Ivey Gets a Divorce

Not that its anyone's business but
Phil Ivey and his wife Luciaetta
have gotten a divorce. Its a tough
lifestyle being married to a professional
gambler who isnt home much.
Interesting to see how this affects
Ivey's gambling habits. He might
go a little crazy or he might become
super focused. We shall see.

new PAD episodes

Poker After Dark this week will probably
be worth watching. Its supposed to be a
$100k min/$250k max buy-in cash game.

Good mix of action players and donkeys.
Durrr, Ivey, Hellmuth, Antonius, Gus
and Daniel.

Binions Closing Hotel Rooms

On December 14th, 365 rooms of Binion's
Gambling Hall will be mothballed and
100 employees will be laid off. The great little
coffee shop located at the back and the
Keno lounge will also be closed.

No word whether the hotel will be renovated
once the economy returns to a more robust state.

Seneca Bad Beat Jackpot

$401,796

Holy Mackinaw !

Sets a new record and
ready to pop. Might have
to spend some time in niagara
Thats an insane table share.

Crazy Big Pot !

Isildur and Patrik Antonius playing $500/1000.
The pot ended up over $1.35M. As far as I know
this is the biggest pot in online poker history.

BCPC winner arrested

30 yr old Sophon Sek of CloverdaleBC,
winner of the BC Poker Championship,
was arrested for manslaughter in connection
with the "Surrey 6 Slaughter". Sek is
the 6th person charged in connection
with the 2007 highrise slayings, which
claimed the lives of 4 suspected gang
members and 2 innocent bystanders.

His arrest comes just two days after
Sek took home $364,364 for outlasting
679 others in the $2,700 buy-in
BC Poker Championship Main Event.

Sek's 1st-place winnings are currently being
held by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.
No word when or if they will be released.
Pretty sure Sek could use the funds to help
with some legal bills.

Vegas Trip Report

Tues Nov 3:

Flight out was on time, but crowded and very warm.
Another great airfare deal, $63 each way plus tax.

Arrived in Vegas approx 4pm. Picked up the rental car,
a Chevy Aveo. Budget car for sure, manual windows
and locks. No cupholders, WTF ! Only 30,000 miles
but rattles galore. First bet of the trip... will this car
reach 50,000 miles before being scrapped ?

Made our way to the RIO. Fast, smooth check-in.
Room 1622 was big and clean. In room safe, fridge,
couch and granite writing desk were nice features.
Beds were acceptable but nothing to write home about.
Less than expectation. Rooms were complimentary,
so no complaining from me. Starbucks located at the
elevators on way up to rooms is a plus, although line up
was often lengthy.

Very hungry so went across the street to the Gold Coast.
Quality of the buffet was less than previous trips.
Hard to beat AYCE for two for about $12 (with 241
ACG coupon). Used ACG $5 match play on roulette.
Ran that up to +$15 and quit.

Drove to the 99¢ Store to stock up on snacks, beverages,
vitamins and toiletries. -$20 but worth every penny.
Save a lot of money buying stuff like gatorade/energy drinks/
protein bars there rather than $3 each at 7-11. Feeling very
tired so headed back to the RIO to have some mindless
slot machine fun and sleep. +$18

Wed Nov 11:
Up before 7am (a vegas first for me). Wanted to
make it in time for breakfast at the South Point.
Used 241 POV coupon. $7.51 for two of us.
Nothing amazing, but left very satisfiied. 7.5/10
Poker room was totally empty at 10am. Slots were
very tight, ate my $20 bill in no time. No rewards/offers
for new club signups. They did have $5 blackjack
and craps tables open early.

Went to the Venetian for a dose of $1/2 NL holdem.
Pretty good action just ran bad $-160.
Gina had a good session. +$305

Headed downtown to Main Street Station for some food.
MSS is generally considered the best buffet downtown and
didnt disappoint. $11.88 for 2 with ACG. Good hot food. 8/10.
-$20 playing video poker.

Walked over to Binions and played some Pai Gow
for 2 hours. -$10. Binions poker room wasnt too
busy so we sat down and played for a bit. I saw a
4-way all in pot worth over $900 and no one showed
the nuts. Finished +$50.

