On Feb. 25, after months of working on his short-handed game, Negreanu joined the $100/$200 No-Limit Hold’em cash game on PokerStars and started to grind.

It might seem like no big deal that one of the biggest names in poker sat to play at a high-stakes table online, considering players like Tom Dwan and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies are playing five times the stakes on Full Tilt almost nightly. But seeing Negreanu at the tables has sent shockwaves through the online poker community.

For years he has been considered an online fish. In fact, Negreanu has even admittted his game online is anything but water tight.

But despite a history of losses and frustration online, Negreanu has now decided to focus on beating the game, perhaps just simply to prove to the world he can.

Along with the usual name-calling and anonymous muscle flexing, the web’s poker forums have been bombarded with discussion and debate about whether Negreanu is beating the game, or if he even stands a chance.

Because of PokerStars’ decision to prevent, or at least limit all data-mining and stat tracking, it is difficult to come up with exact numbers and results, but here are the facts as we know them:

Negreanu started playing on or around Feb. 25, earning $200k up to March 22.

By March 28, he had lost nearly everything, down to around $9,000 in profits, before going back on the upswing, reaching a peak of $221,227.

But once again, Negreanu failed to hold on to the profits, losing it all back, including a $62,551 loss last night that left him $8k in the hole overall.

The loss came mostly at the hands of online pro Mr Zahmat, who won the largest pot of the day against Negreanu, worth over $85k.

Also at the table was Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, who was unlucky enough to run into Negreanu’s aces, losing a pot worth well over $73k.

Considering the swings, the short time-frame and hand count since his return to the high stakes games, the jury is still out on whether Negreanu is capable at beating the big game on PokerStars.

Until more hands are played, and more information becomes available, the forums will continue to debate the subject, with Negreanu himself stopping by to add in his own insights from time to time.

In addition, you can also read up on Negreanu’s efforts and thoughts in his blog over at Full Contact Poker.

Below are three of the largest pots played by Negreanu yesterday. For more hands and stats head to MarketPulse.

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“Eddie Hearn, the event organizer and Managing Director of Matchroom Sport, personally spoke to Isildur1 and his manager and confirmed this to be the case.

“To say I am disappointed is an understatement.”

According to G, the two had personally agreed on a 50/50 staking deal before managers and agents got involved.

“It has left a bad taste in my mouth,” he said. “What you have to understand is that he reached out to me first and asked and then agreed to play. As far as I am concerned I am washing my hands with him and moving on. On your bike!”

G claims he was going to fly Isildur1 and three of his friends to London for the April 11-13 cash game promising to raise the stakes in the game to accommodate the Swede.

However, Isildur1 now has some “personal issues” to attend too, including a driving test.

G now claims Isildur1 will be at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo later this month.

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Ladbrokes 2011 Poker cruise! Qualify Today!

As some of you know, yours truly calls a Caribbean island home. You can also come and visit me if you want, and all you have to do is play online poker at the juicy tables of Ladbrokes Poker. We will play a friendly game of heads-up No Limit or Pot Limit Hold’em, and I promise I will go easy on you.

Ladbrokes will organize an incredible cruise trip in January 2011, setting sail from Florida and lasting for a whole 8 days. That’s 8 days of fun in the sun aboard the world’s largest deluxe cruise line ‘Oasis of the Seas’.

On board you will find a full assortment of cash games, sit & go table tournaments and also a complete tournament program.

You can begin on your quest to qualify for this dream trip as of RIGHT NOW. Do not miss out on what is undoubtedly shaping to be Europe’s biggest poker festival! All you need to do if you would like to join the lucky few who will be on the Poker Cruise is to obtain a Cruise Place, which is a prize in the Cruise Weekly Final that is held each and every Monday evening at 20:15 GMT. You can either buy-in directly into this freeze-out tourney, or you can also qualify via the Cruise Daily Finals, which has a daily program of satellites you can find in the Tournaments>Offline Events>Poker Cruise IV in the Ladbrokes Poker software lobby.

Right now, Ladbrokes is unable to offer the cruise packages for purchase, but you can contact them directly at cruise2011@ladbrokes.co.uk to get your name on the short list to get notified if they start selling the selling the packages directly.

