According to Curtis and Bloom, not only is Tobey a good poker player as far as actors go…he has the skill to legitimately compete for bracelets.

As for Mr. Maguire, he’s in a different league from other actors who can play some cards. While often mentioned in the same breath with other excellent playing actors like Jennifer Tilly and Ben Affleck, according to one of the sources, Mr. Maguire plays at a level that far surpasses “good for an actor” and approaches the elite level of the players who win bracelets at the World Series.

Tobey attracted major whales by paying for some of his high profile Hollywood chums to sit at the table.

Tobey got Molly to concoct these games using friends like Leo DiCaprio to sit at the table. Tobey was basically paying their entry fee, and using Leo as a lure to get these billionaires like Alec Gores and Andy Beal to come to the games.

Tobey even bought up the debt of the aforementioned Houston Curtis and then struck a staking deal which had him earning 50% of the profit and assuming none of the losses.

It’s very simple what happened. There was one bad night at the tables. We were playing poker and I got buried in a game and the games played big. That night I lost a million dollars. I met with Tobey about it and scratched out a deal that allowed me to keep playing. He didn’t pay the full million; he put up 600,000 of it. I would pay him 50% of my wins until he was paid back and then he’d also get 50% of my wins for a year after. He knew that long-term I was gonna win in that game cuz that’s what him and I did in that game – we won.

You gotta take the time to read the full article, you won’t be disappointed.

Read: A Player Speaks; Molly Bloom Takes On Spider-Man Actor in New Book

With three starting times (3pm, 6pm and 10pm) and a range of buy-in ($235, $185 and $135) there’s something for everyone. Last year, some of the $235 tournaments offered a first place prize upwards of $50k, with the average first place prize being right around $44k. That’s something you gotta get in on!

Just remember if you plan on playing that traditionally, these have been re-entry events and on the big days, like Friday, the lines to register can be long – so plan ahead. Also, when there is a massive bracelet event, the Deepstacks are the first to get moved around. It’s rare but it does happen.

Want more info? Check out the Daily Deepstacks Tournament Structure

Also, Two Plus Two user wangtangkiki breaks down the 2013 prize pools to see which day is best and when the largest prizepools for each buy-in are.

It didn’t take long before they were traced back to Giardina.

When questioned back in June, Giardina allegedly lied to try and cover it up and said he purchased those chips from someone in the restroom. He later recanted and the admiral admitted he made that part up.

“I was not forthright in my response about how I came into possession of the chips in question”

Once NCIS, got a hold of the case Giardina’s clearance was suspended and, now almost a year later, he received an official “punitive letter of reprimand”, a $4k fine and after a 35 years Giardina is looking at the end of his career.

“ME vs.U“ promotes a little good-natured competition between Dan O’ Brien and Danielle Andersen in a few events of office olympics.

Office chair racing, boardroom shuffleboard and waste-basketball are the events and the winner must be served a picnic lunch by the loser.

It’s fun, it’s fast, looks good and could lead to some pretty entertaining episodes if all goes well. So check it out, episode one of “Me vs U.”

Sure, it could be a joke, it could be mistake (so take this as a rumor) but it’s unlikely as McLoughin is a longtime Las Vegas resident, an industry insider and like the rest of the poker public is pretty pissed about the Full Tilt fiasco. The dude knows who Howard Lederer is.

To further back his claims, known Howie associate, professional cowboy hat wearer (and poker player) Andy Bloch was there for sure and he even snapped a photo of guitarist Dave Navarro from the VIP section.

Perhaps it’s understandable though that Howie is out on the town in Las Vegas, he’s probably having a hard time being at home with his vast $9million estate being put up on the market.

after 9days, tons of hands, the last thing i want do is think about poker…

i just want have my life back and dont wake up having to play 10k hands eveyr ****ing day.

Despite it being early in the challenge and “Urubu111” still being ahead of pace on hands but running extremely bad, it seemed as if the pressure was getting to him.

by the way, im surprised how hard is this stuff… i thought it was easy money, when people start betting big i was like ''omg donation for me !!! '’. i called busted friends saying then to sell their cars and bet like $10k usd on me, that for sure in 40day they double up their money.

glad they didnt trust me lol.

