The Nightly Turbo: Hellmuth on Celebrity Apprentice, New PokerStars Software, and More
Is Phil Hellmuth next on the list of poker player to venture into reality television? We're covering that story, plus new software coming to PokerStars, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
Did you miss ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker on Tuesday night? Get caught up in our weekly recap.
The PokerNews Podcast crew was joined by October Nine chip leader Jesse Sylvia this week. Silvia discussed his preparation for the Main Event final table, picking Vanessa Selbst's brain, and more.
How did Elio Fox navigate the difficult field at the 2011 WSOP Europe Main Event? Sarah Grant caught up with him to find out strategy for the later stages of major poker tournaments, playing against a tough field, and more.
Dan Smith still leads the Global Poker Index Player of the Year race. But will Phil Hellmuth catch him after the World Series of Poker Europe? Mickey Doft takes a look at the GPI POY rankings.
Phil Hellmuth: Celebrity Apprentice?
Phil Hellmuth could be following in the footsteps of Annie Duke on NBC's popular reality series, Celebrity Apprentice.
In the late stages of the World Series of Poker Main Event on Wednesday, our PokerNews Live Reporting team overheard Hellmuth telling his tablemates that he is currently "in discussions" with the show. He later confirmed the story to Sarah Grant before scurrying back to his tournament table:
As you may recall, Duke finished runner-up to Joan Rivers on the Celebrity Apprentice in 2009. Duke didn't make many friends while filming; in fact, Rivers constantly berated Duke and even compared her to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Rivers also called poker players "white trash."
If the "Poker Brat" joins the cast, it will be interesting to see whether he's painted in the same light by his competitors.
Hellmuth made the final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event, so be sure to follow his march toward bracelet No. 13 at the PokerNews Live Reporting page on Thursday.
PokerStars Getting a Makeover
For more than a decade, PokerStars has prided itself on offering the best online poker software in the industry. But the company will soon be scrapping its popular client and unleashing a slick new remodel for players around the globe.
An alpha version of new software, called PokerStars 7, was presented in front of players and media at the PokerStars VIP Club Live Event in London over the weekend. The new design offers a user-friendly interface with more table filters integrated into the lobby, reducing the amount of pop-ups needed to find a game. According toPokerNews UK & Ireland editor Matthew Pitt, who was at the event, the software includes a new "quick seat" option, making possible for a player to be seated at a table and be receiving cards in just two mouse-clicks.
Among the other new features is the “App Bar,” where players can customize their client by selecting from many different options to best fit their liking. "Absolutely everything is in here, and is so simple to find, from four-color deck to auto-mucking your losing hand," said Pitt.
Pitt added that the new client has a similar feel to Full Tilt Poker, which was known for its simple and user-friendly lobby.
For an in-depth look at the alpha software, check out Matthew Pitt's article at PokerNews UK & Ireland.
Online Poker Battle in Nevada
The Nevada Gaming Control Board met with three gaming companies on Wednesday to discuss applications to receive intrastate online poker licenses.
Boyd Gaming, Fertitta Interactive and the Golden Nugget each received preliminary approval for licenses from the two-member board. All three companies will now seek final license approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission on Oct. 18.
Boyd, which owns numerous casinos in Las Vegas, seeks a license as an online poker operator having already partnered with service provider bwin.party, owners of the PartyPoker brand. Bwin.Party applied for licensure as a business-to-business service provider in March but has yet to meet with gaming regulators.
Golden Nugget applied for a license as an operator and already has a partnership with Bally Technologies, which runs the Golden Nugget's free poker offering, GoldenNuggetPoker.com. In June, Bally was the first company to receive a license as a service provider for Internet poker in Nevada. The company is having its technology tested by the state before it is given authorization to provide real-money games.
Fertitta, the parent company of Station Casinos LLC and the UFC, applied for a license to operate as an online gaming service provider and looks to provide real-money online poker under the Ultimate Gaming brand. Fertitta launched Ultimate Gaming in June, offering free-play online poker until its real-money operation is approved by regulators.
If all three receive final approval from the Gaming Commission, they will join Bally, IGT, Shuffle Master, South Point, Monarch Interactive, and others as licensed intrastate online poker companies. South Point is expected to launch the first real-money poker site by the end of the year.
Arnaud Mattern, PokerStars Part Ways
After spending three years as a member of Team PokerStars Pro, French poker superstar Arnaud Mattern has parted ways with the online poker site. Mattern announced his departure from PokerStars via Twitter on Wednesday.
Pokerstars and I decided to part ways. It' s been a great experience for 3 years. Now looking for new adventures !
— Arnaud Mattern (@ArnaudMattern)
Mattern burst onto the scene in 2007 with a victory at the European Poker Tour Prague Main Event for $1,038,010. He's been a regular presence on the circuit since then, making final tables on the World Poker Tour and EPT. He has more than $2 million in live tournament earnings over his career.
Joseph Cheong Making Babies
During his deep run in the WSOP Europe Main Event, Joseph Cheong found time to make some children with Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree. You'll just have to watch this interview with Sarah Grant to find out what we're talking about:
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