It’s the feel-good story of the season. In fact it’s just about the ONLY story of the season. The taxi cab driver who found $300,000 in his cab and did the right thing by turning it in and finding its rightful owner finally gets what he deserves.
As many had hoped, that man, Gerardo Gamboa, was thanked and rewarded from the as-of-yet unnamed 28 year old Las Vegas poker professional. The poker pro cut out $10k from his stack and gave it to the cabbie as a reward for doing the right thing and, according to the Las Vegas Sun, a thrilled Gamboa took that $10k to the bank. Literally.
“I’m taking it to the bank for now. But after that, I don’t know what is going to happen,” he said.
Additionally, the cab company itself reportedly awarded Gamboa with an extra $1000, gave him a gift certificate to some steakhouse and named him “Employee Of The Year.”
Gamboa also noted that a piece of the reward was being kicked upstairs to his church.
The last piece to the puzzle, for inquiring minds is, who is the forgetful prominent poker player? Justin Bonomo? Ike Haxton? While a number of poker professionals as well as authorities know who it is, that name has yet to be leaked to the public.
published
9 years, 1 month ago •
by Jeff •
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If you like to watch other people laugh at things that, for you, have almost zero context, then you are going to adore this cute video of the Royal Flush Girls messing up their lines, making funny faces and getting a serious case of the giggles in what the World Poker Tour is calling “the best” of their 2013 bloopers.
But you are more likely to like this video if you just adore the RFG’s.
published
9 years, 1 month ago •
by Jeff •
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Former Epic Poker commissioner mis-ID'd in entertainment obit.
Former World Series of Poker Commissioner turned Epic Poker Executive Chairman (and poker persona non gratis), Jeffrey Pollack was mistaken for another semi-famous Jeffrey Pollack this week when online publication The Atlanta Blackstar posted the photo of the still living poker Pollack in a story about the recently deceased Pollack that is best known as being an Executive Producer of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”
Of course, this has very little to do with either Pollack and more to do with the fact-checking of the publication. But for what it’s worth, Pollack, the Hollywood director/producer died in Hermosa Beach, CA, likely due to natural causes after a career that included directing three feature films and producing a host of television shows.
Speaking of lack of fact-checking, we just assume that Epic Poker’s Jeffrey Pollack is alive and kicking. We can confirm that Epic Poker still is not.
published
9 years, 1 month ago •
by Jeff •
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Las Vegas veteran cabbie Gerardo Gamboa must have done a double take when he haphazardly discovered that the brown paper bag found in his cab had a wad of cash inside that would likely take him 6 or more years to make on the job. Six bundles of hundreds totaling roughly $300k were left in the back seat of his ride on Monday morning and he had no idea how it got there.
According to the Las Vegas Journal Review, Gamboa was alterted to the nondescript bag by a hotel doorman after pulling into the Bellagio to pick up a fare. It wasn’t long before he looked inside to discover the small fortune. While perhaps in the City of Sin some may have been tempted to keep the cash, Gamboa immediately notified his dispatcher and drove straight to home base so they could find its rightful owner.
“Even though I am a poor guy I don’t need money that doesn’t belong to me,” said Gamboa to the LVJR.
The police were brought in and eventually the money was traced to a “prominent poker player” that the police refused to identify publicly. All Gamboa could remember was that he believes the passenger was taken from the Cosmopolitan and dropped off at the Palms Tower, for which he received a $5 tip (which means that we know it wasn’t Adam “Roothlus” Levy – way too much of a tip to be him.)
No word as of yet on whether the honest cabbie will get a little bonus reward for his good deed but assuming this story is on the up and up, let’s hope so.
published
9 years, 1 month ago •
by Jeff •
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Poker promo video tries to seduce, scare you into playing online.
If you are in the mood for some sexually suggestive double entendres about the language used in the poker world, then we have found the perfect video for you. It’s WSOP.com's follow up to their somewhat successful “How To Poker: Talk Like You Have A Pair” video commercial series and it’s packed with hilarious double-speak.
It’s short, sweet, well made and shows that every so often these giant corporate money making machines have a sense of humor. How good is that sense of humor? Well, you have to judge that for yourself.
This video is for everyone out there who at one time folded a certain two face cards and declared to the table “I had Jack King off.”
In case you missed part one of this series, you can check it out right here:
published
9 years, 1 month ago •
by Jeff •
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In 2011, in a post Black Friday haze, one of the biggest scandals/dramas in online poker was the Rise and Fall of Lock Poker Pro “Girah“. The mastermind of the whirlwind story, which included chip dumping, teamviewing and more lies than Jim Carey in a lawyer movie, was online poker pro and amateur author Haseeb “DogIsHead” Qureshi. This weekend, on his blog, the one time self proclaimed “liar and dishonest person” has opted to try and “start over” by giving away nearly $500k to his family and charity, leaving only $10k for himself to try and get a new start (and promote his new book.)
We’re NOT going to lie – this is pretty involved and has a lot of moving parts so only jump in if you have time. But, since it’s the holidays, you might just have that time. Here is some background for you:
It’s the end of the year when we all assess what we’ve done and how it’s all gone down. The good guys over at the iconic poker site Wicked Chops Poker decided to take a look back at the state of poker media and gave our big brother pokerfuse some mighty high praise.