With the encouragement of the railbirds begging Freire to not give up and his opposition not taking the bait at 30%, the PLO challenge was destined to continue on. In fact, “Urubu111” actually looked to book extra action once he got his second wind…prompting some to think he might have been playing possum.

Such an emotional swing has many people wondering just who Marcelo Freire is. In his own words:

I’m the guy who wake up playing plo 2/4, flip 10k during lunch and go sleep grinding 0.10/0.25

Read: PROP BET: 500k hands in 45days at midstakes [Two Plus Two thread]

Political junkie? Want more? Check out the video below and the latest article on Adelson from The Washington Post.

With everyone watching, Breitling discusses the honor and privilege of bring the first in the state to offer online gaming, but also the massive responsibility that came along with it. Today, they happily put “the lost decade” of unregulated poker behind them and finally legitimize the world of online poker.

Seth opened up for us about “incidents at casinos” and how they are handled as, believe it or not, no one wants to be wielding the banhammer.

“Of course, every case is unique and weighed individually,” Seth told F5 “The World Series of Poker has no input or involvement in the decision-making of [incidents at the Rio]. As in any incident occurring on casino property, the issue is elevated to the security department, risk management department, legal department and in some cases, local, state or federal law enforcement officials.”

“Unfortunately our fondness for a player, his or her history of proper conduct in our events, etc., have no bearing on getting someone reinstated. It’s an important message for players to understand. If your conduct results in security staff involvement, you face the real possibility, if you are the perpetrator, not the victim, of losing the ability to walk inside our casinos and there isn’t anyone at the WSOP who can help you get out of the mess.“

On disciplinary action, Palansky also stressed that punishment isn’t something that is negotiable. This is in no small part due to the litigious nature of people when they think they can make a quick buck of the cash friendly casinos.

“If your actions warrant discipline, prepare to be punished I’m afraid. And yes, typically the punishment is severe, because casinos are private property and are often targets of the legal system. Victims tend to go after the presumed deep pockets of the casino and attempt to hold them liable for an individual patron’s actions. Thus, with potential legal filings in cases often taking a while to be cleared up, casinos err on the side of caution and keep individuals out who have been involved in incidents until such time they deem sufficient, which sometimes is never depending on the severity or the legal process.”

On why a punishment can affect a player, Seth tells us why it’s not just at the Rio but on all their properties.

“Our parent company, Caesars Entertainment always extends these bans to all our properties, in order to remain consistent and again err on the side of caution. So players should also be aware that their conduct, whether it happens at the WSOP or not, can impact their ability to play at the WSOP in the future.”

Is there any hope for players who have put themselves in the position to be banned?

“There is an appeals process – but after a certain point in time – and the appropriate departments who oversee the case review it and take feedback from the perpetrator to determine if the ban should be lifted. Typically though, it is very hard to remove a ban if there is outstanding litigation or if the potential trouble involves harming employees. Time from incident and no other reported incidents elsewhere usually result in reinstatement at some point. We have had players reinstated and it does happen, but our advice is still to avoid incidents in casinos, especially if you make your living playing in them.”

Finally, even though the WSOP and its employees may like a player, there’s not much they can do.

“We at the WSOP do sympathize with the plight of individuals in some of these cases. We typically know and like the individual and haven’t seen a pattern of behavior that would concern us. But one poor decision takes the matter out of our hands and in the hands of people who weigh the risk of an individual versus the risks to the company and its guests, and that is tough hand to outdraw most of the time.”

Read More: How To Resurrect Your Dead Poker Career Part 2 – So You’re Banned

People are hinting around what might have happened but not shockingly, it sounds like he’s going to blame it on the alcohol.

But everyone makes mistakes right? So, some of his high profile poker buddies, like Riess and Loni Harwood, sent messages of support upon hearing that Panzica will likely miss the best 6 weeks on the poker calendar.

