Online poker middleweight Bodog recently had $24 million seized from US bank accounts according to a report on Forbes.com. But Alwyn Morris, CEO of Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, which controls Bodog’s operations, claims Forbes has misinterpreted the story.

“(The) seizure of funds from these US payment processors was mischaracterized in this article, which refers to two specific legal cases against US processors,” said a statement released by Morris. “The first of these cases - relating to a seizure of funds from a processor known as JBL Services - happened some time ago and has absolutely nothing to do with the current payment processing challenges being experienced in the US. The constraints being experienced by payment processors in the US are universal in that region and not specific to any particular processor or site.”

The Forbes.com article indicated the U.S. government recently seized the money from multiple financial institutions including Bank of America and Wachovia amongst others. The article also indicates there is speculation that Bodog founder and former CEO Calvin Ayre may be under secret indictment somewhere in the U.S.

Morris, who took over from Ayre when he retired in April of this year, also attempted to assure players this has no impact on the day-to-day operations - at least as far as the players are concerned.

“Processing partners with whom the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group does business are sophisticated organizations that are perfectly clear as to the actual facts of these cases and their contexts. They are unfazed by such media hype and Morris Mohawk wishes to ensure that its customers are similarly informed. Customer deposits are safe and every player has and will always be paid.”

The U.S. government has been looking into Ayre and Bodog since at least 2003 and the recent actions are the result of work involving undercover operatives enlisted to open accounts with Bodog to process transactions. One such transaction apparently lead to nearly $10 million being seized from Bodog.

After putting together a strong performance at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event as the last woman standing, Tiffany Michelle now has a sponsorship deal with online poker room UltimateBet.

“From Hollywood to Vegas, Tiffany Michelle is a rising star in so many extraordinary ways,” stated Annie Duke, UltimateBet’s Cardroom Consultant. “We’re thrilled to be able to bring such a talented force on board.”

Michelle finished 17th in the Main Event and is bound to receive plenty of attention from ESPN when the episodes begin to air September 2. Prior to her run in the Main Event the 24-year-old was already well known in the poker community as a result of her work as a on-camera reporter work for PokerNews.com.

Her decision to sign with UltimateBet does not come without controversy. On July 14, the last day of play in the Main Event until November 9 and the day Michelle was eliminated from play, PokerNews issued a statement condemning Michelle’s choice of UltimateBet and accused her of violating her contract with PokerNews, where she worked as a reporter and the sponsor of her entry to the tournament.

“Tiffany was bought into the event by PokerNews and had a signed player contract with PokerNews Ltd. We believe, that based on advice from her agent that the contract may have loopholes; she went and made a deal with an online gaming operator that completely contradicted the trust that we had put in her, both as an employee and as a sponsored player. As an organization we felt completely sabotaged by Tiffany, her agent and Ultimate Bet,” the statement, signed by Robert Huxley, Vice President of PokerNews Ltd. “In regard to the Ultimate Bet and PokerNews relationship, Ultimate Bet has come under considerable scrutiny from the Poker Community for several scandals involving high-ranking employees and the use of defective software that allowed these users to see their opponent’s hole cards.”

The scandal at UltimateBet, and sister-site Absolute Poker, is currently the subject of an investigation by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. In her official response to PokerNews, Michelle indicated she was happy with her choice of UltimateBet and suggested that it was their management’s approach that helped make the decision.

“In the end, I completely stand by my decision and I feel that UltimateBet was the one site that treated me with the respect and dignity deserving of someone in my stressful situation. Throughout the whole event they were insistent on wanting me to just concentrate on my play and were clear that the decision in the end was mine and I should do what I felt was best for me.”

Michelle’s signing is the fourth recent signing by UltimateBet. As the WSOP was starting the online poker site signed Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy to its Star Players Team and Eric “Rizen” Lynch. Only one month later however, Lynch had a change of heart and decided to leave the Star Players Team. A few days later James “POKERPRO333 Campbell was added to the roster.

Michelle can be found playing on UltimateBet under the name “Tiffany M” and will be featured in a number of upcoming promotions. For more information visit UltimateBet.com.

The creators of NBC’s Poker After Dark continue to find ways to keep the show interesting. Whether it’s putting former world champions against each other, pitting couples against each other or turning the show into a high stakes cash game, the format has constantly been evolving.

This week they’re giving poker fans a special treat as the previous four NBC National Heads-up Poker Championship winners will go head-to-head in a unique heads-up format. Paul Wasicka, Phil Hellmuth, Ted Forrest and Chris Ferguson will play heads-up in randomly drawn match-ups in a $50,000 winner-take-all tournament.

In the first match 2007 NHUPC champion Wasicka takes on 2008 winner Ferguson and in the second match 2006 champion Forrest will be pitted against the first champion, Hellmuth. The winner of each match will then face off in a heads-up finale.

