–New Products from the Poker Brat, Texas Dolly and the Mad Genius Launching Just in Time for Tournament Season–

New York – Bluff Magazine and iAmplifyVegas.com today announced the launch of “The Perfect Read Strategy,” available exclusively to the World Series of Poker audience this tournament season. In all, $2.5 million worth of this product will be given away free at www.bluffmagazine.com/iamplify.

Featuring tips and analysis on reading your opponent from iAmplifyVegas’ stable of poker heavy hitters including 11-time World Series of Poker Champion Phil Hellmuth, 10-time WSOP Champion Doyle Brunson, acclaimed strategist Mike Caro, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari and FBI Spy-Catcher and master bluff reader Joe Navarro, this course is a must-have for any poker buff.

“iAmplifyVegas.com is thrilled to be able to give away millions in The Perfect Read Strategy to WSOP & Bluff audiences. We are committed to amplifying the skills of the game of poker, offering the most comprehensive line-up of players and experts in the tournament world today. You do not have to be a statistics expert to recognize that our WSOP champions aren’t riding on luck. They have tremendous skill and they are now downloading their expertise to their fans and potential rivals.” said Kipp Marcus, SVP Business Development, iAmplify.

Courses from the iAmplifyVegas masters include step-by-step programs that take the viewer from understanding the basics to competing at the championship level. The best part is the programs can be downloaded straight to your computer, iPod or other portable media player, so you can take what you learn wherever you go — even right to your next game.

Check out the hottest new poker product here.

About iAmplify.com
iAmplify.com is a Web-based publisher and syndication network, providing the tools and distribution for leading authors, celebrities and media companies to publish paid audio and video content over the internet. The company owns and sells exclusive content on its Web site, iAmplify.com, and via syndication to portals and vertical websites.

iAmplify has exclusive rights to a large catalog of content in more than 30 verticals such as fitness, yoga, nutrition, relationships, spirituality, sports and more. The company works with such partners as Marianne Williamson, Marilu Henner, Kathy Smith and Phil Hellmuth in addition to the Emmy Award Winning Sports Legends library as well as media companies such as HarperCollins Publishers to publish paid audio and video content over the Internet.

Content is available for download to computer, iPods and cell phones, and is always available online at www.iAmplify.com. Founded in 2005 by Internet pioneers Jack Hidary and Murray Hidary, iAmplify.com now has offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Media Contact:
Joanna Bowzer
iAmplify.com
917-606-5366
joanna@iamplify.com

The 2008 World Series of Poker’s first day of play is in the books and it included a little bit of everything that poker fans have come to expect plus a few new wrinkles.

Before the first of 55 tournaments, the $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event, got underway onlookers were treated to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ marching band banging out Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas. That was followed by WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack addressing the crowd with opening remarks and tournament director Jack Effel going over the rules before handing the microphone to Doyle Brunson for the most famous four words in poker.

“Shuffle up and deal,” and with those words Brunson officially kicked off the most important seven weeks in poker. The event attracted a field of 352 players including the usual assortment of poker’s biggest names. Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Chris Ferguson, Patrik Antonius, Erick Lindgren and Daniel Negreanu were just a few of the names in the star-studded field.

Most notable by his absence was 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth who may have skipped the event to be fresh for Event #2, $1,500 No Limit Hold’em - which is expected to be a record setting event with nearly 3,000 players registered by Midnight Friday.

With final chip counts still to come it appears Eli Elezra is the Day 1 chipleader with 302,000 chips. Right behind him is Amit “amak316″ Makhija with 270,000.

The ownership group behind UltimateBet.com, Tokwiro Enterprises, issued a statement today confirming some accounts had been involved in actions leading to unfair play. The accusations arose after observers discovered some players with highly unusual playing styles were winning at a statistically improbable rate.

The investigation, conducted with the assistance of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, concluded that some accounts did have an unfair advantage and those accounts had worked for the previous ownership group behind UltimateBet. The account users were found to have used “unauthorized software” that allowed them to have access to hole cards while playing.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience, loyalty and support, as well as for their understanding that we are doing everything we can to correct this situation. The staff and management of UltimateBet are fully committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our players, and we want to assure customers of our unwavering resolve to monitor site security with every resource at our disposal,” the company said in a statement.

Among the actions taken following the conclusion of the investigation were the elimination of the security hole, establish a state-of-the-art software security center to enhance current capabilities, unless circumstances dictate players will no longer be allowed to change screennames, all accounts related to the breach have been disabled and banned permanently from the site and most importantly, all accounts that played against this player will be refunded the appropriate amounts.

Some players were reporting refunds in the area of six figures showing up in their account within hours of the announcement.

America’s leading poker publication, Bluff Magazine, is proud to announce the launch of their latest venture that is sure to please poker players, a subscription-based online poker room, ClubBluff.com.

