We give action to get action, you know?

Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Phil Ivey celebrating his 36th birthday Down Under, Andreas “Skjervoy” Torbergsen taking said birthday boy to task for EV hunting and US election guru Nate Silver laying out some poker life lessons.

1) Ivey Turns 36, Plays Some $1k/$2k?

Is it really possible that poker icon Phil Ivey - he of $17 million+ career live tournament cashes, gazillions won online and guaranteed poker Hall of Fame entry - is only 36 years old?

Happy birthday to me.

 

Seems hard to believe but if Wikipedia can be trusted - and we have our doubts - the man who began his career playing underage at Atlantic City casinos as Jerome Graham has reached milestone 36 today in Australia.

So. How exactly does a poker legend celebrate? Twitter tells us it was likely a low-key dinner with some TeamIvey members, but also suggests he may get some big cash-game action in too.

Shortly after Ivey busted from the main event in 30th our man on the ground in Oz, Arthur Crowson, said a Crown rep came into the media room saying some drunk punters were demanding to play $1k/$2k NLHE and looking for takers.

Given there was a $250k High Roller tournament wrapping up, chances are pretty high they found some. No word yet if Ivey took a swing but we'll see what we can find. We do know he won $600k on Full Tilt though.

Aussie Millions tournament Director Christian Vaughan confirmed the game is running, and even tried enticing $250k High Roller winner Sam Trickett into the action.

@samtrickett1 $1k/$2k NL up and running. Buyin only 10% of tonight's score.

2) Andreas "Skjervoy" Torbergsen Slaps Ivey for EV Hunting

Speaking of said birthday boy ... Another high-stakes specialist known to go a few rounds with the heavy hitters – Andreas "Skjervoy” Torbergsen -- took a dig at Ivey today in a new blog post.

Really, Skjervoy? And on his bday?

 

Posting mostly about stepping up his media game and promoting PLO as the game of the future, Torbergsen took his jab while praising the signing of Dwan, Hansen and Isildur to the new FTP team:

It is very smart to hire action seekers like those three, instead of insane EV hunters only. Phil Ivey comes to mind here; he will never play long sessions when he is down, even considering that he is/was infinity rolled, and is not very rail-friendly in my opinion because of this behavior.

He has also stopped playing the big action games (NLHE and PLO), and basically seems afraid to test himself against the elite online in the big bet games. I think it's obvious that he would give anyone a race for their money, but maybe he is just not hungry enough anymore?

So, there is a big difference from Ivey to Isildur1, and it is all heart, entertainment and pushing yourself vs any opponent like Isil does. Also, Gus and Dwan are both underrated online right now, and these are two players that really understand the concept of giving action to get action.

Damn. And on his birthday too! Read the full post here.

3) Nate Silver Shares Some Poker Life Lessons

We were lucky to get a few minutes this past week with Aussie Millions featured guest Nate Silver as the media onslaught on his time has been pretty relentless.

Once a grinder, always a grinder.

 

One of the hottest names in the world right now thanks to his US election slam dunk, Silver’s been a true media warrior and embraced it all with open arms.

The result has been some pretty great interviews, including this one with the Australian Herald Sun where Silver shared a few of the many life lessons learned from poker. A sample:

"I think poker helps with understanding (that) you can play the hand as well as you possibly can, and still lose. And vice versa, right?"

"...Poker players grasp (the part luck plays) more than most people in other walks of life. You just become more zen in some sense."

Revealing he did pretty well in his poker career (up about $400k) before moving on to bigger things, Silver says he's still a grinder at heart.

"If that 10 per cent chance had come up and Romney had won, I probably wouldn't be sitting here, I'd be sitting in Atlantic City trying to find a game (of poker)." Read the full post here.

The chip leader coming into the final table, Hwang struggled in a few tough spots early on but only wavered slightly over the 124-hand final.

Losing the chip lead only around the halfway mark, Hwang held his ground and doubled up to take the lead back near hand 100 before rolling to the win from there.

Receiving $730,053 and a $25k seat in the WPT championship in May, Hwang's career earnings now sit just under $1 million.

Anderson Runner-Up, Salsberg Out First

James Anderson, a Pittsburgh-based pro originally from Ohio, finished as the runner-up to Hwang and pocketed $438,698 to push his career earnings up over $1 million as well.

No luck for Salsberg.

 

The biggest name coming into the final table -- Weeds producer and WPT Paris champ Matt Salsberg -- couldn't get much going with his short stack and was the first to bust in sixth.

Salsberg still earned $147,671 for outlasting almost all of the 1,042-player field.

The final six and payouts for the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open:

Next stop on the World Poker Tour is in Hollywood, Floris for the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Feb. 8-12.

Check the full recap of all the final-table action in the WPT Live Updates.

After nearly 15 hours of play Patrik Antonius, Joseph Cabret and Mervin Chan remained deadlocked at the final table. 

Organizers were finally forced to put the tournament on hold because the TV crew filming the final table were required to have a 10-hour break due to union rules.

The final table, which also featured businessman poker player Dan Shak and up-and-coming female pro Jay Tan, unfolded at a stuttering pace as it went from flurries of action to very long periods of inactivity.