Hung out on fremont street and watched the light show.
Had a 99¢ deep fried Twinky and a deep fried Oreo cookie
from Mermaids. They were as disgusting as they were cheap.
Mermaids was packed with drunk kids under 25. I'm sure
they love these nasty greaseball treats.

Back to the RIO poker room for a couple hours before bed. +$86
Thurs:
Drove down to the Silverton Casino. Their buffet is no longer open for breakfast or lunch during the week.
Kinda disappointing.
Went to the Orleans buffet instead.
Food was hot and flavorful. 9/10

Next stop, the Monte Carlo poker room. Only 1 table
of $2/4 limit holdem going. Put our names on the
interest list for $1/2 NL and sat down at the limit table.
Didnt take long, couple of orbits before the NL table
started up short handed. Got hit over the head
with cards, wish I could get cards like that with
a full table and deep stacks. +$110.
Good drink service, strong cocktails :)

Went to check out Caesars Palace poker room.
Not sure why, its been pretty disappointing the
last couple visits. Their Bad Beat Jackpot was
at $210k with quad 3's qualifier. - $200.

Back to Silverton for dinner. A little early,
so did some browsing at the Bass Pro Shop
on the other end of the casino. Stumbled across
a demo setup of Nintendo Wii Fishing.
Havent really played video games since i was
a teenager, but had a riot. Thursdays is hawaiin
themed buffet (one of Silvertons primary clientele).
$21.61 for two (ACG) including free mai tai's,
which were totally delicious. 8.5/10

No better way to spend an evening in vegas than
at the Venetian poker room. Another bad run of cards
for me. Had to lay down top set with KK on KJT flop
and a Q on turn. Later, my KK ran into AA, all in preflop.
Ended the session -$200.

Fri:
Slept in a bit and Checked out of the RIO.
Went to Terrible's Casino for a cheap and easy breakfast.
$8.64 for 2 with ACG. 5.5/10. There were lots of machines
that were shut down or malfunctioning. Not sure what that
means. Casino was busy though.

Checked in at Imperial Palace around noon. Room 1669 was
pretty typical of other rooms at the IP. A/C wasnt super cold,
probably would have to change rooms if it was mid summer.

Headed up the street to the Mirage. Decent room, good drink
service. +$19 Posted Rake is $1 per $10 in the pot ($4max)

Dropped by the Orleans to kill some time and play some slots.
Very busy. Shitty drink service.

Went to dinner at Makino for sushi. Its close to the RIO,
just north of Flamingo Rd. on Decatur. Excellent sushi,
sashimi. Dessert and hot food ok, the rest was Fantastic.
9.5/10

Back to the IP to play some poker. I continue to run bad.
Had 3 sets cracked in 45 minutes. Had JJ beat by T2,
all in on a flop of T73. Finished session -$300.

Walked down to the Flamingo poker room. Had 83 in sb.
Flop 832 with two clubs. utg+1 calls my donk bet of $10.
Turn is 7clubs, i check, he bets $30. I insta-muck face up.
utg+1 tables 83off, same hand. I guess my poker's not at
a high enough level to put an early position player on 83o.
Only other hand I played, I have TT in small blind.
Cut-off raises to $10, i call. Flop is 963 rainbow,
I check raise all-in. Opponent shows QQ. -$100.

Walked down to Balleys. Made up some lost ground.
Stole some orphaned pots, and somehow made AK
into a winning hand. +$425

Sat:
Drove downtown for lunch buffet at the Fremont Hotel.
$11.85 for two buffets with coupon. Improved since
last visit. All the food was very hot. Ate my monies
worth in smoked salmon alone. 8/10

Went across the street to the Golden Nugget.
Lost 2 short stack buyins of -$100. Bad players,
just got unlucky.

Played Pai Gow over at Binions for a couple hours.
Was ahead most of the time but left -$50 because
of a sick run by dealer.

Binions poker room was a little better to me.
+$320 mostly because of one hand i slowplayed.
Limped with JJ in middle position. Board came
KJQ 9 9. Opponent shoved on the river with his J9.
Basically got me back to even for the day. Had dinner
at Binions Cafe (downstairs at the back, near
Bennys Bullpen). Prime Rib dinner with potato,
veggies, and hearty soup for $9.95. For two of us,
the total came to $19.73 with drinks after $3 players
club discount (used comps earned playing pai gow).
Highly recommended, great hot home cooked type food.