“We’re thrilled to be able to give our loyal readers and poker fans across America the chance to join us at ClubBluff.com,” said Eric Morris, co-president and publisher of Bluff Magazine. “We’re proud of what Bluff Magazine has become over the past four years and have the same aspirations for ClubBluff.com.”

Every month ClubBluff.com members can play in thousands of online poker and blackjack tournaments risk-free with no buy-ins but over $100,000 in prizes, including cash. As an added bonus of membership players will also get access to tips from professional poker and blackjack players as well as digital access to Bluff Magazine content online.

Players who are serious about their poker can also play to win World Series of Poker* Main Event seats, WSOP*-Circuit seats, World Poker Tour World Championship seats and other great prizes. Starting June 1, 2008, players can get into the nightly $1,000 and monthly $20,000 poker tournaments.

With the start of the 2008 World Series of Poker now only hours away Harrah’s has announced another major sponsor from within the poker community. CardRunners.com, one of the top poker educational websites, has signed on to become the official sponsor of the satellite room, which this year will be just outside the Amazon Room at the Rio.

Every summer, players from across the globe travel to Las Vegas in hopes of achieving poker greatness,” said Taylor Caby, one of the founders of CardRunners. “We”ll be glad to assist them in their quest to become the next WSOP champion. We”re hopeful someone will parlay a small investment in the CardRunners Satellite Room into a WSOP bracelet.”

The website will also have a display in the hallway outside the Amazon Room allowing visitors to learn more about the site and receive a free 24-hour trial. CardRunners videos, the staple of the site, will be running on plasma screens throughout the 7 weeks of WSOP play.

The CardRunners announcement comes on the heels of Harrah’s announcing New York-based Gamma Labs had signed on to have their feature product, Gamma-O Plus Pomegranate, as an official sponsor of the WSOP.

“We are thrilled to welcome Gamma Labs to the poker fold,” said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner.

ATLANTA,GA — America’s leading poker publication, Bluff Magazine, is proud to announce the launch of their latest venture that is sure to please poker players, a subscription-based online poker room, ClubBluff.com.

“We’re thrilled to be able to give our loyal readers and poker fans across America the chance to join us at ClubBluff.com,” said Eric Morris, co-president and publisher of Bluff Magazine. “We’re proud of what Bluff Magazine has become over the past four years and have the same aspirations for ClubBluff.com.”

Every month ClubBluff.com members can play in thousands of online poker and blackjack tournaments risk-free with no buy-ins but over $100,000 in prizes, including cash. As an added bonus of membership players will also get access to tips from professional poker and blackjack players as well as digital access to Bluff Magazine content online.

Players who are serious about their poker can also play to win World Series of Poker* Main Event seats, WSOP-Circuit seats, World Poker Tour World Championship seats and other great prizes. Starting June 1, 2008, players can get into the nightly $1,000 and monthly $20,000 poker tournaments.

Players pay only $19.95 per month for complete access to the tournaments, sit-n-goes and ring games. There are no additional costs and the first two weeks are free of charge allowing poker players the opportunity to test out the software and win cash prizes.

About Bluff Media

Bluff Media, LLC is the publisher of BLUFF Magazine, America’s leading poker publication, BluffMagazine.com, the leading website for poker news and player rankings as well as FIGHT Magazine, the fastest growing mixed martial arts magazine in the United States. In 2007 Bluff Media was recognized by Harrah’s Entertainment Inc as an industry leader when the two companies formed a digital publishing alliance allowing Bluff Media to be the exclusive provider of online and radio coverage of all World Series of Poker-branded events on a global basis.

* World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah’s License Company, LLC (”Harrah’s”). Harrah’s does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with, ClubBluff or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

Membership is limited to those states in the US and countries where sweepstakes based upon card games are allowed. No Purchase Necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Eric Morris

Publisher/ Co-President

Bluff Media, LLC

eric@bluffmedia.com

W: 404 250 1798 x 112

www.bluffmagazine.com

www.fightmagazine.com

www.worldseriesofpoker.com

What up playboy! Congrats on the Bodog deal.  The poker life must be treating you well these days.  Tell us what’s been going on in your life.

Thank you, thank you. Life is amazing right now. I’m extremely happy to be Bodog’s newest team member; it’s something I’ve wanted for years now. It’s basically a dream come true. On top of that, I made the Caesar’s final table recently, and next week I will be moving to Vegas. I picked out a really nice condo at Panorama towers, where Bodog pros Dave Williams and Evelyn Ng also live. So yeah, life is great.

Sounds like you’re living the dream! Why are you leaving LA, I thought you loved it there?

Yeah, I do love LA, but I’m never here. I spend so much time travelling the tournament circuit that I only spend 2 months a year at home. I figure since I already spend 4 months a year in Vegas, that if I live there I get to spend an entire 6 months at home. I plan on moving back in a few years, but for the time being, I need a place to call home with my busy travel schedule.

