, but that was like so 2004. The above stories (about life in the poker underground) are totally must-clicks, and I’m not just saying that because they also happen to be quality linkers. You wait and see … These are the guys etching out the tales of an era that will be read decades from now.

UPDATE: Wow. Apparently ESPN is no Rolling Stone. Pauly’s said thanks but no thanks to the top gig in town. And, of course, in true Tao fashion, he’s taken what is essentially an age-old storyline and given it the juice:

That all changed after a conference call on Tuesday afternoon. A suit in the upper brass (and non-poker person) had an issue with my philosophy of covering poker. The WSOP is not figure skating. It’s cut-throat poker in Las Vegas, held in one of the most dangerous cities in the world where crystal meth abuse runs rampant, gangbangers frequently blow each other away, female players offer anal sex for tournament buy-ins, and poker players get robbed in the parking lot of the Rio by gunpoint. Heck, just this past weekend, a pro named William Gustafik was brutally stabbed to death by his wife… in Las Vegas.

That’s just the beginning. If you dig deeper, it gets worse.

Seriously, it’s gonna be an amazing World Series this year, isn’t it?

Another pretty good Texas-poker-bill story … You know, it’s almost encouraging when you see a reporter who clearly is not a poker player “get it” … troublesome kicker or not.

Click here to view the story.

Remember to contact your state representative(s) to voice your support for legal poker.

Click here if you need help with what to say. And in the interest of trying to come across as an unbiased champion of true democracy … Pokerati also halfheartedly encourages opponents of the bill to probably someday get around to eventually writing someone in the Legislature so they can sound impractical and stupid reserve the right to complain if/when things don’t go their way.

UPDATE: Yet another good story … this one in today’s Dallas Morning News. Remarkably unbiased and balanced (in Pokerati’s not-so-unbiased-and-balanced opinion).

If any bloggers were considering backing any players at the WSOP or WPT beware pimping your player. CNET reports about the online media and the conflicts of interest.

Like seriously, if I were to back Dan…I would NEVER keep my readers posted on his play! Of course, Dan hasn’t IPO’d yet.

I want to trade my whole team for JC Tran.

With his win in Reno, he moves into the lead for CardPlayer’s Player of the Year. Somehow still ranked 27th by Bluff.

Click here to see the entire Batface Fantasy Poker leaderboard … and how all of us pretending to be major-tourney player backers are faring.

NOTE: TBR vs. JC Tran, near the bubble in 2005.

Like way more … and hence the power of a net-savvy poker media willing to “upset” a poker player. Seriously, maddest props to RawVegas.tv as they continue to kick some technological, pseudojournalistic ass …

In this video, Jamie Gold finally gets real — or at least semi-real — acknowledging that he is not a “great” player, he definitely got lucky, and making himself subject to the Crispin Leyser lawsuit may have been bad form.

“I really screwed some things up,” Gold says. “There [were] several times where as the guys from Wicked Chops so aptly put it, that I basically monkey-fucked a football when it came to handling my success.”

Awesome. Jamie Gold is my new best friend. Now all he has to do is say about 1 million Hail Marys and he can go on to being a real ambassador for the game.

About a million major poker developments have taken place over the past couple weeks … but before we get to those, there are some important links out there that I have been neglectful in sharing:

First off, check out RawVegas.tv … a great new “I-TV” channel put together by CHOPS (from Wicked Chops) and BRIAN BALSBAUGH of Poker Royalty.

Poker is just a small part of it all, really … but on this week’s episode of “Prop Bets,” JOE SEBOK takes GAVIN SMITH for $3,000 by eating an extra half of a fajita, and DANIEL NEGREANU now keeps his videoblog there, too, where you can see him do things like shave his head.

MICHAEL CRAIG has amicably parted ways with the festive gang at PokerWorks — he can probably feel pretty good knowing that it essentially took nine top-quality bloggers to replace him. He’s now blogging for Full Tilt.

Poker author JAY GREENSPAN has gone indie with his new blog, Annals of a Fish Hunter. Read his first post on how it’s a bad time to launch a new poker blog and you’ll be hooked.

Speaking of new blogs, the venerable POKER SHRINK is back to blogging. I always enjoy Dr. Tim Lavalli’s neurological analyses of poker, but have missed the unfiltered rants and insights that made him the most prolific poster over at our beloved-but-dormant PokerBlog.

Over at Up for Poker, CJ has blog-ficially changed his name to LUCKBOX, and apparently has begun thinking about life beyond The Hammer … with some fresh and familiar faces bringing us a new sports blog and Hollywood blog. Doesn’t he know sports is just a fad?