Hilariously though, not everyone was jumping on the #FreePanzica movement as WPT Champion Matt Salsberg opted for the needle.

Suggest Reading: How To Resurrect Your Dead Poker Career Part 2 – So You’re Banned

We’re still looking for exactly what happened…so if you know, for sure, drop us a line and we’ll update this post.

“Thank you, again, for your interest in pursuing this matter.” Ouch.

Borgata is seeking freelance writers for live coverage / blogging services during the Summer Poker Open, June 10 – 27 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. Those interested should have extensive poker knowledge and availability for the duration of the event. Deliverables include: using Wordpress or similar blogging site for live reporting of every event and daily recap articles. Live reporting consists of, but is not limited to play by play action, chip count updates, player standings, interviews, player images and payouts. For more information or to submit a proposal please contact [email protected]

First up…remember the tale of Nigel “The Guru” Goldman? He’s the poker playing ponzi schemer who bolted with roughly €3million Euro and no one could find him. Well, they found him in a small town, trying to reinvent himself and living a pretty modest life…of course, the cops are interested in this information too. If you are interested, check this out…

Read: Playboy who was on the run for allegedly stealing £2.5m from investors in Marbella discovered living in sleepy Berkshire village after newspaper tracks him down on eBay

Miss the original post? No problem: Nigel 'The Guru’ Goldman — Ponzi Scheme 'Poker Champ’

Another story we wanted to update you on was that of Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody who was more than a little freaked out about becoming a father in a few weeks time. Well, that time has come and Jake is three weeks or more into parenthood and from the looks of it, he’s enjoying every second of it. Catch up with J. Cody and his new bundle of joy Arianna as the professional poker player adjusts to the new role of “Dad.”

Read: Baby steps

Miss the first part? We’ve got you covered yet again: Jake Cody Not 'Going Down There’ When His Baby Is Born

If you didn’t know already, Deeb has an unquenchable thirst for Open Face Chinese poker…but hey, everyone is happy, healthy and the poker community, where Shaun is pretty much adored, poured out messages of congratulations for him.

Still expect to see Shaun Deeb at the tables this summer during the WSOP, perhaps with a few hours less sleep under his belt. Congrats again to Shaun “Father” Deeb!

Meet Tyler Morris, 28, a recent World Series of Poker Circuit Champ.

Poker at a high-stakes level involves an exceptional amount of skill, including reading opponents, calculating odds and trying not to make missteps.

“When you get down to these further stages in the tournament, every decision becomes so much more crucial,” he says. “As time rolls on in a tournament, the stakes get higher and you need to make timely decisions and very few, if any, mistakes.”

Meet Chris Bowen, 54, an late blooming poker player and another WSOP Circuit Champ.

“The thing I like best about these poker tournaments is (that) it’s a sport where amateurs can compete with the pros and even though it’s not an even playing field, you still have an opportunity to have success. I can’t think of another sport where that could happen.”

Both will likely be competing for the WSOP National Championship which takes place May 22-24 at the new Bally’s Atlantic City WSOP themed poker room.

Read: Poker Sharks

From the poker crime logs comes the tale of John Baca, 54, arrested by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s department for allegedly trying to steal poker chips from unsuspecting victims…right off the table.

Baca, who was trolling the Buffalo Thunder Resort poker room – which is a nice looking room by the way – may or may not have taken anything, but what he did do was lie to the cops telling them his names was Michael Sanchez.

According to Albuquerque Journal, Baca, despite his lie, was recognized by security for a previous trespass and he was snap booked on “criminal trespass and concealing identity charges.”

Turns out the guy who they thought was the victim actually left, so authorities can’t be sure (yet) if Baca got away with it. But he did have a notice barring him from the property (and thus the poker room) which landed him in the slammer.

First figures from PokerScout showed average cash game traffic at 0 players. A month on, Real Gaming has at least achieved consistency, traffic remains at an average of zero.

“We want to be extremely quiet and deal with a small, but loyal, customer base and accelerate from there,” explained Vaughan.

During this “testing and soft-launch phase,” Vaughan has been hands on in getting to know his customers.

