Le Monde du Poker.

January 25 2012, Brett Collson

While all eyes are on Phil Ivey at the Aussie Millions Main Event, the Nightly Turbo is here to bring you some of the other big stories in the world of poker. In this edition, we'll cover the upcoming online poker hearing being held on Capitol Hill, the announcement of the World Poker Tour television schedule, and more.

In Case You Missed It

Phil Ivey was second in chips after Day 2 of the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event. Find out who he's trailing in our daily Aussie Millions recap.

Is Pennsylvania overtaking New Jersey as the East Coast's gaming leader? Inside Gaming has the latest on why the country's second and third largest gaming markets could switch places this year.

What does it feel like to make the final table of your first Aussie Millions Main Event? Randy Dorfman explains his experience in the latest edition of My First.

Senate to Revisit Online Poker Next Month

A recent decision by the Department of Justice to reverse its position on the Wire Act of 1961 will be one of the topics discussed during a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Feb. 9, 2012.

The hearing will be the second of its kind in less than three months. On Nov. 17, a Senate hearing titled, "The Future of Internet Gaming: What's at Stake for Tribes?" focused on testimony from representatives of various tribes and tribal groups. Poker Players Alliance Chairman Al D'Amato was one of the witnesses that testified before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

In regards to the hearing next month, Poker Players Alliance VP of Player Relations Rich Muny made the following statement in an e-mail sent to PPA members on Tuesday: "These continued hearings are hard evidence of the great work the poker community has been doing to ensure our elected representatives hear from us. I thank everyone for taking the steps necessary to ensure our elected representatives understand that we poker enthusiasts will not back down and will not simply go away!"

A list of witnesses for the upcoming hearing has not yet been announced. PokerNews will provide that information to our readers as soon as it is released.

Information on next month's hearing can be found at indian.senate.gov.

Thor Hansen Diagnosed with Cancer

On Tuesday, the poker world was devastated to learn that Norwegian poker legend Thor Hansen has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Hansen, 64, was told by doctors at a Los Angeles hospital that the cancer is untreatable and he likely has less than two years to live.

Poker player Andreas Høivold broke the news on Twitter Tuesday evening:

AndreasHoivold Andreas Høivold It is a very sad day for Norwegian poker. The world's best Thor Hansen has terminal cancer. He is now in a hospital recovering from surgery. January 24 2012

Hansen, nicknamed "The Godfather" in Norway, is one of the most respected poker players in the world. He has amassed more than $3 million in live tournament earnings to go along with two World Series of Poker bracelets, one coming from a seven-card stud event in 1998, and the other in deuce-to-seven lowball in 2002. He was named the Norwegian Poker Player of the Year in 2005.

The news hit the poker community hard on Tuesday. Fellow Norwegian poker player Annette Obrestad said the following in a thread at TwoPlusTwo: "I seriously cried when I read [about] this. I don't know anyone like him. He truly is one of a kind. All the best Thor, ur an inspiration for us all."

Check out the full thread at TwoPlusTwo.

Watch the World Poker Tour on FSN

Season X of the World Poker Tour is still going strong in the U.S. and across Europe, but the action is already set to hit television screens beginning next month. On Wednesday, the WPT announced that all-new episodes will air on Fox Sports Net beginning on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time.

Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will be back in the booth for the tenth year providing commentary for all 37 episodes of Season X. They will be joined by WPT anchor Kimberly Lansing, Raw Deal analyst Tony Dunst, and the Royal Flush Girls from the sidelines.

“WPT Season IX redefined poker programming and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Season X will see more new elements that we expect the audience will love and will further enhance the timeless appeal of our show,” said WPT CEO Steve Heller. “World Poker Tour’s sustainability is not only a testament to continual innovation, but also to co-hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten, who have been the best in the business for an incredible ten years.”

Read more at PokerNews.com.

More TCOOP Winners

The inaugural PokerStars Turbo Championship of Online Poker passed the halfway point on Tuesday as winners were determined in events 24 through 27. Only 23 tournaments remained going into Wednesday, which featured four more events on the slate.

Here's a look at the results from Tuesday:

Event #24: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo($50K Guaranteed)

A large turnout for Event #24 resulted in a prize pool that almost tripled its guarantee. The UK's "Mongy," who won TCOOP Event #4 last week, reached another final table on Tuesday. However, the cards did not fall in the Brit's favor as he hit the rail in eighth place. Switzerland's "Sir_Don_John," who final tabled TCOOP Event #14, went on to win this one for $22,127.