Went back to Imperial Palace for more poker.
Fast drink service, but they tasted brutal.
Note to server: most people who drink Crown Royal
can distinguish it from Jack Daniels.
Witnessed one of the most brutal procedural rulings
by a floor manager ever. After the flop, the dealer
prematurely swept in the board cards, thinking that
all players had folded to a players bet (but there was
still a player with live cards yet to act). Floor is called.
He gives the player who has yet to act the option to
1) fold and forfeit the pot, or 2) call and turn over both
hands to see who wins (has the best TWO CARD HAND,
no board cards). IMO, the stub was not fouled and was
easily retrievable. The 3 flop cards were KNOWN and
retrievable from the muck.

The most fair thing to do would be to recreate the board
and continue. The least fair option is to decide who wins
based on who had the best starting hand. I offered the
supervisor example of flopping an open ended
straight-flush draw with suited connectors, versus an
opponent with pocket 22. While the 22 technically has
the best two card hand, the open ended straight flush draw
is a 70% fave ! Being the smart ass I am, I requested that
the floor spread a No Flop Holdem game, winner is decided
by their starting hand. He declined. Ended the session +$65

Walked next door to Harrah's poker room. -$174
i got stacked twice, taking two tough beats.
Also had KsQs on JsTs3h board, got it all in,
was called by 99, LOL. No help.

Went over to the Flamingo. +$25.
Regulars/locals started rolling in at 2am.
Game got real tough quickly. Starting at 4am,
all of the high hand bonuses double. Would have
like to stick around for that, but the game sucked.

Back to the IP. Played some video poker before bed, +$11

Sun:
Strolled by Tix4Tonight at Casino Royale on our way
to breakfast. Picked up 2 tix for the Cirque de Solei
show Mystere, $58 each incl service charge.
Also got 2 vouchers for $14.95 ($5 off) for
Todai Sushi at Planet Hollywood. Walked across
the street to Treasure Island to pick up the tickets,
always a good idea to p/u early to get first choice.
Got some nice seats in third row.

Drove to Silverton for sunday champagne brunch
2 for $18.36 (ACG). Some nice smoked salmon and
stuffed crab. The french toast was tremendous.
Desserts were A+. 9/10.
Hit the bathrooms on our way out. Saw an elderly man
stealing a large quantity of paper towel. He managed
to conceal them well and evade security on his way out.
Another vegas first !

Decided to give the Stratosphere a try.
1 table of $1/2 going plus about 20 players in a tournament.
Started playing shorthanded at a must-move table before
playing at the main table. Very friendly and social game,
lots of laughing and jokes, lots of $2 limping
(just the way i like it) with generally bad/weak players.
Example: there was an all in raise-fest on a JJ622 board.
Two players show a 2 and third player mucks.
Played from 3-5pm. Finished -$8. Placed some futures
bets at the Strat sports book. I got a couple tickets for
my nephews christmas stockings. $5 on Montreal,
$5 on Calgary to win the Stanley Cup.

Headed back to the room at IP to freshen up and
relax for a half hour. Back to the Harrah's poker room.
Plenty of weak players, just couldnt get dealt many
playable cards. +$40.

Walked up to TI for the Cirque show. Pretty amazing.
I see why Guy is a billionaire. Cant get enough poker
so we went next door to the Mirage poker room.
The room was busy but seemed poorly organized.
Got seated at an outer table by the sportsbook,
very smokey, almost unbearable. Didnt stay too long. $+26

Mon:
Had lunch at Todai Sushi $34.43 for two.
Pretty decent, but not amazing. 8/10

Downtown to the ElCortez. Free slotplay, played Deuces Wild
video poker, cashed out +$5. Thought about playing the $1-6
spread limit poker game at the ElCo, but owner Jackie Goeghan
wasnt playing so I headed to Binions instead. About 2:15pm,
only 3 tables running, no one moving so I had to wait.
Somehow I had my seat given away while i went to the
washroom (away 3-4minutes tops). Dealer/floor lady didnt
seam to understand what the words "Lock Up" that were
written next to my name meant. I told the guy who
was at the desk when I left, that I'd be right back so please
lock up my seat. He apparently went on break but wrote it
on the sign up sheet. Took another half hour for a seat
to open up. Didnt take me long to realize that 7-8 of
the players at the table were good, i left after 15 minutes
with a $4 profit. Basically, a total waste of the afternoon.

