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MansionPoker.net Pokerdome Series
MansionPoker.net and Fox Sports Net have teamed up to create a
“poker dome” for their 43-week series. The MansionPoker.net
Pokerdome Series will feature the biggest televised poker event
ever. The $60 million winner-take-all single table event will take place in
Australia on July 12, 2006. But for 43 weeks, beginning May 14, all the
action will be on Fremont Street at the Neonopolis. Every Saturday at 11pm
to 1am (local time), a table of poker players, most of whom will have qualified
on MansionPoker.net, will play to a 150-seat audience. The game will
air the following night across 22 FSN owned-and-affiliated regional sports
networks. What sets this series apart from all others is the technology. The
poker table has an integrated automatic card-tracking system, chip-counting
capabilities, and robotic cameras on each of the players’ faces. The
Pokerdome will be open to members of the public who can watch the event
from behind soundproof glass. Whether watching the game live or at home,
all viewers will get to see the burn cards before the active cards, as well as
watch the rabbit hunting cam to see how the hand would have played out.
Many of the games will be played speed poker style, with themed tables to
keep the series interesting.
Father’s Day Alert
Don’t bother with a new tie: what poker-playing dads want this year is
a day all to themselves so that they can go play poker. But if you are
pressed to hand over a present, try one of these gems. The Hot Dog
Express by Emson is a rotisserie grill for indoor cooking. Perfect for any home
game, it’s easy to use, and even easier to clean (www.hotdogexpress.com). You
might also want to check out Highroller Fashions; they have the most stylish
poker shirts on the market. Imagine Tommy Bahama mating with a deck of
cards, and you’ve got the quality men’s shirts at Highroller (www.highrollerfashionsstore.
com). Alternatively, get your dad ready for summer grilling with
designer WPT Barbeque GrillCovers™. These waterproof barbeque covers are
made of heavyweight polyester and come in three sizes to fit any grill
(www.twodogdesigns.com).
Online Pros give the X Factor
To most casual poker fans, the names “Johnny Bax” and
“Sheets” don’t mean a whole lot. But in the booming subculture
of online poker, these men are held in the highest esteem.
Bax and Sheets (real names Cliff Josephy and Eric Haber,
respectively) have decided to share the secrets that made them
legends in the online poker world. Their new business,
Pokerxfactor.com, launched in April. For the low, low price of
$149.99, plus $25 per month, you can learn how to improve
your online game with two of the industry’s best players.
Disciples can submit hands for analysis, and then watch an
animated sequence of how the hand played out, complete with
commentary from Sheets and Bax. Free videos can be viewed
on the website before you sign up.
Deal Him In
ESPN fans will be happy
to know that columnist
Bill Simmons is headed
for the 2006 World
Series of Poker. Before
you start thinking that
any Tom, Dick, or Harry
with an ESPN pass and
$10k can just waltz into
the WSOP and take over,
think again. Simmons
has been playing poker
for six years and is humble
when talking about
his beginnings. His
humor will be a fresh
gust of air conditioning
this summer, and we're
currently engrossed in
his new book Now I Can
Die in Peace so we can
become accustomed to
his work.
Cindy and Cindy
WSOP bracelet winner Cyndy
Violette has taken on the task of
mentoring the bold and beautiful
Cindy Margolis. Recognized by
Guinness Book of World Records
as the “World’s Most Downloaded
Woman,” Margolis is taking the
poker world by storm. First she
signed on as a spokesperson for
the WPT social networking site,
Chipleaders.com, then she started
her own online poker room,
Cindyspoker.com; and now she’s
in development with Cyndy on a
TV series called House Rules.
Cindy and Cyndy plan to scour
America for the best poker home
game. Contestants will play for
cash prizes and the chance to
bring their home game to the
World Series of Poker main event.
In the Money with the Magician
Antonio Esfandiari has a new
book out. World Poker Tour: In the
Money offers up strategies for
winning Texas Hold’em cash
games. This is the latest title in a
series of books branded by the
WPT, including Making the Final
Table with Erick Lindgren and
Shuffle Up and Deal by Mike
Sexton. In other Antonio news,
the Magician is the new
spokesperson for Kickbutt
Amped Energy Ballz. Now
there’s no excuse for falling
asleep at the table.
You say tomato, I say tomahto
For anyone keeping track, the
North American Poker Tour has
changed its name to the
International Poker Association
Tour. The first event, to be called
The Hollywood Park Open, will
take place May 8-19 at
Hollywood Park Casino in
Los Angeles.
“Battleship Poker” The Wave of the Future?
Poker players who prefer to
play against live human
opponents often express
disdain for the online game, complaining
that the lack of opportunity
to stare into their opponents’ souls
reduces their edge. Fans of online
poker like the pace of the game and
the ability to play in multiple tables
at the same time. Online site
PokerStars.com may have found a
way to merge both worlds. At the
recent European Poker Tour Grand
Final in Monte Carlo, about two
dozen of poker’s finest lined up their
laptops facing each other, and played
the latest “Battleship Poker”
Championship. Battleship Poker is a
series of heads-up matches, so called
because the players, hunched
behind their laptops, look like
they’re playing the naval warfare
game. At the end of the day, it was
Dutch poker sensation Noah Boeken
who took the Battleship Poker
Championship.
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