And Brunson reports — via the often unreliable Twitter — that he got paid his Full Tilt balance of about $150k … in a way that suggests Lederer is either going door-to-door making payouts (perhaps tidying up affairs before he has to “go away”?) or possibly just living out of his car …

ToddBrunson

He asked how much I had on tilt and I told him 150k.. He said come with me. We went to his car and he opened his trunk and paid me!!!!!! 23 hours ago

ToddBrunson
Look who I just ran into.. I told him the wsop killed me and I was cash short…… http://lockerz.com/s/121600156 23 hours ago

Either way, the stress seems to be doing Lederer right, physically at least, as the previous poster boy for the well-fed high-stakes “poker body” seems to have shed a few (dozen?) pounds around the saddle.

Persona non grata: You mean you haven’t been paid yet? Have you submitted your W-9?

And while it would be nice if someone really did get their Full Tilt balance refunded … it can’t be an ideal structure for payouts when they’re happening out of the trunk of a car, even if it is a $250k Audi.

Doyle said to have been buying up Full Tilt dollars at a discount

Meanwhile, since we’re relying on Twitter here … this seems as good a time to pass on a “rumor” that I feel confident enough about the source — someone inside Bobby’s Room — that it might reveal why Brunson’s father, Doyle, has been extra sour on poker as of late.

Supposedly, a few weeks ago, Doyle was playing in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, and he was tweeting about his slaughter of Billy Baxter. Soon, talk shifted (off-Twitter) to Full Tilt’s money problems. Brunson reportedly said he was confident they intended to pay, and believed they eventually would … and with that began buying up Full Tilt accounts for about 60 cents on the dollar. Can’t confirm the exact amount he purchased … but the kinda money that people playing in the highest-stakes cash game in Vegas might have on Full Tilt Poker.

The next day, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission suspended Full Tilt’s license, effectively shutting the site down indefinitely.

Eskeland stops Sung, wins Mixed Event bracelet

The only bracelet awarded Monday went to Norway’s Sigrud Eskeland, as he defeated Steve Sung heads-up to win the $2,500 Mixed Event, earning $260,497 and the prized WSOP bracelet. Scott Seiver finished in 6th for $40,175, while Todd Brunson finished in 10th for $18,045. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report at wsop.com.

Davidian branches out into lead for 1k day 3

Manuel Davidian holds the chip lead (889,000) when day 3 of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem resumes with the final 33 players playing down to a final table. Among the notables returning: Owen Crowe (610,000), Shawn Busse (432,000), Olivier Busquet (377,000), EPT winner Allan Baekke (274,000) and Scott Montgomery, winner of the previous 1k NL WSOP event (151,000). As noted in the comments, Richard Ferro finished 182nd for $2,589. Chip counts and updates starting at 2:30pm PT at wsop.com.

Zarbo leads after day 1 of $1500 NL

Day two of the final $1,500 No-Limit Holdem tournament of the WSOP will have 290 players returning to the Rio at 2:30pm with Giuseppe Zarbo leading the field with 156,500 in chips. Other notables returning include George Lind (96,400), David Pham (83,300), John Myung (66,300), Shane Schleger (54,800), Liv Boeree (43,400) and Matt Matros (36,600). The day 2 table draw and chip counts are available at PokerNews.

Schaffel leads 5k PLO

Day 2 of the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha resumes at 3pm with 2009 November Nine participant Kevin Schaffel leading the 172 who had chips at the end of level 8 with 178,900. Some of the returning players include Dan Shak (100,800), Annette Obrestad (73,600), Nam Le (63,000), Lex Veldhuis (52,800), Ben Grundy (48,000), Jonathan Little (41,000) and John Juanda (28,300). Full chip counts and table draw now at PokerNews.

Tuesday’s tournament

Only one tournament on today’s schedule, the $3,000 Triple Chance No-Limit Holdem event. Players start with 3,000 in chips, then get two additional “rebuy” chips, each good for another 3,000 chips to be added to their stack during the first four levels of play. Last year was the debut of this event, won last year by Jorg Peisert in defeating a field of 854 for $506,800.

Matusow leads TOC, resumes Saturday night

Another four hours of play in the WSOP Tournament of Champions Monday afternoon, with 17 players still remaining after eight levels have been played. Since ESPN wants a final table of nine on Sunday July 4, another day of play has been scheduled for Saturday, July 3 at 7pm. However, those plans get scrapped if one or more of the 17 are still involved in the $25,000 6-max event or the $5,000 Ante Up for Africa tournament. Whenever play resumes, Mike Matusow (85,500) will hold the chip lead, followed by Huck Seed (73,000) and Johnny Chan (68,600). The full list of chip counts is available over at wsop.com.

Sung slips into lead at Mixed Event final day

Ten players remain as the $2,500 Mixed Event went to dinner break with Steve Sung leading the field with 581,000 in chips. Other notables returning include Matt Vengrin (522,000), Scott Seiver (218,000) and Todd Brunson (145,000). Full chip counts and updates available at wsop.com.

