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It’s nice to play a major tournament without an armed robbery – Annie Duke weaved her way through a field of 64 elite players – mostly – and defeated multiple WSOP bracelet-winner Erik Seidel in the final match to take down the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship.

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Annie Duke wins NBC Heads-Up Championship

In a Tweet posted on Wednesday by officials from the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it was revealed that a special All Star Game may be in the works. Its composition and players involved are currently unclear.

A Tweet from the WSOP cryptically questioned, “Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned… #WSOP.” Last year, the WSOP held its first ever Champions Invitational, which featured 20 former Main Event winners vying in a made-for-television tournament for a vintage car. 1983 WSOP Main Event winner Tom McEvoy, a PokerStars sponsored pro, ultimately came out on top and drove home in a classic 1970 Corvette.

The tournament aired on ESPN, which owns the exclusive rights to the annual Las Vegas spectacle. Others who participated in the grand event included WSOP Main Event champs Amarillo Slim, Berry Johnston, Jim Bechtel, Huck Seed, Scotty Nguyen, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, and Jerry Yang.

When prompted for comment by Poker News Daily, Harrah’s officials were equally vague, saying about the Tweet, “It was cryptic for a reason. I’m intrigued, are you?” In December, Harrah’s released the 2010 WSOP schedule, which kicks off with the annual $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event on May 28th. On the same day, a brand new $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship will begin. The event will be televised by ESPN and take on an eight-game format: Limit Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

Although no word has been handed down, it appears that 20 players, according to a fan vote, will assemble and compete for a grand prize during the 2010 WSOP. Given the internet vote, many posters on TwoPlusTwo questioned the makeup of the field. TwoPlusTwo member “Kevmath” explained, “If they allow voting on the internet, I’m sure someone not as deserving could sneak their way into the field.”

For example, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, born in 1986, was nominated by the general public through an online vote to become a nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. A nominating committee was quick to squash his bid, charging that Dwan had not yet stood the test of time, one of the criteria required for entry. Instead, names tossed out by TwoPlusTwo members as possible participants in a WSOP All Star Game include 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and popular female pro Jennifer Tilly.

Others called for several side events during the All Star Game, similar to the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout held during basketball’s All Star Weekend. “TheCanoe” explained some possible diversions: “Chip Stacking with Carlos Mortensen, Beer drinking with Scotty, [and] Scooter races with Doyle.”

One poster even tossed out an idea whereby players could rebuy according to the number of bracelets they own, meaning that Hellmuth could buy back in 11 times. Players who would be well off under this setup include Doyle Brunson (10 bracelets), Johnny Chan (10 bracelets), Erik Seidel (eight bracelets), Phil Ivey (seven bracelets), and Billy Baxter (seven bracelets).

TwoPlusTwo posters also clamored for the women of poker to join the All-Star fray like GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, UB.com pro Liv Boeree, and Tilly, who has long been associated with Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak. Other possibilities include Duke, Linda Johnson, Kara Scott, Tiffany Michelle, Isabelle Mercier, and Maria Ho.

Not everyone was optimistic about the end product. TwoPlusTwo poster “ptartaglio” explained the mindset of some in the online poker community: “These types of tournaments are always horrible. They never have the better players, only the recognized players, and they always turn them into crapshoots. The Tournament of Champions that Mike Sexton won wasn’t too bad for TV, but other than that they horrible.” The first Tournament of Champions was held in 2004 and featured Annie Duke earning the winner-take-all $2 million prize. Sexton won the event in 2006.

We’ll keep you posted on the latest WSOP news on Poker News Daily.

Continued here:
WSOP May Hold All Star Game

Roland de Wolfe can add a London Open title to his WSOP, WPT and EPT victories.

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Roland de Wolfe wins Mansion Poker’s London Open

On Sunday night, ESPN2’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event wrapped up with Barry Shulman defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up to claim the top prize of ₤801,000.