Tan Goes Out First, Shak Finishes Fourth

Jay Tan

 

Tan, the fifth women to make the Aussie Millions final table, was the first player to bust as she got all-in with ace-queen but was called down by Patrik Antonius with a dominating pair of kings.

Tan picked up AUD$150,000 for coming in seventh place, although she no doubt had dreams of a deeper run.

David Yan didn’t last much longer as he busted in sixth place with pocket eights to Mervin Chan’s pocket kings. Yan took home $220,000 for his efforts.

The five remaining players then reached a stalemate that lasted for over five hours.

It wasn’t until after midnight that Joseph Cabret rivered a flush to take Jarrod Glennon out of the picture. Glennon picked up $290,000 for coming in fifth.

The hand changed the dynamic of the table and gave Cabret a commanding presence even against Antonius and Shak.

Shak finally succumbed to the rail in fourth place when he moved all-in with ace-six and got snapped off by Cabret with ace-king. He earned $400,000 for his performance in the tournament.

Antonius, Cabret and Chan continued to play for five more hours before organizers finally decided to call it a night at 5:30 a.m early Sunday.

Because the TV crew filming the final table require 10 hours off, the final three players will have to wait until 4 p.m. tomorrow to finish the battle for $1.6 million and the Aussie Millions title.

Here are the final chip counts when play was halted:

The Poker Channel will be filming this all-day $5/$10 No-Limit Hold'em cash game March 27th at their studios in London, and PKR.com is putting up three seats, complete with buy-in and expenses, in a series of online qualifiers.

All you have to do is hit your PKR Points target in the month of February and you'll be entered into a special freeroll where you can win a package to the live cash game.

Each package is valued at $3,000 and includes a $2,000 buy-in, two nights accommodation and $600 in travel and spending money.

And since the qualifiers only get to keep the profit they earn on top of the $2,000 buy-in, action is going to be breakneck.

The live game will see all three qualifiers go up against Team PKR Pro plus a selection of the strongest players on the site.

Sofia 'welllbet' Lövgren is the only female PKR pro. She'll be joining teammates like EPT champion Vladamir Geshkenbein, WSOP bracelet winner Scott Shelley in London this March.

For more information check out the details on PKR.com.

Read PokerListings.com's comprehensive PKR.com online poker room review and sign up to participate in this promotion.

The final table was originally scheduled to play out on Saturday but Antonius, Chan and Joseph Cabret had to return to Crown Casino on Sunday thanks to a marathon session on Saturday that only saw four eliminations in 15 hours.

The extra day proved to be a short one, as Chan needed less than two hours to cripple Antonius and then bust Cabret to win the event.

“I’m just speechless,” said Chan after winning. “I can’t believe it. This was my first major tournament.”

Patrik Antonius Has to Settle for Third Place

Antonius’ magnificent run in the 2013 Aussie Millions came to an end thanks to a huge hand against Chan.

Patrik Antonius busted third.

 

Chan opened for 325,000 from the button and Antonius, who was the short stack, shoved for nearly five million from the small blind with ace-four.

Unfortunately for Antonius, Chan called with pocket jacks. The board bricked and Antonius found himself left with about one big blind.

Antonius busted on the next hand in a three-way pot against Chan and Cabret. The IveyPoker pro picked up $600,000 for his efforts in contest but will likely look back at the tournament as a missed opportunity.

“I was a bit intimidated by him,” Chan admitted. “It was a dream to play against him in the Aussie Millions though.”

Heads-up only lasted a few hands as Chan turned trip eights with 8♠ 6♠ against Cabret who had a flush draw with A♦ 3♦. Cabret moved all-in and Chan snap-called.

Cabret had to settle for $1 million while Chan took down $1.6 million, a new Chrysler 300C, a $40k LK jewelry bracelet and the Aussie Millions trophy.

It seemed a distant memory but Jay Tan, David Yan, Jarrod Glennon and Dan Shak all busted on the first day of the Aussie Millions final table.

Here’s a look at how the final table payouts ended up after the two-day final table (all dollars in AUD):

Any suggestions for the 3-Bet can be left in the comments.

Today we bring you Ross Boatman's triumphant return to the silver screen, surprising new numbers on UK women's online betting habits plus a new sports-betting tip service brought to you by British poker legends Neil Channing and Joe Beevers.

1) Ross Boatman Goes Rogue in New Gangster Film

Hendon Mobster Ross Boatman is back in film in the new Chris Bell and Nelson Adeosun gangster tale Three Stops Down from Plaistow.

The movie, which is scheduled for release in May 2013, is Boatman’s first role of the New Year where he plays the part of the rogue Charlie.

Surprisingly, at least to us, Boatman has his fans, as this young lady proves on the movie's Facebook page.

“Excellent a very underrated actor. I use to fancy him in London’s Burning. I rem [sic] when he came to our casino showroom to film a scene arrrh 8xx”

It seems that Boatman still has sex appeal! But if he’s going to play the hard man, let’s hope he's learned to fight!

2) UK Women Boost Online Gambling Profits

The Daily Mail reported this week that the number of middle-class women gambling on the internet is soaring in the UK.

According to industry-analysts GamblingData women gambling online is up by one-third.