The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., July 28, and will continue for five consecutive nights in the same time slot.  A special program called the “Director’s Cut” will air late night Saturday, August 2, at 1:00 a.m., right after Saturday Night Live.

The biggest tournament at Full Tilt Poker, the $750,000 Guaranteed, featured 4,057 players paying the $200 + $16 to build a prize pool of $811,400. Shortly after midnight PT “syzygy-1-1-1-1” eliminated “govshark2” to take home the $143,285.13 first place prize. Here’s how syzygy-1-1-1-1 claimed victory.

The chip counts when the final table began:

Seat 1: govshark2 (1,773,772)
Seat 2: thekellster89 (1,155,635)
Seat 3: blizair (1,981,530)
Seat 4: EricaSchoenberg (865,374)
Seat 5: Babooyah (1,518,600)
Seat 6: syzygy-1-1-1-1 (1,297,362)
Seat 7: IndianRope (621,616)
Seat 8: Capax Infiniti (1,633,575)
Seat 9: Brundaddy (1,323,536)

Eliminated in 9th place: EricaSchoenberg

The longest lasting red Full Tilt pro got it all-in preflop with Ac Kh against the Jd Jc of Babooyah.

Flop: 2d 7h 5c
Turn:  Qd
River:  2h

Unable to win the race Schoenberg was the first player eliminated from the final table.

Eliminated in 8th place: Capax Infiniti

In a pot that started with govshark2 raising to 200,775 and IndianRope calling from the small blind, Capax Infiniti moved all-in from the big blind for 1,113,575. Govshark2 made the call and IndianRope decided to fold. Capax Infiniti showed 5d 5h but found himself trailing the Js Jc of govshark2.

Flop:  9c 7h 4h
Turn:  8c
River:  Jd

Unable to improve his hand to a set or a straight, Capax Infiniti was sent to the rail in eighth.

Eliminated in 7th place: IndianRope

After govshark2 raised to 250,000, IndianRope moved all-in for 601,914 and govshark2 called. IndianRope’s 7h 9h was behind the Ac 2s of govshark2.

Flop:  8c 3d 2d
Turn:  7c
River:  2c

Making bottom pair on the flop and trip two’s on the river, govshark2 eliminated IndianRope and moved into the chip lead.

Eliminated in 6th place: Brundaddy

The next elimination would come at the hands of govshark2 as well. Brundaddy moved all-in pre-flop holding Qd 7d and govshark2 re-raised all-in to isolate with 6h 6d. All other players folded.

Flop: 8h 4h 2c
Turn: Jd
River: 8c

Brundaddy’s “computer hand” was unable to win the race as govshark2 made two pair, eights and sixes, to increase his chip stack.

Eliminated in 5th place: thekellster89

The elimination of thekellster89 marked the first elimination that wasn’t the result of preflop all-ins. Pre-flop Babooyah raised to 323,200 and thekellster89 called from the small blind.

Flop:  2c 7h Kd

After that flop thekellster89 pushed all-in for 271,892 and Babooyah called and showed 5h 5s which put him ahead of thekellster89’s Ad 6h.

Turn:  3c
River:  Ks

With no help on the turn or river, thekellster89 was eliminated in fifth place.

Eliminated in 4th place: blizair

The quietest player at the final table, blizair, managed to hang on until play was four handed. But that’s where his night ended after moving all in with 2h 2c and being called by syzygy-1-1-1-1 with 8d Ac.

Flop:  9c Kh Td
Turn:  Kd
River: Tc

Despite not making a pair syzygy-1-1-1-1’s ace kicker was good enough as the two pair on the board counterfeited the small pair of blizair.

Eliminated in 3rd place: Babooyah

Govshark2 raised all-in preflop and was called by a shortstacked Babooyah. Showing As Th Babooyah was ahead of govshark2’s Kc Js. But the board wouldn’t cooperate.

Flop: 7d 8h 5s
Turn: Jh
River: 3s

Making a pair of jacks on the turn govshark2 eliminated yet another player and got to the heads-up portion of the tournament.

Syzygy-1-1-1-1 wins the Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed; govshark2 eliminated in 2nd place.

After a series of all-in confrontations with the chip lead changing hands multiple times the final two players got in all before the flop one final time. Govshark2 showed Ah 4s and syzygy-1-1-1-1 showed Kc 9s.

Flop: Kd Kh 3c
Turn: 8d
River: 5h

Making trip kings on the flop syzygy-1-1-1-1 took a commanding lead and the 8d on the turn ended the tournament for govshark2 and syzygy-1-1-1-1 was victorious.

For complete payout information check out the Sunday Report.

