Jason Mercier Proposes to Girlfriend Natasha Barbour at WSOP

Written by:
Ace King
Published on:
Jul/01/2016

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Jason Mercier Proposes to Girlfriend Natasha Barbour at WSOP  - Jason Mercier, who has already had the best summer of his life with two bracelet wins and a second, walked up on the stage, dropped to his knee to propose to Natasha Barbour Friday afternoon at the WSOP.  ESPN.com notes: Between the two, they have two bracelets, five final tables, 17 cashes, more than $1.3 million in tournament earnings (to say nothing of the lofty sum Mercier took in with his bracelet bets) and now an engagement, all over the past six weeks. Not a bad way to spend a summer.

The Poker Players Championship Will Always Stand Out at WSOP - In the 10 years it has been a part of the World Series of Poker schedule, the $50,000 Poker Players Championship has gone through a number of different looks.   It still stands as a gold standard for mixed-game players to test their mettle against some of the best and brightest minds the game has to offer. “It’s the original high roller,” said Ty Stewart, executive director of the WSOP. “I would say it's kind of a shame that it does seem to have lost a bit of its luster [with so many other high rollers], but I think that the buzz remains with the players -- and at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.”  
Poker Player's Championship at a glanceYear    Winner    First place prize    Entrants
2006    Chip Reese    $1,784,640    143
2007    Freddy Deeb    $2,276,832    148
2008    Scotty Nguyen    $1,989,120    148
2009    David Bach    $1,276,802    95
2010    Michael Mizrachi    $1,559,046    116
2011    Brian Rast    $1,720,328    128
2012    Michael Mizrachi    $1,451,527    108
2013    Matthew Ashton    $1,774,089    132
2014    John Hennigan    $1,517,767    102
2015    Mike Gorodinsky    $1,270,086    84

CA Online Poker Bill Passes in Assembly Committee But Still Faces Hurdles - Legislation that would divert up to $57 million a year to horse racing from Internet poker operations cleared the California Assembly Committee on Appropriations June 22.  Representatives of some tribal entities told the committee "suitability" language in the bill isn't strong enough to protect against "tainted assets," primarily service providers found to have been operating illegally in the past.  The measure now heads to the full Assembly for consideration.

Vote on California i-Poker Scheduled for Wednesday Morning - Wednesday morning, the California Assembly Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on a bill to bring internet poker to California. If it passes the Committee, then the full Assembly will vote to legalize and regulate iPoker. 

Rockville MD Lawyer Once Took in $1 Million a Year With Online Poker - In 2007, IJay Palansky, a Toronto native applying for U.S. citizenship, confidently approached his U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interview in Baltimore. The young attorney had excellent references and a good record at the D.C. law firm where he used to work, so the 30-minute session went smoothly. As Palansky rose to leave, however, the immigrations officer said, “Just one more thing...

Dan Bilzerian: Comedian Kevin Hart is 'so F-cking Bad at Poker' - Poker pro and Instagram Playboy Dan Bilzerian posted a photo to his Instagram account Thursday of a home poker game with Jean-Robert Bellande and comedian and actor Kevin Hart. The way Bilzerian tells it, someone bet into Hart on the river, and Hart only called with quads because he thought another card was coming.

California Online Poker Bill Hits Snag - A vote was not held at a hearing for a bill (AB 2863) aiming to legalize online poker in California. Introduced by Assemblyman Adam Gray in February and unanimously passed 19-0 by the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee in April, the Assembly Appropriations Committee has indicated it intends to amend the bill to include language excluding so-called “bad actors”, those who still accepted US poker players following the passage of federal online gambling prohibition in 2006. 

'Poker Pariah' Howard Lederer Returns to WSOP - Howard Lederer, whose involvement in the Full Tilt Poker scandal five years ago turned him into a poker pariah, ended his self-imposed banishment Saturday night.  Lederer registered for the World Series of Poker’s $10,000 buy-in 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship at the Rio Convention Center and follows Chris “Jesus” Ferguson in returning to the tournament poker scene this summer.