Event #25: No Limit Hold'em ($500K Guaranteed)

One of the largest events on the TCOOP schedule attracted more than 3,500 players, leaving $717,800 in prize money up for grabs. A four-way deal at the final table saw all four players walk away with at least $63,600. Mexico's "wcsquad3" claimed victory and the top prize of $85,653.

Event #26: Stud ($25K Guaranteed)

Thayer "THAY3R" Rasmussen weaved his way through a field of more than 3,000 players, but the online poker legend fell short of his first TCOOP title, finishing sixth. Canada's "Poker Own U" claimed victory and a prize of $10,327.

Event #27: No Limit Hold'em 2x Turbo w/ Rebuys ($300K Guaranteed)

Nearly 8,000 players combined to generate a prize pool of $542,780 after the rebuys and add-ons were settled. Brazil's "Mcolombo" cruised through the final table to collect $82,562 and the commemorative 24k gold-played card protector.

For more details on each event, check out the PokerStars Blog.

A Gift From Tony G.

We reported last week that Shane Warne was having problems with cyclists on the road in Melbourne. As a solution, Tony G. presented a special gift to the legendary cricketer during the Aussie Millions Main Event on Wednesday.

Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

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AppId is over the quota
September 16 2011, Chad Holloway

Record pots, million-dollar swings and fast-paced action have characterized the high-stakes online games over the past few weeks. For all intents and purposes, it seems that the big games had successfully transitioned from Full Tilt Poker to PokerStars, complementing the latter’s impeccable reputation for tournaments. While the past week didn’t see the monster pots and massive swings railbirds have come to enjoy, there was still plenty of action to go around

Surprisingly, the big winner this week was neither Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies nor Viktor “Isildur1” Blom. In fact, Blom was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was high-stakes regular Rafi “refaelamit” Amit who booked a $592,210 win after playing 126 sessions comprising 10,803 hands. That was more than twice as much as his two nearest opponents, “Axelf82” ($247,546 in 48 sessions of 3,918 hands) and “socutiesf” ($210,248 in 95 sessions of 6,506 hands). Coming in fourth on the winner’s list was Sahamies, who profited $202,377 in 5,943 hands spread over 79 sessions.

On the flip side, Phil “MrSweets28” Galfond ended up as the week’s biggest loser, after dropping $273,634 in 4,613 hands over 58 sessions. Likewise, Rui “PepperoniF” Cao was close behind, dropping $216,673 in 37 sessions of 4,174 hands. The only other players to lose more than $200,000 were Ben “milkybarkid” Grundy (dropped $208,086 in 25 sessions of 1,438 hands) and "Zypherin" (dropped $207,284 in 15 sessions of 5,085).

Welcome Back, LrsLzk!

Sami “LrsLzk” Kelopuro had some face time on this year on ESPN’s broadcast of the World Series of Poker, ultimately finishing 111th in the Main Event for $54,851. He also came in second in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship to current WSOP Player of the Year leader, Ben Lamb. That score was worth a healthy $503,173. It was a nice summer of live poker for the man known for his online exploits.

Speaking of online poker, Kelopuro has had a relatively quiet year — until this week. Kelopuro was absent from PokerStars for the first three months, and over the next five months he dug himself a hole of $177,000. In the early morning hours of Thursday, the Finn was able to recoup most of his losses by winning $149,000, mainly off fellow countryman Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies.

In one of the duo’s notable hands, they were playing a six-handed $100/$200 pot-limit Omaha game when Sahamies ($46,340) raised to $940 from the cutoff. Kelopuro ($83.504), who was in the small blind, was the only player to make the call, and the two were heads-up to the flop. Kelopuro checked, Sahamies bet $2,200, Kelopuro check-raised to $7,400, and Sahamies made the call. When the hit the turn, Kelopuro bet $17,115, Sahamie moved all-in for $37,960, and Kelopuro made the call.

Showdown
Kelopuro:
Sahamies:

It was a brutal set-over-set flop, with Kelopuro holding the superior set. The river was of no consequence, and Kelopuro took down the $92,880 pot.