In its final week with a $1 million prize pool, the PokerStars Sunday Million attracted a field of 8,370 players, creating a prize pool of $1,674,000. Starting next week PokerStars will increase the guaranteed prize pool to $1.5 million. But this week it was all about “avkid86” coming out on top of the field after the final four players agreed to a chop that paid each of them six figures and left $30,000 on the table.

Here’s how the final table played out:

The chip counts when the final table began:

Seat 1: avkid86 (7077309 in chips)
Seat 2: DonC33 (7601196 in chips)
Seat 3: strahhh25 (11792680 in chips)
Seat 4: tonijeromi (13241326 in chips)
Seat 5: gio_piso (4344512 in chips)
Seat 6: dapoopta (5850472 in chips)
Seat 7: Jimboski30 (15547917 in chips)
Seat 8: Gambooooool (7443146 in chips)
Seat 9: pokerbrat13 (10801442 in chips)

Eliminated in 9th place: DonC33

The first elimination came via the bad beat mode as DonC33 and Gambooooool decided to get it all-in preflop. DonC33 held Ac Kh while Gambooooool  held Ad Qd.

Flop: Qc 9c As
Turn: 4s
River:  Ah

Gambooooool’s full house of aces and queens sent DonC33 to the rail in ninth place.

Eliminated in 8th place: gio_piso

The short-stacked gio_piso was the next player eliminated. After moving all in with Td Jd gio_piso was called by Jimboski30 who held 6s Ks in the big blind.

Flop: 3s 5c 3h
Turn: Qc
River: 8s

King-high was good enough for Jimboski30 to claim another scalp and eliminate gio_piso from the Sunday Million.

Eliminated in 7th place: Jimboski30

The next player to go was Jimboski30 who moved all-in for 2,800,987 and was called by strahhh25 in the big blind. Jimboski30 held 9h Tc and was behind the As 2c of strahhh25.

Flop: 8s 6s 2d
Turn: 8c
River: 3d

Making bottom pair on the flop and two pair on the turn, strahhh25 eliminated Jimboski30 from the Sunday Million.

Eliminated in 6th place: dapoopta

The shortest remaining stack was shown the door next. Dapoopta moved all-in for 4,680,944 and was called by avkid86. Showing 2d 2h dapoopta was ahead of the As Th of avkid86, but all that changed on the flop.

Flop: 7s Jc Ah
Turn: 4c
River: 4d

Eliminated in 5th place: tonijeromi

The only player at the final table who had previously won this event, tonijeromi, was sent home thanks to Gambooooool . With blinds of 500,000/1,000,000 with a 100,000 ante tonijeromi moved all-in for 6,081,326 and was called by the small blind, Gambooooool . Tonijeromi showed Ks Ts while Gambooooool showed 3c 3s.

Flop: Jh 3h Qd
Turn: 2c
River: Jc

For the second time at the final table Gambooooool made a full house to eliminate an opponent. It was at this point that the players discussed, and agreed to, a four way chop leaving $30,000 on the table to play for. The chop went as follows:

avkid86: $108,101
strahhh25: $118,193
Gambooooooool: $113,016
pokerbrat13: $138,077

Eliminated in 4th place: Gambooooool

The most active player at the final table was the first player eliminated after the chop was agreed upon. Strahhh25 raised 3,000,000 and Gambooooool re-raised to 8,000,000, only to have strahhh25 three bet all-in for 20,476,408. Gambooooool called and showed Kd Qc but found himself dominated by strahhh25’s Ad Ks.

Flop: 5d Js 3c
Turn: 9h
River: 4h

With no full house to save him this time Gambooooool  was out of the Sunday Million.

Eliminated in 3rd place: pokerbrat13

Another quick elimination as avkid86 called the all-in preflop move of pokerbrat13. Showing 5s 7c pokerbrat13 was well behind the 8d As of avkid86 and would need help to survive.

Flop: 8s 4h Tc
Turn: Kh
River: Kc

Flopping second pair all but crushed the dreams of pokerbrat13, who was left with only a gutshot straight draw as his only. The running kings eliminated pokerbrat13 and sent us to heads-up action.

Avkid86 wins the PokerStars Sunday Million.

The final hand featured very little drama. Strahhh25 was shortstacked and moved all-in for his last 5,148,304 and avkid86, who had the other 78.5 million in play, called. Strahhh25 showed Qc 7h and avkid86 turned over 5s Kc.

Flop:  Ks 3s 5d
Turn: 9h
River: 3d

Flopping two pair on the flop avkid86 nearly rendered the turn and river useless and when Strahhh25 failed to make neither running trips nor a running straight, avkid86 was victorious and had scored an additional $30,000.

For complete information on payouts from the Sunday Million visit the Sunday Report.

The final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event might be three months away, but that doesn’t mean that poker fans aren’t still able to get in on the action. 

