In this interview from Day 2 of the $100k, Bluff’s Thomas Keeling finds The Great Dane, Gus Hansen, a little down in the mouth. Busto from the $100k and wanting another opportunity to re-enter he was forced to sit on the sidelines and wait for another tournament to start before getting back into action.

Getting comfortable, the pair talk about the upcoming $250k unlimited re-entry Aussie Millions challenge and Hansen talks as if he wasn’t 100% he’d be able to enter (he’s a favorite to get in, but it sounds like it may be a backing issue) and even his thoughts on making the WSOP’s $1 million buy-in One Drop tournament a re-entry affair.

No talk here of Hansen’s freefall in the online arena, but from the relaxed look on his face as he talks about maybe spending up to $750k in the next tournament, it doesn’t seem to be bothering him.

Good on PokerNews for getting a reaction to the Bluff Magazine's inciting video of Joe Hachem throwing Jerry Yang and Jaimie Gold under the ambassador bus.

Here, in a follow-up interview with Brett Collson, Yang defends his record as an ambassador for poker by reminding the public of his well-documented record of giving his money away. Check out some excerpts from the interview after the jump.

On his reaction to Hachem’s comments:

I was a little shocked. I don’t know Joe very well to be honest with you. I haven’t even played with him at a table, so when I heard [his comments] I was actually shocked. Joe is a nice guy and I have the utmost respect for him. He’s a great champion and a great poker player and I’m not going to take away from him. But when I heard that I was shocked.

On his contributions to promoting the game:

As far as I know I have been the only champion that has donated $1 million of my own money to charity. I have personally raised another $800,000 on my own. I have not seen one other world champion that has done that.

Regarding the fact that he was forced to sell his bracelet:

The IRS asked me to give up my bracelet and I did. Of course it was hard. It was my bracelet. It’s once in a lifetime for someone to win a bracelet like that. It hurt me. But I learned from the lesson and learned to manage my money. Whatever happened, it happened.

Check out the full interview over on PokerNews.

Everyone knew that Yang sang to a bit of a different tune with his hyper-aggressive overbetting and very vocal pleas with his God at the final table. That being said, from the interview is seems that Yang feels he did what he thought he could do to be the best WSOP Champ he could be, all while raising a family and running a business.

Besides, Yang and his sleeve-wearing religious beliefs, in some ways, made him a polarizing figure in poker from this time he claimed the crown. Even if he embraced the role, how receptive the public would have been to accepting him as the face of the game?

It’s not Australia, but the weather is still nice. The World Poker Tour makes it’s way back to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Coconut Creek, FL for the Lucky Hearts Poker Open. With a $3500 buy-in, $1 million dollar guarantee the event is drawing some of the biggest names in the poker world that didn’t hope on a plane halfway around the world.

Here’s the Day 1A hype video with Vince and Dunst looking sharp, Chainsaw looking hilariously confused and the field looking like it’s going to beat the guarantee. Get your updates from the WPT Live Updates page.

It feels like it’s been a while since there has been a Tom Dwan sighting.

It seems the “decent” cash games that have accompanied the high roller challenge fields at the 2014 Aussie Millions, was enough to get the poker phenom to leave his nest in Macau and jump in on the action.

A tired, and more mature looking Tom Dwan, takes a few minutes before he gets some rest to check in with our pal Thomas Keeling (who is once again doing fantastic work for Bluff) to talk about how his cash game and tournament sessions are going. He also talks a little about why he hasn’t resumed the drawn out Durrrr Challenge with Dan “Jungleman” Cates.

Apparently there is a “big issue” over at Full Tilt Poker, the former sponsor of the high stakes pro, and it’s one that Dwan is looking to address soon. Keeling tries to be respectful and not press too hard but it sounds like it has something to do with play on the site as hand histories are referenced briefly and he says that Jungleman, while publicly calling out Dwan time and time again, knows of Dwan’s issue.

When asked about the status of the Challenge, Dwan told Keeling “I would like to play it now but I have other stuff going on. I don’t know. I mean, we don’t even have the hands from Full Tilt which is ridiculous…(they didn’t even put up a page?)...but I have another, more pressing issue with him, so…”

Looks like there Dwan has more he wishes he could say.

