D.C. Congressman’s Son Goes Nuts - Literally?

Jim Moran, Jr. - Son of D.C. Congressman Jim Moran - Gets “TILTY.”

In a funny story that I just caught on ABCNews.com, it looks like a D.C. Congressman’s son posted a video of himself on YouTube going a bit crazy during a game of online poker.

The person in the video, Jim Moran Jr. (the son of Virginia Democrat Jim Moran - House of Representatives), is shown screaming into a camera during an internet poker session, screaming out “I had the nuts the whole time!”

And yes…he literally HAD - and WENT - nuts.

(Click Here for the video)

From ABCNews - “I worked that guy!” the lawmaker’s offspring shouts after winning a key hand. Then he turns to his computer screen. “I worked you! I worked you! I worked you! You thought I was being a wuss, but I had the nuts the whole time! That’s what time it is! You got a watch?” — he points energetically to his wrist — “Cuz that’s what time it is!”

The reason for the video was not without good purpose I suppose. Bruce Ryan, a friend of Moran Jr., posted the short clip to garner attention and awareness for an upcoming poker documentary that his crazy online poker buddy wants to film. The video has caught the attention of many area newspapers and media outlets, which has only stirred up more hits for his maniacal little “monkey tilt” session vid.

Virginians should be proud - and obviously vote to re-elect Jim Moran Sr. The PPA should also jump on this immediately…they need more reps like this guy preaching the good fight, heh.

ZOMG PokerStars has a $1.5 Million Guaranteed EVERY Sunday now! Qualify for as little as $2! How can you NOT click?

Cliff Josephy aka JohnnyBax Signed by Ultimate Bet.

Online Poker Legend Signs with UB.

It’s official everyone.

Online poker great Cliff Josephy - also known as JohnnyBax - was recently signed on as the newest online pro to Team Ultimate Bet.

Josephy, who has won over $1.3 million in live tournaments and countless amounts in the online poker arena, joins a team is already stacked with players like Shawn Rice and Mark “P0ker H0“  Kroon.

The former stockbroker-turned-poker player is known around the world for his poker prowess and aggressiveness.  He and friend Eric “Sheets” Haber started the popular poker training website PokerXFactor, and he has most recently been spotted playing in some of the biggest poker tournaments around the globe.

The decision to bring a player as popular as JohnnyBax onto their team is one that most likely has to do with winning back the trust of the online poker community, especially after the debacle that saw Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet admit to basically turning their backs on possible “superuser account” accusations.  After months of investigations by poker news insiders and other swift “in-house” terminations, both sites have guaranteed the “problem” has finally been taken care of - and both AP and UB are 100% safe to play on.

I’m hoping this move to bring on Bax will prove to be a positive one, because with as much controversy as these two sites have seen in the last year, a welcome change for the better would really ensure that trust is built up once again in the poker community - both online and live.

High Stakes Poker Making An Exit From GSN?

Popular High Stakes TV Show Rumored to be Removed From GSN.

High Stakes Poker, one of the most popular poker programs on television today, is rumored to be on the chopping block over at GSN - also known as the Game Show Network.

The show, which is hosted by Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza, has been a ratings hit for the network, so it’s a bit unusual why such a program may be slated for removal.

Pokerati first broke the story regarding a possible exit for High Stakes Poker, noting that the show normally began taping in March or April in previous seasons - something it DID NOT do for 2008.

They got the following quote from a reliable source concerning the possible cancellation:

“Far as Gabe and I know….the show isnt coming back. Apparently…the network is going to go in a different direction and that aint good news for our show, especially since we skew a higher-aged audiuence. Never mind that we’re the network’s No. 1 show. Still and all, no one calls us from the network to say squat. Only Kevin Bellincoff checks in periodically, but it just don’t seem like good news. If you ask me…they’re treating us like shit. All we ever did was make them a bunch of money. “

It is unknown when the rumor will actually be address by network executives at GSN, if indeed there is any merit to it.  However, judging from the above quote from AJ Benza the future doesn’t look so positive.

In any case, I’m wondering myself that if High Stakes Poker did indeed get pulled from the GSN lineup which network would pick up the show.  With ESPN putting in so much marketing dollars into the World Series of Poker, there could be quite an investment opportunity for a show that’s brought in the world’s best cash game specialists playing for millions of real money.

PokerOwnage.com will bring more about this story as its reported.

The Ultimate Bet Scandal You Never Knew About…

Another AP-Like Superuser Account Accounted For At Ultimate Bet.