The site points to an increase in television commercials promoting online gambling as the reason for women spending more money on virtual wagers. In 2007 a ban on advertising online gambling in the UK was lifted.

The industry's profits are also being boosted by an increase in gambling on mobile devices.

Says the Daily Mail:

Neil Channing

 

Nearly one million people are at risk of becoming problem gamblers as internet gaming allows them to bet excessively without the "social stigma", experts warned.

Campaigners fear gambling is now as serious a problem as alcoholism and have called for changes to protect children from aggressive adverts and promotions for gaming sites.

Read the full article from the Daily Mail here.

3) Beevers, Channing to Unveil Sports-Betting Crystal Ball

Another Hendon Mobster has been in the news this week.

Joe "The Elegance" Beevers has joined forces with Neil Channing to introduce the Betting Emporium, a sports betting and tipping website due for launch in the very near future.

The UK poker legends believe there is a gap in the market when it comes to sports-betting education, and the Betting Emporium is their attempt to fill it.

It’s hoped that the site will be unveiled in March with the release of a UK football-tipping service. According to Beevers and Channing the system has been profitable for the last four years.

If anyone is interesting in working with Neil and Joe, or has any comments or suggestions, contact them at info(at)bettingemporium.com.

And to celebrate their upcoming launch, here's Beevers getting absolutely crushed by David “DevilFish” Ulliott on the first series of Late Night Poker.

Over $2.5 million was awarded across the three biggest online tournaments this weekend on PokerStars.com with three players walking away more than six figures richer.

The biggest score went to Australia's petesgotaces who eschewed a deal in the Sunday Million to claim $227,524.

Keep reading for highlights from the weekend's biggest biggest online poker tournaments.

Matt "ch0ppy" Kay Comes Third in Sunday Million

Canadian live and online pro Matt “ch0ppy” Kay won the Sunday Million in 2007 for over $200k but was forced to settle for third and $121k yesterday.

Kay is currently ranked number three in the world for online tournaments.

7,584 players battled it out in the Million this week, fighting for part of the $1,516,800 prize pool.

There was no talk of a deal with Australian petesgotaces defeating Finland's gypsymagi820 to close out the tournament.

Other notables to finish in the money include Chris “Moorman1” Moorman (296th) and Naoya “nkeyno” Kihara who posted the deepest run from a member of Team PokerStars Online.

Japan's only WSOP bracelet winner Kaoya Kihara also cashed in this weekend.

 

Here are the final-table results for this week's Sunday Million:

Griffin "Flush_Entity" Benger Final-Tables Sunday 500

Continuing a lucrative day for Canadians on the online felt was Griffin “Flush_Entity” Benger with a final-table appearance in the Sunday 500.

Benger, who was featured in the PokerListings.com short documentary series Easy Game finished seventh for just over $11,000.

Busting right before him was legendary online player Thayer “THAY3R” Rassmussen.

Brazil's theNERDguy was able to outlast them all to win the tournament and collect the $69k first-place prize.

Also cashing were Andrey “Kroko-dill” Zaichenko (23rd), Chris “ImDaNuts” Oliver (27th), Shyam “G's zee” Srinivasan (28th), Rupert “ElRupert” Elder (42nd) and Chris “Moorman1” Moorman.

Here are the final-table results from this week's Sunday 500.

Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find TeamIvey adding “The Siren” of poker to its roster, Liv Boeree starring in her own, less-sweeping version of the Horse Whisperer and the founder of RottenTomatoes.com putting startup success in poker terms.

1) Ivey Signs Jaffe, "Poker Siren" Christina Lindley

Jonathan Jaffe -- the "other" poker siren.

 

Seems like a day doesn’t go by without a TeamIvey pro signing.

What they'll actually do is still unclear (some sort of training videos, we think) but that hasn't stopped the TeamIvey marketing team from going full steam ahead on pro deals.

Two more names were added to the list this weekend in heads-up specialist Jonathan Jaffe and (newly nicknamed) Siren of poker, Christina Lindley.

We’ve never heard her called The Siren of Poker before, but Team Ivey thinks her mainstream crossover appeal will bring in the punters:

“With career winnings over $1M, Christina is not a player to be underestimated. She has been known to use her southern sweetness and Maxim-model beauty as the perfect ruse to captivate, and ultimately defeat, her opponents.

“… Christina’s star power and loyal followers are sure to attract mainstream awareness, developing a new generation of poker aficionados through IveyPoker.com.” Check the full list of 27 29 pros here.

2) Liv Boeree Wears Horse Mask, Battles Food Poisoning

Yeah, so, seems like it’s been a weird couple of days for Liv Boeree.

In Deauville, France for the latest EPT main event, Boeree got food poisoning from some bad mussels that almost shut her down entirely:

Managed to get the worst food poisoning I've ever had after eating mussels last night & had to unregister the EPT Main Event #makeitstop

Making a big turnaround in the last couple of hours, though, she did manage to buy in just before late registration closed.

At last report she seems to be hanging on, posting antes and hoping for a better day tomorrow.

On another weird note, she also did this and posted it online:

3) Rotten Tomatoes Founder Explains Startups in Poker Terms

Also a believer in tight-aggressive startup strategy.

 

Tortured metaphors connecting business and poker are plentiful these days but it is, of course, still true there are some very important crossover skills.

