The Water Cooler: Poker News for Oct. 18
by Bodog Poker | Oct 18 2010
The Internet
When Doyle Brunson asked Twitter which poker players they'd like to have sex with, hang out, or kill, he surely knew what he was doing. The drinking game has been a stable of dorm, conference and poker rooms for years now in a less-sanitized version and with poker having so many over-the-top personalities, the debate was going to be lively, to say the least. A few days of deliberation went by and Brunson announced the results over the weekend.
The poker player that the most people who answered the poll was Shannon Elizabeth, followed by Vanessa Rousso and then Jennifer Tilly. Elizabeth's response was an understandable "Um...thanks?" Phil Laak, Gavin Smith and Daniel Negreanu were the top three pros that players wanted to hang out with respectively. Finally, the players that won the "to kill" contest are subject to no small amount of controversy. Phil Hellmuth, whose boorish table behavior and "Poker Brat" personality easily placed him at the top of the list, followed closely by Russ Hamilton, infamous for an online poker scandal that is still talked about. They were joined by TonyG, who was described by one respondent as "just plain annoying."
While the poll was fun, it's unlikely that it is going to have any effect on the players themselves. The Brat without his obnoxious entrances and table chatter just wouldn't be Hellmuth, and it's not like Shannon Elizabeth is going to magically get ugly overnight.
South Carolina
The state Supreme Court is going to hear arguments on whether poker is a game of luck or skill on Tuesday. Circuit judge Markley Dennis ruled that playing poker in a private home does not violate the state's anti-gambling laws, which overturned the conviction of five people who were arrested when police raided a card game in Mount Pleasant in 2006. The judge's decision stated that skilled players generally beat those with less experience and players improve with practice.
As is typical for most decisions made by a supreme court, it is likely to be several months before there is a decision handed down.
Television
VERSUS, that sports channel that you flip past on your way to catch cheerleading championships on ESPN4, just got the rights to broadcast events in the World Series of Poker Circuit Series. VERSUS has not featured poker programming in the past, but the production company attached to the broadcasts handles Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker and the WSOP Europe telecasts.
"This is a big milestone for the industry," said WSOP Vice President Ty Stewart. "We're thrilled that one of the premier all-sports networks has recognized the brand power of the WSOP and decided to take the plunge into broadcasting our poker games."
"We are very excited to present coverage of the World Series of Poker Circuit tour to a national audience of more than 75 million U.S. homes," said Jeff Goldberg, Vice President of Programming for VERSUS. “The WSOP tour is one of the most successful in the business and we knew it was a great opportunity for our first venture into poker tournament coverage."
The telecasts are going to feature two hours of poker tournament action from various WSOP Circuit stops around the country leading up to the $1,000,000 WSOP Circuit National Championship in Vegas.