Will you have any roommates in your new condo?

Ozzy87 will be living with me for two months during the World Series. After that I’m going to have to decide whether or not I’d prefer to live by myself. I’m only 22, and have never lived by myself before, so it would be a huge change without a roommate.

It’s nice to have space sometimes, especially if you have ever lived with loud and messy roommates.

Haha. Yeah, I’m always the anal one telling the guys here to clean up. I need to have a clean place.

Have you been playing much poker online these days, or just live?

I’ve barely played online at all so far this year, but there are no tournaments I plan on playing in May, so I’m going to be playing on Bodog a lot this month. They gave me a $3/$6 NL table named Justin Bonomo, so if anyone wants to play against me, find that table at BodogLife.com. Having a table named after me will be a great opportunity to play against and chat with all of the Bodog players. It should be a lot of fun. I’m down $20 so far this month on Bodog. I’m going to have to step up my game.

Don’t worry I will help you step up your game after this interview by giving you some key pointers.;) What events are you looking forward to playing at the WSOP?

Haha, thank you! The TV events will take first priority, but other than that, I’ll play as many tournaments as possible to increase my chances of winning a bracelet. I really really really want a bracelet, and eventually multiple.

What game would you want one in the most?

Well if I got to choose my bracelet, I would pick either the main event or the 50k HORSE. But over time, I would definitely love to have bracelets in different events, to show that I’m not a one trick pony. I think a lot of players still think of me as a NL tournament player, so a HORSE bracelet would be really cool.

Besides playing poker what do you like to do in your spare time?

I love music and have been to almost 200 concerts now!

What type of music do you listen to?

Mostly alternative rock, bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Muse, Our Lady Peace, Live, Pearl Jam, and Counting Crows. I’m also into some newer rock music, kind of the emo genre I guess, bands like Brand New and Manchester Orchestra.

Do you have a love life these days, or are you strictly business?

I’ve been single for a few months now. I travel so much that it’s hard to have a normal relationship, and I don’t go out and drink during tournaments. The last few girls I’ve dated I’ve met through poker, which is kind of odd.

Will we see 3 hot Bodog girls around your arm at the WSOP?

Haha, I hope so!

Do you have any prop bets lined up for the WSOP?

I bet “Rainkhan” a grand that the WSOP ME will have over 5,000 players. I’ve been talking to players about betting on Negreanu to win a bracelet at 5-1 odds. I’ll probably put some good action on that bet (last year Steve Sung gave me 10-1 that Hellmuth wouldn’t win a bracelet, and that paid off nicely). I’m also working on a WSOP ME bet with “Thorladen”, where I can purchase action from any player I want, for 8x the percent I buy. For example, if I want Ivey, I can pay $800 for 1% of him, and Thorladen will have to give me 1% of whatever he cashes for in the ME.

Now on to the Bluff Final Five.  What is pumping in your headphones while your pwning donkeys?

Completely depends on how I want to feel. After a bad beat, I put on something heavy and angry, like Brand New’s latest album. If I just want something relaxing, I might play something like Citizen Cope. I find music to be the perfect way to control my emotions and attention span at the table.

Do you believe luck is a factor in poker, and do you have any rituals to avoid bad luck?

Luck is certainly a huge factor, especially for a tournament player like myself, but I’m not superstitious at all. I just try to maximize my expectation, and when necessary, reduce variance. If you want good results, you should focus on playing well rather than luck. Sometimes it’s important to try and forget about how unlucky you have been recently (if that’s the case).

If you could bust anyone or take their whole bankroll, whose would it be?

Can I pick Bill Gates? I wouldn’t mind picking up a cool $50 billion.

Wouldn’t we all! How about poker wise?

There’s no one that I consider to be my nemesis or wish to go bust, so I’d just pick someone with a lot of money like Howard Lederer or Chris Ferguson. I suppose taking Phil Ivey’s bankroll heads up would give me a nice sense of accomplishment though.

Phil seems to be public enemy #1. What celebrities would you like to have in your entourage?

Calvin Ayre would certainly be cool. He’s one of the reasons I’m so happy to be on Bodog. He epitomizes the playboy lifestyle. I’m not one to get starstruck, so I’d prefer musicians that I respect, like Eddie Vedder, over the standard super famous picks most people might give you.

The final question that we always like to ask: Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, or Giselle Bundchen?

I’ve always had a thing for Scarlett ever since I saw Lost in Translation in the theatre. I’d have to go with her. She has the perfect sexiest face IMO. The rest isn’t too shabby either.

You know she just got engaged to Ryan Reynolds.

That scumbag… you know that question above when you asked who I wanted to bust? I change my answer to Ryan Reynolds (ok actually I’ve never even heard of him, but still).