The “Oasis of the Seas” is a very luxurious cruise ship, and also happens to be the world’s largest passenger vessel: it dwarfs the Queen Elizabeth II being more than twice as big. It is operated by the blokes at Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. And here is the most beautiful part: each and every single one of the Cruise Package winners will be accommodated in an ocean view cabin with a balcony. There will also be available a limited number of suits for all the players who wish to upgrade, but these will be on a first come first serve basis.

On the Oasis of the Seas you can expect to find a multitude of things, including a zip line, a mini golf course for you to get your inner Tiger Woods out, volleyball and basketball courts to stay (or get!) in shape, a multitude of theme parks and nurseries for children, so junior does not have to be left home. All these amenities, which fall under the recreational, athletic and entertainment departments, are organized into “neighborhoods” taking advantage of the ships humongous size. Officially, these are:

• Central Park features boutiques, restaurants and bars, including access to the Rising Tide bar, which can be raised or lowered to three separate levels

• It houses the first living park at sea with over 12,000 plants and 56 trees

• The Pool and Sports Zone features a sloped-entry beach pool and two surf simulators

• The Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Centre features a spa for teens

• Boardwalk features a handcrafted carousel, restaurants, bars, shops, two rock-climbing walls, and a tattoo parlor. Its outdoor 750-seat Aqua Theatre amphitheater hosts the ship’s largest freshwater pool

• Royal Promenade features restaurants and shops and is viewable from a mezzanine

• Youth Zone features a science lab and computer gaming

Also worth mentioning is the fact that all Cruise Package winners will get £950 credited to their Ladbrokes Poker account, which is the travel allowance. As a package winner you will be responsible yourself to arrange flights and return flights and also hotel accommodation for the night of January 21st 2011 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The Ladbrokes Poker’s Event Management Team will be on duty to assist the winners in all the options that will be at their disposal to fly there and for staying the night.

Once onboard, the card room will operate (subject to the captain, of course) whenever the ship is at sea, but will close for dinner break on those days. Also, the £500 cruise bankroll which is included within your Cruise Place can either be used to buy-in to tournaments or fund on-board cash games and Sit n Go’s.

Well, if I were you, I would not need to be told twice to make my Ladbrokes account and start grinding to get this awesome prize. So, MAKE YOUR LADBROKES ACCOUNT AND START GRINDING TO BE LET IN ON THIS AWESOME PRIZE TODAY!!!

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1. Brian Hastings obliterates Isildur1 for over $4 million in one session
2. Who is Isildur1?
3. Isildur1 still up to his old tricks at Full Tilt Poker

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Seat at Club Fortune:

Players receive one free entry for every hour of live play in the Club Fortune poker room. The first drawing was held on February 28. The next qualifying period began February 28 at 7 p.m. and will end March 31 at 6:59 p.m., with the drawing scheduled at 7 p.m. March 31. The third qualifying period begins March 31 at 7 p.m. and ends April 30 at 6:59 p.m. followed by a 7 p.m. drawing. The fourth drawing begins April 30 at 7 p.m. and ends on May 31.

The final qualifying period will start 7 p.m. on May 31 and end at 6:59 on June 25 with the final drawing at 7 p.m. Four players per drawing will receive an entry into a ‘Free WSOP Seat’ tournament that will take place June 27 at 5:30 p.m. Players will start with 10,000 in chips and blinds of 25-50. They double every 15 minutes until the tournament ends and a lucky player wins a seat into the WSOP main event. For more information see their ad in this issue of Poker Player Newspaper.

… Continue reading Debbie Does Poker: Club Fortune, Cannery; Peppermill in Reno

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Wearing a dapper jacket and holding a lit cigar in his right hand, Ivey is not made to look like a poker player.  Of course, Cigar Aficionado is not going to leave his relevance a mystery to those who know nothing of the game.  Superimposed on Ivey’s right shoulder is the title “America’s Poker King – Phil Ivey has Parlayed his Poker Fame into Business Success.”  In the article, author Michael Kaplan hits on many of the poker aspects of Ivey’s life that poker fans already know about, but he also discusses Ivey’s future goals (including creating a high roller casino and becoming an options trader) and gives readers a peek at Ivey’s lifestyle.