“Friend of F5, *Mike “Timex McDonald*, wasn’t even going to make it to the 2014 Aussie Millions. But after getting the itch, you know the one – where you gotta play – he booked a last minute flight so that he could jump in the $100k and $250k Challenges. Before he did, he posted on Two Plus Two looking to sell some action and it worked out pretty well…for both parties. Here he talks to Bluff Magazine about his change of heart and how he ended up down under.

While nothing is guaranteed, Timex is currently cruising with the chiplead in the $100k giving his investors something to really sweat.

Yevgeniy Timoshenko isn’t exactly thrilled that he’s forced to make so many quick decisions when he’s playing a $100k event at the Aussie Millions. But when you are stuck on the trip, you gotta find your way out of that mess somehow, so you gotta do what you gotta do.

In a quick interview with Bluff Magazine’s Thomas Keeling, Timo explains his reputation as being an excessive time taker. He’s never been one of these mass multi-tablers online, even in his heyday. But it seems it has been 3 years since Timoshenko’s online screennamen of 'Jovial Gent’ played online with any regularity so when it comes to live play he likes to slow things down. Like those turtles on the Comcast commercials.

That said, if he’s going to make some money in this $100k he’s going to have to act fast as he just barely made day 2 so he’ll need a quick double up to stick around.

We’ve run the rough numbers and it looks like “you”, the person reading this, are the only person not yet signed to Ivey Poker in some fashion. It used to be “you”, “The Mathematics Of Poker” authors Bill Chen and Jarrod Ankenman and Two Months Two Millions cast member Brian Roberts (not the Poker Hall of Famer Brian 'Sailor’ Roberts). But now that the other three on that list landed jobs with the online coaching site, well, you’re the only one left.

So, who are these teachers? Of course, Bill Chen is a top level mathematician and a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner. Ankenmen (who the Ivey Poker press release refers to as a “household name”) has a bracelet of his own and co-authored the aforementioned book with Chen so we’re guessing he’s probably good at math, writing and poker. Roberts, aka “flawless_victory” was one of the stars of the poker reality show Two Months Two Million and is a successful, longtime online grinder. All are super smart guys who are expected to contribute to the Ivey Poker agenda.

To their credit though, don’t let the fact that you may not have heard of these three deter you from what they bring to the table. The trick with a good coach is to find a guy who is a top level player, a solid communicator, but will still take time to share the knowledge rather than actually make gobs of money themselves using their knowledge. So while it would be awesome to learn from a Antonio Esfandiari, Marvin Rettenmaier or Scott Seiver – they may just be too busy binking tournaments to sit down and teach you how to do so, you know?

Anyway, here’s the latest crop of video making teachers…will the news of these three new coaches get you to pay your way to be a part of Team Ivey?

Bill Chen party time photo: TwoPlusTwo

Team 888’s Jake Balsiger needs to “respect himself in the morning.”

So, he made what sounds like a pretty sick hero call for all his chips, and was right. That call kept him in the Aussie Millions Main Event where he currently sits with 4th place chips at the final table of 7.

Of course, with his previous 3rd place 2012 WSOP finish, he tells PokerNews’ Kristy Arnett that the pressure is no big deal for Jake who was dealing with the likes of Scott Seiver and Sorel Mizzi en route to making the final table. With his current standing, he’s guaranteed no less than a 6-figure payday and he still has a very good shot at taking down $1.6 million AUD for 1st place ($1.4 million USD).

Not sure how we missed this on the first go around but here you have outtakes from a Poker Night In America interview with Doyle’s kid, Todd, and he’s up to his usual faux-irritated antics. In a Reno bowling alley, Todd is playing the part of a disgruntled poker pro barely putting up with being on camera, throwing the questions back in the face of the novice interviewer.

While the whole thing feels pretty lighthearted there’s one part that does feel real. Does on-camera personality Kristie Wolfe really NOT know almost any poker players? She admits to Todd, in what seems like an earnest fashion, that she just doesn’t really know any players. Granted it’s in response to a pretty inappropriate question, but one would hope that PNIA didn’t select a hostess or personality just on looks.

If that’s the case, Wolfe better study up if she’s planning on sticking around.

Sick and sicker or dumb and dumber…there’s a 100 amazing one liners in this short video.