Busquet leads 1k NL into the money

Day two of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem is now deep into the money with around 200 players remaining with WPT winner Olivier Busquet leading the field with 185,000 in chips. Team Pokerati member John Harris unfortunately fell just short of the money, while veteran poker tournament reporter Mike Paulle squeaked into the money, finishing in 318th for a mincash. Among the players still with chips: Andre Akkari (132,000), Scott Montgomery (83,000), Antonio Esfandiari (65,000) and Carter King (42,500). The other person who Pokerati may be following Richard Ferro, there has not been any updates or in the results at wsop.com so he’s probably still in the field.

JP Kelly leading 1500 NL day 1

A field of 2,543 started in the $1,500 No-Limit Holdem, with less than 900 returning after their dinner break with Vegas/Europe WSOP bracelet winner JP Kelly holding the lead with 48,000 in chips. Some other notables: Roland de Wolfe (39,000), Theo Tran (23,000), Amnon Filippi (21,000) and David Pham (13,500). The money will be reached with 270 players remaining, with the winner earning over $600,000. More updates and chip counts over the final four hours of action over at wsop.com.

5k PLO underway

The 50th event of the WSOP, $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, drew a field of 460 players, an increase of nearly 100 from last year took the felt this afternoon. The very early leader is Michael Mizrachi with 35,000 in chips, with plenty of big names in contention. Some of those names: Greg Raymer (26,000), David Singer (22,000), Ville Wahlbeck (19,000) and JC Tran (14,000). The field still has four levels of play as well as their dinner break so catch the proceedings at wsop.com.

Donkament Disappointing?

Day 1a of the Event #3 – $1,000 No-limit Holdem tournament drew a field of 2,601 entries today, a disappointment for those expecting a field of over 7,000 battling for this bracelet over the weekend. The 788 players who made it to the dinner break are returning shortly for another four levels of play. The unofficial chip leader is PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok with 27,000 chips. Other notable chip counts: Amarillo Slim (21,000), Chris Bjorin (20,000) and Bryan Devonshire, (17,500). Track the action for this event over at PokerNews.

First bracelet winner to be determined tonight

Just 18 players remain in the first WSOP bracelet event the $500 Casino Employees Event have returned from their dinner break, with Kent Washington maintaining the chip lead at 332,000 in chips. You can follow the action for this event over at PokerNews.com.

Players’ Championship Day 2

The $50,000 Players’ Championship field is currently on their one-hour dinner break at the conclusion of level eight with 90 players remaining. The current chip leader appears to be Steve Zolotow, with 420,000 in chips. Some of the fallen who may be looking to watch UFC 114 include: Phil Galfond, Tony G, and Todd Brunson. When play resumes, the field will play another three levels before the bag up their chips, sign their name, and hopefully don’t be recorded as busted when they decided not to report their chip counts. To catch the action of this event over at PokerNews, head here.

Former MLB athlete and manager, Pete Rose dined at N9NE Steakhouse inside Palms Casino Resort Saturday night (10.3.09). Wearing a white dress shirt, blue jeans and white alligator boots, he joined his friends Mike Bertolini (sports memorabilia agent), Todd Brunson (professional poker legend) and Brunson’s son Doyle. They gathered for a short while to enjoy some cappuccino, leaving a little after 10 p.m.

Todd really is a legend when you think about it … but didn’t realize he had a coffee-drinking squirt named Doyle, LOL. A little curious what they musta been talking about with Pete Rose and a sports memorabilia agent. Perhaps Rose is thinking about making a go at the Poker Hall of Fame?

Though naturally I see yet another Dream Team tourney possibility, there could be other ways to quantify the “first family” of poker. Off the top of my head — based on people who play at least semi-regularly and have had some semblance of decent results in biggish events — you have, in no particular order:

The Brunsons
Doyle
Todd
Pam

The Lederers
Howard
Annie (Duke)

The Greensteins
Barry
Joe (Sebok)

The Mizrachis
Eric
Robert
Michael

The Williams
David
Shirley

The Schneiders
Tom
Julie

The Nguyens (Master)
Men
Van

The Heimowitzs
Jay
Lonnie

The (Belcore) Zogmans
Dan
Mary Jo

The last two were the first husband-and-wife to both book wins on the Heartland Poker Tour. More than $300k worth of prize money between them — they count. (And I had no idea Lonnie H had so many cashes!) Who else am I forgetting? I’m not sure if Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly (+Antonio?) could count as a common-law family. But overall, I’m wondering … there’ve got to be what, hundreds, maybe a couple thousand true poker families out there in the world (active players, buying into at least the small versions of big tourneys). And one of them has to be the best …

ALSO:

The Les
Nam
Tommy
Allan

The Hachems
Joe
Tony

The Hinkles
Grant
Blair

The Shulmans
Barry
Jeff
Allyn (Jaffrey)

The Feduniaks
Bob
Maureen

The Sterns
Max
Maria

The Enrights
Barbara
Max (Shapiro)

The (Harman) Traniellos
Jennifer
Marco

The Browns
Chad
Vanessa (Rousso)

The Breneses
Alex
Humberto
Eric

The Jetts
Chip
Karina
Karina’s Mom

Come play if you’re in town. Good times, good cause, all that stuff … open to the public and no funky, disputable, optional-donation prize pool — just charitable poker the way it’s supposed to be. Click the image to enlarge the flyer, and below for official details.