Odds on the November Nine are now available at BodogLife.com and not surprisingly Dennis Phillips, who leads with 26.2 million chips, is the favorite at 3/1. Odds for all nine players are available.  

Scott Montgomery, who is right behind Phillips with 24.4 million chips and has a World Poker Tour final table to his credit, is next at 4/1. Kelly Kim, who scraped his way to the final table with only 2.62 million chips, is the real long shot at 25/1. 

The maximum wager accepted is $100 and odds are expected to be available until November 8th. For more information check out WSOP Final Table odds at BodogLife.com.

The World Series of Poker Academy has made a name for itself by hosting some of the best live poker clinics in Las Vegas the past two years. Now they’re making their move to other markets with the first ever WSOP Academy event in Los Angeles.

Scheduled for September 6 -7 at the Bicycle Casino the event will include instruction from poker tells expert Joe Navarro, poker pros Annie Duke, Kenny Tran and Alex Outhred, who is coming off of a 54th place finish in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, among others.

The two days of instruction will include seminars, live hand demonstrations, interactive workshops and customized handbooks while covering all aspects of No-Limit Texas Hold’em strategy, from playing position and calculating pot odds to the importance of aggression and changing gears.

Players will also have the opportunity to play in a freeroll at the end of the first day which will reward a $5,000 WSOP Circuit event seat to the winner.

“The Academy’s tournament is an exciting way for our participants to put into action what they’ve learned over the day and test their wits at the table against the world’s best like Annie Duke and Kenny Tran,” said Rosen.

The cost of the WSOP Academy Los Angeles event is $1,499. Space is limited to 100 participants, and the event is expected sell out well in advance. Additional details for this event and all other Academy events are available at www.wsopacademy.com or by calling 1-800-989-WSOP.

Players on AbsolutePoker.com and UltimateBet.com will soon notice the tables are little busier. The two online poker sites announced Thursday plans to merge the two independent rooms to form the CEREUS network.

The newly-formed network will combine the players from both sites onto one platform. The move is meant to offer increased liquidity to current players and integrate features from each site onto one platform. Players will still play at their favorite sites as they have no plans to combine into one singular brand.

“I’m confident that Absolute Poker and UltimateBet customers will be thrilled by the new platform and we look forward to welcoming many new players from around the world,” said Paul Leggett, Chief Operations Officer of both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet. “Paul Leggett, Chief Operations Officer of both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet.”

Both sites are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises, which has been at the center of an online poker scandal for the past year. Rogue users on both sites were able to take advantage of a security flaw to play while being able to view their opponents’ hole cards. After an internal investigation it was determined that the security breach was limited to former employees of the company who worked under pre-Tokwiro management.

The new software platform, which is expected to launch in August, was designed to allow for greater scalability as the site continues to grow. Changes to the game client will be able to made at a much quicker pace and players are expected to notice a rapidly improving product.

“Our company’s goal is to provide poker players with the ultimate online experience. The launch of CEREUS is a major step for us in achieving our goal and we look forward to making many more exciting announcements very soon,” said Leggett.

For more information visit UltimateBet.com and AbsolutePoker.com.

Hello Joe! Joe we all know you by your infamous online name Hoodini10. First off, tell us how the WSOP went for you.

I kept the WSOP more low-key this year than last year. Last year, I rented a house for the summer with a few friends, and sort of over-exposed my roll to a lot of events at the WSOP. This year I knew I had to be home mid-June for my brother’s graduation from Penn State, so I made two separate trips. I went out and played a 2k and 1500 6max at the WSOP, then flew back out for the Main Event. In between I played the Borgata Summer Open which featured a 5k Main Event. It attracted a great field and it is also close to where I live in Philly. I played well all summer, but nothing major to talk about happened. WSOP was really exciting because my close friend Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki made a deep run in the Main Event. He solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with. It was great to see him have success, because we sort of play a similar style. We’ve talked through countless situations together. Hopefully I’ll get my big break soon as well!

Yes, Chris Klodnicki did have an incredible WSOP. How do you guys know each other so well?

We grew up together in Voorhees, NJ and both went to Eastern High School. We also played baseball together for a few years during childhood. We had played smaller home games recreationally throughout high school. We both started taking the game more seriously in college. He had already read some books and taught me how to think about the game in different ways. It just took off from there. After graduating college, he had qualified for the WSOP. I had just returned from Europe, where I was doing some backpacking. Chris staked me in a 1k Bellagio Cup Event, which I chopped for 70k. That was the start of my poker career. Afterwards things picked up online and I took down the FTOPS 1 Event 1. It solidified my roll to make poker a living.

You said you guys play similar styles, what is your style exactly?

