CHIPPED UP
Devilfish
After being forced to swim up-stream for most of last year, next month’s cover star has found his way into calmer waters at the start of 2009. With two major tournaments and over a quarter-of-a-million dollars already under his belt, the Fish has already won more at this early stage of the year than he did in the whole of 2008.
U.S. Judges
Over the past couple of months, a string of landmark verdicts in U.S. court cases have streamlined the case for the current legislation regarding poker to be called in for serious review. Judges from Pennsylvania and Colorado have both recently overturned illegal gambling charges on the grounds of poker being a skill game, meaning a reappraisal of the current law looks imminent.
Tom Dwan’s Million Dollar Challenge
Tom Dwan has thrown down the gauntlet for what promises to be one of THE poker contests of the current era by wagering $1.5 million to a challenger’s $500,000 that they can’t make a profit off of him over 50,000 hands of heads-up poker. Needless to say, big boys Ivey, Antonius and Benyamine have all signed up for the contest.
High Stakes Poker Season 5
After some uncertainty about the shown being aired, the poker community collectively breathed a sigh of relief as High Stakes Poker Season 5 started filming late last year. With the show’s release imminent, we here at WPT Poker are getting very excited over the new show’s line-up, which sees the HS debuts of Tom Dwan, Ivan Demidov and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies to name but a few.
DONKED OFF
Governor Steve Beshear
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear recently had his attempts to seize the domain names of 141 gaming websites rebuffed after the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association successfully fought the case at an Appeals Court. The judge presiding the matter ruled that the seizure of the websites was “unlawful” and that Mr Beshear’s action raised a number of serious issues with regards to the First Amendment.
LarsLuzak
It may only be the end of February, but 21-year-old Finnish poker pro Sami Kelopuro has already managed to lose more at the tables than most of us will earn in the entire year. Kelopuro, who plays under the screen name LarsLuzak was dismantled in a $500/$1,500 NLHE heads-up match by Full Tilt pro Phil Ivey and now finds himself top of the yearly online losers’ list with $425,851 in deficits.
UK Transport System
You’ve got to love the British way of doing things. A little bit of snow and the whole country grounds to a halt. Those of us unable to get to the local cardroom had to make do with some online cash indoors. Bah.