Ivey is not the first poker player to appear on the cover of Cigar Aficionado.  2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Greg “Fossilman” Raymer posed for the magazine the year he won his title, sitting at a poker table behind stacks of chips with his trademark fossil card protector and holographic glasses.  Actor and poker enthusiast, James Woods, who represents Hollywood Poker, was featured on the cover in 1997.  In 2003, casino mogul Steve Wynn was the cover man, sitting at, as one might guess, a poker table.

Legendary gambler and poker player Archie Karas, while not on the cover, was the subject of a fantastic article by Michael Konik in the Summer 1994 issue, which featured Fidel Castro on the cover.  More recently, online phenoms Andrew “good2cu” Robl, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Luke Kim, and Alan “The Usher” Sass were profiled in the July/August 2008 issue in an article titled, “No-Limit Assassins.”

Many Cigar Aficionado readers on the magazine’s internet forum were confused as to why Ivey was chosen for the cover.  Wrote the initiator of the discussion, “Who the hell is Phil Ivey and what good did he do for the world for being on the cover?” He continued, “Seems to me that some of the people featured on the covers are not the ‘role models’ I got used to anymore.”

Forum member “AZCigarNut” had this to say in response:

Cigar Aficionado isn’t JUST about cigars… which, incidentally, is why it DRASTICALLY outsells those that are!  It’s a magazine about the good-life!  There’s everything we gentlemen care about… cigars, golf, spirits, clothing, watches, movies and yes…poker…which has seated itself nicely into the realm of everything else listed above.  There are STILL great articles for cigar lovers (like the one on the Oliva family you mention), but it also speaks to casual smokers and gentlemen in general (like with the articles on Tico Torres and Phil Ivey).

Ivey joins an exclusive club of people who have been chosen for the cover of the magazine.  Since 1992, the likes of George Burns, Ernest Hemingway, Tiger Woods, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Groucho Marx have all had their likenesses displayed on the front of Cigar Aficionado.

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“We really love the idea of turning the fans into Executive Producers and they are taking the challenge head-on and making sure their voices are heard.”

Shelved since 2006, the WSOP announced Monday it will be bringing the Tournament of Champions back this summer, putting up $1 million in a freeroll for the top 20 WSOP bracelet holders as voted by fans of the game.

All 521 living WSOP bracelet holders are eligible to receive votes for entry through a selection process on WSOP.com that began Monday and will remain open through June 15.

A total of 40,722 votes were cast in the first 24 hours since the announcement, an average of 1,697 an hour or more than 28 every minute.

The WSOP says early results indicate it will be a very close and hotly-contested race. 

The top 50 vote-getters are listed on the site and updated instantaneously as votes are cast.

In addition to the top 20 vote getters, five entries into the tournament will be automatic, including previous Tournament of Champions winners Annie Duke, Mike Matusow and Mike Sexton, reigning WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada and WSOP Europe main event winner Barry Shulman.

Finally, two sponsor exemptions will be awarded by the WSOP, with details still forthcoming on how those seats can be won.

The event will go off Sunday June 27 at the Rio, playing down to a final table of nine that will reconvene on Sunday, July 4 to play for a share of $1 million.

It will be filmed for broadcast on ESPN.

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The Deep Stack Open tour is set to roll into France, and Winner Poker wants to send you along for the ride.

Hosted by the grand Casino Aix-en-Provence, the event will kick off on April 9^th and run through the llth. It’s the first tournament of its kind to be held on French soil.

In honor of this historic occasion, Winner Poker has commissioned a €1,200 tournament package. This prize will give players a chance to participate in the first ever Deep Stack Open France.

Want to get in on the action? Visit our Winner Poker Download Page to grab their software. Be sure to input our bonus code when creating your new account. Those who take advantage of Winner’s exclusive FlopTurnRiver offer will be eligible to receive a 100% bonus on their first deposit up to $200.

One you hit the tables on Winner Poker, you’ll need to seek out their Satellites and Super Satellites. This will be where you earn your shot at poker history.

“But, what exactly are we competing for,” you might ask. Here’s the breakdown of Winner Poker’s €1,200 tournament package:

€500 + €50: That’s enough to secure both your main-event seat and an astonishing 50,000 chips!

€360: This’ll net you four nights at the Kyriad Prestige Hotel from April 8th – April 12th, 2010.

€25: Handling Fees? Winner Poker’s got you covered.

€265: Flights and spending cash!

So, let’s look at the big picture. Hotel? Check. Travel? Check. You may need to bring a couple extra Euros for food, but this is a solid package nonetheless.