He’s in Blade and Smokin’ Aces. Ok he’s Van Wilder!

My brother was going through my DVD collection last night, and asked me if “this movie was any good?” (while holding up Van Wilder). I told him there was no way he would like that movie. ;p

Too funny. Justin, it was a fun interview, and ship us some bracelets at the WSOP. GLGLGLGL!

You’re welcome! I had a good time.

Nick, let me just say congratulations on your recent $215 rebuy win on Poker Stars. How are you feeling?

Thank you very much. I feel terrific! I’m glad to finally put up some consistent big wins in tough fields.

You’re welcome! Are you playing mostly online these days?

Yes, I just turned 21 and have only played one live tournament, the PCA. I’m about to graduate school and am playing in the 2008 WSOP. Online is where it’s at, in my opinion.

How did your first live experience go?

It went alright; I doubled up making some semi bluffs, and chipping up, but then ran into Elky on a couple of hands. I used my online knowledge of his play to make my decisions. He was playing much tighter than I had presumed, and I gave him most of my chips. He then went on to win. Haha!

Those gamers (Elky- top Star Craft player in the world) will get ya. LOL!

Ha, yes they will! I knew who he was, but he obviously didn’t know who I was. I thought my information would help me crack him. I was wrong!

So you definitely prefer online more than live?

Yes, I prefer online, because I not only can see many more hands in the same time span, but I can play in my room and watch TV or listen to my music very loud. I can also eat, drink, and do whatever I want as opposed to a live tourney when I have to sit there for hours and see way fewer hands.

When you’re playing online do you think its bad to be surfing, watching TV, etc. (basically losing focus)?

Sometimes! I play my best when I’m playing 1 or 2 tables, and just listening to music. That is 4-8 times as many hands in the same time span as I would see in a live.

Online does have its benefits such as rakeback, multi-tabling, being at home, etc.

Yes it does! You also have the ability to travel, or to be with friends and family.

Very true! What are the plans for the WSOP?

I am planning on playing 12 to 13 events. I am very excited for the $1k re-buy, and the Main Event especially. I’m also excited for the beginning events. Basically the general feel of the WSOP for my first time.

All of the online players seem to love the re-buys and 6-max tourneys. Tell me what you are doing about the living situation out in Vegas.

Well, I actually just decided yesterday on my finalized schedule, so I am still working on the details of the living arrangements. I would prefer to stay in a house with other good players, and it’s possible I will stay with USCphildo and Bhanks, which would be awesome. I actually am planning on focusing on poker the whole time and making it strictly business. I am not a partier, haha.

That’s great that you’re dedicated. Will you be doing a lot of prop bets with USCphildo and Bhanks? How about some CCR (credit card roulette)?

First, I need to pay off my college loans and help my family with the money. I will do some small prop bets. I don’t really do anything huge, or unnecessary like many other players who I have encountered.

What do you consider “unnecessary”?

I have seen many online players do tons of prop betting on the most trivial things just to get a gambling rush LOL. When I was at the PCA, I saw many online players in the lobby drinking, and prop betting on everything they saw. I was amused!

Do you remember a specific bet that stands out?

I recall flipping coins for upwards of 10k at times, as well as drinking prop bets, and stuff. I have heard that two guys flipped for 50k a couple years ago at the PCA, which is just gross.

WOW! These people definitely know the value of a dollar, LOL!

Yeah, riiight! Some of these guys just have a lot of money to throw around. This industry can clearly be very lucrative to some people as young as 18 or 20. I am friends with several 18 year olds who have earned several hundred thousand dollars. Online poker is the only industry out there that offers that kind of potential.

Besides playing poker, what do you like to do to relax?

I am really into music; I write a music blog and collect as well. I love most sports, mainly basketball and soccer. Honestly, I love to relax by going to the beach, or to the mountains. I love nice places with great scenery.

Yep, I wish I was at the beach right now (Sigh)! What’s your favorite kind of music?

Definitely alternative rock and Christian music.

You have a favorite college basketball or NBA team?

I like the Knicks, who suck, and the Hornets for NBA. I like Wake Forest for college basketball. Chris Paul should have got MVP in my opinion.

Its so damn close with Kobe, Lebron, and him.

I think the difference is the attitude. Kobe last year was whining about not having other good players. He wanted to get traded and his team sucked. Chris Paul on the other hand, has built his team with a positive attitude and optimism. He is not nearly as much of a proud snob as Kobe. Chris Paul apparently plays poker as well, and considers himself very good. I think a positive attitude, as well as confidence, are the most important aspects to any competitive game. That’s including basketball, and especially poker!

I definitely agree that they are very important aspects to have for a successful career in poker.

I see so many players who are negative and whine a lot, and they will lose most of the time, whether it be their fault or not. Poker is a tough game so I stress those two qualities the most personally.

