Every morning you get up, pour yourself a cup of that sledge your office receptionist calls coffee and return to your computer to visit a few of your favorite websites before you kick your day off at work. Lately you’ve noticed that one of your first stops has been missing. BLUFF is happy to bring back the THE SCRAMBLE – a quick rundown of the poker news you need to know each weekday morning. We’re back with a vengeance too as some members of Team PokerStars Pro have been accused of some shady activity while a six-year-in-the-making overnight success story has finally come true.

Wynn Casino Accuses Team PokerStars Pros of Craps Scam

Team PokerStars Pro Leo Fernandez (photo courtesy PokerStars)

Normally a story about a craps game and a poker pro involves TJ Cloutier, Phil Ivey or, more recently, Greg Mueller. This time however the story isn’t quite the standard tale. The Wynn Casino in Las Vegas has sued Leo Fernandez and Veronica Dabul, for $700,000 – roughly the amount the pair won during a recent run at the craps table at their casino. Fernandez is a Team PokerStars Pro while Dabul was a Team PokerStars Pro but is no longer listed as one on PokerStars.com.

The Wynn doesn’t quite think it was luck. The pair is accused of “dice sliding”, a method of cheating which greatly increases the likelihood that one of the dice lands on a specific number. Knowing that a six is coming on at least one of the dice can lead to a pretty handsome payday on some of the tables longest odds. The Wynn claims the couple worked with other casino customers to distract staff during rolls.

“It’s not a common form of cheating because it involves a considerable amount of skill and practice,” Jerry Markling, the NGCB’s top cop told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The pair was initially arrested by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on July 18. Kabul was released after 48 hours while Fernandez spent a week in custody before being released.

Heartland Poker Tour Gets First $1,000,000 Prizepool

The Heartland Poker Tour just might be the best underdog story in poker since that amateur from Tennessee with the funny name bluffed his way past Sammy Farha to win the World Series of Poker. Launched in 2005, the HPT was built on smaller buy-in events with TV coverage and a focus on the “average guy”. Just six years later the HPT hit a major milestone over the weekend at the Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado.

The 668 players who played the $1,650 buy-in event generated a total prize pool of $1,035,650 – the first time in HPT history they broke the seven-figure prizepool. HPT co-founder Greg Lang was more than happy to Tweet about the achievement.

Our first event in 2005 prize pool was 100,000. Tonite it is 1,000,000. Lots of dedicated folks to thank along the way. HPT family rules!

October 3, 2011 1:46 am via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

@HPTGreg

Greg Lang

The aptly-named Craig Casino won the event and the record-setting $293,000 first place prize.

Jason Mercier Still Tops on ESPN’s The Nuts

Each month ESPN.com’s poker insider Andrew Feldman gathers a trusted and knowledgeable group of poker media to rank the best poker players in the world. Ever since Phil Ivey stopped playing poker the top spot has belonged to Jason Mercier and that didn’t change when the list came out for September.

Mercier garnered six of the ten first place votes. Other players receiving first place nods were Erik Seidel (3) and Eugene Katchalov (1). The most surprising development this month was the placement – or lack thereof – of Ivey. For the first time in the history of the list, Ivey isn’t on it.

Check out The Nuts on ESPN.com.

European Poker Tour Gets in Bed with Shamballa

The European Poker Tour is in the middle of its annual London stop but that doesn’t mean the news is coming only from the felt. On Friday the EPT announced a partnership with Shamballa Jewels that will see the 17-year old company become the “Official Bracelet Sponsor of European Poker Tour” for Season 8.

Shamballa produced bracelets for EPT Main Event winners in the second half of Season 7.

“The EPT is delighted to welcome on board Shamballa Jewels as the Official Bracelet Sponsor of the tour for a second time,” said EPT President Edgar Stuchly. “The tour continues to go from strength to strength, attracting highly-renowned companies as sponsorship partners, highlighting the broad appeal of the European Poker Tour to companies outside the poker sphere.”

For Season 8 all Main Event winners will be awarded a Shamballa bracelet worth €10,200 ($13,600 US) while the winner of the EPT Grand Final will be awarded a bracelet worth €25,000 ($33,400 US).

Hal Lubarsky Now Has Some Competition

In 2007 Hal Lubarsky became the first legally-blind player to cash in the World Series of Poker Main Event when he finished 197th for $51,398. Now it seems there’s some competition coming from the other side of the Atlantic.

Jimmy Logan, of Scotland, is starting to take the Scottish poker scene by storm. And while he can’t rely on the tells that BLUFF contributors Joe Navarro and Mike Caro have been teaching you about, Logan thinks he has another advantage.

“But most players have an audio sign. One guy I know, if he rifles through his chips I know he has a good hand. Some make funny noises – and I listen because I can’t see,” said Logan, 49. “And because there are only two cards, I’m as quick as anyone else – and I am good at concentrating.”

The Daily Mail chronicled Logan’s story here.

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