Patrick Lee, co-founder of the highly successful RottenTomatoes.com movie review site, definitely thinks so.

In a recent post on e27.sg, Lee says there's a very common thread for being successful in both sstartup and poker - being tight-aggressive:

"The tight aggressive player folds often and waits for a strong hand to play. When they do play, they aggressively bet and raise to knock out other players and increase the size of the pot.

"By folding quickly and often on bad hands, the tight aggressive player is able to preserve their chip stack to allow them to be aggressive when they finally land a strong hand.

"This is also, in my opinion, the best strategy for entrepreneurs: wait for an idea that finds traction FIRST and THEN (and only then) go aggressive. If it’s a weak hand, fold immediately – as in, pivot or start something new.

"Bootstrap, launch with a minimum viable product (MVP), A/B test, and keep development times as short and costs as low as possible. The goal is to see as many hands as quickly and cheaply as you can in order to find a strong hand..."

We knew it. Keep your eyes peeled for swedishgirlsonbikes.com, comign soon. Check Lee's full post here.

Ostrom, from Sweden, has zero poker results to his credit while American veteran Kastle has been cashing in poker tournaments since 1998.

Both Kastle and Ostrom played the second Day 1 heat, outshining Day 1A chip leader Jesper Feddersen from Germany.

The annual French stop on the EPT attracted 782 runners this year, down roughly 100 compared to one year ago.

Nevertheless, there's over €3.7 million in the pot and 419 players left fighting for a piece. The eventual winner will take home €770k, over $1 million USD.

Also making it through to Day 2 with big stacks are WSOPE bracelet winner Philippe Boucher (160,700), former EPT final-tablist Ben “benwa1” Warrington (118,300), WSOP bracelet winner Pascal LeFrancois (118,000)  and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier (105,500).

Here's a look at the top 10 chip counts after Days 1A and 1B:

Pocket aces were not kind to James Akenhead.

 

Aces No Good for Akenhead, Neuville

A host of big-name players failed to make Day 2 in Deauville, and in at least two cases they got extremely unlucky to make their exits.

James Akenhead and Pierre Neuville both managed to pick up pocket aces and get the chips in the middle. And they both took bad beats to bust.

Akenhead was up against A-K and watched two cowboys hit the flop while Neuville's bullets lost out to pocket kings thanks to a runner-runner straight.

Also out on Day 1 were recent PCA main event champion Dimitar Danchev, former world champ Jonathan Duhamel, EPT main event champion Nicolas Chouity and EPT London winner David Vamplew.

Coming on the heels of PokerStars.com's acquisition of a casino in Atlantic City, PokerStars LIVE will be situated in the lavish Hippodrome Casino on Leicester Square and will open its doors March 3, 2013.

Originally constructed in 1900, the Hippodrome has been a circus, theater, cabaret and, since 2012, a casino.

“The Hippodrome Casino is the premier casino destination in London,” said UKIPT president and Head of Live Rooms for PokerStars Kirsty Thompson.

“Establishing this permanent PokerStars LIVE room will give more players the opportunity to play cash poker with the high-quality player experience that PokerStars is known for.”

PokerStars is promising a wide range of cash games as well as a new low buy-in tournament series presented by the UKIPT. The series kicks off with a £250 + £25 event running April 12 – 14.

And while PokerStars.com is busy designing a schedule that will appeal to poker players, the Hippodrome is making sure those players will be taken care of while they're grinding.

“The poker room’s luxury interior design has been developed to take poker to a new level, catching the interest of all national and international players,” said Hippodrome chairman Simon Thomas.

“It’s location in the ‘Gods’ is unique and our ambition is to create a fabulous environment in which to play poker, with great lighting, comfortable seating and the audiovisual support to the needs of the poker player.”

The new Hippodrome Casino launched in 2012 after a three-year, £40m refurbishment. It's now billed as the country's busiest casino.

Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Vanessa Rousso throwing the feature-table commentators at EPT Deauville for a loop with a gutsy bluff, Zynga Plus getting ready to launch for real-money play in the UK and Episode 3 of poker web series Game Theory getting into new, improved territory.

1) Vanessa Rousso Stuns Feature Table with Stone Bluff

Think there’s not much difference between the average, competitive home game and a top-level, major tour feature table?

Watch this 15-minute clip of PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso under the lights yesterday and you’ll get a sense of how a leveling war can play out.

Esteemed poker writer Vicky Coren was so surprised when she saw Rousso's five she even exclaimed “I don’t understand anything at all about anything.”

Want to understand Rousso’s thought process? Check out her great 400-word exposition on it in the PokerStars blog. A sample:

"I had planned to raise the turn, but now the turn pairs the jack. So I check and he bets again. When he bets again on the turn, a couple of things happen.

“First it makes it hard for me to raise because a jack is something he could have raised with on the flop to represent. But I know I still have pocket kings within my range. It's very possible. So I have to ask myself, well, how would I play pocket kings here?

“I would probably flat and then ship the river. And I want to make a read, too, and see how he looks once I call.”

2) Zynga Plus Ready to Launch Real-Money Play in UK

Or more accurately looks about ready to launch real-money poker in the UK. It’s still not technically here yet but the web page is up and collecting emails for the impending breakthrough.