Do you believe luck is a factor in poker, and do you have any rituals to avoid bad luck?

Well, luck definitely takes its toll, but what I try to do is to manage the luck. I try to get a lot of chips early on in the tournaments as possible by using skill. That way if I get unlucky or lose a flip, I still have chips and I am not out.

Are you superstitious at all?

Well, I used to not be. I am superstitious with one thing only, and that is IP addresses LOL. I think some seem to suck and others seem to be awesome. I’m sure its just a figment of my imagination, but since switching to a sprint wireless card from my school IP address, everything is going well.

Ha. Alright if you could bust anyone in the poker world who would it be?

Well, I have several and all of whom, I would slow roll if given the opportunity.

We’ll let you slow roll for this occasion. Tell us who and why.

Nick: 1. Hevad Khan 2. Humberto Brenes 3. Elky 4. Scotty Nguyen 5. Phil Hellmuth
Hevad Khan because I think he is a rude monkey at the poker table, and I’m sure he would tilt me! Humberto Brenes for the same reasons LOL . Elky because of the PCA, and he is one of my nemeses. Scotty Nguyen because he says baby every 3rd word, and I think it would be awesome to hear “I just got slow rolled baby!” Phil Hellmuth because he is so cocky, and it would make my day to tank it with the nuts on the river. I would call him, and look agitated and flip over the nuts. I think he would rip his own head off LOL.

Haha, that’s great.

You can obviously tell I have thought about this a lot.

Let’s say you are a celebrity, who’s in the entourage?

Well some of the famous people who I respect a lot and would like to meet are: Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and a few music artists. Music artists include Jimmy Eat World, The Fray, Mat Kearney, Lifehouse, Coldplay, and a few others.

Alright time for the hottie question. Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, or Giselle Bundchen?

Jessica Alba is very hot, but so is Jessica Biel. I think Rachel McAdams and Odette Yustman (from Cloverfield) are the hottest though…. I will go with Alba though by a slim margin. She has the cute and hot factor. Especially in Good Luck Chuck.

Nick it was good talking with you. We wish you the best of luck at the WSOP. Ship One!

Thanks Ryan, I will do my best!

With the World Series of Poker only days away online poker site UltimateBet.com has added another superstar to the group of players that represents the brand. Cliff Josephy, better known by his online poker screenname “JohnnyBax“, is the first member of UltimateBet’s new “Star Players” team, a new division of players created, in part, by Annie Duke.

“A Star Player is one who has an undisputed high level of skill, lots of integrity, and is well respected in the world of online poker,” said Duke. “One look at his impressive record reveals that JohnnyBax epitomizes a Star Player and is the perfect addition to our roster of respected and talented poker players.”

Josephy’s record in live tournaments includes a WSOP bracelet in 2005, a runner-up finish at the 2006 Aruba Poker Classic and over $1.3 million in earnings. The University of Michigan graduate had worked as a stock broker before becoming a professional poker player where he quickly became a legend with numerous online successes.

Those looking to get into poker’s most prestigious event on the cheap still have time to take advantage of the free World Series of Poker main event qualifiers. For the past three weeks a total of 1500 players have qualified for the WSOP Seat Giveaway Final. 

The winner of that final event will receive a $12,000 WSOP prize package that includes the $10,000 buy-in, Team Bodog gear and access to Bodog events in Las Vegas. Player still have time to get in on four WSOP Seat Giveaway Qualifiers every day until May 31 at 3 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET with a buy-in of only five Bodog Poker Points. Every player new to Bodog gets 50 Bodog Poker points in their account giving each new player ten free tries to play any of the four daily WSOP Seat Giveaway Qualifiers until the end of May. 

The top 25 finishers from each qualifier will then compete in a final tournament held on June 7 at 5:05 p.m. ET. Additional prizes will also be given out to the top finishers in the final tournament on June 7. Second through fifth place will each get T$270 in order to buy into a Main Event Semifinal, giving them another shot at competing for a coveted $12,000 Main Event Prize Package. Sixth through tenth place will each win T$109 in order to buy into Bodog’s Sunday $100k Guaranteed tournament.

In addition to earning a free spot in the final tournament on June 7, the first-place finisher in each Qualifier will also win T$29 in order to participate in a Main Event Quarterfinal, and the 26th-50th place finishers will win T$1.50 to buy-into a Main Event Cheap Seat tournament.

Hey Annette, how’s  life treating you these days?  Tell us about what’s been going on in your poker life.

It’s actually been very quiet lately.  I’ve only really played in one big tournament the last two months, and that was EPT in Monte Carlo.  Awesome event as usual, but no results unfortunately.  Other than that, my mom and I bought a house back home, which was definitely overdue because we had been looking for one since I won WSOPE.  It just took us a while to find the “right” house.  I also recently signed a contract with PokerVT, which is Negreanu’s new training site that will be launching soon.  I’ll be making videos and stuff regularly.  I’m very excited to see how the site turns out.