Ready to go? Check out the schedules below for complete details.

Super Satellites:

Qualifier Satellites:

All of these tournaments are underway. The final Super Satellite will be held on March 31, 2010.

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1. Suspect released in EPT Berlin poker tournament robbery
2. European Poker Tour on its way to Berlin Germany for first time
3. EPT Berlin sets poker tournament record

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When we left you last time the blinds were $1,000-$2,000, the average stack was $80,000, 15 people remained in the tourney, you were on the button with $20,000, and we talked about the need for you to assess your opponents before making a decision.

But how do your opponents assess your game? Do they think you’re playing well, on tilt, or are a guy who is about to make a last stand with almost any two cards? Maybe you’ve been short stacked for a while and you believe they think you are incredibly patient, and that when you do play a pot under these conditions, you are likely to have the big hand you’ve been waiting for.

Regardless of how they perceive you, you can’t wait around for pocket aces, kings, or queens, before making your move. If you are dealt A-K or A-Q it’s time to put your tournament life on the line and go all-in. While you’d like to pick up the blinds, it’s not such a bad deal even if you’re called. If you win the race, you’ll double through … Continue reading Short Stacked Play: Part 2

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The case was recently featured on the German equivalent of “America’s Most Wanted” and the rare casino robbery has garnered headlines around the world. After several days of coming up empty-handed, German police received a breakthrough on Wednesday, as the 21 year-old surrendered to police and promptly dished out the names of the other three robbers. The Associated Press broke down those still on the loose: “Ahmad el-Awayti, 20, of undetermined nationality; Jihad Chetwie, a 19-year-old German; and Mustafa Ucarkus, a 20-year-old Turkish citizen.”

On Saturday, March 6th around 2:15pm local time, four armed gunmen stormed the EPT Berlin registration area at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The robbers allegedly made off with €242,000, although tallies have varied widely. In addition to one of the four suspects now being held in police custody, the getaway car – a posh Mercedes – has also been seized. Frank Heller, a German prosecutor, told the Associated Press that the loot was divided equally among the four bandits following their daring casino heist.

Reports around the Web circled as to whether an “inside job” was to blame for the disruptive armed robbery. The suspects did not enter the tournament area during the incident, but rather attacked a hotel intern and several unarmed guards at the registration desk. The Associated Press article notes that Heller told authorities that the gunmen “took a look at where the money is, how the money is secured, are there guards, and are the guards armed… When he saw that the guards didn’t have guns, they decided that they had a chance.” PokerStars blamed Spielbank Berlin, the tournament’s organizers, for the decision to employ unarmed guards. Over the weekend, a person of interest held in connection with the case was released due to a lack of evidence.

When the smoke cleared in the EPT Berlin Main Event, American Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee banked a €1 million top prize. MacPhee outlasted Ilari Tahkokallio heads-up and the runner-up earned a €600,000 consolation prize. The tournament was paused for several hours following the robbery while floor staff cleaned up from the melee. EPTLive, which was focused on the feature table at the time, was suspended for the remainder of the day.

Following his win, MacPhee appeared on CBS’ “Early Show” and CNN reliving the terror of the real-life “Oceans Eleven.” Mainstream news outlets like Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Sydney Morning Herald, and Chicago Tribune ran articles about the heist, which also took center stage in a segment of ESPN’s sports news show “Around the Horn.” Bluff Magazine, which is among the many poker news outlets that have reported on the tournament, reported that the suspect arrested was of Turkish origin. The Associated Press article noted that he is a German citizen.

It’s been a rough month of March for PokerStars live tours. Prior to the brazen heist in Berlin, the world’s largest online poker site was forced to cancel the Chile stop on its Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) after a massive earthquake struck the South American nation. The LAPT Vina del Mar was scrubbed for 2010; the tournament was scheduled to play out this weekend and the earthquake struck 175 miles from Vina del Mar. LAPT staff will head to Argentina for the Grand Final, although a date for the event has not been announced.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the EPT Berlin robbery.

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“Obviously $400/$800 is not my normal game, but I don’t feel like I was playing like scared money. I was able to shove $210,000 in on a semi-bluff.”

After two episodes of the popular GSN show where he did not get involved in very many hands, Mercier’s exit from the High Stakes stage came during an episode that aired this past Sunday in a hand with arguably poker’s greatest player, Phil Ivey.