CAPABLE! After having ample experience in this game, you need to have all styles available to you at anytime. I don’t like classifying my play as loose-aggressive, nitty or anything like that. Basically I like to gather as much info as I can in each situation, and just adapt to it. I have it reflect in my play at that particular table. There are so many ways to approach the game and each situation is different. As a tourney player you need to take into account your position in the tourney and its structure, as well as the surrounding players. That is why I love playing tournaments and the deep-thinking involved in certain spots.

When making the transition from online to live poker, what are the biggest differences you have found so far and what do you do to adjust?

Essentially there are no differences in the actual game, its still poker. Live poker brings along more variables to deal with obviously. Some are easier to account for than others. My approach is to just imagine myself playing an online tourney. Most of my experience is dealing with betting patterns, and the many different inflection points that are present throughout a tournament. Live poker can add so much more to your game as you feed off of what the other players give you at the table. I’m not big on live tells yet. This is mostly due to my lack of experience in the live arena. I do believe there is value in them if you are good at it. You can see your opponent and hear him talk about the game, his life, and where he’s coming from. This can add a lot of value to your game plan at each particular table. Many people give so much away and you need to stay focused and pay attention. This is a big positive about live poker. The variables that are more difficult to deal with are handling your surroundings well, and creating an atmosphere where you can remain on your game. Also, you have to stay focused for multiple days, while grinding at a live event. It takes more discipline and patience to be successful in the live arena. At the same time I believe online poker is just training for the live arena. There is greater success both financially and professionally by playing live.

Yes indeed, but you have to love just being able to play poker from your house.

Of course! Online poker gives people a chance to succeed in this great game. Many wouldn’t be exposed to the tournament arena unless they had access to a casino where a big live circuit was taking place. For this, I hope the US government regulates online poker to keep tournament poker strong, and moving into the future.

YES!  The government can make 40 billion in its first 10 yrs, if online gambling is legalized. We need it regulated and taxed, with NETELLER back!

I was just going to say, I see poker having a strong presence for years to come, and YES PLEASE BRING NETELLER BACK!!! Haha.

Do you have any advice for newbie’s on bankroll management?

Sure. I have enough experience with it as I previously mentioned because of my over-exposure to bigger live events last year. It’s hard to give general advice on how to manage someone’s finances. It all depends on that person’s goals and abilities in poker. The most important thing if someone has decided to pursue poker as a profession, is to separate their living expenses from their poker bankroll as they get going. Once the bankroll surpasses a certain point to where they are comfortable with managing things, you can then adjust your risk to what you feel is appropriate to achieve your goals. If you want just a conservative approach for MTT players, I’d say have 100 buy-ins for the level you are planning to play regularly. This should be enough to handle the variance and build thereafter. Also, many newbie’s may not be accustomed with staking deals, or swapping percentages in tournaments. My only advice on this is to make sure you conduct this type of business with people you know you can trust. You should make sure everything is mapped out so both parties are on the same page and in a position to have a successful relationship.

Here is an example, say you are an average player who won the Poker Stars Sunday Million for 200k. Should you cash out a decent amount to show for your earnings, or do you keep it all in there and play with it.

Again, this will all depend on the individuals goals for himself or herself in poker, or at the moment of their win. If you plan on pursuing tournament poker after a win like this, make sure you account for outside expenses (travel, rent, mortgage, etc). Part of being successful in this game is knowing what you are prepared for. You need to work hard to keep getting better and learn more. If you are in the right mindset, anything is possible.

Can’t you write it off your traveling expenses if you file to become a professional?

Yes, but it won’t get written off until you actually file for taxes. Meaning, you still need to have that money on the side to use. There’s a lot of overhead involved with traveling to live events. If you don’t manage your money right, it could cut seriously into profits. Well, hopefully you’re winning a lot more than that, but still.

Alright, we all know you have made a lot of money playing poker, what is the best toy you have bought for yourself?

Ha-Ha. If I had a best toy, it would be a sick car. I live in the city now, so I got rid of my previous one. I really don’t know. I just like to surround myself with nice things. I love to live and eat well too. My girlfriend, Alexis, could probably answer this question better than me (Ha-Ha)– too many trips to Gucci for me - lol.

What is the best and worst aspect of being a poker player?

I’ve been playing poker for two yrs professionally since graduating from UPenn. I can only answer from my experience. Everyone in the poker world isn’t going to have the same answer to this of course, depending on who they are. I was very serious about sports throughout my childhood, high school, and college (where I went to play baseball). Poker is an arena that allows you to be as competitive as you want, depending on how much work you put into it. When people say it’s “a hard way to make an easy living”, it’s pretty true. There is no easy way to become a successful poker player (unless you work for Absolute or Ultimate Bet, HA-HA). You will inevitably run into bumps along the way, but only the strong minded will persevere in this game. That is why I love it so much. I studied game theory as part of my Economics degree at UPenn. I get to utilize this along with other deep-seeded thoughts and strategies that I have learned along the way through playing, reading, and adapting. It allows me to never become bored with poker. Also, poker affords me to travel the world and maintain a way of life to which I chose. I answer to nobody about my finances, etc. but myself. The downside to all this is that in order to be successful in pursuing this type of “entrepreneurial” lifestyle, you need to train yourself to be very disciplined, patient and balanced. Nobody can teach you those kinds of things in a book, or on a training website. It is through hard-earned experience, dedication, and learning that the success will come. Also, you need to put in a good effort to maintain a social interaction with your family and friends away from poker.