CONGRATS on the house and contract!  That’s awesome.

Thank you very much!

Have you been playing online a lot?

Not as much as I’d like to.  It’s really hard when I’m on a European schedule because the tournaments start so late.  It’s hard to balance travelling and online poker.  I’m out travelling probably 2-3weeks/month.  I need some time with friends and family when I’m at home, and not just sit in front of my computer every day.  The only tourney I play every week is my own tournament on Betfair, which is every Friday.

Do you feel it is important to have a balance between poker and a social life (family, friends)?

Yes! You don’t have to, but it’s my choice to.  It’s also nice to just take a break from poker once in a while and do other stuff.

Unfortunately you cannot play in the WSOP since you are not 21.  Hypothetically, lets say you’re 21, what events would you play?

I guess if I could play, I’d be looking to play in all 6 handed NLH events, all PLO events, all NLH rebuys, and probably some LHE ones.  I would also play some small HORSE tourneys, but I suck at stud games.

I’m sure you could learn stud pretty quickly and be good at it.

Bleh, I’m trying to, but I keep losing my patience with all the minimum bet shit.  I need my all in button!

LOL.  I know taxes are steep over in Norway, would you ever consider moving to Vegas because there are definitely a lot of fish/donkeys for u to crush out there?

I’m not sure to be honest.  Vegas is very tempting, so I think I might try it for a year and see if I like it.

LA is nice too!

Yeah, I hear you!  I have been to LA before, and I loved it there.

Alright, besides playing poker what do you like to do in your spare time?

That’s a good question.  Spending money is always fun, so shopping is def on top of the list. Obviously my friends are important. Vacations, watching movies/TV, and all the stuff normal teenagers do.

Do you like to shop at like Gucci, Versace, Dior, etc. since you’re such a balla?

Haha!  Well, we don’t have the big expensive brands in Norway.  It’s very hard to get a hold of those types of clothes.  You can be sure I’ll be at the forum shops at the hotels in Vegas this summer.

What type of movies do you like?

I looove horror movies!  I am definitely weird like that.  Blood, screaming, murders, and riddles are all very fascinating to me.  The ‘Saw’ movies are one of my favorites.

Yes, they are terrific movies!  Now on to the Bluff Final Five:  What is pumping in your headphones while your pwning donkeys?

I mostly listen to quiet music when playing.  Keane, James Blunt, and Colby Caillat are probably the most played on my list at the moment.

Do you believe luck is a factor in poker, and do you have any rituals to avoid bad luck?

Luck is definitely a factor in any given hand, but the more hands u play, you’ll see that the best players are the ones who make the least mistakes.  They also know how to deal with bad runs better than everyone else.  There’s nothing u can do to avoid it. It’s part of the game and something u have to live with.  You can only do so much.  If it wasn’t for luck, there wouldn’t be any bad players playing the game because they wouldn’t have a chance.

You are implying the “Tilt Factor” is huge in the game? 

Most definitively, if you can’t take bad beats and move on very fast, you’ll have no chance against the best.

Basically we won’t be able to beat people like u then

Haha!  I’m pretty good at handling tilt, but even I whine from time to time. 

If you could bust anyone or take their whole bankroll, whose would it be?

I’d love to bust Humberto Brenes.  His shark and his behavior are just disgusting.  Sammy Farha’s bankroll would be nice too.  I’m sure he’s loaded from all the other businesses he has.

Basically you think Humberto is just obnoxious and rude.

Yes!  The way he sticks it in peoples faces when he wins a hand.  His screaming and celebration is just unnecessary.  I’d tell him to shut the f*** up and just play the game if he was at my table.  I’m sure he is a nice person off the tables.  It’s just annoying though.

LOL! That’s fn great.  I actually read an article this morning on the Durrr/Hellmuth battle(From the NBC Heads Up Championship).  Who do you think would win this?

Tom “durrrr” Dwan.  There is no question about that.  Phil has no chance!  I think Durrrr will win 20 of 30 matches, if they play them out obviously.

If you had to pick one player who you would least like to have position on you who would it be?

I’d have to say imper1um, djk123, lilholdem, or Mr. Menlo.  Djk123 always owns me!

What celebrities would you like to have in your entourage? 

Meh, I’m not interested in the Hollywood peeps.  I would probably just hang out with normal people that weren’t famous.  Just because I’m a ‘celeb’ in a way, doesn’t mean that I’m not with people that are in the ‘lower ranks’ if you want to call it that.  Those people are usually more down to earth.  They are more interesting to be with than the ones who have been in the spotlight for too long.

The final question is, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, or George Clooney?

NONE!  I don’t think any of them are hot.  I have weird taste.