Online poker player and PokerDB developer Nat Arem has recently gone on record as saying that “there was blatant cheating on both AP and UB in 2007,” and that although the Ultimate Bet scandal wasn’t as publicly talked about as the superuser scandal at Absolute Poker, it was still a very REAL situation that was going on right underneath the noses of many online poker players.

The “superuser account” in question this time around is that of NioNio, who was beating up some of the game’s best players at $25/$50 and $50/$100 NL at the time of the initial controversy. Players complained and voiced their concerns on 2+2, but for some reason or another, the situation itself was never mainstream news and many poker media outlets refused to touch the story. However, when the AP scandal involving the user ‘Potripper‘ came about, it looked as if the Ultimate Bet situation was almost swept under a rug for quite some time while the company tried to sort out the security issues that allowed a superuser account to even be created in the first place.

Now an administrator over at Pocket Fives, Nat is a little vague on what exactly Ultimate Bet’s stand on the alleged superuser account of NioNio - releasing this statement on the popular P5’s Forums (this is a partial excerpt):

“I’ve spoken with the guy who is, basically, leading the investigation at UB. I guarantee that he is working on it. I am 100% confident that it is a priority in his mind. For many reasons, he’s more upset about the whole thing than anyone else that I’ve met or talked to. While I can’t tell you a lot of what he’s told me, I can tell you that UB is not ignoring it internally. In fact, the delay in resolution is not at UB itself. They’ve done a very thorough investigation and they’re committing some very significant resources to make sure that it never happens again at AP or UB. More information about UB/AP’s steps will be made more public over the next few weeks and months.

I reallllllly want to tell the whole story as I know it, but I can’t. In fact, telling the whole story as I know it could jeopardize the whole outcome of this situation. Once the facts are revealed, people will understand why I can’t say what’s going on right now. You’ll just have to trust me on that.”

PokerOwnage.com will hopefully have more on this story as it comes along over the next few days. I’m sure many forums will be buzzing about this news, and maybe then we’ll also be able to get an answer from Ultimate Bet about this new SuperUser account mess.

WSOP Main Event Final Table To Be Delayed?

USA Today Reports 2008 WSOP Main Event Taping Delayed Until November.

Famed newspaper publication USA Today is reporting that a news conference scheduled for May 2nd, 2008, will confirm the rumor that has been swirling around the poker community since last year’s WSOP Main Event:

“…the main event players will play down to nine as originally scheduled in mid July, then begin play at the final table on November 9th – almost 4 months later. The final table broadcast would be on ESPN on November 11th, and the WSOP Champion would be crowned live that night.”

You’re reading that correctly folks - the final 9 people who make the final table will have to wait exactly 117 days before they’ll ACTUALLY play at the final table. This move is apparently one that ESPN and Harrah’s are collaborating on to build up more excitement and drama surrounding the final table itself. Basically, this means that whoever make the final 9 will have to wait until November to know what place they finish and how much money they’ll take home.

It’s unclear whether the press conference will confirm the aforementioned rumor, but if the source is USA Today, you can be assured that the story may prove accurate. PokerOwnage.com will have more on this story as it progresses.

Troubled Poker Player Brandi Hawbaker Commits Suicide at Age 26.

In a story that has been confirmed by several top poker media websites, troubled poker player Brandi Hawbaker has apparently committed suicide, ending her young life at just 26 years of age. Brandi first made headlines around the world when she flashed a cameraman at the Festa Al Lago main event at the Bellagio back in 2006. Although she would end up finishing a personal-best 35th in that same $10k event, the life of this young woman would never be the same again.

From the conclusion of the Festa Al Lago tournament, the story of Brandi Hawbaker would become a never-ending tale of drama, controversy, and random mental episodes. Her life would become a public soap opera, and any hopes of her trying to hide her personal demons would just never be possible. And while the life of Brandi Hawbaker was continually showcased on many popular internet poker forums, I can still say that the situation itself is still very sad and tragic.

Regardless of the negative incidents and PR that Brandi put on herself throughout her later years, the fact of the matter is she was still a person that just got herself caught up in the torrid world that is known as Sin City. Las Vegas swallowed this girl up whole, and her dreams of becoming a great poker player were tarnished by getting involved with the wrong people and never being able to break her degenerate-like cycle of always needing money just to gamble on the felt.

(oh, and to David Sklansky: You really should be proud of what your words and actions have finally resulted in.)

EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final Shenanigans: Negreanu and Hachem Edition.