Liv is still in the Main Event at the 2014 Aussie Millions, but in this video for Bluff Magazine, Thomas Keeling keeps it together, we hope, and asks her about her recent trip to men’s magazine FHM for a “photo shoot.”

What he found, will disturb you.

This is a very cool collection of quirky, high concept playing cards put together by the people of Gizmodo, From distressed designs to actual marked cards, these playing cards may, in fact, be too cool for your home game.

Minimal designs, Dark overtones, Futuristic and Retro – they are all available as creative custom gifts or to give your game a unique quality that may make your vision blurry by the time you get all the chips in.

Check them out over at Gizmodo – 10 Playing Card Decks That Are Too Pretty For Your Poker Table?

Here’s one of our favorites from Misc Goods Co.

When it comes to the poker public’s perception, the game of poker is losing its luster. It seems like gone are the days of big personalities and big bluffs. Now, it’s a young crop of 20-something button clickers who, as far as the casual ESPN viewer is concerned, are all the same dude.

Or so the smart guys at Wicked Chops Poker seem to think.

It’s the same faces over and over winning tournaments—young, 20-something guys who look, dress, act, and talk the same. It’s like Eminem performing “The Real Slim Shady” at the 2000 VMAs with a bunch of clones. They’re all the same guy.

In fact, with the exception of a few of the biggest names in the world—Daniel, Doyle, Antonio, Phil, Phil and Phil—poker celebrities are becoming a dying breed. Is it because the media isn’t exposing the public to the new breed? Or is it just that, like Hachem says, the up-and-coming superstars are lacking the life experience to make them someone the everyman can relate to?

Whatever it is, it’s a problem—and in this excerpt for Bluff Magazine, Steve over at Wicked Chops talks about the desperate need for the industry to fill the personality void of it’s young champions.

It’s well worth your time.

Dan Shak, high stakes poker tournament specialist and self-professed amateur, talks with Bluff Maagzine about how tournaments need to make room for fans and how it is completely up to the player to be able to protect their cards.

Shak, in standard form—gracious and good natured—gets it. The fans are a part of the game and begrudging them a spot to watch the action is bad for poker.

Yes, there’s a lot of money at stake—but between the players and the venue, allowing the players to experience the action only lends for positive growth for the game.

“The fans are going to be there, you gotta learn to live with it.”

If Shak really didn’t have any fans—which we can’t believe is true—he does now.

Check this great photo from PokerNews reporter Chad Holloway during an Aussie Million’s break. Jason Mercier, who currently sits top 20 in chips in the Aussie Millions Main Event, is taking a moment to close his eyes and get zen-finds when he finds himself the beneficiary of a benevolent casino soul, who is happy to give a little assistance to a down-on-his-luck Team PokerStars sponsored millionaire.

Pay it forward people.

Come this March, Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu may have yet another accolade to add to his trophy case. The British Poker Awards have nominated him in the “International Player of the Year” category after his tremendous 2013 campaign. A couple of World Series of Poker bracelets, $3 million earned and ending the year in the #2 spot on the GPI has him as a odds-on favorite to take the honor.

According to Bluff Europe, the list of nominees is massive though: We’ve got blonde bomber Victor “Isildur1” Blom, David “Bakes” Baker (the young one), “Mad” Marvin Rettenmaier (one of those really good Germans) and the dark horse, Dan “djk123” Kelly (who is just plain awesome.)

We’d be remiss not to mention that the awards are sponsored by PokerStars, which may also give Daniel a bit of an edge, yea?

Tea, crumpets and maybe a little snogging will be had by all at the BPA’s held at the Hippodrome Casino on March 3. Who would you pick?

Former 2012 October Niner and Team 888 member Jake Balsiger is a long way from home—and he hopes to keep it that way for a while longer. Not only is the Portland, Oregon pro in Australia to play the Aussie Millions, he’s going super deep in the event.

Check out a short update with the “last remaining” Team 888 pro and see how what his amazing life plans are once he’s done closing out this Main Event.

Yea, yea… you caught us. This post may be just a reason to post a photo of Liv Boeree.

But hey, just because a member of our staff has a soft spot for the hard-rockin’ Liv doesn’t mean that there’s NO value to this post. It’s pretty nice to see Boeree get a write-up from Kent Online labeling their homegrown prospect “one of the world’s most successful female poker players.”