Poker's new holy grail?

 

Long considered the holy grail for a new “boom” of newbie poker players, we’ll see just what impact it might have on the market soon.

If you're intrigued about joining the Zynga fold, here’s what you can expect:

"Zynga Plus Poker has a huge variety of games and stakes so that players at every level can find tables that are right for them and feel at home.

"Enjoy games like Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-lo, 7 Card Stud and more. Register to our thrilling tournaments or take a seat at our round-the-clock cash games for buy-ins as little as 25¢!

“Simply download the software and sign up with an email address that you check regularly and you're done! Expect a starter surprise in your bankroll…” More info here.

3) Episode 3 of Game Theory Up, Improved

Remember the Degrassi-inspired poker web series, Game Theory, we mentioned last week?

Turns out they've already turned around Episode 3 and, on first watch, seem to have stepped up their game from the Spike-and-Wheels melodrama of the pilot and Episode 2.

Oh it's still melodramatic, sure. But the dialogue has a bit more room to breathe and a bit of realistic (read: not electrical-cord-whipping janitor dad) tension seems to be building.

Also of note: credits have now been added and, by the looks of them, pro Jonathan Little may have a role as a consultant. Check out Ep. 3 below:

But with the game’s growth came apprehension from some quarters, with many unsure if the the game was necessarily a good thing for society as a whole.

To be a poker player at the time carried a stigma, and that attitude was reflected in the era’s cultural products

But was pop culture's illustration of poker accurate? Today we examine five important examples of poker in the popular culture of the early 1900s.

A Game for Animals

Commissioned in 1903 for a calendar selling cigars, Cassius M. Coolidge’s famous “Dogs Playing Poker” oil paintings suggest poker’s having found its way into the cultural mainstream.

They also help show how the game by then had spread from saloons and steamboats into private homes, the setting for the dogs’ card sessions.

The advertising firm that had hired Coolidge specifically requested he paint dogs striking various human poses.

A lesser known painting in the same series.

 

Coolidge chose various familiar activities and pastimes for his uncanny canines, including attending a baseball game, fixing a car, playing pool, and -- in nine of the 16 paintings -- playing poker.

As we all know from “A Friend in Need” (the most popular of the paintings), the dogs smoke cigars and drink whiskey while they play, furthering the association of such behaviors with poker.

A lesser known entry in the series, “Sitting Up With a Sick Friend,” depicts a couple of hat-wearing female dogs having barged in on the poker game, clearly upset about having been lied to regarding the true nature of the male dogs’ gathering.

What do the paintings tell us about poker as it was played in the early 20th century? It’s a male-dominated activity, for sure.

It’s perhaps to be considered a “vice” not unlike smoking or drinking. And it’s an activity which occasionally requires participants to lie in order to hide the fact they are engaging in it.

Looking elsewhere in early 20th century popular culture, it’s easy to find more examples of poker being characterized as dangerous.

A Disease in Need of Curing

This 1912 silent film likely the first poker film in history.

 

The 1912 silent film A Cure for Pokeritis very likely represents the oldest “poker movie” ever made.

The 12-minute short stars the comic actor John Bunny as George Brown, who like the dogs in “Sitting Up With a Sick Friend” is trying to find ways to play poker without his wife Mary (Flora Finch) finding out.

The film opens with George having lost at poker (as usual), then going home to face an upset Mary. He promises never to play again but is soon back at the tables, his cover story being that he’s going to meetings of a men’s lodge.

Mary eventually finds out about the lie -- poor George talks in his sleep, it seems -- and so she enlists the help of her cousin Freddie and his Bible club to put a stop to the game.

In fact, all of the wives are upset about it, and thus are glad when Freddie and his club members impersonate policemen and conduct a phony raid to shut down the game.

The film ends with a much relieved George realizing he isn’t really under arrest, the scare apparently having been enough for him to promise once and for all never to play poker again.

As the film’s title suggests, poker is being represented as a kind of illness in need of curing.

A poker scene from A Cure for Pokeritis.

 

Much like the drinking of alcohol was then under attack by temperance groups, poker playing, too, is here depicted as an activity plaguing society and in need of prohibition.

A Seductive Game

Fast-forward a few years to 1919 and one of the most popular songs being played featured a poker-related theme.

Recorded by Fanny Watson and Al Jolson, “Who Played Poker with Pocahontas (When John Smith Went Away)?” presents the game as a kind of euphemism for having an affair. In other words, the game again might be said to stand in for something untoward.

Like other popular versions of the story of the English colonist and young Indian girl at Jamestown, the song assumes a romantic relationship between the pair that in reality probably was never the case.

The lyrics additionally suggest Smith “taught her how to play poker” -- also obviously inaccurate, as poker was still a couple of centuries from being invented.

In the song, whenever Smith went away and returned, “he found her with a larger stack,” thus begging the question posed in the title. “She always dressed up so pretty, somebody must have set the kitty,” goes the chorus. “She wore a bluff just like every Indian that led John astray.”

Here the game of poker and the deceit it requires is likened to a kind of seduction, with the Pocahontas of the song put forward as a devious lover able to trick Smith into a relationship not unlike a skilled poker player outwitting an opponent.