When you are not playing poker, what are you doing in your spare time?

I really enjoy spending time with friends, traveling, playing golf, playing sports, and working out. I basically love being active. I also want to make more of an effort to read lots of books in my spare time. Learn more about investing and trading, which is what I’d probably be doing if I wasn’t pursuing poker.

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

If I could take anybody’s bankroll it would have to be Bill Gates because he just has way too much money. If it had to be a poker player, I’d probably say Phil Hellmuth. It’s not because he has the most money necessarily, but because it would probably be most entertaining. Ha-Ha.

You have the radio blasting, singing in the shower to one song, what are you singing to when you think to yourself, “I’m really glad nobody is here to catch me singing this song?”

LOL. Chris Brown’s song “Forever,” I wish I could move like that. Let the ball busting begin!

You just won the WSOP and you become infamous over night. You’re in the VIP section with your entourage. Tell us who’s the hottie on your lap at Tao?

Alexis (girlfriend) won’t like this answer, but it would have to be Scarlet Johansson. She is simply amazing!

Well Joe, it’s been a very insightful interview with you and it was fun. We wish you the best of luck!

Thanks a lot Ryan, enjoyed it!

The next stop on the Asian Poker Tour takes players to the Asian gaming mecca of Macau and some of the biggest names will be there, chasing down the $1.5 million US guaranteed prize pool.

J.C. Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do and Steve Sung will be just some of the names making the trip to Macau August 26 to 31, to compete in the $5,000 + $300 buy-in event. First place is guaranteed to pay at least $500,000.

Players interested in playing the APT Macau can qualify for free at BodogLife.com.

There are four freerolls scheduled in July with the top 25 finishers in each tournament moving onto the APT Macau Seat Giveaway Finale, Saturday August 2. Top prize is an $8,000 prize package that includes the buy-in, round trip airfare and six nights accommodation at Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino, home of the event.

Bodog’s freeroll tournaments are scheduled four times daily throughout the month of July. The top 25 finishers per qualifier move onto the APT Macau Seat Giveaway Finale on Saturday, Aug. 2, with the top prize being an $8,000 prize package that includes the event’s $5,300 buy-in, round trip flight, spending money and a six-night stay at the luxurious Galaxy StarWorld Hotel & Casino located in the heart of Macau.

In addition to the freeroll, players can also win one of three $8,000 APT Macau satellites that Bodog is holding through August 3. Semifinal tournaments, with a $300 + $20 buy-in, will be held at 3:15 pm ET each of the next three Sundays. Each semifinal is guaranteed to award at least one seat to APT Macau. Qualifiers start for as little as $1.

For more information on the APT visit AsianPT.com.

Tuesday night is the night that poker fans have been waiting for. Only weeks after the 2008 World Series of Poker concluded in Las Vegas the first event is ready to air on ESPN.

And the final table Event #1 (($10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em) includes an all-star lineup.

Andy Bloch, who holds the record for most WSOP final tables without a bracelet, joins Phil Laak, Patrik Antonius, Nenad Medic, Chris Bell and online professionals Mike “SowersUNCC” Sowers and Amit “Amak316″ Makhija in pursuit of their first WSOP bracelet.

However Mike Sexton and Kathy Liebert, who each have one bracelet already, will be doing their best to add to their collection.

The two one-hour episodes will air back-to-back beginning at 8 pm ET. A total of 33 hours of WSOP coverage will air on ESPN over the next 17 weeks leading up to the broadcast of the Main Event final table featuring the November Nine.

Instead of the usual 750k Guarantee on Full Tilt this weekend, there was a $1 Million Guarantee on Full Tilt with a buy-in of $535.  The tournament attracted a field of 2,396 and generated a prize pool of $1,198,000.  First place was worth $219,773.10.  “GulahPapyrus” came out on top for the nice payday.  Here’s how the final table played out.

Eliminated in 9th Place: ILIKEPONIES
Blinds: 14,000/24,000 (3,500 antes)

AJKHoosier1 raises it to 80,888 from late position.  ILIKEPONIES moves all in for 217,768 from the cut off.  AJKHoosier1 calls the remaining 136,880.  ILIKEPONIES shows 9d 9h, and AJKHooser1 has As10c.  The flop comes QhKhAd, giving AJKHoosier1 a pair of aces.  The turn is a 2s, and the river is a 6h.  AJKHoosier1 wins 509,036.