Randy “The Natural” Couture hosts 2nd annual charity poker tournament and auction at Golden Nugget Las Vegas

“Operation All In” to raise money for Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation

LAS VEGAS – Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy “The Natural” Couture will host his Second Annual “Operation All In” poker tournament and charity auction benefiting the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, Aug. 22 starting at 2 p.m.

This event, held in The Grand events center, is open to the public and will feature a celebrity charity poker tournament, live and silent auctions, autographs sessions, and an amazing chance to win big, while giving back to injured troops who have selflessly put their lives on the line in the protection of America’s freedom.

“We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back for our second annual charity event,” said Couture. “It’s sure to be an amazing time, while raising awareness and a lot of money for an unbelievable cause.”

“Operation All In” will welcome professional celebrity poker players and stars from the MMA world and Hollywood to play alongside the public in its charity poker tournament, where the grand prize is a $10,000 seat in the Sports Legends Challenge poker tournament at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, donated by SportsLegendsChallenge.com.

The Sports Legends Challenge is sports fans’ ultimate fantasy featuring four days of casino gaming and golf cash prize tournaments with some of the biggest names in sports, including Troy Aikman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Richard Petty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Joe Namath, Reggie Jackson and many others. To up the ante, the event will also feature 25 of the world’s top poker pros such as Jamie Gold, Annie Duke, Johnny Chan and Mike Sexton, who will play with and coach event participants. The event will be held at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort & Casino in the Bahamas Sept. 14-17. The sports legends, poker pros and participants will compete in a variety of events including No Limit Texas Hold ‘em, blackjack, slots and golf tournaments to vie for up to $10 million in prize money.

Buy in for “Operation All In” at the Golden Nugget is $330 with $100 re-buys. MMA fighters confirmed to attend include Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Stephan Bonnar, Frank Trigg and Phil Baroni. Also attending are professional poker players Todd Brunson, Lee Watkinson, Chip Jett, David Williams, Adam Schoenfeld and Robert Williamson III. Many more fighters and poker pros are expected to confirm attendance as the event nears.
Ultimate Fighting Champion Couture, a veteran himself of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, started the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation to raise money and awareness for troops wounded in action and their families. After visiting with amputees at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Couture was brought to tears seeing the young men and women who had given their all for freedom, young heroes who now have to go through life’s challenges with devastating physical and emotional injuries. To date, more than 24,000 U.S. troops have been wounded in the war against terrorism, which does not include the many more suffering the mental effects. The Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation goal is to help these brave men and women fulfill any of their unmet needs as they return back to civilian life.

“Having spent time in a uniform it became a personal goal of mine to find a way to give back to the brave men and women of our Armed Forces for the sacrifices they make defending our freedoms.  The Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation was born out of that desire. We hope you’ll come join us for a great night and rub elbows with some of the best fighters and poker players on the planet all in the name of our troops!”

This Second Annual “Operation All In” was organized to do just that.
In addition to the tournament, this event will also feature a silent auction for the duration of the poker tournament, with an amazing array of MMA memorabilia up for grabs, all benefiting the worthwhile charity. A live auction will also be held during the evening with prizes including some donated personally by Couture, such as dinner with the fighter and a one-hour personal MMA lesson. In addition to Couture, other MMA fighters will be on hand throughout the evening for photos and autographs with tournament players and fans.

Following the tournament and auctions, an after party will be held at the Golden Nugget’s Gold Diggers nightclub at 4 p.m. All participants in the tournament or auctions are invited to the after party, as well.
“Operation All In” is sponsored by the contributions of its great supporters including Sports Legends Challenge, Full Tilt Poker, Polanti Watch Co., Hard Core Elegance Jewelry, World Poker Tour Boot Camp, Clinch Gear, On Demand Website and Golden Nugget.

Seats are limited, so reserve your spot today by stopping by or calling the Golden Nugget Poker Room at (800) 777-4658, ext. 8164 or locally (702) 386-8164, or emailing poker@goldennugget.com to pre-register. Players will also be able to register for the tournament at the event. For more information, visit www.goldennugget.com or www.xtremecouturegifoundation.org.

Mueller Muscling His Way to Bracelet #2

The final table of the $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout has 6 players remaining after returning from their dinner break. Greg Mueller is the current chip leader (950,000), followed by Marc Naalden, Millie Shiu, David Williams, Flaminio Malaguti and Matt Sterling.

