The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a green club, a blue diamond and just the right eyeline for perfect afternoon poker news board reading.
Have something you'd like included in a future 3-Bet? Let us know in the comments.
Today in the 3-Bet we find some interesting changes coming to EPT Season 12, the window closing on 2015 Poker Hall of Fame nominations and some memorable poker fisticuffs.
1) Four-Color Decks Coming to EPT
We were already a little high with anticipation for Season 12 on the European Poker Tour starting next week in Barcelona.
PokerStars' Neil Johnson's (Head of Live Poker Operations Europe) new post on some new changes only fueled the fire.
Plenty of tweaks will take the most popular poker tour on earth to, they hope, another record-setting year highlighted by:
A new city/festival that's been determined but not revealed All new chip sets All new tables with full USB chargers at each seat €5,000 and €500 non-Hold'em events at each stop Four-color decks in select events at EPT Malta Cashless Rebuy tournaments Streamlined High Rolls and Super High Rollers Laptops allowed at the table
There are plenty more including a blowout Hallowe'en party in Malta, the debut of Sextuple Omaha and the return of Midnight Hyper Turbos.
Joe Stapleton's comedy stylings will likely stay the same but if those are your bag you're in good company. Check the full rundown from Johnson here.
2) 2015 Poker Hall of Fame Nominations Close August 15
If you've got your heart set on getting your favorite poker player into the Poker Hall of Fame this year, your window is closing.
If you're like Terrence Chan you've likely already put your vote in/pleaded your case for a worthy candidate to get the nod.
As every year there are a few players who build up some public momentum and this year those seem to be Isai Scheinberg, Bruno Fitoussi and Jennifer Harman.
Equally deserving candidates include Thor Hansen, Carlos Mortensen, John Duthie and, posthumously, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott. They're not even close to 40 yet but we'd put Vanessa Selbst and Annette Obrestad in right now in a heartbeat, too.
Only two names will get the nod from the shortlist so plenty of deserving players won't get in. Still worth having your voice heard, though. Remind yourself of the criteria/get your vote in here.
3) Remember When Sam Grizzle Knocked Out Phil Hellmuth?
With a certain jaw-shattering punch dominating the headlines over the past 24 hours it got us thinking about our own poker-on-poker violence of the past.
While bad-debt related punchouts are littered across poker's past (and future) the "on camera" aggression captured among poker players tends to be of the "all talk, little action" variety.
Jeff Lisandro v. Prahlad, Brandon Cantu v. the world and Martin Finger v. Jon Duhamel come to mind but at the top of the list for tournament-related angst is likely the infamous Sam Grizzle v. Phil Hellmuth throwdown.
Hellmuth showed up on video with a black eye at the 2007 WSOP (that was for a video game commercial) but the incident with Grizzle happened years before.
As the story goes Grizzle reportedly asked Hellmuth to hold his seat at a cash-game table; Phil didn't. After some chatter on his return to an occupied seat Grizzle said let's take it outside, Phil said yes, and then Grizzle one-punch KO'ed him in the parking lot.
True? Semi-true? Hard to say but their banter at the 2003 WSOP (and Hellmuth's ESPN segment) makes it seem more than possible. Check the clip below:
Any punchouts we're forgetting? Let us know in the comments.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com