Eliminated in 8th Place: acatlover
Blinds: 17,000/34,000 (4k antes)

From UTG, acatlover moves all in for 618,147.  AJKHoosier1, snap calls him from behind.  acatlover shows 9s9h, and AJKHoosier1 has AcAh.  The flop is Jd3s4h.  The turn brings a 4c, and the river is a 3c.  AJKHoosier1 collects 1,319,294.
 
Eliminated in 7th Place: Nom Sayin
Blinds: 20,000/40,000 (5k antes)

AJKHoosier1 raises it to 111,111 from mid position.  Nom Sayin moves all in for 841,455 from the cut off.  GulahPapyrus flat calls for 841,455 in the SB.  AJKHoosier1 folds.  Nom Sayin flips over QhJd, and GulahPapyrus shows AcKs.  The flop comes down AhQc5s, giving GulahPapyrus a pair of aces.  The turn is a 8s, and the river is a 10s.  GulahPapryus scoops up 1,889,021.
 
Eliminated in 6th Place: Chipleader56
Blinds: 20,000/40,000 (5k antes)

Chipleader56 moves all in from UTG for 554,760.  hurikane3 calls for 454,760.  Chipleader56 shows JcJh, and hurikane3 reveals AcQc.  The flop is 9dQd3s, giving hurikane3 a pair of queens.  The turn is a 3h, and the river a 8s.  hurikane3 wins 1,159,520.

Eliminated in 5th Place: SitAndStack
Blinds: 25,000/50,000 (6k antes)

A couple of hands later, SitAndStack moves all in for his remaining 3,710 on the button.  AJKHoosier1 raises it to 122,222, and the SB folds.  SitAndStack shows 3h5h, and AJKHoosier1 has 3s9h.  The flop is 4hAd6h.  The turn is a 9d, and the river is a Qc.  AJKHoosier1 collects 133,710.

Eliminated in 4th Place: A_theKevlar_2
Blinds: 25,000/50,000 (6k antes)

AJKHoosier1 raises it to 122,222 from UTG.  A_theKevlar_2 who is in the BB, shoves for 794,906.  AJKHoosier1 calls for 672,684.  A_theKevlar_2 shows As8s, and AJKHoosier1 has KcKs.  The flop is 6hJsKh, giving AJKHoosier1 a set of kings.  The turn is a 6d, and A_theKevlar_2 is drawing dead.   The river is a Ac.  AJKHoosier1 collects 1,638,812.

Eliminated in 3rd Place: hurikane3
Blinds: 25,000/50,000 (6k antes)

Two hands later, GulahPapyrus raises it to 123,456 from the button.  hurikane3 moves all in from the BB for 1,603,882.  GulahPapyrus calls the 1,480,426.  hurikane3 flips over As10s, and GulahPapyrus shows AdQh.  The flop is 2d2s7h.  The turn is a 6h, and the river is a 5s.  GulahPapyrus holds and it is now heads up.

Eliminated in 2nd Place: AJKHoosier1
Blinds: 25,000/50,000 (6k antes)

First hand into heads up, both players are all in for their tournament life.  AJKHoosier1 raises it to 100k from the blind.  GulahPapyrus reraises to 333,333, AJKHoosier1 flat calls the 233k.  GulahPapyrus leads out and bets 456,789.  AJKHoosier1 raises it to 2,050,500.  GulahPapyrus moves all in for 6,045,160.  AJKHoosier1 calls the 3,205,673.  GulahPapyrus flips over KcQd.  AJKHoosier1 shows a 7s8s for a flush draw.  The flop comes down Qh3s9s.  The turn is a Qs giving AJKHoosier1 the flush, and the river is a 3h giving GulahPapyrus the boat.  GulahPapyrus wins the tournament

$1 Million Guarantee Winner: GulahPapyrus

For a complete breakdown of the $1 Million Guarantee on Full Tilt final table payouts check out The Sunday Report.

The PokerStars Sunday Million attracted a field of 8,589 and generated a prize pool of $1,717,800.  First place was worth $209,751.60.  “SAM66” came out on top for the nice payday.  Here’s how the final table played out.  For full details on the final table payouts check out The Sunday Report.

Eliminated in 9th Place: Cjh1224
Blinds: 250,000/500,000 (50k antes)

From UTG, Cjh1224 calls 316,305 and is all-in.  rubenrtv raises it to 1,722,255 from late position and everyone folds.  Cjh1224 shows Jh7d, and rubenrtv has KcAs.  The flop is AhTs2h.  The turn is a 8d, and the river is a Ks.  rubenrtv wins 1,648,915.