I did learn something though.....
Monday afternoon is a bad time to buy drugs on Fremont.
Walking along the Fremont Street Experience on my way
back to the ElCo, I saw 5 people tweeking hard.
One guy wearing a shirt and tie was preaching to an
invisible congregation. Testify ! Another was trying
to take a shower fully clothed in the bushes. When the
sprinklers failed to give him adequate (any) water,
he got on his knees and demanded that they turn on.

Back to the Mirage for some early evening poker.
First table was tough, too many skilled players, asked for
a table change before the end of the first orbit.
Was granted one quickly. New table was much softer.
Ran into one of the worst dealers ever (#1?).
Her name was Rachel, a puffy eyed bleach blonde lady
of 55+years. She did her best to tilt me with her total
incompetance. First hand she dealt, she collects the bets
and makes a pot before the action is complete.
Big blind raises and there's total confusion as to
who has how much in the pot. Overall, slow as fuck !
Slow dealing, slow counting the box, slow following
the action. Later, she pushed a pot to Ace high
when there was full house on board. I managed to play
my 'A' game the entire trip so far with the exception of
a couple hours of 'B' game play when i was tired late.
This dealer drove me to drink...lol
I started feeling pretty good in no time.
There was a 35 year old couple that wandered into
the poker room from the sportsbook. I could hear her say
" I don’t think we're allowed in here" as they sat down
on one of the couches by the big screen tv.
I leaned over and said with a totally serious face
"someone's going to ask to see your ID in a second".
Before the panic spread from the woman’s face to the
rest of her body, I let her off the hook with a big roar
of laughter. Turns out they were from Ottawa, first trip
to vegas, so we had a long chit-chat about where to go,
what to see and do. Cocktails ! Left +$86

Got a $20 comp from the supervisor. Not too hard to
get if you ask. Went to the BLT Burger restaurant
inside the Mirage. Ordered 2 Angus burgers, 2 fries
and 1 shake. $40 ! Pretty steep. The comp ticket
took a bit of the sting out, brought it down to
fair market value. 7.5/10

Off to Harrah’s for an hour of poker. +$40
Watched Monday Night Football.
Steelers win, therefore do I. +$20.

Back to the IP poker room. Another sketchy floor ruling
(same supervisor). Guy to my right had the clock called
on him (lol) by a feeble 80yr old man. Old guy wasn’t in
the hand and dude barely got 30 seconds for his decision
before the supe was called over. I objected.
I wasn’t in the hand, but the guy deserved more time.
It was for his whole stack ($200+). I don’t remember
the exact cards on the board, but it was coordinated enough
that any thinking player would need some time to analyze it.
I asked the floor what amount of time should pass before a
clock is called. His reply…”the time it takes for me to
walk over here”. I said “ so if I call the clock on someone
the moment its their turn and you get here 5 seconds later,
they have a total of 65 seconds to decide or their hand is dead ?”
......Yes ! After the hand was complete (buddy timed out
and was folded) I told the old man, “No disrespect sir,
but you better make your decisions instantly or I’ll be
calling the clock on you every hand.” Despite attempts by
several players at the table to get him to stick around
(and continue donating), he and his wife left after
another orbit to spread their miserable attitudes elsewhere.
The room was super cold, but at least the Corona’s
were coming frequently. Another table broke and
3 aggro kids with big stacks joined our table.
Killed action from the weak players. Left after two orbits.
Ended the session +$100. Late night snack at the Cafe at
Bills Gambling Hall. $5.95 Steak + Eggs special. Pretty good
value. Seat by the door, not sure if the whole restaurant
was smokey or if it was just because of our proximity to
the casino floor.

