2006 March 31 Poker News, Events and Happenings

Family rituals seem to unite us all. These things that seem to merely just be a game create a bond that is so strong you will be shocked to know that the focus is poker.

A Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament will be held after the races on April 15 at the Embassy Suites at 211 E. Huntington Dr., Arcadia, to benefit ailing Ross Fenstermaker, trainer Eddie Truman said.

For every newly minted millionaire created by the poker tournament boom, there are dozens more full-time poker “professionals” who are scraping together a living, struggling through down periods after spending through their winnings.

The 70-year-old Burt Reynolds is hardly the draw he used to be when it comes to the film or television roles he now takes. Nonetheless, the people behind "Deal," the newest planned poker movie, have made him one of the movie’s central characters. Reynolds will star alongside Bret Harrison, a TV actor who appeals mostly to the teen demographic, when "Deal" begins filming in New Orleans next week.

Growing up during the Baywatch years made meeting Carmen Electra an obvious highlight in the life of this 24-year old poker reporter, but chatting with Mike Sexton at the opening of Foxwoods Resort Casino’s new World Poker Tour Poker Room was far and away the best part of my day.

Approximately 70 million Americans from every segment of the population play poker.

KEMI, Finland - Robert Varkonyi, the 2002 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion, won InterPoker.com’s latest Extreme Poker Challenge on Wednesday, beating Finland’s Juha Helppi in a tournament played outside in sub-zero temperatures.