Erik Looking to put the 123 on the HORSE Field

Erik Sagstrom, an early Internet poker sensation, is the current chip leader (1,280,000) of the $50,000 HORSE with 31 players remaining. Ville Wahlbeck (775,000) is in 2nd place, followed by Vitaly Lunkin (735,000) in 3rd as the players take their dinner break. Day 2 chip leader Gus Hansen (670,000) is still in the top 10, along with Todd Brunson (610,000) and Freddy Deeb (560,000).

Hedler Ahead of the Field in $1,500 NL

Jason Helder (440,000) is the current chip leader in the $1,500 NL Holdem with about 120 players remaining as they try to play down to 9 before the 3am deadline. Notables with chips left include Men Nguyen, Cody Slaubaugh, Jason Potter, Owen Crowe and Vinny Pahuja.

Triple Chance NL Holdem

A field of 854 started today’s debut of the $3,000 NL Holdem Triple Chance event, with a field of approximately 400 remaining. No chip leader has been named yet, but the updates say that there’s a few players with stacks of 70,000 from their starting stacks of 9,000.

Stud 8 or Better

A field of 467 showed up for the $1,500 Stud 8 or Better event that started at 5pm, they have eight levels of play today, with the only notable casualty so far being Perry Friedman.

Check out www.wsop.com for more updates, and some stuff overnight from Pokerati.

Vallo Valuable in $50k HORSE

As the players return from the dinner break, Martin Vallo is the unofficial chip leader (245,000) in the $50k HORSE event with all 95 players who registered remaining. The players are now on level four, with three more levels of play scheduled before play ends for the day. Among the early leaders, Daniel Negreanu (200,000), Jeff Lisandro, (188,000), Patrik Antonius (175,000) and Todd Brunson (168,000).

Letting Ylon’s Be Bygones

Ylon Schwartz is the current chip leader (2,000,000) with three players remaining in the $2,500 Mixed Holdem event as they return from their dinner break. John McGuiness (1,200,000) and Bahador Ahmadi (750,000) round out the field. Barry Greenstein finished in 5th before heading off to join the $50k HORSE field.

Cantu Crushing PLO8

With 36 players remaining in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better event, Brandon Cantu (525,000) is the dominant chip leader, with Tommy Vedes (225,000) a distant second. Other notables remaining: Lee Watkinson (70,000), Noah Boeken (62,000), Phil Hellmuth (58,000), and Randy Holland (46,000).

Limited Field in Limit Holdem Shootout

The late afternoon tournament, $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout drew a field of nearly 600, seated at 64 tables. The round one winners play at eight eight-handed tables, and those winners will return on Sunday to determine the winner. No table winners have been determined yet, but expect some notable winners included in the morning update.

Catch up with all the updates over at www.wsop.com and more stuff from Team Pokerati during the evening.

Four left in $2k NL on ESPN360: 4 left, currently on dinner break until 9:40pm Anthony Harb and Peter Rho chip leaders.
Nine left in $10k Mixed Event: Doyle out 13th, Scott Dorin leader, Huck Seed 2nd, Todd Brunson 9th

81 left in $2.5k NL holdem, Alex Keating chip leader.
39 left in $2.5k Limit holdem 6-max, 36 get paid. Shawn Buchanan chip leader.

366 return from dinner break in $5k NL, starting field was 655, down about 80 from last year.
359 entries in 1.5k 7 Card Stud, Mark Seif and Tom Schneider among very early chip leaders.

More updates at www.worldseriesofpoker.com and Pokerati (maybe) during the evening.

The other event will definitely have a more intriguing final table, as the $10,000 Mixed Event World Championship is down to its final 20 players, all of whom are in the money. Huck Seed will be the chip leader at 645,500. In a father-son battle, it’s Todd Brunson (374,500) with a slight chip lead over Doyle Brunson (335,000). Other notables remaining include Mark Gregorich (266,000), Mike Wattel (210,000), Michael Binger (132,000), Eric Froehlich (102,000) and a mystery person who name and chip count wasn’t reported. They’ll get to return at 1pm, and with the average stack having just 10 big bets, a final table may not be that long in the offing.

In the two final tables that concluded earlier this morning, Ken “Teach” Aldridge schooled the final table to win the $1,500 NL Holdem 6-max event for $428,259, and Rami Boukai took down the $2,500 PLO/PLH (HA) event, which was worth $244,862.

More tournament news after the jump:

Meanwhile, the $2,500 NL Holdem event rolls along with 175 players returning at 2pm today. The field yesterday started at just 1,088, down over 300 from the similar event last year. Jochen Dickinger is the chip leader at the end of day 1 at 176,400. Other notables include: Nikolay Evdakov (112,400), Cory Carroll (85,300), Phil Ivey (75,600) and Brandon Schaefer (38,600).

The debuting $2,500 Limit Holdem 6-max field has 98 players remain (36 of which make the pay window) from its field of 367, with Jordan Cairns is the chip leader at 76,600. Some familiar faces who’ll be back at 2pm: Maya Geller (36,800), Daniel Alaei (26,400), and Daniel Negreanu (24,300).