Gus Hansen raised to $4,200 under the gun and Eli Elezra and Ivey both made the call before Mercier tried a three-bet squeeze to $22,100 with A♥ 4♥ from the small blind.

“Normally I would probably just call in this situation,” Mercier said. “We’re over 250 big blinds deep and it’s fine to call here. I don’t really like folding, especially with how deep we are and the players in the hand. I felt like it was a really good spot to squeeze. I can put in like 10 % of my stack and there’s like $16k out there that I can pick up if it works.

“I was really expecting to get re-raised or everyone to fold. My image was really tight and I figured that they would put me on a big pair, maybe ace-king, and they really wouldn’t want to mess with me at this point.”

Hansen and Elezra gave up, but not Ivey, who made the call before the dealer revealed a 7♥ 3♦ 2♠ flop.

“He called without even thinking about it,” Mercier said. “From watching the last couple of episodes I know that he was really active, but I wasn’t really aware of it at the time. I know he did have over $800k and when he called, I really felt like he had a middle pair, like fives through tens.”

Mercier continuation bet $28,700, Ivey raised it up $50k more and almost instantly, Mercier pushed in for another $110K.

“I was not necessarily expecting him to fold to one bullet, but I didn’t expect him to raise ever,” he said. “There’s almost no hand he should be raising with on that flop. I expected him to call and depending on what came on the turn, I may double barrel.

“The thing is, I hadn’t really been involved in any big pots, so I felt like he was going to give me credit for an overpair at this point. I was 100 % sure he didn’t have a set and I really felt like he was just trying to see where he was at with a pair.

“As soon as he raised, I knew I was going all in.”

Ivey made a reluctant looking call with pocket nines, the turn and river were no help to Mercier and with his $200k buy-in gone, he left the game.

“I knew that if I shoved it was going to look like I had aces, kings or queens and if he can’t beat that, how can he call? That was my rational,” Mercier said. “Plus I had an over card, the gutshot and the back-door flush draw.”

Better luck next time kid.

 

But despite losing more than $200,000 in a single hand to the legendary Ivey, Mercier said there’s not much he would do differently.

“I feel like I played my best,” he said. “Hopefully I didn’t say anything in the interview afterwards that was too bad. I might have said Phil Ivey played his hand badly.

“I mean, I don’t think he’s going to be saying, ‘I owned that kid.’ I don’t think that’s the optimal way to play nines against me, but what can I say? he’s Phil Ivey.

“He’s one of the best in the world, if not the best in the world. But if I had to play the hand again, I don’t think I could do anything else.”

In a game featuring the greatest players in the world, a 23-year-old Mercier may seem overmatched on paper.

But the World Series of Poker and European Poker Tour title holder, with more than $4 million in career live tournament earnings in just the past two years and millions of hands in online cash-game experience, doesn’t seem to think so.

“I thought it was a good opportunity,” he said. “I read the line-up and I felt like I could have an advantage. I feel like I would have an advantage in almost any line-up. Plus, it’s also good exposure.

“When I got there, unfortunately it was a pretty tough line-up. But some of them have their leaks. I still think I would have an edge in that line-up any day of the week.”

Unfortunately for Mercier, not that day of the week.

“I went in there not just trying to survive and make like $20k,” he said. “I was going to take advantage of whatever circumstances I could, whatever hands I was dealt, spots I was given and just try to make some cash.”

If he has one regret from his four hours in the game, it’s from his first hand at the table, where he raised with deuces and folded to a Tom “durrrr” Dwan three bet.

“I probably should have shoved it down durrrr’s throat,” he said. “I would have been considered a legend probably. But I really didn’t want to go broke on the first hand.

“I think you have to play tighter when durrrr’s at the table. You definitely have to change the way you play, but I felt like I was doing a good job of that. I feel like durrrr’s a little tougher to play against than Ivey because he’s so crazy. You can’t really put him on anything.”

But regardless of how things turned out, Mercier said the experience was definitely worth it.

“I was kind of nervous at first,” he said. “But it was definitely fun.”