Also, there’s a couple pieces of information you may not have known. Like did you know Liv is a scholar? We did.

By any standards, she’s bright – achieving all A/A* grades at GCSE and A-level, and then gaining her first class degree in astrophysics at Manchester University.
As a third year student, she visited Jodrell Bank’s giant space telescope to plot the rotational curve of the Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our solar system.

Did you know that Liv thinks Liv is a fantastic player? We figured.

“The training I got from physics, the way its conditioned my mind to think, has enabled me to go into such an analytical game,” said Olivia. “It’s what allows me to be a fantastic player”.

Did you know that she has a nickname? We didn’t.

Nicknamed the “Iron Maiden” because of her love for heavy metal music, Olivia took to playing poker seriously from 2009 and by the following year achieved her big breakthrough winning the European Poker Tournament at San Remo for 1.25 million euros.

Anyway, if you’d like to see if there’s more about Ms. Maiden that you didn’t know, check it out. It’s a short and sweet online read that will make it look like your reading something classy, like politics.

What’s not to love about Ike? He’s intelligent, awkward and wears big glasses. We want what Issac wants – and that’s for him to get a shot at the rich businessmen who will be participating in the 8-handed PokerStars-sponsored $250k cash game.

That might be a tough ticket though: with only 8 seats—two of which need to be occupied by whales—one’s TV star power may need to shine brighter than Haxton’s currently does. Nevertheless, a Team Online Pro can dream, and here he talked about it with Thomas Keeling for Bluff Magazine.

Bonus stuff – check out Haxton’s take on whether or not online hand histories should be public information:

Not every story can be about living it up off your poker game. Sometimes the dark underside of the game rears its head and when it does it’s always a good idea to take note.

Here’s the story of former respected schoolteacher and trusted part-time accountant John Carlos from Ireland. Carlos found online poker in his 60’s and it was all downhill from there.

According to The Irish Times, Carlos, who is now 74, embezzled €135,000 over the course of three years to fund his massive online poker habit. The former schoolteacher was hired by a friend and owner of a Eddie Rockets franchise (Johnny Rockets for those in the US) to look after the books. It wasn’t until years later that he discovered that Carlos was slowly siphoning off funds, by forging and altering checks from the restaurant, and shipping the cash to his Paddy Power account.

Carlos’s bank account showed numerous amounts going to the Paddy Power online poker website.

In April 2011, Carlos called in voluntarily to Blackrock Garda station and admitted defrauding his employer via dozens of cheques, totalling €135,000. He told gardaí that he had lost about €150,000 gambling and had run into considerable debt. He said what he had done was appalling but that he could not afford to repay the money.

Now, he’s on the hook for all it, facing possible jail time and his gambling addiction has led to him separating from his wife.

Everything in moderation people.

Unlike at the Tournament Directors Association meeting, the players will be heard at the 2014 iGaming North America conference in Las Vegas this March. Straight from the hand that feed us, pokerfuse boss Mike Gentile will be moderating a panel of A-list poker players including Shaun “F**ing” Deeb* and Ultimate Poker's Jason Somerville to talk about some of the issues surrounding the imaging space from a players perspective.

iGNA once again invites a panel of  professional and semi-professional poker players to share their perspectives on the business with industry participants.The 2013 session presented a treasure trove of information that only the players can provide, and this year’s panel is sure to do the same. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from some of the most informed members of the online poker community.

So how do you partake? First, get your ass to Vegas. Next get a pass to the conference and be in the Celebrity Ballroom 7 at 4:30 on Day 2. It’s easy. Plus mention F5 to Mike Gentile and he’ll buy you a free drink. The author of this article did not confirm this, but he’s going to give this post the final edit and if he doesn’t notice this and delete it from the post then he’s on the hook for it.

While she may not be a fixture on the circuit, Elena Stover is a well practiced avid poker player/grinder that had the opportunity to join her boyfriend, PokerStars Team Online member Mickey Petersen, at the 2014 PCA. In her trip report for the PokerStars Blog, Stover, who goes by @thegroupie online, discusses forgoing the temptations of things like watersides and the beach for some good old fashioned online poker grinding.