Trouble in Paradise

References to poker in literature of the era likewise present the game as a danger to be avoided, such as in Bertolt Brecht’s 1926 short story “Four Men and a Poker Game, or Too Much Luck Is Bad Luck.”

In this darkly humorous tale, the German poet and playwright describes four American swimmers sailing home to New York following a meet in Havana. Like Coolidge’s dogs they drink and smoke cigars, and eventually they decide to start a friendly poker game for nickels.

Bertolt Brecht

 

“Thus, not far short of the Bermudas,” explains the narrator, “they began to work their own downfall.”

One player -- lucky Johnny -- begins a winning streak that defies his own lack of skill at the game. Eventually the stakes are raised to absurd heights, with Johnny’s opponents betting pianos, houses, and even their women. But Johnny keeps on winning.

Finally the others decide upon what seems the only possible way to end Johnny’s hot streak -- they toss him overboard! Not only does such an act clear their debts, it also helps establish whether or not Johnny “was as good at swimming as he was at winning poker games.”

Though written with tongue in cheek, the story again identifies poker as a source of trouble, the game having introduced malevolence and eventually murder into what had otherwise been a idyllic scene at sea.

Poker’s Popularity: A Paradox

One could say that these early 20th century depictions of poker present a kind of paradox -- a contradiction of sorts about poker and its popularity that we here in the early 21st century might well recognize.

The frequent references to poker in art, music, literature, and film certainly help demonstrate the game’s growth. But many of these references make moral judgments on poker as being at least bad for the individuals who play, and perhaps even destructive to society as a whole.

In other words, while these references show poker’s popularity, they also often seem to indicate reasons why poker shouldn’t be so popular.

Just 154 players remain from the original 782 led by Andrei Stoenescu, who grabbed the chip lead on the very last hand of the night.

Stoenescu will start Day 3 with 485,600 – about 100k ahead of 2011 EPT Loutraki champ Zimnan Ziyard.

Ziyard's fellow UK pro Sam Grafton, in the midst of the best stretch of his career, also worked his way up in to the top 10 in chips. Grafton bagged up 311,400 to sit seventh overall.

Koon Top American Name

As for name-brand North Americans, American Jason Koon and Canadian Pascal Lefrancois moved the furthest up the euro-heavy leaderboard.

Koon bagged 275,100 while Lefrancois put away 271,100. Fellow Quebecer Philippe Boucher is right behind Lefrancois with 266,800.

Jason Koon.

 

Other notables above average include Alexander Dovzhenko (247,200), Casey Kastle (233,600), PokerStars pro Matthias de Meulder (186,000) and Mat Frankland (144,000).

Pros still alive but short include Steve O’Dwyer (45,600) and Vanessa Rousso (34,200)

The Top 10 in Chips Heading into Day 3:

Action picks up tomorrow from the Casino Barrière at 12 noon; check the live updates over on the PokerStars blog.

The highest-rated poker show on FSN for the past two seasons, World Poker Tour is continuing to build on recent innovations.

”Viewers have responded very positively to the changes we’ve made in the show over the past two seasons,” said WPT President Adam Pliska.

“This year, we’re continuing to push the envelope with even more compelling improvements that complement what is turning out to be a record-breaking season with some of the greatest poker moments we’ve seen in the WPT’s television history.”

Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten continue to provide cornerstone commentary and will be joined once again by the Royal Flush Girls, roving anchor Kimberly Lansing and Raw Deal analyst Tony Dunst.

Fans can rest easy. The Royal Flush Girls are returning to television.

 

And the new season will feature a brand-new cast of rising young poker stars, dubbed the WPT's Ones to Watch.

“We’re not content to rest on past accomplishments,” said WPT CEO Steve Heller.

“We are continually refining the World Poker Tour program and developing new ways to provide our viewers with the most compelling and entertaining poker show possible."

New episodes of the World Poker Tour will air Sundays at 8pm and 11pm local time on FOX Sports Networks*

*Pending live event pre-emption. FOX Sports Networks affiliates include MSG New York, Comcast Sports Network, and Root Sports.

Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments. 

Today in the 3-Bet we find Patrik Antonius getting walloped by Rui Cao in the opening round of their $1m challenge, longtime PokerStars pro Dario Minieri quitting a bad habit as he tries to turn things around in 2013 and Weeds producer Matt Salsberg living out his "absurd" poker destiny.

1) Cao Takes Round 1 in $1m Challenge w/ Antonius

Cao: Buoyed.

 

With much less publicity and a lot more action than, um, some past million-dollar stand-offs, the $1m challenge between Frenchman Rui Cao and poker god Patrik Antonius quietly got underway last night.

In short: Cao busted Antonius’ $300k buy-in in just 350 hands of $1.5k/$3k 2-7 Triple Draw to take Round 1 of the three-part challenge. The outcome is particularly auspicious as a massive 2-7 whipping by Antonius last week was what prompted Cao to make the challenge in the first place.

In case you missed the specs, Cao and Antonius agreed to play a $1 million mixed-variation challenge last week. Action will be split between three different games - $350k on Hold’em, $350k on PLO and $300k on 2-7 Triple Draw.

