An overweight man playing poker at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, was ejected from the casino Tuesday for smelling up the place.

According to a report by the Associated Press, 440-pound Michael Wax, 54, of New York City, New York, USA, had been playing poker at the Borgata for 17 straight hours Tuesday when he was asked to leave because other casino patrons complained about his foul smell. (more…)

A casino gambler in California playing pai gow poker won a half-million dollars on one hand when he was dealt a rare seven-card straight flush.

According to a news release from Shuffle Master, Inc., a Las Vegas-based manufacturer of gambling devices, the gambler, who was not identified, was playing pai gow poker recently at the Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, California, USA, near Sacramento, California, USA, when good fortune struck. (more…)

A fire company that raised almost $41,000 by holding charity poker tournaments has been ordered to turn over the funds to the government.

According to media reports, the Westmoreland County Fire Department, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, recently raised a total of $40,814 by holding several charity poker tournaments featuring no-limit Texas hold ‘em at the fire department’s headquarters. (more…)

A 53-year-old woman from Canberra, Australia, who was arrested and charged with embezzling almost a quarter of a million dollars from her employer, says she stole the money to feed an addiction to video poker.

According to media reports, Joan Whitford-Smith stole almost $235,000 over a three-year period from her employer, R. West Titles, to fund her gambling on casino video poker machines. (more…)

Hollywood, which hasn’t produced a decent movie about poker since “Rounders” in 1998, is giving it another shot.

According to the Hollywood trade paper “Variety,” director Gil Cates Jr. is working on a documentary film about the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) which is to be titled “Pass the Sugar.” (more…)

Wagering odds have been set on who from the final table will win the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

The Main Event final table of nine players was set last week, but won’t play down to a winner until November. (more…)

What would whining, excuse-making poker pros do without their blogs?

Just days after legendary poker pro Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson wrote on his blog that he blames his poor showing at the recent World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on “fatigue” suffered from signing too many autographs, equally legendary (and whiney) poker pro Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr. has weighed in on his blog with his excuses for his poor play (for him) at the Main Event. (more…)

Will people pay to watch other people play poker?

We’re going to find out. (more…)

With the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table now set, here are some facts, figures, stats and trivia about the 2008 WSOP:

EIGHT MEN OUT–The WSOP Main Event final table, made up of nine players, is scheduled to resume play on November 9, 2008, and play down to just two players by the end of the day. The next day, November 10, 2008, the two remaining players are scheduled to play head-to-head until one player is left. =A0 NINE ARE NINTH–Since there are nine players left in the WSOP Main Event, all nine are guaranteed of finishing in at least ninth place in the event. So the WSOP has already paid all nine ninth-place money, which is a not-too-shabby $900,670 each, or a total of about $8 million. That leaves a total of about $24 million left to be divvied up, depending on how far the nine finalists progress in the event. The Main Event winner is to get just over $9 million total. So where’s the $24 mill now? The WSOP has it in an interest-bearing financial account, where it will accumulate interest over the 117-day break. The money earned in interest will be added to the existing prize pool, so the final cash amounts paid out to final table members will actually be a little higher than previously announced. (more…)

One of the nine players who made the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table is an ex-convict who is still wanted on criminal charges in Florida.

According to a story this week in the Sun-Sentinel, a newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, final table qualifier David “Chino” Rheem was convicted eight years ago in Broward County, Florida, on charges of burglary, dealing in stolen property, larceny and marijuana possession. (more…)

The table is set.

The final table, that is, for the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. (more…)

For the nine players who will make up the final table at the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), all but one are guaranteed to become millionaires (if they’re not already).

Thousands of people entered the WSOP Main Event when it got underway a dozen days ago, but only three tables worth–27 players–remained in contention going into Monday’s action. (more…)

Hey, Doyle, want some cheese with that whine?

Normally classy poker pro Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson, who has won two World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events in his career, has shocked the poker world by making lame excuses about why he got bounced so early from this year’s WSOP Main Event. (more…)

A professional poker player from Fairfield, California, USA, has been arrested and charged with running a sex trafficking ring involving underage girls.

According to media reports, poker pro Aaron James Vaughn, 23, of Fairfield, was jailed after being charged with multiple counts of recruiting, coercing and prostituting minors. (more…)

The Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) today headed into its final two days before a four-month break in play, with 27 of the original 6,844 entrants still in contention.

By the end of play Tuesday, the 2008 WSOP Main Event field will be whittled down to just nine players, who will comprise the Main Event final table. (more…)

Poker pro John Hennigan has won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) celebrity tournament, a charity event which raised funds for the crisis in Darfur.

The event, co-sponsored by poker pro Annie Duke and actor Don Cheadle, was a $5,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament with 88 entrants, nine payouts and a total prize pool of about $430,000. (more…)

A poker dealer from Las Vegas has won the casino employees tournament at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas.

WSOP Event #54 was a $500 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament that was open to casino employees only. (more…)

Eight days after it began, the field for the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been severely whittled down.

Going into today’s play at the Rio casino in Las Vegas, 474 players remained alive in the quest to win the Main Event and be declared–at least for a year–the best poker player in the world. (more…)

Professional poker player John “Bones” Bonetti, who won three World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship gold bracelets in his career and finished third in the WSOP Main Event twice, has died.

He was 80. (more…)

The number of entrants participating in the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas is up by about 500 over last year, the WSOP announced.

After the fourth of four “opening days” for the massive WSOP Main Event was completed Sunday, WSOP officials announced that a total of 6,844 people had ponied up the $10,000 entry fee to play in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament. (more…)

It was almost a clean sweep for the USA in Event #53 at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, as USA residents took nine of the top ten spots in the competition.

The only foreign resident among the Top 10 was a Brit, at No. 6. (more…)

A self-described “venture capitalist and investor” from California has made his best investment yet–he turned a $1,500 buy-in fee into over half a million dollars!

The money man, David Daneshgar, from Westlake Village, California, USA, has won Event #52 at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas–a $1,500 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament that had 2,693 participants, 270 payouts and a total prize pool of about $3.7 million. (more…)

It was close, but no cigar, for the “Poker Brat.”

Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr.’s try for an unprecedented 12th career World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship gold bracelet has fallen short–by two steps–at the 2008 WSOP in Las Vegas. (more…)

Belfast, Northern Ireland, long known for bullets, bombs and battles that once made it one of the most dangerous places on earth, now has something else to shout about.

Martin Smyth of Belfast is the winner of Event #50 at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. (more…)

Professional poker player J.C. Tran has made over $6 million in poker tournament earnings in his career, but one goal has long eluded him.

No more. (more…)

Who’s the most famous Brazilian poker player in the world?

From now on, it’s Alexandre Gomes. (more…)

There’s no cryin’ for Ryan.

Ryan Hughes, that is, who came up huge in Event #47 at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas to win his second career WSOP championship gold bracelet. (more…)

Yo, Joe from Joisey, how about a sixpack?

Joseph Commisso of Maple Shade, New Jersey, USA, has won Event #46 at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, a six-handed competition. (more…)

Scotty “The Prince” Nguyen doesn’t horse around.

The Vietnamese immigrant-turned-Las Vegas resident, who had won four World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship gold bracelets in his career but none since 2001, is golden once again. (more…)

The Great White North has scored a hat trick!

Canada has its third winner of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. (more…)