After clipping a sweet online score and meeting a couple of her poker idols, she turned her attention to the Ladies’ Event where she was determined on making a deep run. Quite a fun read for those who are hoping one day to make the trip to the Atlantis and possibly make a score of your own.

The final table was the toughest I have ever faced at a ladies event – or at any live event, for that matter. There were several accomplished pros in the mix, including Fatima de Melo, Amanda Musumeci, and Loni Harwood, and I was proud that I could hold my own among this talented group.

So take a moment and check out TheGroupie’s blog and as bonus coverage, watch the poker story of her boyfriend Petersen and see that good things can happen in online packages.

Earlier, Bluff Magazine’s Thomas Keeling talked with Joe Hachem about poker ambassadorship and why, in Joe’s opinion, the game of poker is dying. If you haven’t checked that video out, do so now!

While Hachem’s words were from the heart, they also stirred some debate about what is both expected and required of a true poker ambassador and what we can hope for from whoever is lucky enough to win the WSOP Main Event. Daniel Negreanu, who is one of the most outspoken names in the game, also tackled this topic in a conversation with Bluff. Negreanu says, while it’s not a requirement of these “young geniuses”, or anyone for that matter, to engage with the media and fans, to not do so would be shortsighted and bad for the game.

Check out the video as Daniel echoes many of Joe’s thoughts and, of course, adds his own digs at the Tournament Directors Association (TDA).

Nick Wealthall is both a poker announcer/personality and comedy writer which is why it’s easy to recommend that you check out his latest column for Bluff Europe about his first time getting action at the poker table. Nervous and clumsy, like a boy at the prom, Nick stumbles into a 1-5 7-Card Stud game to see what the game is all about and the rest is history.

I was staying at The Luxor and that’s where I found the poker room. It was small and tucked away at the back of the casino, with two or three games going. I walked over to the rail and stood there for what felt like an entire afternoon (let’s say 40 minutes). The game was $1-$5 stud. Stud is a different form of poker played by old people. If you’re late joining us you’ll almost certainly need to Google it. That’s fine, I’ll wait.

Complete with vomiting friends, sexual innuendo and old people chasing straights, Nick tells his tale of burgeoning degeneracy with a quick wit and easy going style. It’s a fast read you should definitely pay some mind.

When it comes to giving interviews, top level Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier can come off like the Eeyore of poker.

It seems clear that while he may like PokerNews' Kristy Arnett, he hates to be there. Always upbeat though, Kristy deals with her public, on camera, unwarranted shaming from Mercier and gets to the point of her interview — dealing with downswings.

Mercier admits to a $2 million dollar freefall himself and talks us though what he did to deal with it including re-evaluating his game and playing through the pain.

Pokernews kinda scooped PokerStars when it came to video coverage of EPT Live’s Joe Stapleton's Deauville Challenge but for those of you who skipped the first video, here’s the one to watch.

More behind the scenes commentary, exclusive Stapes-cam footage and everything you would want to know about how a bunch of Twitter followers tried to get Joe to do things that would put his life in jeopardy.

Even though running around the block 5 times isn’t going to kill Joe, he put enough crap in his body in the 24 hours leading up to this run that violent vomiting wasn’t off the table. So, for your entertainment, check out Stapes’ Social Media Challenge and see why we think he’s one of the best.

This video may not be easy to watch if you don’t speak Spanish … the language of love.

Ok so while Spanish may not be the language of love officially, it’s the only language spoken in this video of tennis superstar Rafa Nadal taking on the entire nation of Spain in a head-up battle of minimal proportions.

Como se dice in español … micro grinder? Anyway, because F5 is worldwide(!) we’re happy to share with our SAP viewers – Rafa vs. Spain!

“I’m very saddened…”

It’s always refreshing to hear what someone really thinks, whether you agree with it or not. In this video, shot by Thomas Keeling for Bluff Magazine, 2005 World Series of Poker Champion speaks from his heart after recently meeting 2013 WSOP Champ Ryan Reiss at the Aussie Millions about the state of poker.

From the decline of the role of “poker ambassador”, by calling out Jamie Gold and Jerry Yang, to the state of “young geniuses” bumhunting the fish and making poker no longer a fun game for people to play, Hachem plainly states “poker is dying.”