Negreanu entered as the short stack at the table, but quickly ascended the chip counts. He flopped top pair against Markus Ristola to move to eighth in chips and then flopped a set of aces against Jason Mercier’s turned set of threes to double up and move to third in chips. His run at the beginning of the WSOP Europe Main Event final table was proof that all you need in poker is a chip and a chair. Negreanu told ESPN’s Kara Scott in a segment called “Cab Chat” that he feels at home in London because of the city’s abundance of vegan-friendly foods.

Sitting in third in chips, Negreanu called a raise to 62,000 from WSOP Main Event November Niner James Akenhead, who held pocket eights. The flop came 6-4-9, giving Negreanu top pair with 10-9, and Akenhead check-called a bet of 100,000. The turn was a six and Akenhead once again check-called a bet, this time of 162,000. The action went check-check when a five struck on the river and the dealer pushed the 711,000-chip pot to Negreanu, boosting him to second on the leaderboard.

Akenhead was eliminated in ninth place after running A-Q into Negreanu’s pocket kings. The board came J-6-4-9-Q, giving Akenhead ninth place finishes in the WSOP Las Vegas and London Main Events. Matt Hawrilenko was ousted in eighth place after trying to steal the blinds and antes with J-7. Shulman made the call with A-Q and Hawrilenko could not catch up.

Frenchman Antoine Saout, another November Niner, exited in seventh place after coming out on the short end of a race against Negreanu with pocket fives against A-Q of spades. Negreanu flopped a flush draw, which hit on the river to give the PokerStars pro both eliminations of the November Nine members. Shortly thereafter, poker veteran and two-time bracelet winner Chris Bjorin finished in sixth after running A-J into Negreanu’s A-Q. Negreanu ultimately moved from ninth place to first in an awe-inspiring comeback.

The first of two one-hour episodes on ESPN2 ended with Ristola departing in fifth place. Negreanu was his executioner, leading to four-handed action at the Casino at the Empire in London featuring four bracelet winners. To begin the second episode, local poker pro Praz Bansi called Shulman’s all-in with pocket kings on a flop of 6-8-4 with two spades. Shulman held A-9 of the suit and spiked an ace on the turn to double up.

Mercier, who held over 30% of the chips in play heading into the final table, was the tournament’s fourth place finisher. Mercier was all-in with a wired pair of sevens and up against Negreanu’s pocket nines. Mercier could not overcome being a 4:1 underdog and was eliminated. Negreanu had knocked out his fifth player at the final table.

Shulman doubled up again, this time after flopping top pair with K-J on a 4-K-9 board. Shulman check-raised all-in and Bansi called, turning over K-8 for top pair with a weaker kicker. The board filled out 6-10 and Shulman moved to 3.9 million in chips. Bansi was knocked out after reluctantly committing his chips with Q-2 of hearts. Negreanu called with A-Q and claimed his fifth straight victim and sixth overall at the final table of the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event.

Negreanu held a 3:2 chip lead entering heads-up play, but doubled up Shulman after the CardPlayer Magazine owner was all-in with A-5 of hearts on a flop of 6-8-K with two hearts. Negreanu called with pocket aces, but another heart on the turn gave Shulman a flush.

Negreanu battled back and was one card away from claiming his fifth bracelet. Shulman was all-in with pocket aces against Negreanu’s Q-J on a board of 5-8-J. The turn brought another jack, leaving Shulman drawing to one of two remaining aces in the deck otherwise Negreanu would win the title. Sure enough, a bullet pierced the river and Shulman doubled up.

In the final hand, Negreanu was all-in pre-flop with pocket fours against Shulman’s pocket tens and could not draw out. Shulman won his second WSOP bracelet and Negreanu took home a £495,000 consolation prize. Former WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack presented Shulman with his championship trophy as the credits rolled.

ESPN2 will air the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event and High-Roller tournament beginning on April 19th. Re-runs of the WSOP Europe Main Event will air on ESPN2 in the coming days, so check your local listings for more information.