And speaking of Up for Poker … if you haven’t read it already, check out “The Last Poker Game” by OTIS … as he turns his adventures in the Carolina underground into some of the best, most colorful poker writing we’ve seen in long time. Think secret lovechild of ERNEST HEMINGWAY and ANDY GLAZER. Can only wonder what these two mighta produced had either one of them stuck around long enough to start a blog.

UPDATE: PokerBlog alum Jen Leo got herself a presumably sweet new net-geeky gig — writing the Daily Deals travel blog for the L.A. TIMES.

Perhaps her crossover into mainstream media has inspired others? I got no fewer than six LINKEDIN invitations today from bloggers. Never thought I would have so many friends contemplating the concept of a “job.”

Episode 2.4.3

The Bluff Power Rankings vs. CardPlayer’s Player of the Year // Tom prepares for “Cash Poker,” a televised $25,000 buy-in ring game at Binion’s / Dan worries that Tom may lose because no-limit cash games aren’t his specialty // Psychoanalyzing Amarillo Slim’s mental state after his latest reported armed robbery / Tom’s childhood fondness for the 1972 champ // Reliable rumors on how the media set-up will work at the 2007 WSOP / Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan on press row // Tom’s Winning Wisdom: Integrity is Key

Click to listen (23 min, 21 meg)

aired live on Hold’em Radio 1-31-07

Trying to clean up the place for a few new bloggers has left so much poker news passing us by. So in no particular order of importance, you might be curious to know:

CHARLES BARKLEY had a good weekend in Las Vegas, pocketing $700k on mostly blackjack. No word on where he played or how much he was betting per hand.

The first WSOP poker-bloggy marriage is set to go down, between the “all over the place!” JEN LEO and Stone Temple Pilots roadie-cum-PokerNews editor JOHN CALDWELL. Word spread via AMY C … should make for a festive Day 1B of the WSOP main event.

JAMIE GOLD has settled his case with CRISPIN LEYSER — no more lawsuit for the $6 mil … they’re gonna chop the pot instead. We’ll try to find out for how much, but clearly neither was going to win at this point, and any two SEMI-SERIOUS poker players can see the folly of letting LAWYERS take such a high rake in a heads-up match.

There’s an interesting tournament going on at THE BIKE … the $10,000 Poker Netcast HEADS-UP CHALLENGE. GAVIN SMITH sucked out hard on CLONIE (J7 vs AJ — 7 on the turn, 7 on the river) to knock her out.

Hey, check it out … a new generation of NEGREANU FANS are being bred educated at CANADIAN universities.

Despite CALVIN AYRE’s semi-fugitive status in the US, the COSTA RICAN billionaire is fixin’ to bring BODOG to AMERICAN TV starting next week.

By the way, what does the United States National SOCCER TEAM love to do while traveling? They play poker. (Or shall we say Pele poker?)

A PENNSYLVANIA JURY decides it’s not right to bust out of a poker game and return to shoot people. Duly noted.

THE WSOP CIRCUIT main event is underway in COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA. Pokerati finds it interesting that the WSOP in (what is essentially) OMAHA has no Omaha.

Note to self: WIN MORE. Lose less.

An interesting outline for HOW TO TAX online gambling from our good friends in HUNGARY. Summation: Take 30 percent.

Not surprisingly, LAWYERS with expertise in gambling are a hot commodity these days.

And anti-online gambling laws aren’t stopping Americans from trying to gamble online. Just ask SCANSAFE, a company that blocks employees of other companies from pissing off online while at work. (Looking at Karridy.)

COLLEGE KIDS at SYRACUSE are saying the same thing … they can’t be stopped!

But here’s a good article that looks into the hard-number connections between online gambling and TERRORISM.

The LA TIMES has a good op-ed on the ridiculousness of preventing wagers on the SUPER BOWL — more than $5 BILLION slipped through unchecked hands untaxed, experts say.

And here’s a quick little item that shows how/why US ATTORNEYS are trying to draw a connection between online betting and Al Qaeda-suited.

That should be enough for now. But as always, there’s more TK.

Oh, wait, almost forgot … Starting tomorrow, you are supposed to BOYCOTT online poker through SUNDAY. Oh, wait, no you’re not.

Dorkin’ out with the cushy headphones on … just came across an interesting interview over at Poker Podcast World. (via Shamus.)

Click here to hear Max Shapiro breakin’ down with WSOP tourney director Jack Effel.

Max Shapiro = the Diane Rehm of poker?

In this episode, Jack talks about the efforts the WSOP is going through to unionize? ensure a highest standard of dealer and floor personnel. Apparently last year’s complaints were heard loud and clear. He also reveals that a new WSOP Europe could see cards in the air as soon as September 2007. Harrah’s has other plans in the works, Effel says, for spreading the WSOP brand to the Middle East and Asia as well … coming soon: WSOP-Macau.