In his opinion what makes poker great is the stories about the people playing it, not their check-raising ranges and that when it comes to tournaments like the WSOP, the money is a secondary prize to the pride of being a champion.

Maybe it’s because the high profile poker world is full of young kids who have yet to socially mature and see the big picture. There’s hope yet though, as Hachem sees players from years ago who used to sit silently at the table finally coming out of their shell making people feel less intimidated and more willing to get it in.

Phil Ivey is a baller in every sense of the word. Here he holds court with some of the Team Ivey pros when a prop bet breaks out to see who between Ivey or Mike “GoLeafsGoEh” Leah can hit a basket from way downtown first.

First one to do it gets a grand. It looks like Ivey might just have took his pro for a ride as from Leah’s ball handling skills it appears that the Canuck has never shot a basketball in his life.

Bonus stuff! Speaking of shooting hoops for cash, check out this interview PokerStrategy’s Barry Carter did with poker pro Ville Wahlbeck and his insane basketball prop bet.

I needed to pay $1,000 for each shot that I missed, but I made $2,000 for every shot that I made. So if I missed every shot I would be down $100,000, if I made every third shot then I would break even, so the line was 33.3.

“I had never played basketball before the bet.”

This takes a little unwinding. Poker opinionist Steve Ruddock published an interesting article over on NJPokerOnline.net about how online poker rooms should stop relying on the pro player to set online policy. In it he suggests that pros “don’t start games”:

Sure, they’ll sit at an empty table, but they aren’t going to click the “deal me in” button until they check the person’s statistics online. And is there anything more frustrating or off-putting than 20 tables with a single player “sitting out?”

One pro who wasn’t too fond of the article is Ultimate Poker's outspoken pro William Reynolds:

This comment stirred a comment from a follower of the conversation, Joshua Seeley:

The pair trade jabs back and forth, as other players and twitter follower jump in to laughably suggest a boxing match or a UFC fight for a pair of these contentious poker players. Finally, Seely snaps a pic to prove that he’s waiting for Reynold at the tables to take him on.

William then, issues a challenge and seemingly shuts everyone up when he replies with the photo above.

World Series of Poker 2010 Champion Jonathan Duhamel takes a few minutes to talk with Bluff Magazine’s Thomas Keeling about hitting the beach in Melbourne during the Aussie Millions. Of course, it’s not all fun and games…well, actually it is. When he’s not having fun, he’s playing games – specifically PokerStars’ TCOOP where he rings the register to the tune of $25k.

What’s he up to after vacay down under? Oh, you know, going home, hitting the slopes and making the rest of us incredibly jealous.

All calm and relaxed after his shirtless motorboating around Australia, Antonio Esfandiari gets to work at the 2014 Aussie Millions. Apparently, he wasn’t as relaxed as he needed to be so he got a massage – on his face – while at the poker table.

Maybe the masseuse doesn’t want to give off any tells for her client so while she’s working his eyes, she’s closing hers. Either that or she’s LOVING giving the magic man this massage.

We know. You want Blitz to always be blitzing.

But sometimes the king of the playboy instagram lifestyle needs to take it easy. How does Beardo do that? A bingo lounge and some fruit flavored candy.

From the looks of his bingo board, and his surroundings, it doesn’t look like Dan is going to be getting the kind of action he’s used to at this outing.

Check out some of Beardo’s best posts right here.

The next time you are at a family gathering and your judgmental older sibling cracks a joke about how you should get out and see the world instead of wasting your time playing poker all the time – show them this video.

They’ll quickly see that God the Almighty endorses our great game by letting these little punks toss cards and chips around in a dude only poker night hosted by a church. It’s a home game at the house of God and these little hellraisers are showing each other up worse than Filipoo Candio against Joey Cheong. Even though it’s a serious breach of etiquette, we have a feeling they’ll be forgiven.

So God bless poker everyone. But, your sibling is right and you should get out and see the world sometimes, ok?

Every year when the poker world turns its attention down under and to the Aussie Millions there’s a player or two who step into the spotlight to represent their hometown. Of course, you expect to hear a lot from and about 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Joe Hachem, but this year Melbourne resident and WSOP bracelet winner in her own right, Jackie Glazier commands attention in 2014.