In another hand between the two, which happened to be Kelopuro’s biggest of the week, the game was the same and Sahamies ($47,020) opened for $940 from middle position. Kelopuro ($136,319) responded with a three-bet to $2,400 from the button, Sahamies four-bet to $8,680, Kelopuro called, and the flop fell . Sahamies wasted little time in leading out for $16,015, Kelopuro raised to $64,060, and Sahamies called off his remaining $22,325.

Showdown
Kelopuro:
Sahamies:

Sahamies had flopped a pair of nines with numerous straight draws, while Kelopuro flopped two pair and a straight draw of his own. As fate would have it, the turn gave Kelopuro the straight, which held up when the fell harmlessly on the river. Ship the $95,240 pot to LrsLzk!

Good Week for Rafi “refaelamit” Amit

As we mentioned before, this week belonged to Rafi “refaelamit” Amit, who booked an impressive $592,210 win. In one of his more notable hands, Amit ($46,608.75) was playing $50/$100 heads-up PLO again Rui “PepperoniF” Cao ($30,133.25) and opened for $300 on the button. Cao responded by three-betting to $940, Amit called, and the flop came down . Cao was first to act and bet $1,300, Amit called yet again, and the hit the turn.

At this point, Cao checked, Amit bet $3,600, Cao check-raised to $15,319.50, Amit called, and then peeled off on the river. Cao ended up check-calling off his stack of $12,573.75 and showed for a queen-high straight; however, Amit revealed for jacks full and the $60,266 pot.

In another notable hand, Amit was playing six-handed $50/$100 PLO on Tuesday when Brian “Stinger 88” Hastings ($29,960) opened for $350 under the gun. Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies ($21,315) called from the button, while Amit ($29,963) exercised his option in the small blind with a raise to $1,620. Hastings responded with a four-bet to $5,780, Sahames folded and Amit five-bet to $16,860. Hastings made the call, leaving himself just $13,100, and then called off on the flop.

Showdown
Hastings:
Amit:

Amit had flopped a set of aces and Hastings was chasing a plethora of straight outs. Unfortunately for the latter, neither the turn nor river filled the straight, and Amit took down the $60,447 pot.

On Thursday, Amit kept his good fortune rolling. In a four-handed game of $200/$400 PLO, Sami “LrsLzk” Kelopuro ($37,956) opened for $1,200 under the gun, only to have Amit ($29,460) three-bet to $4,000 from the small blind. The big blind got out of the way, Kelopuro four-bet to $13,600, Amit made the call, and the were run out on the flop. Amit immediately moved all-in for $15,860, Kelopuro called and the cards were turned up:

Showdown
Amit:
Kelopuro:

Kelopuro had flopped a set of aces but had to sweat Amit's flush draw. He couldn’t quite do it since the turn completed the flush, although a paired board on the river could give the lead back to Kelopuro. Luckily for Amit, the blanked on the river and he raked in the $59,320 pot.

Who's Up? Who's Down?

Week’s biggest winners (9/9-9/15): Rafi “refaelamit” Amit (+$592,210), Axelf82 (+$247,546), socutiesf (+$210,248), Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies (+$202,377), Niki “RealAndyBeal” Jedlicka (+$199,343)

Week’s biggest losers: Phil “MrSweets28” Galfond (-$273,634), Rui “PepperoniF” Cao (-$216,673), Ben “milkybarkid” Grundy (-$208,086), Zypherin (-$207,284)

Year-to-date winners: *Gus Hansen (+$3,941,000), *Daniel “jungleman12” Cates (+$1,952,000), *Alexey “NoPasaran” Makarov (+$1,875,000), Andreas “Skjervøy” Torbergsen ($1,492,000), *Matt Hawrilenko (+$1,440,000), *bixiu (+$1,406,000), *Phil Ivey (+$1,336,000)

Year-to-date losers: *Tom “durrrr” Dwan (-$2,474,000), *Eugene “fishosaurusREX” Yanayt (-$1,399,000), *kagome kagome (-$1,377,000), *cadillac1944 (-$1,336,000), *Esvedra (-$1,182,000), *UarePileous (-$837,000)

Biggest weekly winners/losers all on PokerStars

*Reflects Full Tilt Poker profit/loss

Data obtained from HighStakesDB.com

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Follow Chad Holloway on Twitter — @ChadAHolloway

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