I was reading through some of my favorite poker sites, and came across some silly shenanigans from this year’s EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final. The first one is a video I found of Danieal Negreanu being interviewed by SikTilt.com. Check it out below and YOU judge whether it’s complete and utter bullshit - or just semi-ok acting on D.N.’s part (and for Godsakes how do you embed video here???? LOL). Either way, it was pretty comical and I enjoyed the final touch at the conclusion of the interview.

Daniel Negreanu blows up at SikTilt reporter 

Now the second part of the story involves 2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem. When the tournament was trimming the field down to the money bubble on day 3, Hachem got into a near-physical altercation with someone at his table. On a hand where the famed Aussie mucked his cards in disgust, one of the players that wasn’t even involved in the hand demanded that the dealer reveal Joe’s cards.

However, Hachem told his competitor that he didn’t have to reveal his cards since the winning hand had already been turned up. When the dealer concurred, his opponent told Hachem it looked like he was trying to play a certain angle, and then abruptly told the fiery WSOP champ, “Don’t be an asshole.”

After that, the words between Joe Hachem and the other man got pretty crazy - and even other players at the surrounding tables got up to see what was going on. After a few minutes, the dust had finally settled without any punches being thrown.

Two Scottish Players Get Busted For Las Vegas Gambling Spree!

In more news located across the pond, it looks like 2 Scottish poker pros were recently arrested and convicted of stealing roughly £150,000 from the Bank of Scotland to fund multiple Las Vegas gambling sprees. The elaborate scheme saw the pair utilize a bank error glitch in various cash machines that helped them get thousands upon thousands of dollars in stolen money.

The Scotland natives, identified as Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Ifran (brothers), frequented many hot spots in Las Vegas - especially at the famed Bellagio Hotel and Casino. The two brothers also played against such high stakes players as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and millionaire entrepreneur Kerry Packer.

According to online publication The Scotsman:

“In the scam, the pair used information given to them by ‘an insider’ after Halifax and Bank of Scotland overhauled their autoteller programming system following their merger three years ago. About 400 staff in Scotland and England helped implement the changes.

Imran Bashir, prosecuting, told Glasgow Sheriff Court an error in the system later became apparent although it was not known if it was deliberate.

‘What is clear is that a member of staff … had communicated information of this fault to either of the two accused or other persons,’ he said.”

Mr. Bashir convinced jurors to sentence the two men to 18 months in prison and both have been permanently banned from every casino in the UK, and the judge has stripped them of their privileges of getting a visa to the United States.

Too bad these Scots didn’t have the luck of the Irish, lol….(I slay me)

Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh Banned by 2+2 Tilt Master Mason Malmuth.

Jennifer Leigh, also known as Jennicide, is making headlines yet again in the poker news world.

This time - believe it or now - it’s not for baring it all in Playboy magazine.
In a recent post made over at one of my favorite degenerate poker forums (NWP), it looks as if the poker princess has revealed that she is the latest poker pro to be banned from 2+2!

Jennifer, who has been a long-time member of NWP for years, made a recent appearance on the weekly radio show that’s hosted by the site’s owner, Bryan Micon. Many believe that little cameo, combined with many unusual posts at 2+2 lately, were the most likely grounds for her permanent dismissal.

It’s been a terrible last couple of weeks for members of the popular gossip site, with posters being banned left and right just for speaking up about the recent troubles of David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth - with some even being banned just because they’re associated with NeverWinPoker! Even NWP owners Bryan Micon, Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf, and Todd “Dan Druff” Witteles have all been ban-hammered at the 2+2 forums just for being the ones facilitating the trash talk between the two powerhouse websites.

Oh the drama…

Poker Rumor Confirmed: ePassporte Is Shutting Down To U.S. Poker Players.

“To all Cake Poker Customers:

We have received notice from ePassporte today that they are unable to continue to provide CakePoker with merchant e-wallet services. We have since confirmed that this situation is not unique to CakePoker and is, in fact, industry wide.

While we are disappointed with this decision, we want to reassure all players that there will be no impact to either your account balances or your account status at Cake. We are pleased to have launched earlier this week with a new payment processor and have already secured alternative processors/eWallets that we will be launching in the weeks to come.

We are also in discussions with other providers that will be making their services available in the CakePoker cashier soon. Players are welcome to inquire with Customer Support for more details.

As always, we value your business and will continue to make every effort possible to make your poker experience a great one.

Regards,

The Cake Poker Team”

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