The 12pm tournament today is the $5,000 NL Holdem event, which was won last year by Scott Seiver in a field of 731 to collect over $750,000. Many players who passed up the $2,500 NL yesterday are expected to take the floor by force today. The 5pm today is the much more sedate $1,500 7 Card Stud, which was won by Michael Rocco in a field of 381 last year for $135,000. The WSOP Staff Guide projections for these two events were: $5,000 NL – 804 (take the over and expect 873), $1,500 7 Card Stud – 381 (take the over, 394).

Follow the action at www.worldseriesofpoker.com, and other exciting news on Pokerati this weekend.

The $1,000 NL Holdem Stimulus Special finished at 3am today with 50 players returning at 1pm to play down to a winner. The chip leader is Robert Comegys from Grand Prairie, TX with nearly 1.2m million in chips. Danny Fuhs is close behind, with notables such as Eric Mizrachi, Lee Watkinson, Dan Heimiller, and Jonathan Aguiar far down the leaderboard. More details will be available in my PokerNews recap later today. Today’s event is scheduled to be the first of over 20 WSOP final tables to be streamed online this year. The scheduled 2pm final table will be pushed back at least a few hours, depending on how fast play is today. Updates on Pokerati during the day today.

The $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event finished their Day 1 with 81 players remaining, the exact amount needed to reach the money. Jason Mercier, best known for his success on the European Poker Tour, is the chip leader with 227,000 in chips, over 60,000 more than second placed Matt Humphrey. Other notables who’ve made the money include Eric Froehlich,, Dario Alioto, Josh Arieh, An Tran, Warren Karp, Shannon Shorr, Robert Mizrachi, and Kirill Gerasimov. Those players and many more return at 2pm today to play down to a final table.

The $10,000 Seven Card Stud World Championship ended after eight levels with 101 of its remaining 142 entrants remaining. High-stakes cash game player David Oppenheim emerged as the chip leader, with veterans “Miami John” Cernuto, Nick Frangos, Danny Robison, and Steve Zolotow helping make up the top 10. Others who’ll be looking to work their way up include Eli Elezra, Todd Brunson, Eric Drache, Erick Lindgren, Andy Bloch, Cory Zeidman and Phil Ivey. They also return at 2pm to play down to their final table.

The one event that was able to conclude Monday was the WSOP Champions Invitational as Tom McEvoy, the 1983 Main Event winner, knocked off Robert Varkonyi, the 2002 Main Event champion to win the first Binion Cup along with a 1970 red Corvette.

The preview for today’s events:

Today’s festivities get underway at 12 noon with Event #7 – $1,500 NL Holdem and a field that could reach the 2,800 player maximum. Vitaly Lunkin, who took down the 40k NL Holdem earlier this week, is listed as the defending champion of this event. With several $1,500 NL Holdem events held during the WSOP the past few years, I’d say they winners are interchangable. At 5pm is Event #8 – $2,500 NL 2-7 Lowball (Single Draw). This is the first year for this event, which serves as a warmup for the $10,000 World Championship NL 2-7 Lowball event on June 10.

Time to amuse myself with a few predictions. Monday, both the PLO and Stud events fell under both mine and the WSOP projections so I’m currently at 2-4. The projection for today’s 1,500 NL Holdem event is 2,801 (curiously, over the 2,800 cap listed elsewhere in their Resource Guide). They’ll be able to squeeze a few more people into the field so take the over with a field of 2,840. The $2,500 NL 2-7 Lowball is a bit trickier, being a new event at this buyin amount, as in previous years it would usually be a $5,000 event, usually with rebuys. The projection is 150, so the hopes is that a few people will be adventurous and give this a try. I’ll take the under, with at least 100, but not much more looking for some action. More updates and other stuff from Pokerati during the day.

Day 1a of the $1,000 NL Holdem Stimulus Special drew a full field of entries today as the WSOP tournament staff issued a press release declaring the event a sellout at 6,000 entrants, although official numbers are slightly below the 6000 total. There have been rumors that a few spots are still available on Sunday to select individuals who wish to register. An earlier rumor that alternates were being allowed to enter the event turned out to be incorrect. The players will be returning from their dinner break shortly, with less than 1000 players remaining to play the final 2 to 4 levels today. Among the notables that have already came and went: Kevin Saul, Shannon Shorr, and PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok, Joe Stapleton and Barry Greenstein.

The 40th Annual $40,000 NL Holdem event almost has its final table in place, as they’re now 10-handed and return from their dinner break shortly. Alec Torelli leads a stacked table with 5,375,000 in chips. The remainder of the table features Greg Raymer, Tony G, Ted Forrest, Justin Bonomo, Dani Stern, Vitaly Lunkin, Isaac Haxton, Noah Schwartz and Lex Valdhuis (with his girlfriend, Evelyn Ng, sweating the action on the rail).

The size of the Stimulus Special caused a one-hour delay in the start of day 2 of the $1,500 Omaha 8 or Better event. The players reached the money just before their dinner break. Notables who won’t be heading to the pay window include Phil Hellmuth, Andy Bloch, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Scott Clements and Tony Cousineau. Defending champion in this event Thang Luu is near the top of the leaderboard, with Layne Flack, Freddy Deeb, Todd Brunson and Pat Poels all still in the fight. Special congratulations goes to former WSOP TD Matt Savage for his first WSOP cash. With about 85 players left, the goal is to play down to a final table for Sunday, but don’t be too surprised if there’s a couple of tables who’ll get to return tomorrow afternoon. Check out www.worldseriesofpoker.com for more updates during the evening, and here for players to follow.

The 40th Annual $40,000 NL Hold’em event returns for day 3 action today at 2pm with 23 players playing down to Sunday’s ESPN final table. Justin Bonomo will start action as the chip leader with 2,678,000 in chips, Ted Forrest in 2nd with 2,586,000, and David “WhoooKidd” Baker in 3rd with 2,367,000. Greg Raymer is the last remaining World Champion in the field, in 4th place with 2,287,000. Other notable names include Alec Torelli, Dani Stern, Matt Glantz, Isaac Haxton, David Chiu, Neil Channing, Andy Black, and Andrew Robl.

The $1,500 Omaha Eight or Better also comes back at 2pm today with 197 players remaining from their record field of 918. 2008 winner Thang Luu appears to have returned to his winning form, as he’ll start play today as the chip leader with 73,600 in chips. Other notable names remaining in the field include Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Todd Brunson, and Brandon Cantu. Their final table is also scheduled for Sunday, although with much less exposure than what will be a mix of live and online stars of the 40k event or the WSOP Champions Invitational event, which also starts on Sunday. More to come today, with an update soon (?) if the Stimulus Special has sold out.

8am Update: Under 80 seats left for Sunday.
10:30am Update: 5,839 registered from Da Commish’s Twitter

Tom Dwan
Doyle Brunson
Eli Elezra
Peter Eastgate
David Benyamine
Barry Greenstein
Ilari Sahamies
Daniel Negreanu

*Exceptions: Lacey Jones and Vinnie Favorito were great.

Wicked Chops and RawVegas were there, too. And they took advantage of the red carpet to poll a few well known poker players on who they’re backing in the presidential election:

The breakdown:

Daniel Negreanu — Obama
Scotty Nguyen — McCain
Doyle Brunson — Diplomatic: likes McCain but “Obama is better for poker” (?)
Todd Brunson — McCain
Lacey Jones — Undecided: Worked in previous McCain campaigns, but “on the fence”
Eli Elezra — Filibuster: Obama “right guy for poker … but I’m a businessman also”
Gavin Smith — Obama
Dennis Phillips — Diplomatic Filibuster: House and Senate elections matter more

Airs January 2 on the Sci-Fi Channel.

ALT HED: Extra, Extra!

Click below for the episode descrip:

Episode #519:  “Vegas”
Written by: Robert Cooper
Directed by: Robert Cooper
Cast: Joe Flanigan, Robert Picardo, David Hewlett, Jason Momoa, Jewel Staite
Guest Stars: Steve Schirripa, Neil Jackson
Air Date:  January 2nd, 2008 (tbc)

Logline:

Detective John Sheppard attempts to solve a string of unusual murders in Las Vegas.

Synopsis:

Police find a desiccated corpse on a desert road outside Las Vegas, Nevada, the seventh victim of a bizarre serial killer.  Detective John Sheppard, called in to assist, is baffled by these murders.  Then a clue, traces of radiation found on the bodies, leads him to a strange looking man with super human attributes who easily evades capture.

Some time later, Sheppard is detained and driven to Area 51. There he meets Dr. Rodney McKay who reveals that the suspect is, in fact, an alien – a wraith – who feeds on human energy. What’s more, McKay and his team have traveled to Earth from the Pegasus Galaxy, by way of a stargate, to prevent this wraith from compromising the security of the planet. But so far, Sheppard is the only one who’s been able to get close to him.

It seems that the swimming legend does things on his own terms. Phelps recently traveled to Las Vegas with some friends as guests of the Palms, and one of his wishes was to meet Doyle and Todd Brunson and Hoyt Corkins.

Photo courtesy of DoylesRoom.com

According to the most recent post on Doyle’s blog, he received a call and brought his son and Corkins, along with Jennifer Harman and Marco Traniello, to meet Phelps for a dinner at Nine Steakhouse at the Palms. “What a nice kid!” Doyle wrote. “Phelps and some of his friends wanted books so I took Super System 1 and 2 to them and they asked all kinds of poker questions. Michael said all he wanted to do in life, was to eat, swim and play poker.”

Oh yeah… I can already see Phelps with a Doyle’s Room cowboy hat at the WSOP in 2009. Obviously, no deals have been signed at this point and Phelps has not accepted any invitations to play in tournaments thus far, but I can see an NBC National Heads-Up Championship and World Series in the kid’s future. Just a personal prediction…

Poker: the Topless Revue
Poker: the Pool
Poker: the Mechanical Bull Ride
Poker: the Buffet
Poker: the Surgery

Who says there still isn’t room for growth in this industry? Click below to read the full press release, and for more info about a show that will be sure to dazzle us in frightening ways before the end of the year:

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

THE VENETIAN RESORT-HOTEL-CASINO IN LAS VEGAS
TO SET A NEW STANDARD IN ENTERTAINMENT WITH THE REAL DEAL!
New Show To Feature Poker Superstars Interacting With Audience Members
In A Live, Daily, High-Tech, Fun-Filled Extravaganza

LAS VEGAS (July 21, 2008) – The Real Deal!, the first ever live, interactive poker-themed stage show, will debut in The Venetian Showroom at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas this fall, according to a joint announcement by entertainment industry icon Merv Adelson (no relation to Sheldon Adelson, chairman and chief executive officer of The Venetian’s parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp.) and the resort. Working in partnership with the world’s most renowned poker professionals, the show will introduce a new paradigm in entertainment, establishing a completely original live show format that combines humor, the latest in wireless technology, and abundant prizes in wildly-fun, fast-paced action that will entertain poker enthusiasts and non-players alike.

“The Venetian sets the standard for entertainment in Las Vegas and we are excited to add The Real Deal! to our existing line-up of world-class shows,” stated Jason Gastwirth, vice president of entertainment for Las Vegas Sands Corp. “When looking for a new concept to add to our entertainment lineup, we searched for an entirely new experience that would promote audience participation while incorporating well-known personalities that shine beyond the bright lights of the Strip—we found that in The Real Deal!.”

Staged in The Venetian Showroom as part of The Venetian’s extraordinary lineup of entertainment offerings, The Real Deal! will empower the audience to participate both on-stage and from their seats through the use of wireless touch screen devices. The Real Deal! will use a revolutionary multi-player platform with interactive content in conjunction with technology from TimePlay Entertainment, Inc. Playing both against and alongside the pros, audience members will earn points to vie for prizes ranging from The Real Deal! logo’d merchandise to spectacular home electronics and more, including a chance to win a $1 million grand prize.

The Real Deal! roster of poker pros represents a Who’s Who of the sport and includes the legendary Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Jr., Antonio Esfandiari, Gavin Smith, Eli Elezra, Jennifer Harman, Phil Laak, Scotty Nguyen, and Todd Brunson. The pros will participate in shows each month, taking on Vegas visitors of all poker skills and experience. Combined, the The Real Deal! professionals have won 8 World Poker Tour Championships (WPT) and 35 World Series of Poker TM (WSOP) bracelets, amassing over $48,000,000 in tournament prize money.

“Never before has poker been so integrated with entertainment,” said Merv Adelson, the inspiration behind The Real Deal!. “The popularity of poker is unquestioned, as is the viability of live game show experiences in Las Vegas. The Real Deal! will keep guests laughing and give them the unique chance to get into the heads of the world’s best pros as they share tips and strategy throughout the fast-paced game. We know it will quickly become a hot ticket.”

Casting is underway for the show host, and the producers are talking with well-known comedians who they feel will bring an energized blend of humor and poker information to the audience while keeping the action moving. The chance to take on poker’s superstars without having to risk big money is more than enough to drive interest, but The Real Deal! goes far beyond the action on the stage, appealing to both poker aficionados and those who have never thrown a chip in a pot.

Participating audience members will play along during the on-stage game with a wireless handheld console. The large collection of prizes will be awarded to individuals based on their game performance, such as their play of the virtual “ninth hand.” However, there will be many other random winning moments! For example, audience members will be able to wager on simple instances that will occur during play, such as the suit of cards dealt on the flop. Every show, audience members will also have the chance to draw for a Royal Flush and win ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

An elimination process will result in the chip-leading pro, the final surviving amateur, and the point leader from the play-along audience, on stage for a three-handed finale.

“Poker fans have been able to view and enjoy professional poker action for years on television,” said Doyle Brunson, The Real Deal!’s lead poker professional. “This is different. Everyone in the audience can be in the game and compete with the pros and other guests. It is a one-of-a-kind-poker experience.”

The creation and production of groundbreaking entertainment is nothing new to Merv Adelson and the members of the production team. Merv Adelson, co-founder of Lorimar Telepictures and former vice chairman of Time Warner, Inc., put together an elite team headed by executive producer Gary Smith, an eight-time Emmy® Award winning producer and director of esteemed live shows including the Tony Awards and The Emmy® Awards, Producer Bill Nuss, who has written and produced over 300 hours of network primetime television, Chief Operating Officer Gary Adelson, a veteran Hollywood deal maker and producer, and Erick Brownstein, a highly regarded creative strategist and new media marketer, as Director of Technology.

