Poker News

John Caldwell

BRUNSON WINS WOMEN’S EVENT

Pam Brunson, that is. Doyle Brunson’s daughter Pam recently won the $1,000 buy in Women’s event at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. Brunson bested a field of 125 players, winning $34,000 and earning the right to join Kristy Gazes, Linda Johnson,Mimi Tran, JJ Liu, and Melissa Hayden at the WPT Ladies event, which will be shot very soon at the Bicycle Casino. The women’s event benefited the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which has helped breast cancer patients and research for years.

NEW SEASON OF HIGH STAKES POKER FEATURES “THE HAMMER,” BIG ACTION

Recently, on the season premier of High Stakes Poker, the players established a rule where if you win a hand with 7-2 offsuit-aka “The Hammer”-and show the cards, you get $500 from each person. We won’t give anything away, but suffice to say that the rule does come into during this season’s premier episode with hysterical results. With the new hammer rule in effect, and the increased stakes coming later in the season, this year’s version of HSP promises to be the best one ever. You’ll never guess who drops the hammer on whom.

POKER ALIVE AND WELL IN EUROPE

The numbers poker tournaments are putting up across the pond in Europe are impressive. Despite having a bigger buy in, the recently held Barcelona Poker Stars European Poker Tour event actually outdrew the concurrently running WPT’s Legends of Poker event in Los Angeles. The action was fast and the stakes high at the EPT stop,including the cash games. The waitlist for $2-$5 no-limit was at one point over 70 players long, despite only five tables in play. There were three separate 50-100 Euro no-limit tables in play, with eight names on that waiting list. It appears that Europe is caught right in the midst of poker fever, and the fever shows no signs of letting up. Next up on the Euro poker agenda is the World Series of Poker Europe, which kicks off next week in London.

PPA MOVES TO WASHINGTON D.C.; BOLCEREK STEPS DOWN

The Poker Players Alliance announced that it is relocating its headquarters from San Francisco to Washington D.C. as it continues to focus its lobbying efforts at the federal level. It was also announced that PPA President Michael Bolcerek will be stepping down, and that PPA Vice President of Government Affairs, John Pappas, will be taking Bolcerek’s role in the newly relocated PPA offices. Pappas told me the PPA “[has to] seize this opportunity to push our agenda through Congress and this can only be done with a full-time and committed Washington presence.” Bolcerek will be staying in the bay area to pursue other opportunities and be close to his family.

TWO MEN PLOT TO KILL MAN WITH RATTLESNAKES OVER POKER RELATED DEBT

Two Colorado men have been arrested for allegedly plotting to kill a man who owed them money using rattlesnakes as their weapon of choice. The men claim they were owed $60,000 from Matthew Sowash, owner of the Denver based Amateur Poker Tour. The plot allegedly involved locking Mr. Sowash’s legs in a box with Rattlesnakes in it. Bail for both Herbert Beck, 56 and Christopher Steelman, 34, was set at $500,000. It was reported that both men have extensive arrest records.

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