Bravo. Add a few pics of hot girls and a snarky comment here and there, and Poker Fuse feels like what WCP would be if we had ever dedicated ourselves 100% to the site. Given our opinions of ourselves, that’s high praise. Also, having met Michael Gentile and Jeff Walsh, the Fusers are among the more “normal” guys we’ve met in the industry.
Phil Ivey has taken a new approach to his image in 2013. He’s been looser, more available and, at times, even playful, and it has been quite a departure from the stonewalling enigmatic persona he’s put forth for most of his career.
Take this photo for instance: we all have embarrassing photos lurking in a yearbook or our parents photo albums, but Ivey not only ships that photo out to his social media stream – but he contemplates taking a bet that would take his haircut back to the old school.
How much cash would it take to get Ivey to let it all go for a calendar year? We’re guessing there’s not enough on the table to let something like that happen but it’s fun to take a look at the past and see what the future of poker looked like back then.
published
9 years, 1 month ago •
by Jeff •
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The series consists of 30 events with very affordable buy-ins, big guarantees, and added prizes that include tickets to upcoming live PokerStars tournaments.
Kade was thrilled to receive the news and pledged to share a portion of her future winnings with her Twitter followers and one of her favorite charity organizations.
There is a selection of scheduled MTTs across all buy-in levels at PokerStars Ontario for anyone looking to enter the New Year in a true grinder fashion.
The lucky winner was selected from 70 entries and revealed on the special episode of The Grind podcast, a poker show that inspired this unique competition.
The Winter Series at PokerStars Ontario will run for 16 days straight and offer just shy of $1.4 million in guaranteed prizes across a range of buy-in levels.
A PokerStars US multi-state online poker network is now just weeks away, assuming a “necessary milestone” — a 48-hour software upgrade — goes smoothly.
WSOP Ontario features loads of great tournaments this weekend, including the $1050 GG Masters HR Winter Freezout with $150k GTD and one ring up for grabs.
Mini PCA Online Series by PokerStars Brings Loads of Affordable Action
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Vanessa Kade Receives a Surprise Platinum Pass from Poker Stars
Kade was thrilled to receive the news and pledged to share a portion of her future winnings with her Twitter followers and one of her favorite charity organizations.
WSOP Ontario Brings Loads of Low-Stakes Action With mini Million$
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Keep Your Eyes Peeled for PokerStars US Discord DMs This Morning
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PokerStars Ontario Winter Series Wraps Up, More Action on the Horizon
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PokerStars Giving Away New Year Series Tickets on Twitter
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PokerStars Ontario Winter Series Wraps Up This Weekend
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PokerStars Ontario Brings a Great Selection of NY Tournament Action
There is a selection of scheduled MTTs across all buy-in levels at PokerStars Ontario for anyone looking to enter the New Year in a true grinder fashion.
Jennifer Shahade Reveals the PokerStars Platinum Pass Winner
The lucky winner was selected from 70 entries and revealed on the special episode of The Grind podcast, a poker show that inspired this unique competition.
As 2022 Wraps Up, PokerStars Ontario Celebrates Success
Despite being late to the party, PokerStars Ontario has had a very successful year in the newly-regulated Canadian market.
Get Free PokerStars Winter Series Tickets Watching Twitch
All the way until January 16, watching popular PokerStars Twitch streamers could land you tickets for the Winter Series with no strings attached.
PokerStars Ontario Back at the Top for Cash Game Traffic
According to the latest data, PokerStars Ontario is leading the way for cash game traffic in the province, and by quite a margin.
Do Not Miss Out Rich Xmas Action at WSOP Ontario
There are three major events on the Winter Circuit schedule today at WSOP Ontario, in case you are in the mood for some Christmas action.
Jordan Saccucci Banks €913,000 in an Epic PokerStars EPT Prague Win
The action at the final PokerStars EPT for 2022 wraps up with Canada’s Jordan Saccucci taking down a record-breaking Main Event to the tune of €900k.
Almost $1.4 Million up for Grabs in PokerStars Ontario Winter Series
The Winter Series at PokerStars Ontario will run for 16 days straight and offer just shy of $1.4 million in guaranteed prizes across a range of buy-in levels.
A “Neccessary Milestone”: PokerStars Prepares for MI + NJ Player Pool!
A PokerStars US multi-state online poker network is now just weeks away, assuming a “necessary milestone” — a 48-hour software upgrade — goes smoothly.
WSOP Ontario Brings Out a Quality MTT Schedule This Weekend
WSOP Ontario features loads of great tournaments this weekend, including the $1050 GG Masters HR Winter Freezout with $150k GTD and one ring up for grabs.
Do Not Miss Out on Live Action from PokerStars EPT Prague
The PokerStars EPT Prague Main Event action will be streamed live, and you can actively join the action via the Mini EPT Online feature.
PokerStars Ontario Fall Fest Dishes Out Over $550K in Prizes
PokerStars Ontario pulled off another successful series with Fall Fest, breaking the original guaranteed prize pool by well over $50,000.