With an early leg up Cao can obviously put himself in a great position to sweep when the challenge resumes today.

Antonius, though, can likely afford it if the worst-case happens. In between agreeing to the challenge and playing it, he finished third in the Aussie Millions main event for AUD$600,000.

He's still waiting on a bunch of Full Tilt money though. Such is the life of a poker superstar, we guess.

2) Dario Minieri: Get Fit, Quit Smoking, Learn to Fly

If you’ve been wondering what former Italian wunderkind Dario Minieri is up to, you’re not alone.

New lease for Minieri.

 

Minieri took the poker world by storm back in 2006/2007. He crushed the online games, made SuperNova Elite and cashed in 3 million FPPs for his first Porsche before he even had a license.

After winning his first WSOP bracelet in 2008 at age 23, the sky seemed to be the limit for him.

It hasn't been such a smooth ride since though. Making his last big live score in Oct 2010 for $72k, Minieri’s results have been few and far between over the last while.

In a new blog post Minieri admits as much, saying 2012 was a tough year for him poker-wise. But with a new outlook on life and poker he has big plans to rebound in 2013 -- starting with quitting smoking.

“One change that I've already made is to quit smoking cigarettes. It's going to be tough, I know, because I've been smoking for about three years.

“But I'm realizing there are a lot of the same qualities you use in poker that are needed to stop smoking, such as being disciplined, having patience, and above all, staying determined. Just like succeeding in poker, you have to be confident you can do it.”

Read about the rest of Minieri's plans - including martial arts training and getting his pilot's license - here.

3) Salsberg Talks Destiny, Spite in Alumni Mag

We're long-time fans of Weeds producer and WPT Paris winner Matt Salsberg so it's great to see a new rush of publicity for him lately - especially in light of his new show about online poker, Whales, not getting picked up by Showtime.

Taking the poker ride.

 

In fact, Salsberg says in a new interview with the Concordia alumni magazine, it might have even pushed him to win that WPT event as he found out about the rejection the night it started:

“I turned to my girlfriend and said, 'I'm gonna win this tournament to spite them.' And I did it. One door closed and another one opened, which is pretty cool," Salsberg said.

Another strange coincidence: Salsberg had written that very tournament into an episode of Weeds.

With Whales still drawing network interest, Salsberg says he's good with following that open poker door for now - even if it is a bit absurd:

"Poker's a little weird now for me because I'm getting attention. I like to compete against great players.

“I'm going with it more for the sense of comedy. Funny stuff always happens to me so I’m looking at this as more funny things happening to me.

“That I'm playing poker on national television against professional poker players, I think, is absurd."

Look for Salsberg featured in our mini-documentary series, Easy Game, soon too.

The popular Grafton, known as @SquidPoker on Twitter and running very well over the last year, followed up a successful Day 2 yesterday with another steady climb up the leaderboard.

Grafton bagged up 985,000 to sit third overall heading into Day 4 behind chip leader Shahaf Hadaya at 1.23 million and Matthieu Herve with 1.05m.

Mitchell, best known for winning the 2010 Irish Open, also held steady on the leaderboard to sit fourth with 983,000.

Rounding out the top 5 is Frenchman Aurélien Guiglini with 942,000.

Frankland Rises, Koon Drops

Another British player seeing some success in France today was Matthew Frankland, who ran his 144k stack to start the day all the way up to 606,000.

Not quite as lucky, American Jason Koon couldn't build much momentum with his 285k stack and wrapped the day with just 386,000.

James Mitchell.

 

Other notables still alive in the final 51 are Alexander Dovzhenko (459,000), Kristijonas Andrulis (365,000) and Lucien Cohen (209,000).

Big names to hit the rail today included Ana Marquez, Steve O’Dwyer, Dermot Blain and Vanessa Rousso.

The Top 10 in Chips Heading to Day 4:

Action picks up in Deauville tomorrow at 12 local time; follow the live updates on the PokerStars blog as they play down to the final few tables.

Over the months since IveyPoker launched they've signed no less than 28 poker pros but did little to indicate what the site would actually do.

The answer to that question is now more clear, however, as IveyPoker explains that LeggoPoker will serve as the foundation for a new subscription-based poker teaching site.

“In my opinion, LeggoPoker is one of the best teaching sites on the market,” said Phil Ivey.

“They are a great match with IveyPoker and together we will offer a top-notch educational poker destination in Ivey League.”

The subscription-based strategy service has been modeled to pick up where IveyPoker's soon-to-launch free social and mobile poker game leaves off with aspiring players' poker educations.

LeggoPoker coaches Aaron Jones, Dan Smith and Andrew Lichtenberger will join Team IveyPoker and continue teaching poker strategy via the new Ivey League.

To elaborate on the new acquisition Ivey sat down with LeggoPoker's Aaron Jones.

Day 4 proved to be a rapid-fire affair with 28 eliminations in just over four hours. Now just 23 of the original 782 entrants remain in the contest.

French players dominate the leaderboard with Cyril Andre (2.1 million), Remi Cataignon (1.9 million) and Hugo Pingray (1.8 million) in the top three chip counts.

There are several notable U.K. players still in the mix, however, as former ANZPT Sydney winner Gordon Huntly finished with 1 million chips and 2010 Irish Open winner James Mitchell, who’s been rock solid in this event, ended Day 4 with 990,000.

