NBC Features Poker Rapist
January 17, 2008
NBC’s late-night TV show “Poker After Dark” this week features as one of the poker-playing participants a convicted rapist whom the U.S. government tried to deport.
The theme of the show this week, according to a press release from NBC, is “Hecklers Week,” and features what the TV network describes as “six of the brashest talkers in the game.”
The release then lists the six poker pros–Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr., Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Shahram Sheikhan, Gavin Smith, Jean-Robert Bellande and Sam Grizzle–but makes no mention that one of them was convicted of raping a child, served time in prison and then was the focus of a deportation effort last year by the U.S. government. =A0 The player in question is Sheikhan, a 38-year-old Iran native and Las Vegas resident who served nine months in prison and five years probation after being convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery against a 17-year-old girl in 1995.
Last year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which seeks out foreigners living in the U.S. who have been convicted of sex crimes against children and tries to deport them, tried to send convicted child molester Sheikhan back to Iran.
Sheikhan, who is married to an American and has a child, was arrested last August by ICE agents and held in a Las Vegas-area detention facility for five days, before posting $10,000 bail and being released.
Local Pro Will Spend 30 Days in a Bellagio Hotel Bathroom
January 16, 2008
Jay Kwik leans out from the doorway, peering out of the room that will be his home for the next 30 days. He straightens up with a grin, clearly excited about the prospect of human interaction. It’s only been three days since Kwik moved into Bellagio, and his appetite for conversation is apparent.
Everyone that has met Kwik can tell you that he is an outgoing and, more importantly, outspoken guy, but in the tight corridor of his hotel room it is tough not to notice the desperation in his voice, the need to fill a short amount of time with as many words as possible. He plays it cool the best he can, trying to give the impression that his current predicament doesn’t faze him in the slightest, but his obvious distress begs the question …
Why is Jay Kwik spending the next month in his hotel bathroom?
It all started following a Kanye West concert on New Year’s Eve. Kwik, who is known as “Bellagio Jay” for having spent a majority of the past 10 years on the hotel’s premises, mentioned that he believed he could live in a bathroom for 30 days without a problem. Andrew “Good2CU” Robl and Alec “traheho” Torelli quickly jumped all over the errant comment and challenged him to put his money where his mouth is. The three wasted no time moving on to the negotiation phase, and the terms were eventually set.
Another star-studded entry field at Day 1B of the Aussie Millions
January 16, 2008
The poker action at the Aussie Millions remained high at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia as Day 1B started this week, featuring an entry field of 294 players with a liberal sprinkling of top international players.
In the field were 2007 champion Gus Hansen, 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Joe Hachem, Phil Ivey, Jeff Lisandro, Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Shannon Elizabeth, Annie Duke, Clonie Gowen, Amanda ‘MandyB’ Baker, the Hendon Mob’s Barney Boatman, Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson and Karina Jett. Also listed were online poker aces like Kevin ‘BeLOWaBOVe’ Saul, Erik ‘Erik123′ Sagstrom and many other top-rated poker superstars.
Strip Poker: UFC Fighter’s Charity Tourney Raises $90K
January 15, 2008
Known in the fighting world as “The Natural,” Randy Couture was the first man to win the Heavyweight title in the UFC three times, so it seems “natural” that his talent, dedication, and work ethic will make him successful in other ventures. That is why it was no surprise that Operation All-in, a celebrity charity poker tournament benefitting his organization, the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation, was successful in raising more than $90,000.
The goal of the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation is to raise money and awareness for soldiers wounded in action and their families, as well as to help soldiers with anything they might need to return to civilian life. More than 200 celebrities, mixed-martial-arts fighters, poker professionals, and fans showed up Saturday at the Joint inside the Hard Rock Casino in
t had a $550 buy-in with $200 rebuys. Emceeing the tournament was 2006 World Series of Poker champion Jamie Gold, who actually taught Couture the game two nights before the event.
“He is an extremely intelligent guy, and he caught on quickly. I am just very excited to be part of this event,” said Gold, who also helped recruit many of the celebrity and poker pro attendees. Among those who participated were Todd Brunson, Hoyt Corkins, Kirk Morrison, Pam Brunson, Hollywood actor Dean Cain, and talk-show host Montel Williams.
Doyle Brunson: “I’m Coming to the Gambling911.com Party Even if it Kills Me!”…and it Probably Will
January 14, 2008
Courtesy of Gambling 911
Poker legend, Doyle Brunson, who once dated US flag creator Betsy Ross, is being urged not to attend the upcoming January 20 Gambling911.com Conference Championship Party. The online poker juggernaut seems to be ignoring warnings at this time.
“He’ll go into cardiac arrest,” his son Todd told Gambling911 Saturday.
More than a dozen hot babes will be attending the festive event along with Gambling911.com’s own transgender reporter, Sparky Collins, and diva reporter, Jenny Woo.
Jenny, who fell for Doyle when their eyes first locked at a World Series of Poker event a few years back, believes Brunson will be just fine if he attends.
“You don’t see Hugh Hefner about to kick the bucket!” Woo points out. “Doyle loves women and that is what keeps him alive: Women, poker and….yeah….I suppose his pacemaker.”
Family members explain that Doyle can’t simply be allowed to float around the room, he needs to be handled with care.
“His brittle bones, they are prone to crack,” said his son.
Jenny rebutted. “I’ve been with Doyle. He’s a perfectly functioning human being who is capable of still getting aroused in the presence of a fine looking woman. Granted, he can’t really walk or move his fingers, but some important body parts still seem to work just fine, the one’s that matter for this event anyway.”
Whether Doyle Brunson shows up or not remains to be seen. He may be our surprise guest.
Titan Poker starts winter league
January 11, 2008
Not one to let off the gas pedal, Titan Poker is launching yet another poker promotion with thousands of dollars up for grabs.
The Titan Poker Winter Poker League starts on Jan. 14, 2008 and every player is eligible to participate. A total of four tournaments will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday with a variety of buy-ins enabling players with different bankrolls to have an equal shot at winning prizes.
The top five finishers in each Winter League tournament will receive points and be ranked on a special leaderboard. At the conclusion of the league’s 10-week run the top 200 players will qualify for an exclusive $50,000 freeroll tournament scheduled to take place on March 30.
Consistency: The Key to Poker Success
January 10, 2008
The greatest poker player that ever lived recently passed away at the age of 56.
David “Chip” Reese wasn’t the most famous name in poker, but he certainly was the consummate poker pro. More than any player in the world, he understood the importance of balance and consistency in his life. To Chip’s everlasting credit, he always put his family first.
Now, there’s no such thing as a perfect poker player, but Chip came about as close as you’ll ever get. Friends told moving stories about him at his funeral. There was one particular story that really stood out to me.
It seems that Chip was frequently asked the question, “How can you play in the toughest games, against the best players in the world, and still win on a regular basis?”
Chip answered that when those other guys played their best games, they were fantastic. In fact, at their best, their A-games might have been better than his.
Annie Duke-Interviewed
January 9, 2008
A Three-Part Series on Poker, Politics, and People Annie Duke is a woman of strong and wide-ranging opinions on a wide variety of subjects, and one of the best all-around poker players in the world. She’s also been very active in the fight to overturn the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and even testified before Congress last month. She’s a hard woman to catch up with and even harder to keep up with. But that didn’t faze our intrepid reporter Jennifer Matiran, who managed to corral Annie Duke long enough to gather enough material for this three-part interview on poker, politics, and more.
The first part of Jennifer’s chat with Annie follows, with the remainder of her interview continuing in the next two issues.
JENNIFER: Has celebrity changed you?
ANNIE DUKE: Me? No, the things that changed me are growing up, having four kids and understanding what’s important in life. I am very different than I was in my 20s, when I first started playing. I am more mature, and more forgiving of other people’s faults. I was a tough cookie back then; I am much softer human being now. If I had met myself now versus then, I like myself a lot better now.
JM: So what advice would you give to somebody who wants to go pro?
AD: First, get an education so you have something else to do. To make a good living you actually have to play quite high. So the amount of money you make is based on the amount of money that you play. If you are playing $3-$6 poker you are earning about $6 to $12 per hour.
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