The Nightly Turbo: Phil Hellmuth's Going to Dance, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Tampa Opens Bigger Poker Room, and More
If you haven't finished your holiday shopping yet (don't worry, we haven't either), then you might want to head out into the frigid weather and get started - but first, why don't you get caught up on some of the top news stories of the day. If you're a fan of high-flying leg kicks, barely dressed girls, and clumsy sports stars making fools of themselves, you'll probably want to keep reading. Also, if you're headed South for the winter, you might want to check out the news on Seminole Hard Rock Tampa's new poker room.
In Case You Missed It
Wondering what to buy your online poker grinding female friend for the holidays? You might get some ideas in the latest edition of the Sunday Grind with Christina Lindley.
The PokerStars.net Big Game ended for the season last week and a Loose Cannon champion was crowned. Find out who it was in the Big Game recap.
Sunday is a huge day on the virtual felt, and yesterday was no different. A Mizrachi finished in second place in the Full Tilt Poker $1 million, but it's probably not the one you're thinking about. Check out the Sunday Briefing for more.
The first session of the SuperStar Showdown began and ended Sunday (unlike that other Challenge). Find out if Isildur1 notched the win, or if it was Issac Haxton who bested the Swede in our SuperStar Showdown recap.
By now, you know Harry Reid's Internet poker bill is dead and gone. Wondering how it all went down? We take a look at how it all happened.
Trying to come up with a name for your online poker account? There are some pretty clever names out there. Check out What's in a Name for some ideas.
Put Your Dancing Shoes On
Over the weekend, Phil Hellmuth tweeted an interesting piece of information.
"OMG! Phil Hellmuth (me!) on "Dancing with the Stars!" Outrageous! Might make a fool out of myself on Worldwide Television one more time..."
We don't know about you, but we're kinda excited to see the Poker Brat put on some sparkles and try to rumba. Will we start calling him the "Dancing Brat" and will he hem and haw so much, that people will get tired of his antics and be voted off first? Only time will tell.
10,000 Square Feet of Poker
Yes, we know that the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, Florida, has a poker room, but its gotten a little bit bigger recently. The 10,000-square-foot room opened over the weekend and features a high-limit area, a service bar, multi-station cashier stand, and its own restrooms.
"The new Poker Room allows us to continue to offer the best high stakes live action poker and tournaments on the West Coast of Florida,” Russ Christianson, casino vice president for the Tampa Hard Rock said.
To celebrate, a series of special events including free prizes and a Christmas party and tournament will take place from December 21 through 24.
PokerPlayerNewspaper.com has more.
No Young Guns Allowed
The Los Angeles Poker Classic has added a seniors event to its schedule. It's the first time an event such as this will be played at LAPC. Players 50 and older will be allowed to play in the $545 buy-in event. It takes place on February 23 at 1 p.m.
"By giving our more mature players an opportunity to compete against others more in keeping with their own mindset, playing style, speed and experience, we create an environment that is exclusive and yet more relaxing," Tournament Director Matt Savage said. "Coupled with the fact that the exclusivity makes for a smaller field, it increases the odds of success for these senior players, who often feel shut out of prize pools. One player will have bragging rights as the LA Poker Classic Senior Champion for the next year, and he'll have a really nice payday."
Want to find out more? Check out the press release.
Ladbrokes in Talks to Acquire 888
Ladbrokes is in talks to acquire its rival 888. Ladbrokes has confirmed the talks and the Sunday Telegraph reports the online poker site has made an offer of £70 per share. Both companies released a statement Monday morning to the London Stock Exchange confirming that "there can be no certainty that these discussions will ultimately lead to an offer."
The deal on the table, which values 888 at £240 million is significantly less than the £470 million that Ladbrokes offered in its first attempt to buy 888 in 2006. Head of Ladbrokes PR Ciaran O'Brien pointed out that the talks were in the “early days,” and “nothing was certain” yet.
EGRMagazine.com has more.
Goodbye Snowy Prague
Miss any of the action of the PokerStars.net European Poker Tour Prague, check out the Prague recap, as well as some bloopers, because we all love bloopers.
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You still have time to qualify for Tuesdays $2,500 freeroll on Winner Poker, just 10 Winner Points are needed before 19:35 GMT tomorrow.