Eliminated in 8th Place: Axinar
Blinds: 250,000/500,000 (50k antes)

my_emolument raises it to 3,982,975 from late position and is all-in.  Axinar calls for the remaining 287,658 that they have left.  my_emolument shows AhKd, and Axinar has Kh9s.  The flop is 7s3s3h.  The turn is a Qd, and the river a 4h.  my_emolument holds, and wins 1,512,974.

Eliminated in 7th Place: moorten
Blinds: 300,000/600,000 (60k antes)

Shantaram raises it to 2,222,222 from the hijack.  moorten calls 28,314 from the cut off and is all-in.   Shantaram has AdAh, and moorten shows KcQd.  The flop is 9cThQh, giving moorten a pair and a gutshot draw.  The turn is a 7s, and the river is a 3h.  Shantaram holds and collects 2,576,628.

Eliminated in 6th Place: my_emolument
Blinds: 400,000/800,000 (80k antes)

my_emolument calls 661,266 from the cut off and is all-in.  rubenrvt calls 400,000 from the SB.  The flop is 9d10d3c.  The turn is a 6h.  The river is a Kh.  rubenrvt shows 9hJs, giving him a pair of 9s.  my_emolument mucks and is eliminated.

Eliminated in 5th Place: pepperdiablo
Blinds: 400,000/800,000 (80k antes)

pepperdiablo raises from UTG to 2,989,536 and is all-in.  SAM66 from the SB raises it to 5,179,072, and the BB folds.  SAM66 shows QdKd, and pepperdiablo shows Ad3d.  The flop brings Jh8s2h.  The turn is a 3c.  The river is a Kc, giving SAM66 a pair of kings.  SAM66 collects 7,109,072.

Eliminated in 4th Place: rubenrtv
Blinds: 400,000/800,000 (80k antes)

rubenrtv raises it to 2,222,225 from the SB.  SAM66 re-raises to 4,800,000 from the BB.  rubenrtv shoves for 16,674,549.  SAM66 insta-calls with AhAs.  rubenrtv shows 6s6c.  The flop is Ad3s8d.  The turn is a Qs, and the river is a 6d.  SAM66 wins a big pot for 33,669,098.

Eliminated in 3rd Place: MrMuck1976
Blinds: 400,000/800,000 (80k antes)

MrMuck1976 raises it to 10,400,000 from the button, and is all in.  SAM66 calls for 9,600,000 from the BB.  MrMuck1976 shows Ad5c.  SAM66 shows KhQd.  The flop is Qd5h2h, giving SAM66 a pair of queens.  The turn is a Js, and the river is a 7s.  SAM66 collects a nice pot for 20,000.000 and it is now heads up.

Eliminated in 2nd Place: Shantaram
Blinds: 500,000/1,000,000 (100k antes)

The fifth hand into the heads up match, both players are all-in.  Shantaram moves all in for 10,500,00 from the button.  SAM66 calls with As5c.  Shantaram shows Ah3s.  The flop comes down 3c4d9h.  The turn is a 5d, and the river is a Kc.  SAM66 wins the tournament.

Sunday Million Winner: SAM66

For a complete breakdown on the Sunday Million final table payouts check out The Sunday Report.

The final table of the World Poker Tour‘’s Bellagio Cup IV was star-studded and included two players, John Phan and David Benyamine, who had recently captured their first World Series of Poker bracelet. But in the end it was Mike “SirWatts” Watson who came out on top and captured the $1.67 million first place prize.

The event attracted a field of 446 players, each paying $15,000 to create a total prize pool of $6,489,300. This event will be the first to air on Fox Sports Net as part of the WPT’s newly announced broadcast agreement. An air date has not yet been announced.

The win is the first for Watson whose previous best finish in a WPT event was 10th, last February at the LA Poker Classic.

Other notable finishes include David Pham in ninth ($90,495), John Gale in 11th ($64,640), Glen Chorny in 14th ($64,640), Daniel Alaei in 20th ($51,710), Hevad “RAIN” Khan in 25th ($38,785), Ted Forrest in 26th ($38,785) and Barry Greenstein in 30th ($38,785).

The next WPT event is the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, August 23 - 28.

UltimateBet.com is guaranteeing 50 seats to the $5,000 + $500 buy-in event in a single satellite on Saturday. Each seat is worth $8,500 with the additional $3,000 being allotted for travel expenses. The APC is scheduled to run September 27 - October 4 at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino.

Tournament organizers are expecting a field of at least 750 players with the total prize pool expected to eclipse $4 million.

The satellite begins Saturday night at 5:30 pm ET and entry is only $500 + $30. A minimum of 50 seats will be awarded with one seat awarded for every 17 players in the event.

For more information on the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic check out UltimateBet.com.