Gah, another juicy newsbriefable thingy to speculate wildly on with little information or context when we all could just make a phone call or send an email to find out what’s up) … yet no Poker Beat to break it down. 🙁

Anyhow, check it out and decide with minimal information for yourself … Daniel Negreanu, “caught” on webcam via screencap … playing on a site that isn’t PokerStars?

It’s something new called PokerView — which looks like just about any other online poker site except instead of avatars you have webcam video. Very tell-revealing you might think in straight-up play. And Negreanu obviously isn’t making any effort to hide his identity any more than he’s actively trying to promote this new endeavor.

So many stories potentially in play here. Is Negreanu going the way of Hellmuth, Duke, Raymer, and Maven … seeking a new poker home? Does this new site have any connection to PokerStars (the biggest online poker company in the world, save for maybe Zynga)? Could this technology be a major step forward in TOS security, giving a real-time glimpse of who’s really playing and what else might be going on in their seat. Could you mix it with Rush Poker to create online poker’s version of chat roulette? And with that in mind, serious question … how long before people start showing their junk and contend it’s merely a strategic maneuver if your schlong got the other guy to fold?

ALT HED: Show Me Your Nuts

(Thanks, DL, for the tip!) (Shame on you, DL, for trying to play me a chump!)

CONFIRMED: Not a real Daniel Negreanu endeavor.

A while back we were hearing that some 60 million Americans played poker. We have since learned about 36 million of those are really just playing on Facebook. But here in Vegas, some 20 a month are learning to play better anyway. Doing the really loosely conservative math (is that an oxymoron?) that makes for about 1 player out of a million taking the active steps to become a winning (or more-winning) player … as apparently just reading a book doesn’t quite cut it anymore.

David Chicotsky’s and Ari Engel’s next 3-day boot camp is March 4-6. I really hope a few Pokeratizens sign up … because a) both guys are good Pokerati people; and b) the more who do, the more shit I can give “the maven” about putting the one guy wearing Ed Hardy as the frozen-screen image on his YouTube commercial.

Click here for more info on what The Maven Training entails … or, since most of you already know the basics of what that’s all about (his alumni can already claim more than $2 million in tournament winnings — an average of nearly $20k per student), you can just go here to make a deposit and reserve your seat for the March sessions.

Was talking about the Pokerati game @AriaPoker with David Chicotsky the other day. “I know,” he said, referring to my re-pop with top set and royal-flush redraw. “I folded a set of 6s. I really don’t understand how you don’t go broke in that game.”

Pshaw! The Maven left early and down about $80. Of course he didn’t yet know that I did go bust that night x3. And I did know he knew I knew he had aggressive tendencies, too. So hrrmmm, maybe I really shoulda just called …

Chicotsky explains the key to a good table image is spikey hair.

One of these days I will get around to getting serious about my actual on-the-table play. I did get a gift certificate for some PLO books for Christmas, but I guess reading excerpts on Amazon doesn’t count?

The Maven and Bodog Ari are having another one of their 3-day boot camps, Jan 28-30. I’ve seen them in action as teachers before … at the only actual live poker school in Las Vegas (like they have their own permanent address and everything, even a kitchen) … and it really is an impressive course … no wonder all those mavenites laughed (at me?) when I asked if we needed to take notes.

Online "kids" may be changing poker, but it seems to be an older, balder set learning their ways as they move up in limits.

Maven training graduates have gone on to win millions — though the exact number is currently under dispute as their private community of alumni debate whether or not Joe Cheong’s main event finish should count as a $4 million win or $4 million loss.

Drop this website’s name (Pokerati if you’re slow) and get 25 percent off on tuition to the upcoming sessions. Or just sign up here. Proven Positive EV.

The Detox Poker Series on Saturday Day 1b of the $550 NL Holdem – $200,000 Guarantee drew a field of 228 players on Saturday creating a total field of 433 entrants for a prize pool of $216,500. The final 27 players made the money, with some of the notables who cashed yesterday: Alex Outhred and David Tuthill (both earning $1,200), David “The Maven” Chicotsky and WSOP photographer Rob Gracie (each collecting $800).

The leader from Saturday’s action is Alexander Carmosimo, finishing with 511,000 in chips. The most notable name from Saturday who made the last nine was 2008 November Niner Ylon Schwartz, but he returns with only 73,000 in chips. The 18 returning players are guaranteed $1,700 with the winner earning $60,030. Live streaming of today’s action will be available at www.detoxpoker.com, with the players seated with 34:04 remaining in level 16, blinds at 4,000/8,000 and a 1,000 ante:

The full list of results and payouts are available at the Detox Poker site here.

The final tournament of the series starts at 5pm, the Player Appreciation w/ $50 rebuys tournament with $5,000 added to the prize pool. The tournament is available exclusively to players who present three tournament receipts from the Detox Poker Series. Players start with 2,000 in chips, with $50 rebuys available when your stack is 2,000 or lower. At the end of level three, a $50 add-on is available to add 4,000 chips to your stack.

Be sure to check out www.DetoxPoker.com for updates, videos and more as the Detox Poker Series concludes.

Will La Sengphet be the only player to have repped the upside-down spade at a final table this year?

Though we’ve had a handful of cashes and a couple deep scores (in non-open events), Pokerati’s crew of patch-wearing competitors have admittedly struggled. Now, more than a month into the 2010 WSOP, we know it’s not gonna be about who can rack up the most bracelets (and pieces of Pokerati) in pursuit of Player of the Year, but who can pull out a big save … preferably before the main event!

