Poker pro Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr., never one to shy away from controversy or worry about his image, will emcee a poker event hosted by a disgraced National Football League (NFL) player who was kicked out of football for gambling.

On his web log or “blog” (online diary) at www.philhellmuth.com, the 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet-winner wrote Monday that he will “probably” emcee a charity poker tournament in November in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, that is to be hosted by former NFL player Paul Hornung. (more…)

Police in Romania prepared for all-out gang warfare after the leader of a local gang was shot during a poker game by a rival gang member and then died.

According to media reports, police in the southern Romanian city of Craiova, about 160 miles west of capital city Bucharest, deployed about 600 police officers on the streets to keep rival gangs apart, after Mihai “Caiac” Parvu, 41, leader of a local gang, was shot Tuesday during a poker game by another player–a member of a rival gang–who accused Parvu of cheating. (more…)

Just days after the Asian Poker Tour (APT) grabbed some free publicity by publicly inviting Olympic swimming champ and poker fan Michael Phelps to an APT tournament next week in Macau, China, the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) has done it one better.

WSOPE sponsor Betfair, a British online gambling site, has publicly invited Phelps, winner of eight gold medals at the recent Olympic Games in Beijing, China, to attend next month’s WSOPE in London, England. (more…)

A charity poker tournament held in the midst of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, USA, Tuesday raised about $60,000 for a veterans organization and was won by actor Ben Affleck.

The event, called “Poker at the Ballpark” and held at Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies, was sponsored by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a pro-poker lobbying group. (more…)

Professional poker player Hoyt “Cowboy” Corkins of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, who has won two World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship gold bracelets and almost $4 million in tournament prize money, has had his home ransacked and his bracelets stolen.

According to media reports, a burglar or burglars broke into Corkins’ home at the Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club, a gated and guarded community in northwest Las Vegas, ransacked the home and stole numerous items, including two WSOP bracelets, a World Poker Tour (WPT) championship bracelet, a safe, electronic equipment and about $10,000 in cash. (more…)

Ten-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet-winner Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson, scheduled to participate in a major poker tournament in Macau, China, next week, may not be the only golden boy at the tourney.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who just won eight gold medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, has been invited too. (more…)

Poker pro Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson is mad.

At Barack Obama, of all people. (more…)

What took so long?

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, which has not had a poker room since it opened in 1995, has one now. (more…)

“Deal,” a poker-themed film that debuted in movie theaters earlier this year, has been released on DVD.

Like most movies about poker, this one was lousy and bombed badly at the box office. (more…)

Do Indians in America’s Southwest have the exclusive right to deal poker?

And, more importantly, the exclusive right to earn the wampum that comes with the rake? (more…)

Another one bites the dust.

The online poker business is an industry that sees its landscape changed more often than a newborn’s diaper, so it’s never really that much of a shock when a newcomer drops in or an old-timer drops out. (more…)

Now that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, what does he plan to do next?

Many might guess he’ll go to Disney World–for a hefty endorsement fee, of course. (more…)

They give out gold bracelets for poker excellence, so why not gold medals?

If poker were part of the Olympics, they would. (more…)

Authorities in the State of Tennessee raided an illegal poker club Tuesday and arrested 33 people.

According to media reports, members of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Shelbyville Police Department and a State drug task force raided a building in Shelbyville, Tennessee, USA, at about 8 p.m. Tuesday, with search warrant in hand. (more…)

Las Vegas resident Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson will visit the city that is challenging Vegas to be the Gaming Capital of the World–Macau, China.

Poker pro Brunson is set to participate in the Macau Main Event, a poker tournament on the Asian Poker Tour (APT), the APT announced. (more…)

A poker club that opened legally in the Philippines was forced to close down after officials from the local Catholic Church complained.

According to a Philippine newspaper, a poker club located in a shopping center in San Juan, the Philippines, had its operating permit revoked by the local city council after officials of the St. John the Baptist Church condemned the club. (more…)

A poker tournament will be held in the middle of the Democratic National Convention, it has been announced.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group looking to legalize online poker, announced that it will hold a charity poker tournament called “Poker at the Ballpark” on Tuesday, August 26, 2008, beginning at 10 p.m., in Denver, Colorado, USA, to raise funds for paralyzed U.S. veterans. (more…)

An online poker player who sued online poker room Poker Stars (www.pokerstars.com) for refusing to pay monies won in a tournament has withdrawn her suit.

According to an announcement by Poker Stars, the online player–Natalie Teltscher–has withdrawn her lawsuit filed last year in the Isle of Man, home base of Poker Stars. (more…)

All but one of the 15 men who were arrested in Hawaii earlier this year for playing poker have had the charges dropped.

According to media reports, the 15 were arrested last February 9 after police on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, USA, raided a private residence and broke up a pair of poker games. (more…)

No one was injured Thursday in San Antonio, Texas, USA, when gunmen invaded a private high-stakes poker game and robbed the participants.

According to media reports, six men were playing high-stakes poker at around 5 a.m. Thursday in an apartment in northwest San Antonio when two armed men broke down the door of the apartment, burst in and demanded everyone’s money. (more…)

A quintet of noted poker pros has been confirmed for the second annual World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), which gets underway next month in London, England.

Professional poker players Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr., Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren, Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu and Jen “No Nickname” Harman have committed to the event, which will be held in a London casino. (more…)

Imagaine the following scenario:

A bunch of television executives, wearing pricey three-piece suits and sitting around a spacious 54th-floor office, are discussing ways to make more money for their TV network. (more…)

Online poker room Iron Duke (www.ironduke.com) has announced that it has signed professional poker player and porn model Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh as its first celebrity spokesperson.

Leigh first came onto the celebrity scene when she appeared on television in 2005 on the Game Show Network’s “Poker Royale–Battle of the Ages” series. (more…)

Earlier this year the World Series of Poker (WSOP) made a major change in its format and now the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is following suit, so to speak.

The WSOPE announced this week that contrary to what it had earlier announced, the 2008 WSOPE will now be held in one location in London, England next month. (more…)

A man who stabbed another man to death after an argument at a casino poker table has been sentenced to five years in prison.

According to media reports, Vicente Perez, 56, of Macon, Georgia, USA, originally from Cuba, received the sentence Friday, in connection with an incident last April 6 at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. (more…)