Jackie recently talked with Card Player Magazine about her poker journey including her beginnings and how she may have gotten into deep waters a little too early:

“I started playing full time poker way too early,” she admitted. “It’s a very steep learning curve and it is hard to survive when you are making so many mistakes at the table. I tried a lot of coaching with various players to fast track my skills in the game but just before WSOP in 2012, I was ready to quit.”

Jackie who has been a pro for about 3 years now, already has over $1.2 million in Hendon Mob recorded earnings. Even though, some of her largest scores, brought her the biggest disappointments.

“Finishing second in that $3,000 event was the most disappointing moment of my entire poker career,” she said. “It took me a few days to move through the disappointment and get to the point of celebrating. If I only ever took pride in winning, it would be very disheartening and I think I would hate the game. I try as much as possible to celebrate small achievements as well as the wins.”

If you want to get to know more about Jackie, from her views on women in poker to the time leading up to her WSOPE bracelet win, read this comprehensive article on Glazier from Card Player.

You may know Australian Team 888 Poker captain Shane Warne as one of history’s most famous cricketeers. If you are from the US, you probably don’t know him at all. That’s ok, after seeing this video you’ll think of him as just another poker player, a real one-of-the-guys, as Warne has his off-the-felt poker talk as good as any seasoned grinder.

Here he talks about how much fun it was to partake in the $25k Aussie Millions Challenge…it would have been better “if he could catch a hand.” Sure he had AJ vs. 66 for the bustout but before that it was rags over rags, really, you’ve never seen such awful hands. Can he win a race one time? Geez. Seriously, he never had any chips to make a move. And then there’s time it takes some of these guys to make a decision..c’mon, man! Get on with it! Just bad luck.

But, hey, there’s always the Main Event and we’re sure his luck will turn around.

There’s a theme going on today and it’s how to stay healthy in the game of poker. Now, for most of the grinders out there, traveling to play poker may be a small part of their poker experience but still it never hurt to be a little healthier because you can’t be in the game…if you’re dead.

On that note, let’s see what kind of information Pokernews’ Kristy Arnett can elicit from Daniel Negreanu, Jason Mercier, Sorel Mizzi and Annette Obrestad about what they do to stay right on the road.

Kristy, who is probably the fittest of them all, shares some of her own routines to keep fit on the road:

You don’t need this video. It’s not for you.

Since we try our best to bring you everything out there we thought there was no harm in showing off PokerStars’ latest video which literally explains the ranking of poker hands. There’s got to be some data behind this, right? They have to know that people who visit PokerStars are interested in the game but have no clue whatsoever about how to play. This video looks slick, it’s well done and it’s not Lee Jones reading from a book, so there was some money spent here.

Some of the comments don’t seem to take the video too seriously:

woah woah, go slower i can’t keep up with all of these hand rankings!!!

This is Pokerstars Youtube channel. I’m pretty sure that it isn’t necessary to explain the basics of poker.

Wait so is a triple 9 hand higher than a full flush straight ?

We suppose if you want new players in the game, someone has to take the time to educate them and PokerStars definitely wants new players in their game.

World Poker Tour's Alpha8 host Lynn Gilmartin simply wanted a sweet couples photo from the Aussie Millions player party.

Then Sorel Mizzi showed up.

Just a few days ago American online professional Shawn 'buck21’ Buchanan became the first online player to score the triple COOP: a victory in all three of PokerStars' signature series. Now, less than a week later, Australian online legend James 'Andy McLEOD’ Obst has joined him, turning the lone feat into a two person club.

According Poker Asia Pacific Obst completed his COOP triple crown during the 2014 TCOOP series as he took down Event #40, a $215 H.O.R.S.E. tournament for just over $18k and the title. Obst, an online heavyweight since 2007, has amassed over $3.3m in online earnings and over $650k in live cashes. Now, with his latest victory, he follows Buchanan into an exclusive club of online greats.

Obst won his first COOP title in 2008, during the WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) and his second title in 2009 during the SCOOP (Spring). As a testament to Obst’s talent, check out who he had to take down in order to get his first title:

The eventual final table featured such players as Chris ‘Moorman1’ Moorman, Isaac ‘westmenloAA’ Baron and Chris ‘Money800’ Moneymaker, but Obst proved too strong, taking down the WCOOP title and a large $98,280. Obst also overcame the talented Baron heads-up.