Oh, he also makes his “prediction” for the size of the 2007 main event field. It will certainly “grow,” says Effel, or maybe “decline a little bit.” He puts the over/under at somewhere between 7,000 and 11,000, and specifically pshaws the number set by Pokerati.

Welcome back. Have you been keeping up with what’s been going on in the poker world? I didn’t think so. Shame on you.

ESPN ran some sort of COUCH POTATO CONTEST. The winners (Go Cats!) say poker reruns on TV were an essential part of their sedentary success.

RUSSIA has banned online gambling and poker.

But ITALY has gone the other way, with online poker officially becoming legal this week. The country is now preparing to auction off 17,000 gambling-related licenses. Coming soon: the first-ever quadrillion-lira raise.

So what-da-fug is going on in EUROPE? Newsweek has a solid article about what amounts to a multi-government shakedown of our favourite multibillion-Euro industry. It is shamefully hypocritical kinda funny when the French arrest people not for doing something wrong, but for doing something first.

To some extent, it’s not too different from what went down in the UNITED STATES in 2006. Here’s a great wrap-up of the most significant War on Poker (and online gambling) battles of the year.

And here’s the YEAR IN REVIEW from the European business perspective as changing game situations accelerate the passing of chips amongst the moguly cyberpoker set. Telling.

If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check out ALLYN JAFFREY SHULMAN’S journalistic chat with the president of the AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION. She provides a great behind-the-scenes glimpse how a bad anti-poker law really came to be. Part 1 here. Part 3 here.

Meanwhile, a GERMAN COURT is saying the country needs to update its laws to handle the new face of online gambling.

Speaking of courts, a BALTIMORE company is suing the SEMINOLE INDIANS and the HARD ROCK CAFE people, accusing the two casino entities of business collusion.

And JAMIE GOLD is still waiting for a Las Vegas court to decide the fate of half his WSOP winnings. According to the judge, who recently denied Gold’s motion for injunctive relief:

“His [Gold's] actions, in the court’s view, do not give the plaintiff [CRISPIN LEYSER] much assurance that the money would, in fact, be available in the event of a judgment in his favor,” Hunt said. The judge also commented that Leyser is likely to win his claim to the $6 million, saying, “The likelihood of success weighs on the side of the plaintiff [Leyser].”

An AMATEUR poker tourney in COPENHAGEN, DENMARK has run into legal troubles, even though no money was involved. The winner of the tourney was actor MADS MIKKELSON, who played a JAMES BOND bad guy in “Casino Royale” — and now he reportedly has to pay a fine.

So with so much going on across the poker pond, the place to be this January happens to be TUNICA — the World Poker Open is kinda like the Winter Olympics to the WSOP’s Summer Games. Lots of Batfaces will be there, along with plenty of pros, donkeys, and fish.

The place not to be, online at least, is apparently POKERROOM.COM, as the 2+2 FORUMS are calling out the site on an alleged tournament bait-and-switch. Would be bad enough to change the prize pool before cards go in the air. But taking money away from the winner as if he were ZEEJUSTIN? Very uncool — and presumably costly in the long run.

A while back BILL RINI did some funny (and spot-on) separated-at-births. Another good one: CAN KIM HUA and KIM JONG IL?

By the way, not sure if Pokerati ever told you, but IGGY came out of retirement. He’s blogging with LINDA GEENEN’S estimable gang over at PokerWorks. And those of you who are into watching sweaty semi-naked men grinding on each other to the point of exchanging body fluids should check out Iggy’s new Ultimate Fighting blog.

UPDATE: Iggy has more on the PokerRoom scandal, and the response from the site’s FOUNDER, who is apparently dismayed at the internet vitriol. NOTE: Money winners have since been un-unrefunded their winnings as per DAMAGE CONTROL.

AMY CALISTRI has a good article (notably labeled as “opinion”) on PokerNews about the NFL’s role in passing the UIGEA.

UPDATE: Holy shit, Amy’s gone to PokerWorks, too … and so has Change100! And Joe Speaker and Maudie! With Linda’s growing collective of real talent, might we be seeing the emergence of a true competitor to CardPlayer? At a minimum, the woman trusted to handle some of the biggest pots in history has assembled an diverse array of voices that matter … and might be setting a standard for a new and credible form of alternative alternative media in the process.

Tulsa’s got a great story in the new issue of American Way about a bald man’s pathetic quest for poker greatness — one that includes a bloggerific stop at the WPBT Summertime Shindig:

It is to begin at 10 a.m. I peek inside the poker room at Caesars. The line of bloggers is huge and unkempt. Picture the kids who thought Anthony Michael Hall was a god in Sixteen Candles. Now picture them at age 23 and buying into a no-limit poker tourney. Right. Horrifying. I decide to pass. All agree except for Summertime, another Batface, who thinks this is his best chance at poker glory during the trip.

