The Nightly Turbo: All-In for CP Charity Event, Tony G is Qualified, and More
The tournament scene is on fire this week with major events taking place on the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour. There's also charity tournament with a big message taking place in Las Vegas on Friday, and we have all the details for you in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
The Global Poker Index released its rankings as of Dec. 5. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier is the new No. 1 after passing Erik Seidel.
Scott Clements was among the leaders after Day 2 of the World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic. Find out who Clements was chasing in our daily recap.
The PokerNews Podcast crew is in Prague this week. The team caught up with Fatima De Melo to discuss her days as a professional athlete, the difference between men and women at the poker table, and more.
The World Poker Tour is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this week. PokerNews' Chad Holloway took a look back at 10 years of the WPT with CEO Steve Heller and commentator Mike Sexton.
Players, Celebrities Pull Together for Cerebral Palsy
On Friday, Dec. 9, the Fourth Annual All-In for CP charity poker tournament will be held at the Venetian in Las Vegas. The event, hosted by the One Step Closer Foundation and the Sam Simon Foundation, aims to raise funds to ease the lives of those with cerebral palsy.
The charity tournament kicks off at 2 p.m. PST and features a $500+$40 buy-in with $200 rebuys for the first 90 minutes. Among the celebrities and poker pros scheduled to attend are Sam Simon, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Montel Williams, Mekhi Phifer, Jamie Gold, Mike Sexton, Patrik Antonius, Phil Laak and Barry Greenstein.
Players who reach the final table will receive a share of more than $25,000 in cash and prizes. Also added to the prize pool is a seat to the $1,500 Epic Poker Pro-Am on Dec. 10 through 11 at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The One Step Closer foundation has raised more than $170,000 in the first three All-In for CP charity poker tournaments. The event is the brainchild of Jacob Zalewski, who copes with cerebral palsy and serves as president and CEO of the One Step Closer Foundation. Over the years, Zalewski has made friends with many of poker’s biggest stars, many of whom support his foundation by playing in the event.
To find out more about the All-In for CP charity poker tournament, including how to register, head on over to OneStepCloserFoundation.org.
He Played it Like a Set!
Thomas Keeling, better known as "SrslySirius" at TwoPlusTwo.com and QuadJacks.com, has made a name for himself this year by releasing videos such as Black and Yellow and Party at the DOJ. Keeling was recently nominated for "Best Poker Rapper" by Wicked Chops Poker and decided to throw a video together on Wednesday to garner some extra votes.
Once again, he's outdone himself. This song features the one and only Tony G. Feel his powah!
SrslySirius is up against Prahlad Friedman, Brett Richey and Jeff Madsen in the "Best Rapper" category. Place your vote at Wicked Chops Poker.
DeepStacks Poker Tour Parners With PokerNews
On Monday, DeepStacks announced it will be launching the DeepStacks Poker Tour in 2012, and PokerNews will be at every stop providing live updates as the official media partner.
The tour kicks off at Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, N.Y. from Feb. 15 to 19. The $1,500 DeepStacks Poker Tour Western New York Poker Championships offers a $200,000 guarantee prize pool and will see Team DeepStacks Pros such as Michael Mizrachi, Mike Matusow, Justin Smith and Randal Flowers take part in the action.
Season 1 of the DeepStacks Poker Tour will include at least six total stops in California, Nevada, Oregon, New York and Quebec. All of the events will be televised with commentary provided by Joe Stapleton alongside Team DeepStacks Pro Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade.
Read more about the DeepStacks Poker Tour at PokerNews.com.
Broke and Living Like a Millionaire
By now, you're probably familiar with Jean-Robert Bellande's absurd bankroll swings. Bellande plays in some of the biggest cash games in Las Vegas and keeps his 30,000-plus Twitter followers abreast of his fluctuating bankroll after every session — as well as his lavish nights out in Vegas afterward.
Now, fans can get even closer to the bizarre life of JRB. Bellande launched his own website this week with videos, poker tips and even merchandise. That's right, you can help boost JRB's roll by buying a tee-shirt:
Bellande is also preparing to launch the JRB Poker App, which will serve as a bankroll management tool for smartphone users. Interesting. We can only imagine it will include "borrow" and "find backer" functions.
Check out Bellande's new digs at JRBPoker.com.
Day 3 Ends at EPT Prague
More than 700 players began. Only 31 remain. Day 3 of the European Poker Tour Prague Main Event is in the books, and several notables are still in contention for the €775,000 top prize.
Dutch pro Patrick Renkers is the overwhelming chip leader going into Day 4 with 2,423,000 chips, nearly double the amount of his next competitor. Others still alive after Day 3 include Mads Wissing, Ari Engel, Nicolas Levi, Chris Moorman, Mike "Timex" McDonald, and Team PokerStars Pros Jude Ainsworth and Juan Manuel Pastor.
Day 4 will resume at 1200 CET (0300 PST). Here's a look at the top 10 stacks heading into the day:
European Poker Tour Prague Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Renkers | 2,423,000 |
| 2 | Martin Finger | 1,289,000 |
| 3 | Denys Drobyna | 1,218,000 |
| 4 | Vojtech Ruzicka | 1,128,000 |
| 5 | Mads Wissing | 1,059,000 |
| 6 | Ari Engel | 1,053,000 |
| 7 | Nicolas Levi | 948,000 |
| 8 | Jude Ainsworth | 929,000 |
| 9 | Ramil Boyazitov | 892,000 |
| 10 | Yann Brosolo | 828,000 |
Check out the PokerNews Live Reporting page for up-to-the-minute updates of all the action in Prague.
Calling the Clock on Chris Moorman
During a break at the European Poker Tour Prague Main Event, Kristy Arnett caught up with Chris Moorman to put him on the spot in the latest edition of Calling the Clock.
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