The scandal seems to be at an end, at least as far as official statements go. PokerNews took the first shot and Tiffany Michelle took the last, or so it seems, but somewhere in the middle, PokerNews’ big daddy, Tony G, had his say as well. He recounted the situation as he remembered it and ended by saying, “It’s over.” Let’s assume he doesn’t mean that in the I know people and you’ve screwed me for the last time sense, but in the My contract wasn’t as detailed as I thought and I can’t sue you sense.

Just so we’re comprehensive in our coverage, here is Tony G’s full statement, as taken from his blog:

While the game of poker is normally considered to be played across the green felt with chips in hand, the game encompasses a whole world of deals, situations, complexities, and extremes that are never placed in view on the felt. I am deeply distressed over a situation that I feel did not need to happen and it goes against the integrity and trust that I placed in someone that I considered to be a friend and an employee at PokerNews.com and I need to air the events to help myself deal with what has just happened.

More…

Recapping last night’s events with a preview of today’s action:

The $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better event was won last night by Martin Klaser, who was dominant in the brief heads-up battle with Casey Kastle to take down his first bracelet and just over $216,000. Kastle winds up with almost $138,000, the biggest cash in his career.

The $1,000 NL Holdem with Rebuys event got down to their final table, here’s how it’ll look like under the hot lights of the ESPN360 cameras at 2pm today:

Seat 1: Scott Freeman 675,000
Seat 2: Max Greenwood 728,000
Seat 3: Curtis Kohlberg 209,000
Seat 4: Rene Mouritsen 1,007,000
Seat 5: Alex Bolotin 308,000 - His 3rd final table of this Series
Seat 6: Albert Iversen 921,000
Seat 7: Aliaksandr Dzianisau 186,000
Seat 8: Phung Ngo 556,000
Seat 9: Jesse Chinni 2,160,000

Other action from yesterday on the next page:
More…

After 33 of 55 events …

California is making a real run at Nevada as the most powerful poker region in the world.

In the second tier of American poker (below Canada), Texas can’t seem to keep up with Florida in terms of kizzash, nor New York when it comes to sealing the winning deal. It seems only a matter of time before the Russians catch up, as Nikolay Evdakov and his comrades keep going deep.

New countries in the WSOP money: Spain, Belarus, Greece, and New Zealand … Welcome! Spanish players (sorry Greece) take comfort in knowing at least a few TVs are showing the Euro Cup in the Amazon Room.

Also making its first appearance on the 2008 WSOP money list: Vermont! It’s official: All American states and territories that have petitioned to become one have cashed in the World Series. (And Vermont didn’t just eek past the bubble — Shane Stacey from Hyde Park made a final table … finishing 5th to bank a $166k payday.

Point of order … Shannon Shorr’s latest cash — 32nd Place in the $2,500 6-handed NLH — is credited under Alabama, not Nevada. (The Euros also cashed big in this event — go figure, they seem to like 6-handed action.) While we did decide to make Tony G’s Lithuania finish into an Australia (he moved Down Under at age 11), we couldn’t bring ourselves to put Shorr in potential tax trouble — at least not in a way that messed up all our other numbers on the spreadsheet — as he was the one who presumably declared himself residing in Nevada for his $350k bracelet in Event #7. Surely that won’t be relevant in our contrived little Cali vs. NV race, right?

Two homeless moneymakers: If anyone knows where Larry Jafee (sp?) or Larry Michaels is from, please let us know. And don’t go saying Hungary just so they can move past Wyoming and New Brunswick.

Speaking of the Hungarians … Richard Toth scored again for his proud Eastern Euro nation’s 4th ITM finish. Still not enough to move past Wyoming, but keeping pace …

Click below to see the full rundown of poker across political borders:

More…

Event #18 is the No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/Rebuys tournament. The field was small with only 85 competitors, but those few people managed to rebuy 272 times and create a $1,036,035 prize pool to be divided between the top 14 finishers.

Today, the third day of the event, the final table is underway. Check out this line-up:

Seat 1: Jeffrey Lisandro (Salerno, Italy) 461,000
Seat 2: Mike Matusow (Las Vegas, Nevada) 520,000
Seat 3: Tom Schneider (Scottsdale, Arizona) 162,000
Seat 4: Erick Lindgren (Las Vegas, Nevada) 1,104,000
Seat 5: Barry Greenstein (Rancho Palos Verdes, California) 541,000
Seat 6: Tony ‘G’ Guoga (Melbourne, Australia) 394,000
Seat 7: David Benyamine (Las Vegas, Nevada) 410,000

Here’s the kicker. Hardly anyone can see it.