(Yours truly does his best to represent, and Change100 also makes an appearance as “Jane100.”)

Another fun excerpt:

This is the way it goes in Vegas — and in poker. It all seems to be going well, the bright lights and big chip stacks making you think you’re on your way to notoriety and sweet coin. Suddenly, it’s yanked from you, and you realize that the height of your experience involves random girls from Lubbock and men who call themselves the Master.

Finally, poker gets some of the real media coverage it deserves. So does poker bloggering.

All this, of course, via those delightful anti-bloggers, The Batfaces.

It’s a tough event filled with mostly pros … a combination of known names, touring circuit junkies, and recognizable big-cashers at just about every table, competing in the $15,000 “Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic.” Click here to follow the chip-by-chip action. After Day 1A, Clonie Gowen is the chip leader … and here’s what she had to say:

And check out this kinda cool video that shows most of the entire day in about a minute. Nice riff:

While there are lots of well-known poker entities in solid chip position, one player of particular note is ZeeJustin Bonomo — the disgraced PartyPoker self-colluder. He has been around the Bellagio all week — and doing well having made a final table. In an earlier tournament, the CardPlayer video children crew stopped him for an interview, and asked him all the standard questions about how his event was going. But they failed to ask, essentially, “so what’s it like to be back on the poker scene after your self-imposed hiatus upon being ‘busted’ for online cheating?”

Is it that hard, CP? It’s a legitimate question — one we all want to know the answer to. And what benefit is it to you by not asking such questions?

When the hot little CP video chicky (derisive, sexist undertones intentional) was asked why she didn’t inquire about ZeeJustin’s public return to poker, she allegedly replied, “Because we’re not allowed to. We can only ask non-controversial questions.” Ahh, we see. And that, CardPlayer, is why, even though you do plenty of good stuff on your confusing, selfish, non-linky website, we will continue to see you as journalistic pussies deserving our respect scorn and contempt.

It’s also why we will always opt to send our readers to PokerWire whenever possible for the same coverage you try to provide. Just an FYI in case you care, which presumably you don’t.

UPDATE: ZeeJustin is doing really well at the 5-Diamond … having made three final tables in the past week-and-a-half. CardPlayer has the stats — something they actually do a good job with. Now if only his bio page linked out to various hedlines giving real scoop on punk-bitch methods and related (important) discussion about real threats to poker fairness that exist online …

Everybody loves getting calls from Amy Calistri. The later and drunker the better, Pokerati likes to say. And now the pleasure of feeling that Aimlessly Chasing vibration can be yours, making cellular interaction with the venerable poker blogger all the more fun!

Click here to listen/download — and enjoy.

ALT HED: Amy Buzzing

I just got an email from Harrah’s (by proxy) asking my opinions on how they handled the media at the WSOP. I’ve long contended that despite the difficulties this year, the real test of Jeffrey Pollack and his cronies will come in 2007 — in seeing how they handle the issues that became clearly apparent.

Over at PB I’ve raised the question of whether or not this email is an indication that the World Series has hired a new PR firm. But regardless, the fact that they are seeking my opinion is scary suggests they are taking steps in the right direction. The survey asked us about everything from bathroom convenience to food quality … and even inquired about the credentialing process and rules within the tournament area. Click below to see my answers to the follow-up questions on items I rated “poor” or worse:

More…

The Blogfather tributes keep scrolling in … and this one is just a little sick. But so a-little-sick that it’s pretty downright awesome. I bet it makes a lot of poker bloggers out there wish we could die, too! OK, maybe not quite … but really, am I the only one who’s just a little bit jealous that Iggy gets to leave this life of thankless typing?

(Last time I saw Jeremy – one of the very first greats to go down — he seemed pretty dern happy.)

Not sure who created the video below, but I found it via Otis at Up for Poker. Be sure to read Otis’ own Iggy eulogy as well … as is always the case, writing-wise, he knows how to best express what is going through so many of our hearts and minds.

ALT HED: Good Fold?

A few years ago, I met NBC reporter Grant Stinchfield when he interviewed me during my run for U.S. Congress. (Yes, I ran for Congress. No, I didn’t win. Yes, I should have.) A few months after that, he interviewed me and Dan for a piece on Dallas poker. Alas, I hadn’t talked to him since then. Until today.

Seems our friend here at Pokerati has been busy. Grant recently joined the poker world in a part-time capacity—as an entrepreneur. He recently created a poker apparel line called “Lucky Duck.” Oh, and those of you who share Dan’s passion for pushing to legalize our favorite game can also pick up a “legalize poker” bracelet on Grant’s site. Part of the proceeds will go to the Poker Players Alliance.