Wow!  I have never heard that from any girl, but that’s cool.  Well then, who do you think is hot?

Johnny Depp is on top of the list.  I don’t want to go into poker players and have them see it.  Bleh, fuck it! 

Ha!  Come on Annette; tell us who the poker players are.

LOL, not commenting!

Ha, well it was worth a try.  Thanks for catching up with us Annette.  Best of luck to you in the future!

Thank you, I had a fun time! 

The PokerStars Sunday Million attracted a field of 6,745 and generated a prize pool of $1,349,000 with first place scheduled to pay $193,986.20. The final table lasted a little less than 90 minutes with “rythman” coming out on top - but not until the final three players agreed to a chop. Here’s how the each final table elimination went down. For full details on the final table payouts check out The Sunday Report.

PokerStars Final Table Chip Counts

Seat 1: Hasuwisp (9,195,154 in chips)
Seat 2: rythman (12,586,606 in chips)
Seat 3: EvilLondon. (5,730,113 in chips)
Seat 4: browsef (5,569,445 in chips)
Seat 5: jojo1983 (5,402,365 in chips)
Seat 6: KtheKing (5,364.300 in chips)
Seat 7: jorgeezy (7,437,064 in chips)
Seat 8: tapatapa (13,501,095 in chips)
Seat 9: deepak1 (2,663,858 in chips)

Eliminated in 9th place: browsef
Blinds:  200K/400K (40K antes)

Action folded to browsef in the small blind who moved all-in for 885,145; jojo1983 called from the big blind.

Browsef: Ac 9s
Jojo1983:  9h Th

The flop:  Kh Jh 2s
The turn: 7s
The river:  Ts

Eliminated in 8th place: jorgeezy
Blinds:  200K/400K (40K antes)

From the hijack jojo1983 raised to 1,200,000; KtheKing re-raised from the cut-off to 3,600,000 and jorgeezy moved all-in from the button for 6,557,064. After jojo1983 folded, KtheKing called.

KtheKing: As Ah
Jorgeezy:  Ac Kd

The flop: 9h 6h 3d
The turn: 2s
The river: 8c

Eliminated in 7th place: deepak1
Blinds:  200K/400K (40K antes)

From UTG+1 EvilLondon. moved all-in for 4,050,113 and deepak1 called all-in for his last 2,727,716 from the small blind.

EvilLondon.: 6d 6s
Deepak1: Ah Ks

The flop: 2h 2c Qs
The turn: 3s
The river: 2s

Eliminated in 6th place: jojo1983
Blinds:  200K/400K (40K antes)

From the button jojo1983 moved all-in for 4,020,133 KtheKing raised to 7,640,266 and tapatapa re-raised all-in for 16,151,991; KtheKing folded.

Jojo1983: Jc Ts
KtheKing: Ks Kh

The flop:  9c 7d 3d
The turn:  4c
The river:  4h

Eliminated in 5th place: EvilLondon.
Blinds: 250K/500K (50K antes)

From the button Hasuwisp moved all-in for 5,373,210 and EvilLondon. called for his last 3,407,829.

Hasuwisp: Jd Qd
EvilLondon.: Ah Ks

The flop: 2h 2s 8c
The turn: 3h
The river: Qs

Eliminated in 4th place: Hasuwisp
Blinds: 250K/500K (50K antes)

Hasuwisp raised to 3,500,000 and rythman re-raised to 6500000; Hasuwisp called all-in.

Hasuwisp: 9c Js
Rythman: Ah Kd

The flop: Ad Tc 6s
The turn: 7c
The river: 3s

Followed that elimination the remaining three players agreed to a modified chip-chop. At the time tapatapa was an overwhelming chip leader and his take was $139,725 while rythman took $107,253 and the short-stacked KtheKing took $90,758. The three players lefts $30,000 in the middle to play for.

Eliminated in 3rd place: KtheKing
Blinds: 300K/600K (60K antes)

Rythman raised  to 16,409,866 and KtheKing called for his last 4,777,744.

KtheKing: 8h 8d
Rythman: Td As

The flop: 7c Ah 5c
The turn: 2c
The river: 2d

Eliminated in 2nd place: tapatapa
Blinds: 400K/800K (80K antes)

On the final hand of the night rythman raised to 2,200,000 and tapatapa re-raised all-in to 12,862,390; rythman called.

Tapatapa:  Ah 8d
Rythman: Ks Ad

The flop: 9s 7d Kh
The turn:  4d
The river:  7c

In a field that included 22 red Full Tilt Poker pro’s and another 42 of the toughest online poker players in the world David Singer defeated Emil “whitelime” Patel to take home the $560,000 first place prize in the highest buy-in online poker tournament in history.

The $25,000 buy-in two-day event started Saturday with the field of 64 playing down to the final four players; Singer, Brian Hastings, Patel and 2008 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship runner-up Andy Bloch.