Mitchell’s countryman Sam Grafton didn’t fare as well on Day 4. The player known as @SquidPoker was the last player to bust on the day when he had the misfortune of shoving king-six into Glen Cymbaluk’s ace-nine.

Here are the top 10 chip counts at the end of play:

Koon, Cohen, Frankland Denied a Shot at EPT Deauville Day 5

Jason Koon

 

American online poker pro Jason Koon and 2011 Deauville winner Lucien Cohen both hit the rail on Day 4.

Koon was eliminated mid-way through the day when he went all-in with pocket fives only to have Remi Castaignon make the easy call with pocket aces.

Meanwhile Cohen went out with a top-pair against eventual chip leader Cyril Andre’s flopped set of deuces.

Some of the other notable players to bust on Day 4 included Mat Frankland, Salvatore Bonavena, Ionel Anton and Michel Abecassis.

The final table of eight players will be set tomorrow with action resuming at 12:00 p.m. local time. Watch the feature table streaming live right here on PokerListings.

Christie technically vetoed the bill but said that he would support the law if it were put on a 10-year trial period.

“I recommend that this law authorizing Internet gaming in New Jersey sunset after a period of ten years, giving future leaders the perspective and opportunity to revise and renew Internet gaming as appropriate,” Christie said in a statement.

Online gaming advocates were concerned Christie would veto the bill outright so today’s development is being considered a victory for Internet gaming.

"With these goals in mind, I have concluded that now is the time for our State to move forward, again leading the way for the nation, by becoming one of the first States to permit Internet gaming,” said Christie. 

“I authorize this step towards modernizing Atlantic City’s entertainment attractions cautiously, with carefully constructed limitations that will ensure the highest integrity and the most robust oversight."

The governor recommended that Internet gaming be taxed at a rate of 15 percent, instead of the proposed 10 percent, and that compulsive gaming programs should be better funded.

The bill now returns to state legislature where it will be revised based on the governor’s recommendations. Christie will provide his final signature after the amendments have been made.

Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Greenlight Capital founder David Einhorn putting some poker-esque pressure on one of the biggest companies in the world, poker's popularity putting some pressure on slots space in a Columbus casino and the International Stadiums Poker (Marketing) Tour getting stranger as days go by.

1) Einhorn Gets Pushy, Asks for Preferred Apple Stock

Einhorn: Has moves.

 

Poker fans will remember financial heavy hitter David Einhorn from two notable poker moments.

First, Einhorn finished 18th in the 2006 WSOP Main Event and got plenty of screen time on ESPN wearing a sweatshirt with his kids' handprints on it. Just last year Einhorn finished third in the $1m Big One for One Drop for $4.3 million and donated it all to charity.

At the time, Einhorn explained to PokerListings that poker pressure was nothing compared to his average day:

“I’m a money manager and I manage a rather good fund that generates a terrific income for me so I have to get into some pretty tough battles with nerves every day at my job at stakes that are way higher than what we’re dealing with here.”

Case in point: Einhorn’s latest dispute with one of the richest companies in the world, Apple. As one of its biggest shareholders, Einhorn is unhappy with its stock performance and laid some pressure on in an open letter posted Thursday.

His solution? A new perpetual preferred stock that would be distributed to Apple's shareholders like him.

Mbn to have that kind of power move, in poker or in life. Read Einhorn's statement here.

2) Columbus Casino Removes Slots, Adds Poker Tables

While New Jersey received some pretty promising poker news today, so too did the poker fans of Columbus, Ohio.

Poker: So hot in Columbus.

 

Hollywood Casino Columbus announced it will remove 500 slots and add six more poker tables (for 36 total) to try and boost revenues.

We haven't heard that very often in the last few years, tbh, and it bodes well for a healthy poker fetish building again in America. As Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for Hollywood Columbus, told the Columbus Dispatch:

“We’ve been open four months now and are at the point at which we’ve been able to establish patterns and see what’s popular. The poker room has been way more popular than we anticipated.”

Despite poker not being much of a revenue producer on its own, Tenenbaum says it's the spinoff business that brings the real value.

“Poker brings in a lot of people to the casino. They’ll play other games, they’ll have a meal, maybe they’ll stay for the entertainment.” Read more here. Get to Columbus via I70 or I71.

3) ISPT Pushing “Wemplay” Slogan, Turnout Slow

We won’t rehash all of the general confusion that’s surrounded the International Stadiums Poker Tour (check here if you're interested), but suffice to say not many people expect much of an inaugural event at Wembley Stadium in London this May.

Originally projecting a 30,000-player max, by the look of things 3,000 might be a stretch. Still, the ISPT pushes on with its odd “We Wemplay” marketing campaign with ambassadors Sam Trickett, Michael Mizrachi, Liz Lieu and David Benyamine and its drama-heavy promo vids.

Satellites are still running on sites including Poker770 and another Day 1 is scheduled to run for US players on Lock Poker this Sunday.

Given its questionable reputation it's hard to say just how many players to expect on W-Day (see what we did there?), but based on the current ISPT leaderboard it looks like, um, 13 players are through so far. More info here; vid below.