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In early 2009, Italy’s State Monopolies Autonomous Administration (AAMS) established new online gaming regulations that ring-fence the country’s residents from the rest of the world when it comes to internet gambling.  To abide by the regulations, online poker rooms must allow only Italian players on their sites, house the site’s servers in Italy, can only host tournaments, and every tournament must be pre-approved in real time by the AAMS.  Prior to Microgaming, other poker rooms such as PokerStars, Party Poker, and bwin had established Italy-only rooms.

Regarding his company’s Italian entry in the online poker race, Microgaming CEO Roger Raatgever said, “With the Italian market set to become increasingly open and competitive in the months to come, we are confident that we have the right resources and alliances to support our operators and help them to succeed. Italy is an important region for the future of gaming in Europe, as it has set the standard for other countries wishing to introduce gaming regulations; it is a crucial gateway for further EU expansion.  We remain committed to the Italian market and are keen to play our part in helping our licensees take full advantage of the opportunities that lie therein, and beyond.”

It reference to Raatgever’s comment on Italy’s importance, it may come as a surprise to some that it is Italy, not the U.K., that is the largest e-gaming market in Europe.  According to eGaming Review, regulated e-gaming and betting activities amounted to €18.7 billion in 2009, a figure that included land-based wagering (the majority of the revenue), offshore internet gambling, and onshore internet gambling.

Ladbrokes is no stranger to Microgaming’s services since it has already partnered with the software provider for its non-Italian poker room.  “Microgaming has adapted its services in a way that caters to our specific needs, as we compete in the competitive Italian market,” said Ladbrokes Italia CEO Mattia Nicelli.  “We are confident that this partnership will prove mutually beneficial and that Microgaming’s new venture targeting the Italian market will emulate the success it has experienced around the world.”

The Microgaming Network ranks as the ninth largest for cash game traffic, according to PokerScout.com, although as mentioned previously, the company’s Italian offering will only host tournaments.  The network is home to almost 50 online poker rooms, including Unibet, GNUF, and Crazy Poker.

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On Monday, the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas announced that it would once again play host to the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament on April 13th (a Tuesday). The event, now in its fourth year of play, consistently draws out the cream of the poker playing world along with notable celebrities for an evening of charitable support and poker. The Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) will once again be the recipient of the proceeds raised.

The tournament, which begins at 5:00pm on April 13th, is a $300 buy in No Limit Hold’em event and players will have the opportunity to buy back in for $100 during the first three 20-minute levels. At the end of this period, there is also a $100 add-on option that will give players double their starting stack. Poker’s premier tournament director, Matt Savage, will once again oversee the proceedings and also helm the silent auction that will take place prior to the start of the tournament. The winner of the tournament will take away a seat at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and a special Curtis & Co. watch, with the remainder of the final table splitting up prizes valued at $30,000.

This year’s event will not lack celebrity star power or poker skill. Confirmed celebrities include “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines, “Saved by the Bell” Principal Dennis Haskins, actor Lou Diamond Phillips, modern artist Michael Godard, and ESPN poker commentator Lon McEachern. Top professionals who are slated to appear for the tournament include Marco Traniello, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Hoyt Corkins, Andy Bloch, Chau Giang, David Chesnoff, Lacey Jones, Jeff Madsen, Todd Brunson, James Van Alstyne, Shun Uchida, Erica Schoenberg, David Grey, David Singer, and Lee Watkinson.

The defending champion of the tournament, David “HEYIMDRO” Rowan, will attempt to repeat and 2008 champion Seth Dupree will seek to take his second victory. The inaugural champion of the tournament, noted poker player Kirk Morrison, was able to parlay his win into a deep finish at the 2007 WSOP Main Event, finishing 56th for $154,194, of which he contributed 5% back to the NSPCA. Even with the poker enjoyment and the silent auction, however, the event is about raising funds for the NSPCA, a no-kill animal shelter in Las Vegas.

With the $130,000 in proceeds from the first year of the tournament, the NSPCA was able to add a wing to the property (that was named for Harman) and expand the number of animals it is able to support. Since that first tournament, Harman’s charity event has raised over $500,000 for the NSPCA. Harman has also lent her name to past charitable poker tournaments outside of the NSPCA, such as last year’s two-day event in Reno that raised $111,000 for the National Kidney Foundation, another charitable outreach close to her heart.

The Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament at the Venetian has all the markings of being one of the top charitable poker events of the year. A good cause, high-profile celebrities, and top poker players in attendance all will make for an enjoyable evening for those in attendance.

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