Tues:
Last day, so up early. Hit the Harrah’s Café for
breakfast at 10:30. Didn’t seem like great value.
2 eggs, hashbrowns, 3 strips of bacon,
toast, coffee, (x2) came to $28.06 + tip.
Used harrah’s points to pay since it
seamed like a rip off paying cash.

Walked up to the Venetian. Played poker for 2 hours.
-$18, not much action, pretty nitty. Made the last of
my sportsbook wagers -$40 (until they win).
Got a good price on Pittsburgh to win the Superbowl 9/1

Went back to the IP to get the car. Car Gone ! Car Gone !
Looked everywhere, no car. Took a while to realize we
somehow walked back to the IP from the Mirage last night.
Walked over to the Mirage to get our "stolen" car…lol.

Drove down to Balleys. Got a good view of a young woman
flashing her bare crotch going up the escalator. Yeah Vegas !
Played poker and drank a lot of Corona’s for 3 hours. +$110.

It was nice having the IP room comped for an extra night,
there was no rush to check out. Went back to the room to shower
and relax for a half hour before having to leave.

Hit the Gold Coast buffet one last time for some quick eats.
$12.50 for two using ACG coupon.

Refueled the car ($-23 for the week) and took the shuttle to catch the plane.

A totally great trip, didn’t bring home stacks of money,
but had as much fun as I’ve ever had.

Tuna Lund Passes

Hans “Tuna” Lund died on November 6th
of cancer at the young age of 59.

He won his first WSOP bracelet in 1978
in the $1,500 No Limit Event.

In 1996 he won his 2nd bracelet in
the $1,500 Ace to Five Draw event
and cashed in 3 other bracelet events
that year.

Notable finishes include 3 final tables
at the 1992 WSOP including 3rd in the
'92 Main Event, 2nd place at the 1990 Main Event,
2nd place at the $1500 NL Holdem events in '88 & '86,
22 WSOP cashes and a dozen or so WPT cashes.

In his career, he grossed over $3 million.
While not that impressive a number by todays
standards, Tuna was away from poker for
over a decade to spend more time with his family.



"You’ve got to have the heart of a lion,
play fearless, don’t be afraid and,
when you roar, they better back up.”
- Hans Tuna Lund.

Away

Been super busy lately,
not much time for blogging.
Off to vegas for a couple weeks.
I'll catch up with you all
when I return. Hopefully
have some good stuff to post.

Will

Fame for Sexton

Congrats to Mike Sexton.
According to a leaked article by the LVRJ,
Mike has been selected for induction to
the Poker Hall of Fame.

No big surprise really.
He is worthy.

UB behind the scenes

Just finished reading Haley Hintze's blog.
She's posted a series of TERRIFIC articles
that go into great detail about what is known
about the AP/UB scandle and the people behind it.
She pulls no punches and gives lots of factual
details including names and a timeline.

http://haleyspokerblog.blogspot.com/

I'm a new fan of her blog !

D. Phillips on HSP6

Main event disappointment Dennis Phillips
announced on his radio show that he will be
appearing on Season 6 of High Stakes Poker.

PokerStars will be prominantly sponsoring
HSP6, which is fuelling rumours that Stars pro
Vanessa Rousso will be the female co-host
to replace AJ Benza. Vanessa however has
posted comments indicated she wont be the
host. I guess that leaves Shana Hiatt and
Leeann Tweeden as the likely front runners.

Go SHANA !

PS Million $ Challenge

Had a chance to watch the PSM$C
on Sunday in between football games.

I thought it was pretty decent.
Certainly a couple steps above FT's Face the Ace.
I wasnt expecting quality poker like we get
to see on High Stakes Poker. It is after all
a game show thats based on poker.
Chris Rose did a fine job hosting. His
previous experience on other poker shows
was evident. Lesson learned from Face the Ace.
Daniel Negreanu, was the star of the show
as expected. His narration and commentary
were sharp and relevent. Basically what
Daniel does on every show he appears on.
All these things combined with a pretty sweet
time slot after NFL football, give PSM$C a shot
to actually catch on and gain a following of new
and existing casual poker players.

I'd be interested to know how many players they
got for the $20k freeroll they were advertising
during the show.

Roll building update

To follow up on the ealier post I made about winning
a $25 bankroll on ReeferPoker from Tony Guererra....