Toothless Bob is still alive, btw — I mean in life, not any tournament — for those who were concerned. Turns out he just lost his phone and needed to wander aimlessly for a few days to shake off his early departure from the Seniors event after reportedly flopping Aces-full and running into flopped quads.

And Tom hasn’t gone totally broke yet — though he might be coming to believe those high buy-in mixed-game events (you know, the ones where every table has multiple world-class pros) might not be the best use of bankroll compared to low-cost no-limit events.

For Harris, a former WSOP dealer now working as both dealer and floor guy at the Venetian, it’s been all about low-cost no-limit events … and so far he’s gone 0-for-3. And while that’s just mathematically how these donkuli sometimes work, I’m not so sure @85Nutz was necessarily expecting the ill effects of regularly repeated run-bad on a not-yet super-accomplished player’s psyche.

It’s the kinda thing that can really shake a player’s confidence in his game. However, this weekend, armed with pre-game leak advice from The Maven (who happened to play at his table in a previous $1k) and a poker counseling session with DonkeyBomber on big-field strategy, Team Pokerati’s weekend warrior made his first Day 2 of 2010 … not necessarily in great shape, but a successful grind to get him to a point from where he’s propelled himself to a final table before.

Here’s the note he sent his WSOP backers, who are all petulantly waiting for a return on their money enthusiastically cheering him on:

I’m sorry for the late update, my phone died right as we finished for the night. Here are the stats going into tomorrow.

Total Entries: 3128
Players Left: 446
My Chip Count: 12,425
Avg Chip Count: 21,040
Blinds: Level 9 – 300/600 w75 ante (15 minutes left in level 9)
Places in Money: 324
324th: $1,886
1st: $485,642

We restart tomorrow at 2:30 Vegas time. We will be moving into the famous Amazon Room to table 334, seat 6. I’m off to get some rest after a long day.

You can follow the run-up to cash in the latest weekly $1k and other events here. Many Pokeratizens know Richard Ferro; he goes into Day 2 fourth in chips.

Other notables positioning themselves to avoid and/or absorb bad beats as the field races toward the bubble and beyond include Jeff Madsen (23rd, 42k) and Chris Moneymaker (24th, 41k).

Mickey Appleman, David Levi, David Sklansky, Terrence Chan, Lyle Berman, Antonio Esfandiari, and JJ Liu all have slightly above average stacks.

Looks to be yet another fun night of 1/2 NLH/PLO round of each at the Hard Rock this evening. The Maven has been showing up on Thursdays with a few students lately. Apparently they think the Pokerati tables are easy pickins a ripe training ground or something? Though aggressive, the Mavenites aren’t really a threat once you figure out the whole of his poker training is basically push and re-push with any two cards. (Jk David … you’d never do that with Queens or better, right?)

The Pokerati Game — which started off mostly as a bunch of media donks and an uber-tight dude named Jackson — also seems to be becoming (as I’d like it to be) something of a must-play for out-of-towners … awesome 1/2 action that you simply can’t find anywhere else in Vegas. Seriously. Go ahead and try. It’s not the same game … And that doesn’t even get into all the promotional perks the Hard Rock has been feeding us.

Three tourists I know today are already gonna be there, which of course draws the vulturey locals who claim to “make a living” playing 1/2, but haven’t yet found enough success to be playing 2/5 or bigger. These Vegas grinders, I gotta say, are an interesting group … they don’t say much other than to call floor, appear to live for comps and free coffee, and may or may not have rent riding on an all-in with top set against the nut flush draw and a wrap … Run it twice!

Anyhow, after playing sporadically beta testing @HardRockPoker for about six months, and running into / working through all the nitty situational question marks that spring up, we’ve finalized and formalized the rules. So now, anytime the game gets going — as it did on its own Tuesday around midnight! — everyone can be on the same page about how we play Pokerati half-and-half at the Hard Rock.

Click here for an updated PDF of Pokerati Game rules suitable for posting on your bedroom wall. Or click below to see more immediately how we play it:

More…

The Hard Rock Poker Lounge is getting its weekend poker orgy underway — this is the “relaunch” of the poker room there … under new management, with new ideas, and more action than usual …

They’ve got a full slate this weekend — beyond just the free food, splashed pots, a 20k guarantee Friday tourney and stuff like that … they’ve got a whole slate of events, including a Sharon Osborne celebrity charity event (Trash Talk Championship of the World they are calling it), a party for the launch of Victory poker. Currently filming (for ESPN 360, I believe, is a $100/$200 NLH cash game. $50k buy-in … with Antonio Esfandiari, Andrew Robl and others on the table … we’ll have some more names for you. And I think that’s The Maven waiting in the wings for a seat.

Click here for a rundown of all they’ve got going on.

Of course the game next table over is what really interests me — $1/$2 NLH/PLO … just an option to run-it-2x today, not automatic. But in my jaded opinion, that’s where the real poker is going on. The plan is to keep this game running throughout the weekend — as Super Bowl raffle is currently my 2010 bankroll plan.

More TK throughout the weekend … but here’s a glimpse of surprisingly early Friday night action taking off at the Hard Rock’s big poker weekend:

How the final hand was called early on Bluff’s Internet audio stream Sunday morning at the WSOP Main Event final table with David “The Maven” Chicotsky”, Phil Hellmuth, and Bluff’s Eric Morris: