@PKRGSSP

Gus Hansen Explains It All.

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:52:47 -0400

This video will not embed. But I think it’s going to help your game.

Five Percent

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:27:40 -0400

How many times has your ship come in when you’ve swapped percentages in a tournament? Sure, on occasion you’ve probably hit a couple hundred here or there and perhaps, you being the better player, have payed out a couple hundred. Hell, last year at a WPT event I had 5% of a pal who took 20th place, well in the money, which was a nice little percentage payday for me.

But this week, I got sent this picture:

“I just got my 5%” the text read.

Of course, you all know I’m a Bay Area guy and so I know a bunch of the grinders in the area. This is the payout of a 5% swap that was made with 2nd place finisher Joe Nguyen. Turns out, if the information I heard was correct, that before going to heads up the final two (Kai and Joe) made a deal that 2nd place would take home a cool 800k (rather than the reported $666k) and Joe taking 2nd place and being a man of his word, of course, honored the 5% swap and doled out the payday in cold hard cash. A swap worth 40k.

(remember this is not MY score, so: NO, I cannot loan you money, stake you, or invest in your poker app)

A note about Joe, as I’ve played with him many many times…I’d expect nothing less, he’s an incredibly nice guy which makes it extremely easy to be happy for him in what is sure to be a score of a lifetime.

I know posting pics of balla scores is a little cheesy, but it’s Friday, let’s get a little cheesy!

Run good this weekend! - JW @pkrgssp

Looking for something to watch?

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:49:00 -0400

It feels like as Winter comes to an end that it’s not just the bears that are coming out of hibernation…poker is too. There just seems to be so much poker content out there right now, today especially. With all the action last week of the Bay 101 Shooting Stars leading right into more PokerStars EPT fun as James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton are, once again, taking you wire to wire with live coverage from EPT London. You probably saw that Daniel and his PokerStars cohorts took out the Full Tilt Professionals in the battleship style PR move that pitted the two squads head to head, but just in case you can read all about it here.

- Speaking of EPT, Joe Stapleton sat down with Eric Danis of the GPI to talk a little Fantasy Poker picks and strategy. Are you playing yet?

Let’s check out a couple videos that caught my attention (or rather were brought to my attention today!)

- A new “High Society” brought to you by SrslySirius. Attention starved Allen Kessler, just lost his shit when he saw this video.

- Also, a new web series called “Bullets” is a poker-themed crime thriller that you may be interested in. It’s tough to tell, as it’s all dependent on the writing, but here’s the trailer for you to check out.

Tumblr is acting up today, making it hard for me to paste links. So hit me up on Twitter: @pkrgssp with links I need to get out there.

OK, see you soon! - JW

3.9 - Goodbye Nightly Turbo

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:07:00 -0500

Just a short post about the announcement yesterday that PokerNews was stopping (for now) it’s popular daily wrap-up column The Nightly Turbo, PokerNews does a lot of things right (and, let’s be honest, some not so right) but perhaps The Nightly Turbo was at the top of the “things done well” list. It was a few short stories, not unlike this blog, to get you through the evening with a good understanding of the top few stories in poker of the day.

I’m not going to lie… I know what you’re thinking, you think I’m going to tell you that The Nightly Turbo inspired this blog…but that’s really the case. Actually, when PKRGSSP started, I was a podcast junkie. Listening to the 2p2 Pokercast, PokerRoad and Huff & Stapes and I wanted to get the word out about these - not so much articles and news. The fact is, while The Nightly Turbo had been in existence for about a year…I’d never seen it. I guess I wasn’t as much a poker news junkie as I initially thought! But, when I dug deeper into poker media, scouring all the sites, and I found it I almost stopped the blog right then and there. PokerNews, the biggest site around, already had a well-done “wrap-up” column, so why should I do mine? (I’m still asking that question on some days)

Obviously, I kept writing because I enjoyed it and I got to put my own opinions right up against any story I wanted. That said, I also have to admit there’s been a time or two I felt the pressure to publish before the media giant did. While I didn’t want to miss anything, I also never wanted anyone to think I was re-purposing The Nightly Turbo on this blog. We’d often have the same stories in the same order of importance. The fact is that The Nightly Turbo was a great way for people, who didn’t want all the extra stuff, to keep up-to-date on a daily basis. I have no doubt PokerNews will replace it with something just as informative, but until then here’s to the original Nightly Turbo for, as far as I can tell, being the first of the news aggregate columns around.

Click here for all the news of the day, courtesy of The Nightly Turbo. (via Pokernews)

Day Streaming of the Bay 101 WPT Stop...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:34:38 -0500

It’s hard to get to writing while the excellent coverage of the Bay 101 Shooting Stars tournament is going on. Matt Savage’s crew of WhoJedi and VeeRob, once again, cater to the online audience and are bringing us a great feature table.

Watch with us here!

There and on Twitter is where you’ll find me this week so if you want to get in touch about news or views, come find me and hit me up. Otherwise, I’ll try to post links when I have time…like these!

- Here’s the Global Poker Index as published in the USA Today for this week.

- Nate Silver talks to PBS and the topic turns to poker/online poker (as well all know he’s a fan)

- The Mirror UK thinks it knows five skills that separate the sharks from the fish on the felt.

- Leo Margets helps PokerStars give it’s Team Pro ranks a little more of a woman’s touch.

- Looking for something to listen to (instead of watch)? Check out Pokerfuse’s highlighted poker podcasts of the week.

That’s all I have right now…but check back as I may add more soon. We’ll be back to usual links and comments next week.

If you have your OWN you think I need to see…email me the link, your commentary and your Twitter handle and if I agree, I’ll post it!

Bay 101 Shooting Stars Poker Envy - 3.4

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:08:00 -0500

[Day 1a is over and all the recapped action can be found here]

I knew this day would come. Day 1a of the 2013 Bay 101 Shooting Stars in San Jose…when I’m in New York. Which means that right now, I’ve got a really bad case of poker envy. Everyone’s stack is bigger than mine! OK, you get the joke. But really, so many of the players I played with day in and day out are sitting down with the pros and taking shots at one of the richest bounties in poker. Sure, the buy-in is down to $7500 with bounties being cut in half ($2500 for each of the 50 pros), but that doesn’t take the shine off this one for me and it doesn’t help me deal with the fact that I’m forced to watch it on a live stream.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE watching on the Live Stream and while it’s not the EPT or anything, for watching Day 1a’s, WhoJedi & VeeRob (plus Merchdawg yesterday) do a good job of keeping we railbirds informed but alas, this is but a band-aid for the gaping wound that is my poker heart. I’m literally, watching, typing this blog and listening to Morrissey.

Yes, I could have gotten on a plane and taken some shots at getting in. I probably could have pieced myself out (not that I’m really +EV but I have a decent rep in the Bay) but it all seemed like reaching too far. Excuses, excuses, I know but that said, I’ll be following the action all week and sending all the rungood I have to the locals who I hope, in this case, cooler the pro, collect the bounties and, for one of them, have a life changing score.

With 250 entries so far on Day 1a (via Matt Savage) and possible (1-time) re-entrys, this could still be a huge prizepool despite the dip in price. Should be great!

Here’s a couple Bay 101 Links for you today…

Join me in the chat on the Live Stream

Here’s the Bay 101 Live News and Photos Blog

daily gssp 3.1 part II

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:38:57 -0500

As I mentioned earlier, there’s so many links over the past 24 hours that you might be interested in, I had to break it up into two parts. Here’s the 2nd half of the day as I saw it…hope you find something you like! Again, do me the solid of Following on Twitter: @pkrgssp, giving us a RT or Reblog if you like it. I’m kinda, sorta close to 2k followers and I’d be pretty happy right there!

OK…let’s get to it - part 2 of your daily gssp!

- First up: If it’s 7:30pm PST on a Friday you know it’s time for live, streaming poker action with Live At The Bike w/ Bart and Tuck (and sometimes Nichoel).

- Victor Blom, aka Isildur1, talks with Pokerlistings about…well, everything. The highs, the lows, Phil and Tom, and his long lost anonymity. He’s young, great and still, to many, a mystery.

- Poker Royalty announces that Eugene Katchalov is going to remain a PokerStars Team Pro for at least another year. It’s a press release that only a real poker media guy could love. If that’s you, here it is.

- Virgina Supreme Court opts not to rule on whether poker is a skill game, ending the hopes of one man to open a card room there. Special appearance in the court room by Greg Raymer.

- Vanessa Selbst loves to cook! It’s a behind the scenes look, above and beyond her recent AMA, into what Vanessa likes to do when she’s not totally destroying your poker hopes and dreams. (via PokerStars Blog)

- Moshin Charania, aka chicagocards1, talks LAPC Fantasy Poker w/ Marco. Spoiler Alert: he picked Volpe who took 2nd in the event. But did he pick himself?

- Party Poker (and Revolution) move to segregating cash game players based on win rate in order to protect the losing players…aka: fish. Poker Room Ecology protection is what it’s called and essentially if you’re good, you can’t see where the bad players are playing to feed on them. If you’re bad, you can do what you please. The ethics of this are, of course, in dispute as what business is it of the poker room to tell you who you can and can’t play with, right? Only, when it hurts the bottom line…you can throw those notions right out the window. Interested? Check out these links from Pokerfuse, detailing the recent events on both sites.

- Party Poker Player Segregation and Revolution to introduce “Fair Play Technology”

Interested in seeing this in action?

Bay 101 Shooting Stars starts this week and it should be a good one. I’ve got a ton of friends in the field, so good luck to all of them and good luck to you as well, wherever you are grinding this weekend. So go RUN GOOD and hit me up with stories I missed that are worth it.

Until next time - JW

Daily gssp 3.1 (&2.28)

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:25:01 -0500

Oh Snap! Gus and “his cronies” Dwan and Blom accept Daniel Negreanu’s HU challenge at EPT London!

I mean, was there ever a doubt? Daniel and Gus are friends and Daniel would never call out Gus unless this stunt was already approved by all parties and, yes, OF COURSE it’s a publicity stunt. (Not sure Olivier Busquet got the message as he’s trying to get involved here) But, you know, I don’t mind. Sure, it’s trying to get you to come back to Full Tilt and yes, they might be playing with the house money but the only way in which this would suck is if these guys don’t put forth their best effort. If the bragging rights aren’t sufficient enough motivation to have these titans of the game give it their all - then it’s lame and they’re wasting our time. (Check out this article on CalvinAyre.com - Don’t Believe The Hype)

But Daniel doesn’t seem to half-ass many things and so I think if he’s putting his energy into committing to the drama, then he’s going to play hard and give the railbirds something to watch and both sides will have people rooting for them. Gotta remember, at some point, poker was fun.

OK, so let’s run down a ton of other stories and items that might interest you. Pick a link or two and check them out and, of course, let me know if there’s something I missed (or misspelled - which happens often) and if it’s worthy, I’ll add it. So let’s run it down on a Friday…it’s another daily gssp:

- Looking for structure sheets on the WSOP? Here you go (h/t to Kevmath)

- PokerNews Podcast w/ guest Alex Dreyfus talking about the new Global Poker Index, Fantasy Poker Manager and suspension of players for being bad. I think you know where I stand on this one, that said I’m a huge Rich Ryan fan, he’s one of the good guys IMO. Plus Alex Dreyfus looks a lot like Dana White in this photo, no?

- Speaking of PokerNews, Chad Holloway praises the new book “Ship It Holla Ballas” and gets to talk with it’s author. It’s a nice interview and a glowing review, worth checking out if you were thinking about getting the book. I sometimes wonder if PokerNews would allow Chad to publish a negative review of a book, you know? I was going to ask him, but I don’t really know him.

- How influential are the biggest names in poker? Barry Carter, this time for PokerStrategy, shares his votes in Bluff Power 20 list and talks about why most well-known players aren’t included on such a list. Interesting, quick read if for nothing more than to see who the Poker Media Pro voted for.

- Oh Boy…the ISPT finds a partner in Dusk Till Dawn and promises 1milly Euros to the winner, no matter how many people enter. In order to avoid overlay, they need to hit a 5mm prizepool total and it seems like DTD has been successful in the past. This really confuses the matter as a company with a seemingly good reputation is stepping in to validate the punching bag that is the ISPT. Can’t wait to see how this plays out.

- Are you a Cardrunners Member or someone who needs poker training everywhere, all the time? Check out Cardrunners Mobile - it’s not free, just FYI.

- Vanessa Selbst does a AMA on Reddit. Look, I don’t want to out myself as being a total noob, but while there’s some really, really interesting stuff in here on Selbst, who is one of my personal favorite poker players, it’s a little unweildy. Is it worth sifting through? Yes, if you’re a fan like me.

- Just for lulz. A recap from PokerLolz of JRB’s hair replacement surgery. Bellande is an open-book, just the way we like him.

- Short-Stacked Shamus remembers an Epic Anniversary - it’s one year since Epic announced it was belly-up! Shamus was tangentially wrapped up in the mess by being a writer for their website and takes a nice trip down memory lane about how this promising idea turned into another Annie Duke shit show.

- Michael Gentile, Pokerfuse’s Editor, Op-Ed’s off of the iGaming Player Panel from last week and breaks down what he thinks are the four biggest concerns, from a player perspective, of a new US online poker landscape.

Finally, and I know I’m missing a bunch, there was a lot of chatter over an article published by the AP about the decline of poker and how casino’s are removing poker rooms due to a declining popularity in the wake of Black Friday. This article is of such little concern and becomes almost trite without mentioning the recent movement in the online gaming legislation in NV, NJ and DE. Plus, the re-examination of these laws in any number of states as well to talk about the future of the game. I think it’s more likely that poker’s popularity is not waning but the casino’s need to make larger margins is increasing and there’s only so many ways to chop up the player rake. So sure, the Trop closed it’s room as did other smaller casinos. But only because there’s so many other, better offerings, no? Just because stores close, doesn’t mean people are done shopping. It’s silly. Call me when the Venetian or Bellagio can’t get a wait list. Kill me when Bay 101 doesn’t have an hour plus long wait on a Friday.

Hey, hey - follow me on Twitter: @pkrgssp and let me know what I missed. I’ll update this blog today with new stuff so check back if you get bored. Tell a friend and please, this weekend, go RUN GOOD, ok!? - JW

daly gssp 2.26/2.27

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:33:00 -0500

This is an exciting time for poker media, that’s to be sure. Whether you are a fan the fight for making online poker legal once again or just an action junkie (like watching the LAPC live stream) - everyday there’s something new. So, even though I took a day off from blogging yesterday that didn’t stop the poker world from receiving some big news in both departments. So I’m going to try and recap a ton of stories that you may or may not have checked out already (depending on how active you are in keeping up with stuff). So let’s get to it…a midday summary of the past 48 hours in the world of poker in today’s daily gssp!

(If I missed something tweet at me: @pkrgssp and I may add it!)

- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signs bill into law putting NJ squarely in the race to becoming the hub of online poker. There’s no denying it - this is big for advocates of online poker and a huge victory for the PPA. With the news from Nevada last week and now NJ, it feels like the snowball is rolling downhill…You’ve probably already heard and read about it but if now, check out the details here. (via Pokernews)

- Not so fast…Washington puts the breaks on decriminalization of online poker. What looked like another step in the right direction, in the states with one of the harshest penalties for playing a game on your computer with your own money in your own home, took a breather and will have to “wait until next year” (via Pokerfuse)

- Daniel Negreanu “calls out” Gus Hanson and “his cronies” Blom (who is on a losing streak) and Dwan to compete in a Head-up battle of “publicity stunt”-ish proportions! The fun part is YOU get to pick Daniel’s “two cronies” simply by hashtagging them on Twitter. He mentions a list of who to choose from - Liv Boeree got “snubbed!” (That being said, despite it being for publicity probably, I think it’s a good idea…let’s have some FUN!)

- Listen In: The Two Plus Two Pokercast is all new w/ MJ, Adam and Bunner with coverage of the LAPC and a feature interview from Andrew “Good2cu” Robl talking about the new book Ship It Holla Ballas and his huge victory at the Aussie Millions. If you don’t already subscribe you can listen online here…

- Cardplayer and the Bicycle Casino are teaming up to promote one of the best live streaming cash games around - Live At The Bike, including a special episode set to start today at 5:30pm PST. So read about it then tune in!

Now let’s crank out a lot of interesting stories…

- Mind sport helps legitimize poker as a game of skill. A mind sport is defined as a game that requires more skill than luck (skill of a thinking variety). This is actually a pretty interesting interview that’s worth checking out. (via Pokerlistings)

- Zynga doesn’t consider itself a player for hardcore poker players…yet. Meh. (via Cardplayer)

- Here’s a couple about Lock Poker. As of March 1st (or around) Lock is supposed to be rolling out VIP Payment Processing for “…the players we really want to take care of” (via Pokerfuse)…are you kidding me?? So there’s some players you don’t really want to take care of? Lock has a few pretty nice and solid pros on their roster, too bad they don’t have a single pro in their executive office. Then CalvinAyre.com comically envisions what an executive meeting at Lock might be like…after reading that Pokerfuse piece, I’m thinking they have an insider.

- MLB and poker intersect as in 2006 A-Rod held a charity poker tournament that brought in over 400k a whopping 5k of which went to charity. This is a bummer of a story if true, guy makes a ton of money to swing and miss at a ball and will hopefully make this right.

- There’s a new poker club in Beijing for VIP’s…but you don’t play for cash, you pay so you can play with people of your equal social status. The Goldfish Club has two tiers of membership 16k or 320k and basically allows you to sit at a table with other Richie Rich’s and talk shit about we common folk. I mean, if I read this right. It’s worth a quick read, if just to laugh.

- What is your top 10 poker terms you want to see retired? I gotta say, even though this was probably written just to write something, they got a lot of them right. Play a game before you click…write down your 10 and then check out part 1 and part 2 and see how many match up.

- Go cry to someone else because Nolan Dalla doesn’t want to hear your fucking bad beat story. But you’ll want to read his story about bad beats on his blog so enjoy.

Finally, today our pal SrslySirius recuts Rounders (and sprinkles in some clips from a couple other famous films) to re-imagine what a modern day trailer for our favorite movie might look like:

I know it’s early in the day, but as I may have mentioned, it’s a busy week so I have to blog when I can…hope you found something to enjoy and make sure you do me a favor or two: 1. I love me a good RT or Reblog on Twitter or Tumblr and if this is your first time here…make sure you follow me: @pkrgssp so we can have a conversation.

Now, go run good in your game or whatever you are working on today and I’ll see you next time - JW

daily gssp 2.24

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:19:15 -0500

Hey friends - this week is a little hectic, so I’m going to get out links as I see them but I hope you’ll forgive me if the banter is at a minimum.

- The LAPC Main Event is still streaming live from the floor of the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. With the occasional commentary from WhoJedi, it’s a great way to keep tabs on what’s going on! Here’s a day 3 report from your friends at the Global Poker Index.

Plus Matt Savage does his best Entertainment Tonight Red Carpet impression and talks with Ryan Eriquezzo.

- Two new articles from Pokerfuse about the battle lines in State run online poker. First a new bill is introduced in California and next up Massachusetts is doing a double take on online gaming. These articles are mostly for the legal eagles out there keeping tabs on the state by state status. That Dave Ferrara is working overtime.

- WickedChops Poker Podcast + Gavin Smith and special guest Daniel Negreanu. Chops and Smith on the same podcast?! In the debut episode they break down the Bluff Magazine Power 20 in just over 30 minutes. Check it out.

- Super cool article by Online Poker Report’s Chris Grove detailing out the settlement differences between Howie and Jesus. Who got the better deal? Grove breaks down some of the essential items and then links to the actual documents (which you probably don’t care about).

- File under WTF!? Everyone’s favorite Survivor Poker Player continually broke but living like a millionaire, kinda live tweeted his hair club for men appointment today.

About to get a completely unnecessary (richliving) procedure. If I die or get disfigured pls blame… instagr.am/p/WKWxE_Nf_g/
— Jean-Robert Bellande (@BrokeLivingJRB) February 25, 2013

- Meet Jat Tan, Team Bodog Pro in a new PokerNews Seat Open.

OK, short and sweet today…so, I’ll see you next time! - JW

daily gssp 2.22-2.23

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 18:15:00 -0500

I think the LAPC’s World Poker Tour Main Event would be 3rd on the list of tournaments I wish I could play right behind the Bay 101 Shooting Stars and the WSOP Main Event. The Matt Savage run event always draws the big name players (Cardplayer) and a ton of good local grinders from all over and the turnout makes it so the prizepool is juiced as much as any WPT stop. So, that said, with today being it’s starting day, I’ll be spending a good deal of time on the virtual rail by watching the live feed (which you can watch too, right here) and keeping tabs on my fantasy team to see if they perform.

So, the eyes of the poker world are fixed on Southern California for the week but, of course, there’s also a ton of other stories to check out including the recent developments in both Nevada, with the passing of the bill to expedite online poker, and New Jersey, where Christie sees no reason no to sign a modified bill. (via Bluff Magazine’s “The Fight”)

Also, though, there’s a ton of other great items from the past 48 hours to check out and let’s do that now, in your daily gssp for 2.22 and 2.23!

NEWS LINKS!

- Where there’s poker, there’s cheating. Pokerfuse’s Jocelyn Wood reports of a botting scandal in Sweden’s national online poker room.

- James Guill over at Legal Poker Sites doesn’t want you to forget about the great state of California when it comes to online poker and he reports that a bill has been reintroduced to try to establish intrastate online poker.

BLOGS BLOGS!

- Great read/trip report by Dale Philip about his UKIPT trip. He’s one of the best poker bloggers and this detailed account of his min-cashament is well worth checking out.

- Here’s the lengthy follow up to last week’s blog by Leatherass about his mass-tabling mental issues where he talks about the reaction to his article (via Cardplayer). Check it out if his first blog resonated with you.

- Jason Sommerville takes you behind the scenes at the NBC HU in this vlog that’s a short and easy watch.

- Aspiring supernova elitist, Kevin Bourdrau, vlogs about how to deal with downswing when you are a true poker grinder. It’s a pretty interesting vlog, despite it being just him (poorly positioned in the frame) as a talking head. Check it out, see what you think:

LISTEN LISTEN!!

- WickedChops Poker Podcast sits down with Mitch Garber to talk about the recent developments in Nevada and interstate gaming.

- Andrew Brokos’ Thinking Poker podcast w/ guest Steve Day from PokerStars.

- The Rabbit Hunt w/ Mark Gahagan and Matt Kaufman. Matt talks about being a part of the iGaming North America players panel, hosted by Marco Valero and the two hash over the WSOP Ladies’ Event.

PERSONS OF INTEREST!

- Have you met Bob Voulgaris? The poker world knows him as Haralabob but poker is just a distraction from his main gig as being the #1 NBA sports bettor and ESPN has done an in-depth article about that - super cool.

Finally tonight, there’s a new Op-ed in the New York Times about poker as a pastime in America and the social conventions that take place around the live felt. I really liked this one, and I think you will too, as it showcases the charm and affinity we have as players and talks about the oft unspoken bond that players have as competitors on the felt and comrades off. It definitely made me miss my group of grinders in the Bay Area and reminds me that amid all the legalities, cheating scandals, botting rings and heists that, for the most part, when I play live, I enjoy the people and the company.

I’ll see you all next week and so until then…go run good. - JW

By special request: a pic of the pkrpup (Chloe)

* just in case, no, you cannot use this image for anything please.

daily gssp 2.21

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:39:00 -0500

It’s been a cold and busy week here in New York. But just because I’m busy doesn’t mean the poker world stands still so let’s check out some of the stories, blogs, strategy, odds and ends that you might be interested from the past 24 hours!

Here we go, another daily gssp!

- Bluff Magazine released it’s annual “Power 20” List in the world of poker. This isn’t ESPN’s “The Nuts”, it’s the movers and shakers behind the scene and those who wield the future of the game in their hands. Sure, there’s a couple players and some who put in time both on and away from the felt, but mostly it’s those who are directing the future of online poker. Fun game: if you haven’t looked yet, try to guess how many you can name without seeing it. Over/under is around 7.

- Since we’re talking the legality of online poker,here’s a story that you may be interested in. Pokerfuse reports that Nevada Governor Sandoval signed Bill AB114 into law, trying to beat New Jersey into the online gambling game. Intrastate gaming may be fast tracked but if you think you’re going to be playing on PokerStars in the near future think again. Check out the article as for why.

- This is from a day or two ago but Leatherass, aka Dusty Schmidt, claims that chasing Supernova Elite, messed with his mind. He takes you through what happened, from his dissociation of his duties as a family man, to having a doctor explain how multi-tabling messed up how he processes certain information. It sure is an interesting read, a little far fetched to think it’s anything but unique to him, but he does put a disclaimed to take it all with a grain of salt. I think this is good advice, but also a good read. (via Cardplayer)

- The WBCOOP 2013 is here. If you’re a blogger (although I’m pretttty sure you need to not be in the US) then PokerStars wants to give you a little incentive to blog about them. Check out how you can turn your blog or vlog into equity in these online donkaments. So, yea, I’m ineligible.

- All of a sudden everyone wants to play poker on Facebook. Zynga’s been there forever, PokerStars recently jumped in and now the WSOP & EA team up for more social poker action. I’m not sure how many we need, but pick your brand and have a blast (I guess).

daily gssp 2.19

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:00:29 -0500

Jesus Saves! Or let’s hope Jesus Saved, cuz the gov’t is taking over Jesus’ bank accounts. Of course, I’m talking about Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, the last of the high profile players to have dealings with the DOJ and today former Full Tilt attorney, Ian Imrich (biatch!), tweeted that Chris filed paper to get square with the gov’t in which he makes no admission of wrongdoing. Pokernews has all the details and seeing as how I’m not the legal mind in my household, I’ll let you check it out there.

That leaves us free to check out some other links and poker fun in today’s edition of the daily gssp!

- SrslySirius birthed a new video! My man Thomas is at it again, roasting the poker world as only he can but this time he takes on Kid Poker’s quest to find love. It’s not a song, it’s a series and here’s the first look at a pilot of sorts for a new, srsly funny, style.

- Global Poker Index and the World Poker Tour got married! Well, it’s only a 3-year deal but it’s official that the Fantasy Poker for Facebook App is the official Fantasy Poker App of the WPT. They are going to swap some exclusive content and make sure that you have all the info you need to field a team at every WPT stop. That’d be great is 10 of my 12 players didn’t LOSE value despite my having coming in 6th at Lucky Hearts. Me no get it. Me no understand. Why god why! Too far??

- Looking for some Fantasy Advice for WPT Baden? Of course Fantasy Guru Eric Danis has some names you need to be thinking about picking up, including “Slim” Scott Montgomery. Seriously have you seen him? Lookin’ good Scotty!

- Courtesy of All Vegas Poker - new reality show is looking for poker players in LV with tricked out homes. “Four Houses” is going to zero in on poker players…Howard still has a home in Las Vegas right?

- Two from Cardplayer tonight: Win the lottery, grab a bong, blow up your crib. These guys will not be featured on “Four Houses”. Then “The Rules Guy” talks about BR management and why you go on tilt when people say “I Put You All-In”. It’s because, you’ll do no such thing!

- You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. Godsmack frontman, Sully Erna, returns to poker in a blog post over at ESPN. We’ve all been there…we’re “taking a break”…well now it’s Sully’s band’s turn to take a break as he vows to bring his game back to the circuit. I’m no Godsmack fan, but Sully seems likeable enough to me.

- Not Fanny-Pack-Tastic…Kathy Liebert, aka PokerKat, unsheaths her claws in a series of angry tweets directed at her WSOPC experience. Like the following:

I don’t think I’ll be playing too many wsop circuit events anymore.Poorly run tournaments and juice very high
— Kathy Liebert (@pokerkat) February 19, 2013

I don’t know why I included this Isuppose it struck me as funny and also, not great for the WSOPC. Kathy may not have a ton of followers (9k) but she’s pretty well known. Enough that hopefully WSOP officials checked in with her to see exactly what happened.

- Tonight it seems as if Pokerroom.com is closing it’s doors (via Calvin Eyre). I gotta be honest, I’m not too familiar with Pokerroom, as it seems like an old school site, but it does seem to be well loved. So, for those of you who loved it, my condolences.

Finally, if you made it this far…here’s the worst story with poker in it that you’ll see in a while. Does this guy get paid to write this??

Hey friends, do me a few favors - of course Follow! @pkrgssp - tell a pal to do the same and for god’s sake…GO RUN GOOD!

Until next time! - JW

daily gssp 2.18

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:25:00 -0500

Right after I published last night’s blog, I saw a couple items that I wanted to highlight today (via @TaylorCaby) that is completely contradictory to something I wrote about just a few days ago…poker swag! I’m no fan of silly poker swag but this stuff over at Misc. Goods Co. could get even me to wear some of their shirts. Check out these cool decks of cards and, my favorite of their shirts, the King of Diamonds. I think you’ll find them pretty cool too.

I think I’m going to get this shirt for the WSOP.

What a great looking deck of cards, yea? Speaking of playing cards, it looks like fans of Game of Thrones are going to get a deck of cards to enjoy as well. Check out this deck I saw for the first time last night….Ned Stark as the King of Spades IS pretty damn cool…

Here’s some additional links to check out today…

- The NYTimes reports that Zynga and the rest of Silicon Valley have their sites set on online gaming. It’s not just online poker, it’s general gaming incorporating elements of gambling. An interesting look at what may be the future of revenue for some of these games.

- More trouble for Lock Poker! From the gang at 4Flush.com, it looks like Lock has iso’d their mid/high stakes cash game players from other skins in an unprecedented (and potentially desperate) move to make sure revenue isn’t being siphoned by other skins. If you are on Lock…read this now.

- More commentary from Barry Carter about the iGamingPost Plagiarism Scandal. It’s pretty deplorable for someone to ctrl+c/ctrl-v someone else’s work even if the fact is, when is comes to NEWS in the poker world, there’s often only some much that can be said. When you are looking for good content be on the lookout for commentary and op-ed’s you can relate to as well as investigative reports and exclusive interviews. These are what makes one site better than another. I’m saying this to remind you that iGamingPost is an affiliate monger more than a credible news site and there’s better sources out there, doing a better job of getting you actual poker news that you should support.

- Also, Online Gaming Report’s Chris Grove does some digging into just WHO is doing the stealing of the content and it turns out that (*shocker*) iGamingPost’s writer might just be fake! Check it.

- Katie Dozier WANTS men in the 2013 Ladies’ Event! And why not…it’s so -EV for the men with the new changes and it juices the prizepool for the women. Although, I’m sure that, in general, she’s happy to have the changes made to keep the men away (just for this one tourney).

- Chris Moneymaker reflects on what it takes to turn pro. Sure, it sounds awesome, being a poker pro, but if you are going to BE a professional, you have to ACT like one. Chris breaks it down on the PokerStarsBlog.

- Isn’t it funny that of all places Texas, as in “Texas Hold’em”, is still struggling with even having live poker legislation? Well, this article in “My San Antonio” thinks that change may be on the horizon.

Finally, while I may have missed some things today, I think it’s safe to say that the passing of Jerry Buss cannot be overlooked. While he is best known for his role with the Lakers, the poker world knows him as one of our own. A 7-Card Stud player, a lover of the game and, I say this affectionately, a true degen - Buss was well knows for his commitment to both the games of basketball and poker. The WSOP is planning a tourney in his honor, you can read about it here on TMZ.

OK, let me know if I need to add anything today and otherwise make sure you follow along on Twitter: @pkrgssp and maybe tell a friend if you’ve enjoyed this blog now and again.

Now…go run good! - JW

weekend gssp 2.17

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:03:00 -0500

Twitter is a blessing and a curse. Of course, it allows me to keep up with action all over the world, which I love, from the UKIPT Main Event where Dale Philip and Liv Boeree were making a deep run to the Parx Big Stack (about an hour and a half from me) where two of my favorite media peeps, Kevin Mathers and Rick Ryan, were grinding away. Also, back home in the Bay Area where friend after friend were picking up some of the record amount of seats being given away to the upcoming Bay 101 Shooting Stars. There’s the curse: I don’t mind telling you, I’m so so so ****ing jealous of these guys! So, while I took a breather this weekend, there’s some stories that, if you missed, you should check out, as well as some odds and ends from the weekend that was poker media.

A tale of two articles to start: both with the same motto - “watch your back.”

- Barry Greenstein, aka The Bear, warns that if you are playing the incredibly popular Open Face Chinese Poker app on the iPhone that there’s a serious security flaw. If you are playing that game for any money at all be sure to check it out.

- Poker News and Gaming site, iGamingPost, has, allegedly, been lifting their material, sometimes word for word! Respected poker media site, Pokerfuse, pointed this out in a Tweet but when John Mehaffey of 4Flush.com took a closer look it turns out that this website has many victims and some shady ways of obtaining content and seemingly not a care in the world about it. For sure, check it out.

- I’ve always been a fan of Barry Carter, Poker Media Pro, but it seems like just recently he’s decided to step up his game! I don’t mean his poker game, either. But speaking of that, he published his list of the Top 10 Most Important Learning Innovations when it comes to poker. He does disclose that he’s a co-author with my x-radio mate Jared Tendler on #10, but I don’t think that makes it discounted, just be aware of the bias. Also, check out his thoughts on the recently released WSOP schedule.

- Speaking of the WSOP Schedule, there’s been a bit of buzz about the Ladies’ Event and the changes this year made to help protect the integrity of keeping it ladies only. Pocketfves’ article, featuring reaction from Linda Johnson, is a great place to catch up and form your opinion. Personally, I’m in favor of the Ladies’ Event and I’m in the majority where I think that guys who enter are attention starved social infants but…I think, out of fairness, on the same day, there should be a men’s event (probably a turbo - hiO!) just for equality and to give these “men” who enter the ladies’ event no excuses. Haley Hintze and I aren’t too far apart on our opinions…she’s better at articulating it though (via Pokerfuse).

- Nolan Dalla’s tale of playing poker with Ivey and Fossilman is one for the ages. Not much to say except, this well-written blog post is a pretty awesome story you must take the time to check out.

- Matt Matros, over on Cardplayer, talks about why you need to make bug bets with big hands. It’s always good to be reminded of solid strategies.

Random Randoms:

Question of the day: (poker pros) if you were able to take QQ up against AKo for any amount but only once. What % of ur bankroll do u fire??

February 17, 2013

Mercier tweeted this out…what would you do?

Then there’s this…

Randy Lew, aka Nanonoko, jumped on the Harlem Shake bandwagon with this video. It would be very tough to get me to do this, but good for him for having a sense of humor and fun.

Anyway, those are the things that struck me this weekend…how about you? Anything I missed? Hit me up @pkrgssp!

Until next time…go run good!

daily gssp 2.13/2.14

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:00:00 -0500

Happy Valentine’s Day you lovers of poker. I know you’re busy spending time with that one very special person who you report your wins, but not your losses, to. So let’s make this a short and sweet (pun intended) list of links to get you caught up today. I’m actually typing this on the morning of the 14th so if something breaks later today, you’ll know why it isn’t here.

You know what I would LOVE?? If you followed along on the Twitters:

@pkrgssp

and maybe convince a poker loving pal to do the same.

**Updated: The WSOP announced the schedule for the 2013 World Series of Poker. Here is the article. Here is the direct link to the PDF**

Also, if you wanna book a room, check out their public deals.

- Are you playing Fantasy Poker yet? The Global Poker Index, which ranks the top 300 Live Tournament Players each and every week (here is the USA today article for this week) has their new Facebook game where you draft a team and they get points for performing well in tournaments. This last week was the WPT Lucky Hearts (V-day theme anyone?) and while there were 5k+ teams, GPI ranked Jake Cody had the 7th best overall team! Pretty good, right…

NO!
NOT GOOD!
Guess who came in 6th?!
That’s right:
ME, BITCHES!

Obviously I’m kidding about the intensity but it was fun to have players deep in the tournament (although I do get a shout out in the above link). My only question is, since my team did so well…why did ALL of their values decrease?! It makes it so I can’t play the WPT Brussels. You’d think they’d be worth MORE when the players do well. Smarter people than me are on the case, and they actually have an article to help you get the most from your team, but if you haven’t signed up, check it out. It’s a fun sidebar because, as I’m sure you are aware, Facebook in general, sucks.

- Speaking of the GPI…due to suspicious activity the GPI “suspended” the two players who are accused of cheating at the 2009 Partouche Poker Tour FT. Here’s the original announcement from the GPI themselves. I’m going to be honest, it’s two players, no one REALLY cares about, in a defunct tournament getting kicked off the ranking system but… what IS interesting is the GPI potentially feeling like more of an entity, one that can judge evidence of ethics and invalidate tournament sanctioned wins,including giving players a “Trust Ranking” in addition to a performance based rank. You should check it out and weigh in.

- My old pal Compncards over at Legal Poker Sites shares the info that Nevada, with the Governor’s blessing, is looking to bring their own iGaming bill that would open the door for more than poker. Degens look out, you’re going to lose it all way faster in the future.

BAD POKER COMEDY ALERT

I’m an easy laugh, in fact I like to…but this didn’t strike me as amazing (even good). But it’s poker and media and someone put some effort into it and maybe you’ll appreciate it more than I did. It’s only 3min or so.

- PokerNews interview with SuperNova Elite, 6th place Aussie Milly finisher David Chan - good stuff

- Brand new 2+2 Pokercast w/ MJ, Adam & Bunner as they talk with Dan Shak, Katie Dozier and EPT Lead Commentator James Hartigan. A+ as always. I know they don’t read this blog, but I love it when I hear them echo the sentiments I write about here.

- If you’re going to beat up old men to get your poker fix, then you deserve to get caught. Be a degen if you want, but keep your bad luck to yourself and get a job, yea?

