2006 August 06 Poker News, Events and Happenings - Page 2

Ireland’s largest online bookmaker Paddy Power recently promised to double the GBP10,000 first prize set aside for the winner of its upcoming World Strip Poker Championship.

While there certainly are a number of professional poker players still hanging tough in the Main Event at the 37th annual World Series of Poker at the Rio in Las Vegas, it is lesser known player Dmitri Nobles who has been bullying the field with an incredible chip lead. Ever since Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker championship after winning a $39 satellite, it has been the dream of the average poker player to storm the castle of the World Series of Poker and win poker immortality, not to mention millions of dollars, with a first-place finish. Players like Dmitri Nobles show that the dream is alive and well as the competition grinds towards its finish on August 10th….

A North Carolina company, PokerTek, is hoping to strike it big with fully electronic poker tables that eliminate the need of a dealer, or even chips and cards. These Poker tables have been well-received on Indian reservations and in cruise ships, but the question remains whether or not the diehard poker players in Las Vegas are going to be happy playing poker on a computer touch screen rather than on a felt table. According to PokerTek CEO Lou White, there are 50% more hands played per hour at one of the company’s poker pro tables during a Texas Holdem game versus that of a dealer roundtable…

The last remaining member of the Team PokerNews crew, Norway’s Per Erik Loeff, remained in the hunt for the $12 million first prize as Day Four action cleared the late-night break.

Day Four played down to 135 players last night, far ahead of the original published WSOP schedule and leaving the field with just three women contenders….

They call Dan Bishop “Big Dan.” Others call him “Pops.” Some even call him “Old Man.” Just don’t call him, Shirley, and if you’re smart you won’t go head-to-head against him at the poker table, either.

The new reality TV series entitled House of Cards focuses on six poker professionals playing in the 37th annual World Series of Poker. The six pros stayed together in a luxury Las Vegas mansion throughout the six weeks of the World Series of Poker, and cameras were naturally situated throughout tracking their experiences. Playing in the House and in the World Series of Poker were “El Blondie”, better known as Dave Colclough, and “Mr…