Amendments Made to CA Online Poker Bill - A bill on the table to legalize and regulate online poker in California was amended this week to address taxation and suitability.  Some Tribes still do not want PokerStars due to the company’s past activities in the US when such activities were deemed to be illegal.

Russian Poker Player Gets Four Months Prison for Cheating Players Out of £57,000 - A Russian poker player who used sandpaper to cheat casino rivals out of £57,000 has been jailed.  Valeriy Mikhaylets, 57, conned fellow players to win hands of Texas Hold 'Em poker at Palm Beach Casino in Mayfair, central London.  Techniques included using a sleight of hand to hold cards back from previous hands and use them to his advantage at a later stage.  He also used sandpaper to smooth the edges of some cards to 'mark' them so he could recognise them from afar.

Mexico Could Regulate Online Poker By Year's End - The president of the Mexican Gaming Association (AIEJA), Miguel Angel Ochoa Sanchez, has been urging for legislation to regulate online poker be passed for years now, and once again pressed for action in an interview with El Economista.

Online Poker Pro Jason Mercier Loses $200K This Year - Tournament wizard Jason Mercier has been having a mostly losing year on PokerStars. The past seven days were one of his worst stretches so far in 2016. The Floridian dropped just over $100,000, which has his losses on the year approaching $200,000, according to tracking data from HighstakesDB.

RAWA Anti-Online Gambling Language Removed From Appropriations Bill - Language added to a House Appropriations bill related to the prohibition of online poker and other forms of Web gambling was removed prior to a vote this week.  Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was the first to add said language on the Senate side.  Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) attempted to do the same with the House version of the bill. It was the House of Representatives version that failed to include the language put forth and found below.

“Since 1961, the Wire Act has prohibited nearly all forms of gambling over interstate wires, including the Internet. However, beginning in 2011, certain States began to permit Internet gambling. The Committee notes that the Wire Act did not change in 2011. The Committee also notes that the Supreme Court of the United States has stated that ‘‘criminal laws are for courts, not for the Government, to construe.’’ Abramski v. U.S., 134 S.Ct. 2259, 2274 (2014) (internal citation omitted).”

Phil Hellmuth Gets Crushed In Poker Cash Games: Hasn’t Cashed Since October - The World Series of Poker can’t start soon enough for 14-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth said on his social media this week that he’s having a losing year so far.  He also hasn’t cashed in a major tournament since October.

PA DA on Legalizing Internet Poker in State: Not So Fast - Legalizing online gambling in Pennsylvania will boost crime and gambling addictions, according to Northampton County's district attorney.  DA John Morganelli says, while he does not oppose brick and mortar casinos, online access from home increases the vulnerabilities.  "People gamble away their salaries, their savings, their lives," Morganelli said during a press conference Tuesday. "The people who cannot fight their addiction lose everything.”  Pennsylvania lawmakers are trying to legalize the activity in their state, following in the footsteps of neighboring New Jersey.

Pennsylvania Could Consider Legalizing Online Poker Next Month -  HB 649, a bill introduced last year by Pennsylvanian Representative John Payne which aims to regulate online gambling and online poker in the state, is expected to be ruminated on by a full House as soon as next month.

Michigan Online Poker Legalization Has Great Chances For 2016, Lawmaker's Office Says - The bill in Michigan that would legalize and establish regulation for online casino games is expected to become law this year, Card Player was told by the office of Michigan Sen. Mike Kowall, sponsor of the legislation.   “I don’t see why [the bill] wouldn’t go through this year,” said Dave Biswas, chief of staff and legislative director for Sen. Mike Kowall, sponsor of the bill.

Idris Elba Joins Jessica Chastain in Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game’ - Idris Elba is joining Jessica Chastain in Molly’s Game, the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.  Chastain is starring as the film's title character, Molly Bloom who rose through the ranks from cocktail waitress to organizer of underground poker games for the Hollywood elite that includes the likes of Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Her poker games came to an end when she was arrested by the FBI. Elba will play Bloom's criminal-defense lawyer.