I've been trying out the cash games the last few days.

Play on Reefer is so much softer/more passive
than I'm used to on FTP. Low/Micro stakes on Full Tilt
has become almost unbeatable. Reefer on the other
hand, it's like going back in time 2-3 years. Tonnes of
limpers preflop (4-7 ppl at full ring), not much isolating.
When they do play more aggro (evenings seem more aggr),
its often very noobish, Raise 10x or just shove preflop
with TT or JJ or protect their mid pair. The other thing
I see is passive play PF, Flop + Turn, then shove all in
on the River with the nuts. Lots of players have no concept
of value bet. They're not all aweful, but enough of them are.
I cant believe how many of them stack off drawing dead !

The other newbie thing they do is showing cards,
winners and bluffs. I get shown more hands
voluntarily in one session than I have gotten
shown the entire year on full tilt. Reefer has a
show one card only feature, some of them use that,
others just show both cards for free.

Right now, I'm playing very nitty, probably 10%,
I've run the $25 up to $45, playing $0.04NL
and $0.05 Omaha8. Playing 2 tables, buying in
for 50bb or less. Once I get it up to $75-100
i'll move up stakes.

Rake is low there (5%), compared to FTP (10%+).
Keep more of your money and keeps bad players alive longer.

http://www.reeferpoker.com/real-money/reefer-poker-rake.html
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/rake.php

I think their main advertising is in High Times and
other weed magazines, so not exactly getting many
mainstream good players.

The software isnt world class but acceptable.
I'm having the odd flash/freezing issues if I have
other programs running at the same time.
Reefer (on the Merge Network) isnt directly compatible
with HoldemManager or PokerTracker, although you can
buy adapting software, so I suspect almost No One is
using a HUD or keeping your stats. (I suspect atleast
1/2 - 2/3 of the people on FTP run tracking software)


MICROSTAKES COMPARISON
Totally unscientific, I opened up FTP and Reefer at
the same time and did a comparison of Total Pot Size
and % Players to Flop stats.

Full Tilt stats taken during double points happy hour
which plays looser than normal, table selected looking
for loosest tables available. Often on Reefer there's only
one or two tables available at any given stakes.
(weekends have by far the most traffic and worst players)

OMAHA/8, 9handed $0.05/ $0.10
Reefer
$2.41 --- 75%
FullTilt
$1.89 --- 35%

OMAHA/8, 9handed $0.02/ $0.04 (Reef) $0.02/$0.05 (tilt)
Reefer
$1.01 --- 75%
FullTilt
$1.55 --- 42%

OMAHA/8, 6max $0.02/ $0.04 (Reef) $0.02/$0.05 (tilt)
Reefer
$2.00 --- 72%
FullTilt
$1.99 --- 47%

OMAHA/8, 9handed $0.50/ $1.00
Reefer
$21.97 --- 67%
FullTilt
$18.38 --- 49%

NL Holdem, 9handed $0.02/ $0.04 (Reef) $0.02/$0.05 (tilt)
Reefer
$1.68 --- 36%
$1.46 --- 58%
FullTilt
$1.38 --- 31%
$1.36 --- 27%

NL Holdem, 6max $0.02/ $0.04 (Reef) $0.02/$0.05 (tilt)
Reefer
$1.68 --- 36%
$1.46 --- 58%
FullTilt
$1.39 --- 34% ( most tables are $0.39-$1.20 and 30%)
$1.52 --- 41%

NL Holdem, 9handed $0.05/ $0.10
Reefer
$2.79 --- 39%
$2.83 --- 45%
FullTilt
$1.61 --- 36% (most tables are $1.00-$1.40 and 21%-32%)
$1.47 --- 45%

NL Holdem, 6max $0.10/ $0.25
Reefer
$8.31 --- 41%
$8.93 --- 43%
$10.19 -- 46%
FullTilt
$9.10 --- 32%
$8.48 --- 37%
$8.80 --- 31%

LIMIT Holdem, 9handed $0.25/ $0.50
Reefer
$1.94 --- 72%
$2.28 --- 57%
FullTilt
$1.81 --- 34%
$2.62 --- 27%

The tournaments are pretty weak too.
Most of their guarantees seem to be
getting covered, but the fields are fairly
small and beatable.