“I reached out to one of our customers, who had been playing the most hands of anyone, and he told us he was playing on an iPad from a poker room here in town.” When the highest volumes are coming from an iPad user, it’s time for the business to declare that its recreational player model strategy is working.

Real gaming is co-owned by the South Point Casino, which is owned and operated by Michael Gaughan. According to Vaughan, their visions are “aligned.”

“Right now, the numbers are not really the carrot being dangled, saying come and get this pot of gold. It is my belief it is an educational thing and the market will grow.”

A year and a half after achieving the Nevada license, Vaughan declares, “we’re just at the beginning.”

Turns out, according to a new blog post from Poker Night In America's creative director (and personal friend of Dewey Tomko) Nolan Dalla, Tomko had NOTHING to do with it.

While Tomko knows (now supposed) co-author Bill Byers, according to a phone conversation Dalla had with the bracelet winner, it’s been a while since he’s heard from Byers.

Sure, I know Bill Byers. But I haven’t talked to him in ten years.

In fact, Dalla says that Tomko not only hasn’t talked to Byers in years but has NO IDEA about the article and, in fact, is actually a supporter of online poker, despite not ever having played it.

I have no association whatsoever to anything to do with that. I don’t play online poker. I’ve never played online poker before. Not even once. I don’t know anything about it. Why would I say something on something I know nothing about? I don’t do that.

The Press of Atlantic City ran the op-ed, likely, under the assumption that Tomko’s affiliation was genuine and, of course, we and other media outlets had no reason to question the authenticity of the Press of Atlantic City op-ed. Well, **** us.

Good thing Nolan Dalla has a personal relationship with Tomko and could get to the bottom of it. Six weeks after the op-ed was published Dalla called Dewey for an extensive conversation about the piece. Dewey claims to not know anything about it.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. You know me. I don’t write columns to newspapers. I’ve got other things that keep me plenty busy.

So here’s the summary as Dalla states it:

First, Tomko didn’t write the editorial. Second, he knows nothing about it. Third, he hasn’t lent his name to any cause associated with any findings about online poker.

To be fair, while Dalla, a longtime trusted industry staple and a historian of the game, talked to Tomko, and obviously very much believes that Tomko had absolutely nothing to do with this, there are still, perhaps, scenarios that exist making this very unclear as to exactly what happened.

Perhaps Press of Atlantic City was just plain duped, in which case we all were, or perhaps it’s Dalla that doesn’t have all the information. The answer, of course, may lie somewhere in between.

When we called and talked to Editorial Page Editor Jim Perskie at the Press of Atlantic City he indicated that an email of verification was sent back to both parties and that, via a Google search, they were who they said they were. Upon further pressing of how this op-ed came to be, we were stopped with: “I’ve got nothing for you.”

Perskie also indicated that we were (as of 1:40pm EST) the only people on the planet to ask him about this as of yet. We don’t think we’ll be the last.

So, while it looks like Tomko was attached as a co-author without his permission – we just don’t know.

Of course, this story holds nowhere near the same severity as the Ultimate Bet scandal, but it wasn’t that long ago that one of the most trusted names in the game, Barry Greenstein talked face to face with Russ Hamilton and told the world he was convinced that Hamilton had nothing to do with the superuser scandal.

Let’s hope though that we’re not entering a time when we need to double check every article published to make sure that the person attributed in the by-line was in fact the person that authored the article. If so, Steve Ruddock is going to have a pretty hefty cell phone bill.

We’re going to let the final word (for now) go to Dalla himself who states it pretty clearly.

Someone is lying. Someone is making things up. Someone needs to be exposed as soon as possible and all those who have used any evidence or testimony from the such an individual should be dismissed immediately as sources who are not credible.

All of that said, if you followed this story, you need to read Nolan Dalla’s post about his conversation with Dewey Tomko.

Read: Who’s the Impostor Behind the Dewey Tomko Hoax?

Bonus: Looking for a fun hype video, this is our favorite (and it’s maybe the 112th time we’ve posted it) and always worth a good look.