The Election and the Pros

I keep it no secret who I am voting for, but for what its worth, here is a short video of some interviews of some pros and their thoughts on Tuesdays election:

Watch Poker Stars Presidential Picks on RawVegas.tv

Johnny Joe's Final (Summer/Fall) Tournament

The big tournament is slated for Sunday, November 9th at Johnny Joe's. More details to follow.

The top 40 point earners qualify, the list will be done in a few days so tune in again in the near future for updates!

Hellmuth at Main Event

This Hellmuth blow up has been the source of a lot of talk at the tables the last week and the blog has received many hits because I blogged an old Hellmuth blow up in the past, so I thought it necessary to post the incident with Christian Dragomir:



I am not defending Phil, however, how many times have you been donked and wanted to berate the guy across the table too?????

Here is another view from the crowd with phone vid, kind of interesting watch!

WSOP: Europe, Johhny Juanda is the Bracelet Winner

via Bluff Magazine:

John Juanda endured a record-smashing final table to capture the World Series of Poker-Europe Main Event title and the £868,800 first place prize.



The final nine players sat down and were dealt the first hand at 1:23 pm London time. The final hand between Juanda and runner-up Stanislav Alekhin went down at 10:32 am the next morning. A total of 19 hours and nine minutes made the WSOPE Main Event final table the longest in WSOP history, beating the record set in the $1,500 Razz event in 2005.

Final payouts:

John Juanda $1,546,464
Stanislav Alekhin $950,421
Ivan Demidov $596,033
Bengt Sonnert $483,270
Daniel Negreanu $386,616
Scott Fischman $306,071
Robin Keston $241,635
Toni Hiltunen $194,308
Chris Elliott $144,981

Poker Terms: The Straddle

Lately this has been a small issue and I noticed not everyone understands what this is.. I know only Eric, whom is relatively new at JJ's, does this, but it is legal and this is what he is doing:

The straddle is a minimum of double the big blind and when there’s no cap it sometimes can be a much, much larger blind. It’s also a blind raise that allows you to act last in that round where players wanting to enter have to at least call your blind raise, giving you the open to raise your blind raise, reraise a raiser, check, or fold. Confused? I hope not. PTP (Part Time Poker.com) readers are savvy, educated players and should know the basics of the straddle. But knowing how to straddle doesn’t mean a savvy, educated player can do it right or will even straddle when it’s right to do so.

For more on straddling, click here!

WSOP Europe Final Table Set

They are down to the final nine in London at the World Series of Poker Europe. Daniel Negreanu is there as is John Juanda. The most interesting player to notice is Ivan Demidov. Why? Because Ivan has another final table to play next month in Las Vegas. Ivan Demidov is one of the November Nine, still in the running for the 2008 WSOP main event bracelet. Now wouldn't this be a double win that would be talked about for a long, long time.

Seat 1: Robin Keston 849,000
Seat 2: Daniel Negreanu 1,002,000
Seat 3: Chris Elliott 281,000
Seat 4: Bengt Sonnert 385,000
Seat 5: John Juanda 1,349,000
Seat 6: Ivan Demidov 1,006,000
Seat 7: Toni Hiltunen 386,000
Seat 8: Scott Fischman 732,000
Seat 9: Stanislav Alekhin 1,278,000

U.S. Senator Introduces Internet Poker Bill, S. 3616

The PPA is pleased to inform its more than 1 million members that U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (NJ-D) has introduced S. 3616, the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act of 2008.

This exceptional piece of legislation will establish licensed Internet poker in the U.S. and provide American consumers with the vast benefits of a clear regulatory system. The bill is the first of its kind to focus primarily on your favorite pastime. S. 3616, is landmark legislation for the poker community and sets the stage for the next Congress and new Administration to enact sound public policy in the area of Internet poker.

Today, the PPA issued a press release in support of the bill. And we are encouraging everyone to send an note to Senator Menendez to thank him for introducing this bill. You can do this by going to the Senator’s "Contact Me" page on his official Senate Website.

Tell the Senator:

•Thank you for introducing S. 3616, the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act
•As a poker player and a voter, it is important to me that our government takes steps to regulate Internet poker in the U.S.
•Regulation will provide necessary safeguards to protect adult consumers, children and problem gamblers. Moreover, significant federal and state revenue can be gained through a U.S. regulated industry.
•S. 3616 is a positive development and the poker community applauds you for introducing it.