The Real Deal! will entertain six days a week at The Venetian Showroom in Las Vegas, with shows at 4 pm and primetime performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In addition to general tickets, a limited number of VIP packages will be available for each show that include an opportunity to meet the poker stars after the show. For more information, visit www.therealdeallv.com. Must be 21 years of age or older.

Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are “forward looking” statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond the Company’s control, which may cause material differences in actual results, performance or other expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to general economic conditions, competition, new ventures, government regulation, legalization of gaming, interest rates, future terrorist acts, insurance, and other factors detailed in the reports filed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino
The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, the largest property in the country to receive AAA’s Five Diamond Award and Mobil Four-Star, is one of the world’s most luxurious resort and convention destinations. Re-creating Venice’s legendary landmarks, the resort offers unmatched service and quality for leisure and corporate guests. Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, The Venetian features The Grand Canal Shoppes, an indoor streetscape complete with gondolas and singing gondoliers, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub, world-class gaming, exquisite restaurants, and a wide variety of entertainment such as Phantom-The Las Vegas Spectacular, Blue Man Group and Wayne Brady on its premises, as well as extensive convention and corporate services. For additional information, visit www.venetian.com.

About The Real Deal!
The Real Deal!, the first ever interactive poker stage show, pits audience members against the world’s best poker players in a funny, fast-paced, high-tech, prize-filled event that entertains poker enthusiasts and non-players alike. The show will debut fall of 2008 in The Venetian Showroom at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas. A “to-go” version of the show is also available as a theme for corporate events worldwide. Events may be held in the Venetian Showroom, or at alternative event locations. Additionally, the production team is preparing to launch an online version of the show. For more information, visit www.therealdeallv.com.

About TimePlay Entertainment
TimePlay Entertainment is a world leader in creating multiplayer interactive content. The company is capitalizing on the global consumer demand for interactivity through its patented CineLynx platform and unique content. TimePlay has advanced and expanded the existing world of interactive media to larger, more robust and socially engaging venues such as cinemas and casinos. TimePlay’s CineLynx platform allows multiple forms of interactivity including player to player, venue to venue and with mobile phones and online—parlaying huge existing audiences and infrastructure into a completely new entertainment experience. TimePlay has operations in the US, UK and Canada. For more information, visit www.timeplay.com.

FYI to Falstaff: they’re taking applications.

The two final tables yesterday have been covered enough here so on to the day 2 action. The $5,000 NL Holdem final table is now set for this afternoon under the ESPN360 cameras shortly after 2pm.

Seat 1: Anders Henriksson 311,000
Seat 2: Jacobo Fernandez 848,000
Seat 3: Rajesh Vohra 1,040,000
Seat 4: Ben Sprengers 441,000
Seat 5: Adam Geyer 645,000
Seat 6: Scott Freeman 423,000
Seat 7: Scott Seiver 2,512,000
Seat 8: Chuck Sklar 439,000
Seat 9: Dave Seidman 653,000

More after the jump:

At 3pm, play resumes for the final 16 of the $3,000 HORSE event (Tom Schneider finished in 20th). Plenty of familiar faces remain at these two tables. They’re set up like this:

Table 40

Seat 1: Mickey Appleman 57,500
Seat 2: Hoyt Corkins 220,000
Seat 3: Eric Froehlich 118,000
Seat 4: Paul Zimbler 79,000
Seat 5: Jared Davis 322,500
Seat 6: Jennifer Harman 249,500
Seat 7: Mallory Smith 49,500
Seat 8: JJ Hazen 43,500

Table 41:

Seat 1: Steve Zolotow 144,500
Seat 2: Doug Ganger 245,500
Seat 3: Marcel Luske 350,000
Seat 4: David Levi 36,000
Seat 5: Blair Rodman 161,500
Seat 6: Todd Brunson 124,000
Seat 7: Rostislav Tsodikov 99,000
Seat 8: Jens Voertmann 184,500

The $2,000 NL Holdem event finished the day with 136 moving on to day 2. Dustin Dirksen is the day 1 chip leader. Other chip counts can be found over at The Hendon Mob, home of the best tournament database around.

The $2,500 Pot Limit Holdem/Pot Limit Omaha tournament (and the Brasilia room) made their debuts yesterday with a starting field of 457 down to 85. Stephen McKinney was the Day 1 chip leader, others can be found here.

The two tournaments should each have their own levels of frustration. At noon, the $10,000 NL Holdem Headsup World Championship starts, with a field of 256 expected. Last year, there was controversy as a field of 392 put up $5,000 to participate which would create several people receiving a bye to the second round. This year, they’ve planned to cap the field at 256, we’ll see how that works for the tournament staff.

The 5pm tournament is the $1,500 Razz Event begins, and those who’ve played that game for any period of time knows how it can put just about anyone on tilt. Last year Katja Thater won at a final table that featured Eskimo Clark stroking out in an attempt to get out of getting out of whatever financial hole he was in. Hopefully no one will be that desperate this time around.