- Poker is not a crime. Or it shouldn’t be. Even if it is, do you really need assault rifles to break up a low-stakes game in N.C.? (via Cardplayer)

Finally, thanks to Daleroxxu for a super nice shout out in his blog. Dale is a world traveler world class poker player and a damn good interview so make sure you check out his very popular blog (I know it popular by how many new visitors I’ve received) and follow him on Twitter:

@Daleroxxu

OK, have a good one friends and for those lonely hearts out there who curse this Hallmark holiday, go jump in a game and run good.See you soon!

daily gssp 2.12

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:21:00 -0500

Depending on when you see this, the World Poker Tour live streaming table (is over) ~~may be still be underway~~ (with WickedChopsPoker fav Lilo Kiletto on the table) . Check it out and catch Bond18 and crew comment on the 30 minute delayed action. What? You missed it? That’s ok, Live At The Bike has action from 7:30pm PST-10:30pm PST (featuring KEVIN MATHERS)!!

- Global Poker Index’s Marco Valero (aka @AgentMarco) is moderating a panel at the iGamingNorthAmerica conference later this month and is looking for you, the player, to have your voice heard. He’s put up his agena and is looking for input. So, check it out and if you have something to say, a question to be asked, or want your voice heard…he wants to hear from you!

- Gavin Griffin, the original triple crown winner, answers your random questions for Cardplayer. Personally, without knowing him, I think Gavin is an excellent, well spoken member of the poker community. Meaning, I’m almost always going to recommend his work.

- *Unlistened* I haven’t yet checked out the Chirp Herm show this week, but it’s more Casey Jarzabek. These guys are pals so I’m going to guess it’s going to be light on strat and more life stuff, so if you skipped it due to BigDog overload, I can’t imagine anyone would slight you. That said, I’m going to check it out this week.

- Barry Carter, Media Pro, blasts the ISPT. I couldn’t have said it better myself when it comes to this fiasco of an idea. So, if you want to see how NOT to launch an ill-timed, poorly run idea of massive size - check out this article.

- Owner of the Stratsophere launches free-play online poker! Oh boy…here we go. If this isn’t in anticipation to real money gaming and it’s simply a promotional vehicle for the casino, then it’s in trouble from the get-go. That is unless you are a Stratosphere nut!

- Washington State looks to reduce the severity of recreational online gambling. Previously known for being militant bastards on their online poker stance (felony) to something more in-line with a jaywalking ticket ($50). You live there? Then read all about it at Pokerfuse.

- Respected online poker sage, Lee Jones, takes on a new role at PokerStars as Head of Poker Communications. How does this affect you? It probably doesn’t, if it does, you’d already know. So just keep that info in your who’s who in the poker industry filing cabinet.

- Online poker to be legal in NJ by mid-April? Could be, just depends on how fast the correction to the bill and the Gov dots his I’s. Cardplayer has the details.

So, if I missed something, you have an obligation to let me know - since it’s interactive. You can also, of course, follow along here on Tumblr, reblog this, RT my stuff for your friends and of course, follow and holler at me: @pkrgssp

Until next time, go run good and stay well!

daily gssp 2.11

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:27:00 -0500

Clearly, I’m doing this wrong…I don’t think that Tumblr was meant to have super long, text driven posts as their changes have made it increasingly difficult to format all the info I hope to bring to you. That said, if you have suggestions of what you would like to see here, let me know. Over the next few posts I’m going to try some new things, if you see anything you like, let me know.

Of course, here’s the obligatory “follow me” - so…c’mon: @pkrgssp

Let’s get to some of the items that caught my eye in the world of poker today in your daily gssp!

BLOGS BLOGS BLOGS

As the battle for 2nd best blog rages on, plenty of pros enjoy letting you know what their up to…

- Chris Moneymaker’s new blog talks about how his poker/life balance got out of whack in early 2013 and what he’s doing to correct it.

- Katie Dozier takes you into her Sunday Grind! I met Katie at last year’s WSOP and I’m horrified as to her notes on my game (see previous post!). Otherwise, she was a super sweetheart and you’re going to love this blog post for both it’s charm and detail.

- Daniel Negreanu vlogs about his leadership camp, still being single but most importantly, raising money for St. Jude’s. You can watch it right here (even though you probably already have):

- Xuan Liu vlogs about her new spread in WPT Magazine, including making the cover. You can watch this short video here…if you want.

NEWS NEWS NEWS

Not nearly as entertaining, but equally important, here’s some of the stories that’ll make you look smart in your home game.

First, a pair of stories from Pokerfuse (prob my favorite for straight up poker news, if you don’t already, check them out)

- Social Media can expose some personal security flaws, so as poker players, be careful! You don’t want this information falling into the wrong hands… must read.

- ISPT (International Stadium Poker Tour) postpones it’s first satty on Lock due to low turnout. Really? Shocking. More like, no shit. Is anyone buying what the ISPT is selling? Just one look at the continual downsizing of this incredibly flawed endeavor let’s you know that it’s a NVG thread waiting to happen.

- Off topic (kinda): The Borgata wants you to gamble in your sleep. Or at least in bed.

- Pokerlisting’s Daily 3 Bet talks about Antonius’ 1mm challenge, where Super Dario has been and Weeds’ honcho Matt Salsberg taking on more poker. Such a quick read, why wouldn’t you?

- OP-ED about poker merch that begs you to ditch the card protectors and “Bratwear” and stick to shit that helps your game. I get it, you LOVE poker and you don’t care who knows! But I’m here to tell you what your poker buddies will not…all the poker clothes and special poker sunglasses just make you look fishy and dumb. OK, you have a special WSOP fleece or a free shirt from your casino, that’s ok, but a shirt that says “Ship It!” or “One Time!” makes everyone hope you get one-outed.

STRAT STRAT STRAT

- Court Harrington encourages you not to dismiss a spot as standard in his article for PocketFives. I liked this article as it’s a simple reminder that we need to continually examine our game, even when we think we’ve pegged a situation as standard. Should you read? Yep!

- Joe Tehan talks to Cardplayer about his career and education as one of the most rock solid players around. This is a little less strategy specifically and more of an interview, but it’s short and solid and plenty to glean for players of all experience levels.

LISTEN!

- What?! WickedChopsPoker returns to podcasts with Heartland Poker Tour’s Fred Bevill to talk about a number of topics including all things Epic Poker. Fred is a great guest (someone I’ve talked to in the past) and it’s good to hear Steve back on the air. Plus it’s a short, easy listen. When will the next one be? No guarantees.

Finally…

Movie critic Richard Roeper, who is a good follow on Twitter, recently tweeted a photo of his new wrist watch. Check it out:

daily gssp 2.8

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:31:00 -0500

It’s Snowmageddon here in New York, which makes it the perfect time to settle in, look out the window and turn on some live streaming poker. I’m not even going to reiterate that the PokerStars EPT Deauville Live Stream is up and running through tomorrow and is one of the best in the business.

Nope, not going to mention that.