For full coverage of Obst’s history making win, read the full article over at Poker Asia Pacific.com

Another Pokernews video from Kristy Arnett, another bit of advice being dished out by WSOPE Champ Annette Obrestad. In this video Arnett talks to one time (and maybe still?) Lock Poker Pro Annette_15 about how her Aussie Millions Main Event is going. We find that while she may have one time had an aggro beast image, she actually takes a more measured approach to big field tournaments.

The more tournaments [people] play the more they realize that you can’t win a tournament on a Day 1 or Day 2 anyway, so you might as well kinda stick it out and hope to get as far as possible and then try and get chips.

That and, she has some “wild” advice for Kristy as to how she should spend her day off while in Melbourne.

Poker power couple Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly were on hand at the 2014 Writers Guild Awards this weekend so Tilly could present her ex-husband, Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons and well-known poker enthusiast, with the 2014 Valentine Davies Award. The award is in recognition of “humanitarian efforts and community service on behalf of writers.”

More pics after the jump.

In late 2012 Simon was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer and, while fighting, he has arranged for his vast Simpsons fortune to be given away to a variety of charities.

“The work of Sam Simon’s life has entertained and humbled us, in equal measure. And while this Guild has often honored his wit and skill, today we honor his generosity and love – his understanding that we are, in the end, all caretakers of each other. Sam has dedicated himself to the cause of at-risk animals and people who have no other protector. A friend to them, he has become an inspiration to us, his grateful colleagues,” said WGAW President Chris Keyser.

Check out the full press release of Sam Simon’s history with the WGA and his award.

In this video we see, while Laak might headline a WSOP broadcast, he takes a step back as Tilly shines on the red carpet all on her own. That said, the couple look very cool under the hot lights of the flashing cameras.

Here’s the happy couple ready to go:

Sam Simon receives his award:

There’s something to be said for the mind and the body being one. When it comes to poker, we often think you really just need to keep the mind sharp and the body … well, fed. Team PokerStars Pros ElkY and, 2014 EPT Deauville runner-up Eugene Katchalov are looking to make their bodies as sharp as their poker minds: The pair are leading a bit of a fitness craze in the poker world and one that has them spending as much time in the gym as on their game.

From eating right, working out and getting rest these guys are bucking the stereotype of poker players smoking, drinking and checking their hole cards with french fry grease on their fingers. Not everyone is buying in to this movement though as UK Pro and triple crown winner Jake Cody isn’t rushing out to buy a 24-Hour Fitness membership anytime soon… check out the well-produced video from PokerStars about poker fitness.

Of course, after all of that…here’s Eugene and Bertrand in France shopping for chocolate yesterday:

All In Magazine gets a peek inside Daniel’s mancave as they travel to his home to do a cover shoot for the 'zine. While there, they interview Kid Poker on one of his other passions: golf.

From his inside the house driving range, to his Jack Nicklaus designed putting range in the back yard, All In does a very nice job with this short video exploring the other sporting side of Negreanu.

EPT Deauville brought us the debut of new Pokernews personality Felicia Field. While by most accounts she hit home runs on a number of interviews, not everything at an event can go an interviewer’s way.

In this (fake) video we see the other side of dealing with the players and how Field does gets things wrong when the camera is on.

Little is known about the most recent World Poker Tour Champion, Anthony Merulla, but he sure gives off a good first impression in his winner’s interview with tournament director Matt Savage. Humble and gracious in victory, a content Merulla talks about his start in poker, his days as an internet “kid” and what it took to seal the deal at Borgata.

So, now that he has a near million dollar score, will this one time internet hopeful turn pro? Would you?

We have to assume that this is the last of the the Poker Night In America sessions with Scotty Nguyen. They have gone from card tricks to slight of hand to now: Scotty turning a napkin into a mouse. Granted he would have preferred it to be a handkerchief, but Scotty makes due with what he has. So, take a minute and a half to behold: Scotty’s Mouse.

Not that you need to perform any of these chip tricks at the table, but this bizarre video is still a pretty cool display of dexterity when it comes to manipulating a chip. There are some pro players out there that can subconsciously twirl a chip any which way, but we bet many of you would be hard pressed to recreate some of the acrobatics seen here.