The table is being held on a table NEXT to the ESPN stage. The rail is insane, four- or five-people deep, and those people are frustrated because they can’t see anything. Throw in the official WSOP media, ESPN cameras and crew, and floor staff, there’s nothing to see. Some members of the media tried to go up to the Milwaukee’s Best Lounge so we could watch from above, though that is rather uncomfortable as well, and snap a photo or two, but security instructed us to leave. Immediately.

Why, I asked of some fellow media folk, is the ESPN stage empty with no other final tables running today? Why can’t move this stellar final table over there with more room for the media and lots of room for fans to take seats and watch? WHY? The Poker Shrink informed me that ESPN does not take out insurance on the stage and lounge areas if there is no final table scheduled there. There is no insurance on the area today, and evidently, no one can make a phone call to get it.

Therefore, the players are stuck in a very small space, their friends and family are having a tough time seeing the table, and those against the rail have fans breathing down their necks. The fans are annoyed that they can’t see the best final table of the WSOP so far. The non-official media is pissed at being treated rudely by the floor staff and security team - being shooed from the area and given NO explanation, leeway, or assistance.

After a few weeks of virtually no missteps on the part of Harrah’s and the WSOP, this may be one that they hear about from the players and the media.

First, important Pokerati news:

Tom Schneider made the final table of the $5,000 NL 2-7 KC Lowball w/rebuys final table. Per usual, this event has an impressive final table lineup (starting at 3pm):

Seat 1: Jeffrey Lisandro 461,000
Seat 2: Mike Matusow 520,000
Seat 3: Tom Schneider 162,000
Seat 4: Erick Lindgren 1,104,000
Seat 5: Barry Greenstein 541,000
Seat 6: Tony ‘G’ Guoga 394,000
Seat 7: David Benyamine 410,000

Here’s the payouts:

1 $ 537,862
2 $ 347,004
3 $ 225,552
4 $ 156,151
5 $ 104,101
6 $ 78,075
7 $ 58,990

Other action from yesterday and a preview of today after the jump:

More…

We’re ready to roll here for a good day of poker. It occurs to me that the hours are kinda funny, because as the WSOP day gets started here in the pacific time zone, you folks in NYC and DFW are just about calling it a day. But don’t worry, you can still read Pokerati, Tao of Poker, Wicked Chops, and Las Vegas Vegas from home and/or mobile device, assuming you don’t have poker-related sites firewalled to protect the children. Oh, and Pokernews, if you want to follow chip counts from a site whose employees refer to their big bosses as “the Lithuanian Mafia.” Speaking of … just saw Tony G for the first time this Series. Waved to him as he walked by media row … and he waved back, looking very confused. You might also want to check out Cardplayer.com … apparently they have figured out how to work pretty well within the crappy play-by-play update limitations that they created way back when.

As you probably know, Tom is the chip leader going into Day 2 of the $10,000 Mixed Event World Championship. Wow, nice job tom. Good to have you back — I didn’t get it up in time, but I had a post working … according to my notes:

Tom, stop fucking around and get your shit together. Energy up!

When I had last spoken to him, he wasn’t even going to play this event — he was more interested in trying to repeat in the $2,500 7-Stud/O-8 event, which he won last year and started today. I liked that plan, as he’s been having a pretty bad Series from the gitty — doing nothing of note in any events he’s bought into and getting his butt kicked in the cash games. Julie, Karridy, and I were discussing possible new nicknames: It was a toss-up between Donkey Grizzle and Eskimo Schneider.

More TK, of course … and be sure to keep an eye on the ticker above if you want to peak in on the text updates Tom sends his friends and family, as well as mystery updates not from me, but a random friend to whom I might loan my phone to while he sits at the rail (in theory). You can also follow along the texting trail here.

Day 2 is underway … and being the chip leader now means jack shit if you don’t get it up and keep it up! Just ask Angry Julie!

Check it out — Cali Jen’s article on PokerWorks about the WSOP final table that may or may not be delayed, complete with documented references.

Sounds like our friends at Neverwin are fast becoming the Bang Bros. of Poker. Prior to the reported high-five-figures+stock-options sale of their website to the Tony G Syndicate, Dustin Woolf got called out by Mark Newhouse for allegedly owing him some big bucks. This wasn’t just a web-forum spat, it affected play in a live WSOP event … with Newhouse screaming across the tournament floor for his cash and Neverwin calling officials to have him removed from the rail.

Now a frozen online account. Dude, party on.

Just when you thought you rid your vocabulary of the phrase “sell out” it pulls you back in. Only it has true meaning this time. According to WCP (who apparently knows everything), NeverwinPoker.com just won some dough from Pokernews.com to sell, sell, sell.

And in unrelated rumors…No, I’m not moving to Vegas and no, I’m not pregnant. I just ate a lot of peanut M & M’s in Vegas.