I'm moving a bunch of my FullTilt roll to Reefer,
definitely worth checking out IMO.

Free DeucesCracked Sneak-Peek

The weather around here is not looking so good
for the upcoming weekend, so what better time
to check out some free training videos at

https://www.deucescracked.com/promotions/freeflashweekend

Not sure where to start ? Check out the video guide.

http://www.deucescracked.com/forums/7-All-About-DeucesCracked/28164-DC-Video-Guide-Updated-Se

The key thing that separates DeucesCracked
from other sites is the fact members can download
all videos (DRM-free) to your computer and they are
yours to keep and watch even if you cancel your
subscription. (ie: you own them). Other sites have
their videos password protected so you cant watch
them once your subscription expires.

It's a great value, $30 for a month (no $100 signup
admin fee B.S. like most other sites) and you can
try it for 7 days free. If its not for you, cancel
(very easy to do, no tricks) and you wont be billed.

If you decide to join as a member later on,
show me some love and sign up through
one of the links on this page.

Cheap Flights to Vegas

Spirit Air has a seat sale. flights from
Detroit to Las Vegas for $63-73 each way.

$150 roundtrip flight.
$20-50 night hotel.
No excuses.
You should go to Vegas before 2010.

AJ Benza off HSP ?

Browsing http://Pokerati.com
I read that season 6 of High Stakes Poker
may not include co-host AJ Benza. During a
recent interview on the Miserable Men Show
on Sirius/XM radio, AJ Benza said he "found out
through the grapevine that they may replace him
with a female co-host." Benza later offered a
compromise to his GSN bosses. "I'm all for me and
Gabe doing the way we do it and then them going
down to a chick at the table after a big pot and then
kicking it back up to me and Gabe."

I dont think getting rid of Benza is a bad idea
necessarily, but replacing him with a woman likely is.
Gabe and AJ have a unique antagonistic rapport.
I dont think you can have that with a woman co-host.
Look at how many female hosts the WPT has had.
Almost one per season. Aside from Shana Hiatt,
of those ladies were ever able to develop any kind of
lasting connection with the audience.

Marc Emery

Warning: Zero Poker Content

Regardless of where you stand on pot,
this guys case should be important to
all Canadians.

On July 29, 2005, the RCMP arrested Marc Emery.
The arrest was the result of a U.S. Federal Grand Jury
indictment on charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana,
Marijuana Seeds and Conspiracy to Engage in Money
Laundering based on Emery's sale of seeds to US customers.
The U.S. Attorney's Office filed an extradition request with
the Canadian government that he be brought to Seattle to
stand trial. If convicted in the U.S. on either of the marijuana
charges, he could face prison sentences ranging from a
minimum of 10 years to life in prison.

Although the sale of cannabis seeds is also illegal in Canada,
Marc Emery has not been charged by Canadian authorities.

In early 2008, 2 of the charges Emery faced 'Conspiracy to
distribute marijuana and Conspiracy to engage in money
laundering', were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea
on the charge of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.
The deal would see Emery serve a five year term for
violations of U.S. prohibition laws, but would serve it
on Canadian soil. On Canadian soil, he would have
been released on parole within a year. However,
the Conservative government of Canada refused
to agree to the deal. For that reason, Emery is now
faced with being imprisoned in a U.S. facility for
a full five-year term.

Today, Marc Emery turned himself in to authorities
and is in custody waiting to be extradited to the USA.
Emery will be held for 30 days to give him time to appeal
and then, once the federal justice minister has signed the
removal order, Emery will be handed over to the U.S.

Regardless of your beliefs on drug policy or Marc Emery's
activism, the fact remains that Marc Emery's case is about
sovereignty. I am not a pot-head. I'm an upstanding citizen,
who strongly believes in Canadian sovereignty and the
LIBERTY (www.thefreedictionary.com/liberty) of our citizens.
If a Canadian citizen is guilty of committing a crime in Canada,
then arrest and charge them in Canada. We shouldnt be
exporting our justice system to the United States and
we must not abandon Canadian citizen Marc Emery by
allowing his extradition.