1500 Full Tilt Poker Claims Denied by DOJ - About 1,500 former U.S. Full Tilt Poker players who have yet to be reimbursed in the ongoing remission process received notice that their petitions have been denied.  Emails were sent to the affected players recently and the official Full Tilt Poker Claims Administration web site manned by the Garden City Group (GCG) posted an update on May 6.

France Moves Towards Poker Liquidity - The French Senate has voted in favor of three proposed amendments to the country’s Digital Bill, one of which calls for the ARJEL to be allowed to sign partnership agreements with jurisdictions within the European Union and the European Economic Area for the establishment of shared liquidity for online poker.

Confessions of an EPT Masseuse: Drea Renee - The massage therapy team on the EPT, Thee Best Hands, sees A LOT! Sarah talks to Drea Renee about who has gotten the longest massage, who had the worst pick up line and more below

Michigan Holds Hearing on Legalizing Internet Gambling Wednesday - Dubbed the "The Lawful Internet Gaming Act," SB 889 asks for legalization and regulation of poker and casino games online. The bill would restrict access to those 21 years or older, allow for a maximum of eight licensed operators in the state, apply a $5 million licensing fee as an advancement of future taxes owed, and introduce a 10-percent tax.

Brian Rast Wins Vegas to LA 48 Hour Bike Bet: Beats Bilzerian Record - Poker pro Brian Rast has won $600K after completing a bike trip between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, around 300 miles, in under 48 hours.  He also biked approximately 30 miles more than fellow poker player Dan Bilzerian, who also made the trek a few weeks back. “If that was any more difficult, I don’t think I could have completed the task,” Rast said on social media. “I pushed myself to the absolute limit.” He added a thank you to “all the people that supported me during my ride. I will probably post more about my experience another time. Now I try to go back to sleep,” he wrote early Thursday.

Unibet Converting to an Online Poker Network - Unibet to Convert Into an Online Poker Network - A little more than two years ago, Unibet Poker departed from the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) to launch its own standalone poker client powered by Relax Gaming.  In the very near future, Unibet is about to transform itself into an online poker network by adding the Finnish online poker room Pokerihuone, which coincidentally has been operating on MPN as a skin. The migration is expected to take place on May 2 following an upgrade to the Unibet Poker software.

Instagram King Bets Poker Pro Brian Rast Can't Duplicate Vegas-LA Bike Ride - High-stakes poker player and Instagram sensation Dan Bilzerian, fresh off winning his “LA to Vegas in 48 hours” bike bet win for just shy of a million dollars, has placed yet another high stakes bet with hedge fund manager Bill Perkins.  This is the same Perkins who lost the bike bet to Bilzerian.  Now the two are putting up a combined $600K that fellow poker pro Brian Rast cannot complete the 320-mile bike ride and duplicate Bilzerian’s performance.   Rast will have less time to prepare than Bilzerian had.  Rast tweeted:  Differences between my bet & @DanBilzerian: no drafting, 320 miles (30 more), only road bike (no recumbent), I've had 3 days of training.

'Breaking Bad' Star Playing in GPL Good for Poker or a Gimmick? - The folks at PokerStrategy.com are questioning whether bringing "Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul into the much ballyhooed Global Poker League is good for poker or a gimmick?.  Maybe a little of both?  It was actually a shame in a way, because the Global Poker League was actually gaining a lot of interest organically anyway, and this story overshadowed that, writes Barry Carter of PokerStrategy.

Former Poker Pro Turned AirBnB Developer Nearly Doubles Starting Salary in Just a Few Weeks - "If there’s one thing this job search had taught me, is that there’s always, always more money on the table," former poker pro Haseeb Qureshi says. "On all but two of my offers, I negotiated...negotiation pays, boys and girls.”  He is referring to an initial job offer from Yelp for a $120,000 starting salary as a developer.  Qureshi ultimately settled for a $250,000 starting salary at AirBnB, also for a Web development position.  Qureshi isn't your typical Silicon Valley engineer: He's an English major and a former poker player who had no professional coding experience.  He ended up taking a 12-week coding course, which apparently has paid off in a big way.

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- Compiled by Ace King and Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com

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