Singer defeated Phil “OMGClayAiken ” Galfond, Brandon Adams, Shawn “buck99″ Buchanan, Scott “mastrblastr” Seiver on Saturday on his way to the semi-final. Patel defeated Phil Ivey, Taylor Caby, Peter “Nordberg” Feldman and Dani “Ansky451″ Stern to make the final four.

In the semi-finals on Sunday afternoon Singer knocked-off Hastings and Patel outlasted Bloch.  For finishing as the runner-up Patel earned $320,000. Bloch and Hastings both took home $168,000.

Complete Round-by-Round Results for the Full Tilt Poker World Heads-Up Championship:

Round of 64 Results

“aejones” def. “WLUstudent “
Ansky451 def. “Urindanger“
“ActionJeff” def. “PostflopAction“
Andy Bloch def. “NES_pro“
Brandon Adams def. Chris Ferguson
“buck99” def. “BckdoorJoe“
“Boosted J” def. “SHIPCHIPSPLZ“
Brian Hastings def. “UGOTPZD“
“DaEvils” def. “FakeSky“
“durrrr” def. “PrtectYaNeck“
David Oppenheim def. “The Grinder“
David Singer def. OMGClayAiken
Eli Elezra def. “Yachting49er“
“FinddaGrind” def. “Aeron73“
Gavin Smith def. “JonasDanielsson“
Howard Lederer def. “AndyMcloed“
“IceView_” def. Erick Lindgren
“jimmie23” def. Peter W Jepsen
“mrcall912” def. Nordberg 
Max Pescatori def. HuckleberrySeed
“mischiefofmagic” def. “Genius28“
mastrblastr def. “Sergei Berezin“
“Plz_Stop_Lookin” def. “FLIPokeHer“
“pr1nnyraid” def. Gus Hansen
“Spiked” def. “Rex55“
Steve Zolotow def. “garet777“
“SteveSung” def. Nenad Medic
“the guru 11” def. Erik Seidel
Taylor Caby def. Nick Schulman
“Turbofluen” def. David Benyamine
whitelime def. Phil Ivey
“thecranium” def.” trex313“

ActionJeff def. Plz_Stop_Lookin
Andy Bloch def. durrrr
Ansky451 def. Iceview_
aejones def. thecranium
Brian Hastings def. Max Pescatori
buck99 def. Gavin Smith
DaEvils def. jimmie23
David Singer def. Brandon Adams
FinddaGrind def. Eli Elezra
Howard Lederer def. Boosted J
mastrblaster def. Steve Zolotow
mischiefofmagic def. David Oppenheim
Nordberg def. the guru 11
pr1nnyraid def. SteveSung
Turbofluen def.Spiked
whitelime def. Taylor Caby

Round of 16 Results

Andy Bloch def.  Action Jeff
Ansky451 def. pr1nnyraid
Brian Hastings def. Howard Lederer
David Singer def. buck99
FinddaGrind def. Turbofluen
masterblastr def. aejones
mischiefofmagic def. DaEvils
whitelime def. Nordberg

Round of 8 Results

Andy Bloch def. FinddaGrind
Brian Hastings def. mischiefofmagic
David Singer def. mastrblastr
whitelime def. Ansky451

Final Four Results

David Singer def. Brian Hastings
whitelime def. Andy Bloch

David Singer def. whitelime

Valdemar Kwaysser, from Budapest Hungary, outlasted 397 other players to capture the Costa Rican stop of the Latin American Poker Tour’s first season. The 24-year-old, who won his way into the tournament via a $200 satellite, earned $274,102 US.

The runner-up performance of Max Steinberg pocketed the American $144,773. The total prize pool for the three day event was $965,150, the largest prize pool ever for a Central American event.

The £2,500 buy-in tournament was held at the Cariari Country Club, just outside of San Jose. A total of 45 Costa Rican players entered the tournament with the best finish coming from Steven Thompson who finished ninth.

“We were expecting a robust field of players full of enthusiasm, but having nearly 400 players turn up is truly overwhelming. Costa Rica is a recognized leader of poker in Central America . We have very skilled players with a great deal of experience, and that has certainly been demonstrated here in San José,” said LAPT President Glenn Cademartori.

Six of the final nine players had qualified via PokerStars online satellites. The final stop on the first season of the LAPT will be the Punta del Este from August 7-9.

LAPT San Jose Final Table Payouts

1. Valdemar Kwaysser -$274,103
2. Max Steinberg - $144,773
3. Steven Silverman - $106,167
4. Alex Soderland - $77,212
5. Alec Torelli - 57,909
6. Pawel Sanojca -$38,606
7. Ashton Griffin - $28,955
8. Joe Ebanks - $19,303
9. Steven Thompson - $14,477