You can find an easy, pre-written emailer to the
Prime Minister & Minister of Justice at http://www.whyprohibition.ca/campaign/do-not-extradite-marc-emery

Bob Stupak dead at 67

from www.digitaljournal.com


Famous Las Vegas entrepreneur, Bob Stupak,
builder of the Stratosphere Tower, owner of
Vegas World, died after battling leukemia in
Las Vegas Friday. Bob Stupak died Friday at
Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas after battling
Leukemia. He was 67.

Stupak was best known for building the
Stratosphere Hotel and the 1,149-foot-tall
Tower that still dominates the north end
of the Las Vegas Strip. Before the Stratosphere
he had the Vegas World, which was born from his
venture called ‘Bob Stupak’s World Famous Historic
Gambling Museum and Casino.’ When he first arrived
in Vegas in the 1970’s he started with a restaurant.

Bob Stupak was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
April 6, 1942. According to wikapedia, once he was
of legal age he arrived in Vegas and started a coupon
book venture. After a rough go at business in Australia
he was asked to leave the country and ended back in
Vegas in 1971 and put together enough money to buy
1.5 acres of land north of Sahara Ave and Las Vegas Blvd.
After the gambling museum burned down he opened
Vegas World and in the 1980’s he grossed $100,000,000 a year.
In 1979 he won a highly publicized million dollar wager on
Super Bowl XXII and then later that year he won the
Deuce to Seven Lowball championship bracelet in the
World Series of Poker.

In 1995 he was in a horrific motorcycle accident, breaking
every bone in his face. At that time he was building the
Stratosphere, which opened in 1996. It was a financial
blunder at the time costing $550 million to construct which
went into bankruptcy and was sold.

During his life in Las Vegas he was in constant pursuit of
political office but never won a position in any political office.
Senator Harry Reid commented to Jay David Murphy on
the passing of Bob Stupak, "Bob has been my friend for
35 years, and I was saddened to learn of his passing.
Las Vegas has seen many visionary people come and go
throughout the years, but few personified the town like
Bob did. He was a genuine Las Vegas character. My thoughts
and prayers go out to Bob's family and friends during this
difficult time."

For Bob Stupak, Las Vegas was a roller coaster ride, but he l
eaves a legacy on Las Vegas Boulevard -- his vision, his
Stratosphere, which continues to this day to amaze visitors,
now with roller coaster rides on its top.

Hellmuth coaching Shulman ?

Reports are swirling around the Phil Hellmuth
is now coaching Jeff Shulman's for the Main Event
Final Table in november. Somehow I knew Phil
would find a way to weasel his way into the
television spotlight. Hopefully Jeff sticks to his
own game plan and just uses Phil as a way to
distract the media from is previous "bracelet in
the garbage" comments.

Joe Sebok signs with UB

Joe Sebok has joined UltimateBet as one of the
site's sponsored players and has also taken a
company position as a "media and operations consultant".

Sebok says "I wanted to get three things accomplished:
get the cheating account handles out in the open, open up
the access for players to get all their hand histories, and get
the actual physical names of the cheaters, besides Russ
Hamilton, out in the open. We succeeded in getting two-thirds
of that list done and that was enough for me to come on board
and continue to work for #3 on that list,"


Unfortunately, players are still having problems getting hand
histories sent to them. Emails from support are often returned
with "you can retrieve your hand histories by opening up
UltimateBet, selecting Menu and then select Hand Histories"
LOL.

If you cant get complete hand histories, knowing the cheating
account handles doesnt help you one bit.

As far as getting the real names of other cheaters released,
all I can say is... poor naive Joe, good luck with that one.

Bluewater Classic

Good luck to all my friends and aquaintances
who're taking a shot at winning the Bluewater
Classic tournament in Sarnia this week.

The $150+20 NL on Wednesday is sold out.
Still seats available for $300+35 on Thursday.
Day 2 of the $600+70 main event is sold out.
Still some seats for Day 1 left. This event is
basically the only "high" (lol) buy-in tourny
in the area, so usually sells out.

Hopefully the Canadian Poker Tour will
expand next year to include more events
in Ontario. Gotta move to Calgary if you
wanna be a tournament superstar in Canada.