But let’s talk, once again, about the Live At The Bike broadcast every Tuesday and Friday at 7:30pm PST. It’s got Dave Tuchman, Bart Hanson, Nichoel Jurgens, the occasional guest commentator and those pesky hole cards all the kids are looking for these day. Anyway, as NYC shuts down for the night, I’ll be tuning in and you should too.

Speaking of things we should do together, here’s some of my favorite links and listens of the past 48 hours (maybe longer as well) so let’s dive in this blizzard of poker news in today’s daily gssp!

Listen Up!

There’s a ton of podcasts and I’m not going to lie, I haven’t listen to all of all of them. Nevertheless, you should take some time and find something to support.

* The 2+2 Pokercast with MJ, Adam & Bunner. I just say this in case you are new to this blog – this is the best poker podcast, live or otherwise. Just know this and invest the time. This week the gang is joined by Mike Matusow and talk both Aussie Milly and the Ivey League takeover of Leggo Poker.

* ESPN’s The Poker’s Edge w/ Andrew Feldman. If you like your podcasts short, sweet and full of cats then this is the one for you. It’s also with Matusow but it’s a shorter and slightly more bizarre interview. Well worth it.

* The Rabbit Hunt w/ Mark Gahagan and guest Marco Valero. Mark talks with Marco about both his career and then the pair talk about the recent news out of NJ and the recent allegations of cheating at the 2009 Partouche Final Table.

* DonkDown Radio welcomes the entertaining Alan Boston and does their bitcoin thing. I haven’t checked this out yet, so let me know if you did and how it was.

Reading is Fundamental!

* In case you missed it: NJ Governor Chris Christie vetoes the internet gambling bill…but will approve it with minimal changes! The poker world rejoices. I know you know this story already, as you are informed, but in case you haven’t check out this story on…well, everywhere, but tonight I’ll use Pokernews’ link so we can also link to a “reactions to” story by them as well.

- More: Pokerfuse has the reaction of PokerStars to the news as they are set to buy the Atlantic Club in NJ.

* Shane “Shaniac” Schleger is the subject of The Verge’s feature article on poker, Black Friday and moving to Mexico to hold on to your job. A very nice solid article with an interesting, well-spoken ambassador in Shane. Super worth your time. Could have used a better headline, but whatever, you’ll enjoy it.

* File under WTF? PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov gets refused service from his bank for being too much an international man of mystery. In his latest post on the PokerStars Blog, former NYer, Eugene tells a tale of one of the headache’s of having a fringe profession. Quick read, actually interesting.

* More sage advice on poker in the syndicated column in the San Jose Merc. This time it’s Alex Outhred talking about how to play small pairs. In case you didn’t know it, it’s hard to hit a set.

* More WTF: a home game in a garage robbed at gunpoint?! Yep. Look you don’t need to bother to read this but just remember - poker is fun, there’s a ton of cool people, but with money being treated like candy sometimes people get a sweet tooth so always be careful.

* Taylor Caby talks about the X factor in both poker and business. Cardrunners and DraftDay head honcho explores the “where there’s a will, there’s a way” factor that crosses over professional both in cards and life.

Get Weird.

Check this Tweet out:

Dwan has $1.8 million spread across five tables at @fulltiltpoker right now. He’s been playing for almost 23 hours.

February 8, 2013

Then I saw this pic…crazy! Guess Dwan is probably not broke. Those are not play chips my friends.

* On the flip side, Dwan’s fellow FT pro and long-time rival, Isildur, is having a rough go after a fast start it seems. Kid is down 3.6mm since mid-Jan and Cardplayer has the details.

* Pokerfuse’s Haley Hintze covers the alleged scam of Vegas Poker Radio/Johnny (Juan) Sepulveda and their charity broadcast. This is more coverage from the post I made a couple days ago and it sums up all the drama nicely, if you are interested.

* Amateur High Roller, David Einhorn (participated in One Drop among others) is supposedly shorting Apple stock. I follow both poker and AAPL so I thought this was an interesting tidbit. Thought I’d share.

OK, friends, that’s what I have for you. If I missed something, by all means let me know! Otherwise, have a great weekend, stay warm wherever you are and go run good! - JW

Oh yea, make sure, if you don’t to Follow me on Twitter:
@pkrgssp

Many thanks and thank you to those of you who have been RTing my blog, it really makes a difference (both in views and motivation)!

daily gssp 2.6 - quick hits

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:49:00 -0500

Hey everyone, it’s another edition of the daily gssp in the quick hits style. News and notes from the poker world, both live and online. Today it’s quick links, short comments. So let me know if I missed a huge story via Twitter:

@pkrgssp

Let’s get into them (in no particular order!):

* Ivey Poker “purchases” Leggo Poker to combine forces and take over the poker training space. (via Pokerfuse) Here’s a link to the awkward video w/ AEJones and Phil Ivey released today to talk about the new direction of the site as well as the branding change.

* The Global Poker Index player of the year is led by Dan Shak through one month (via PokerNews). Rankings are fun, but they’re just that - fun and not necessarily an indicator of much more than who is running hot. Check out who else is on the plus side of variance in 2013.

- More - here’s this week’s full-blown GPI.

* The PPA puts out a press release on why the NJ Bill is good for the economy and protects consumers. Christie has about 24 hours left on this before something happens and so we’ll see if the support of everyone from the State Senate, to the owner of the Atlantic Club, to the PPA helps. Probably not, but you never know…we always have outs. Read the press release.

* NPR examines Bitcoin gambling, including poker, featuring quotes from DonkDown’s Bryan Micon. Similar to an article that talked about the Bitcoin economy financials a week or so ago, NPR examines the new government-less currency and the legalities of it all. Check it out here.

* Hollywood Casino downsizes slots in favor of more poker tables. Due to customer demand, the Ohio casino has learned that “Columbus loves poker!” That certainly can’t be a bad sign, right? Super short, non essential article can be found here.

* Looking for that job in poker you always wanted?
Well, there’s a good chance you’re not qualified but here it is anyway - Public Relations Manager for Full Tilt Poker. Sounds like a blast, but I think I’ll pass. If you get this job, let me know!

Of course, if you’re looking for even more amazing stuff to read, Daleroxxu (aka Dale Philip) just last month posted a blog about the top 20 blogs in poker. It’s well worth checking out at it takes you right to the pages of some of the world’s best online and live pros and their direct thoughts. So check it out!

Quite condenced today I’m afraid but I have some evening plans. Indeed, I do actually get out of the house! So, with that I’m off, friends, and until next time - go run good. - JW