Continued here:
WSOP Europe Main Event Coverage Wraps Up on ESPN2

Last week, Congressman Barney Frank (D–MA) garnered another co-sponsor to his internet gambling bill, bringing the total number of co-sponsors, including Frank himself, to 66.  HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, would establish the regulatory and licensing framework for online gambling in the United States, moving internet poker out of the gray legal area that it has long been in and into the light of complete legality.

The new co-sponsor is Charles Wilson, a Democrat from Ohio’s 6th Congressional district, which starts in the Mahoning Valley in the north and runs 325 miles down the Ohio River.  Cities in the district include Bridgeport, Canfield, Wellsville, Ironton, and Ohio’s first city, Marietta.  National Journal Magazine released its “Voting Ratings” issue last week, labeling Wilson as a centrist.  Out of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, he ranks as the 192nd most liberal and the 239th most conservative.  Wilson is the third Congressman from Ohio to co-sponsor HR 2267, joining fellow Democrats Steve Driehaus and Tim Ryan.

Below is the list of HR 2267’s co-sponsors, organized by state:

Alaska
Don Young (R)

Arizona
Raul Grijalva (D)

California
Michael Thompson (D)
George Miller (D)
Michael Honda (D)
Linda Sanchez (D)
Bob Filner (D)
Adam Schiff (D)
Lynn Woolsey (D)

Colorado
Jared Polis (D)
Ed Perlmutter (D)
Betsy Markey (D)

Connecticut
Joe Courtney (D)
John Larson (D)
Christopher Murphy (D)

Florida
Robert Wexler (D)
Alcee Hastings (D)

Hawaii
Neil Abercrombie (D)

Idaho
Walt Minnick (D)

Illinois
Luis Gutierrez (D)
Bill Foster (D)

Indiana
Andre Carson (D)

Louisiana
Charlie Melancon (D)

Massachusetts
James McGovern (D)
Barney Frank (D)
Michael Capuano (D)
William Delahunt (D)

Michigan
John Conyers (D)

Missouri
Russ Carnahan (D)
William Lacy Clay (D)

Nevada
Shelley Berkley (D)

New Hampshire
Paul Hodes (D)

New Jersey
Robert Andrews (D)
Frank LoBiondo (R)
John Adler (D)
Steven Rothman (D)
Bill Pascrell (D)

New York
Tim Bishop (D)
Steve Israel (D)
Peter King (R)
Carolyn McCarthy (D)
Gary Ackerman (D)
Joseph Crowley (D)
Jerrold Nadler (D)
Edolphus Towns (D)
Mike McMahon (D)
Charles Rangel (D)
Paul Tonko (D)
Eliot Engel (D)
Daniel Maffei (D)
Anthony Weiner (D)

North Carolina
Melvin Watt (D)

Northern Mariana Islands
Gregorio Sablan (D)

Ohio
Steve Driehaus (D)
Tim Ryan (D)
Charles Wilson (D)

Oregon
Earl Blumenauer (D)

Tennessee
Steve Cohen (D)

Texas
Ron Paul (R)
Ciro Rodriguez (D)

Vermont
Peter Welch (D)

Virginia
Bobby Scott (D)
Tom Perriello (D)
James Moran (D)

Washington
Jim McDermott (D)
Adam Smith (D)

While Wilson has not issued a statement regarding the online gambling bill, he likely feels that one major positive aspect of regulation and legalization is the potential tax revenue to be collected.  In a recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Rep. William Lacy Clay (D–MO) gave part of his reasoning for supporting Frank’s bill. “We should not be so naive to think that we are going to do away with gambling by passing that law (the UIGEA in 2006),” he said.  “I think $42 billion (the amount of tax revenue estimated from online gambling over the next ten years) is a significant sum that the federal government needs to fund some of the programs that are worthy and that Americans benefit from.”

Added his colleague, Russ Carnahan (D–MO), “It’s the kind of thing that requires clear rules and regulations so that it functions well.”

Read more here:
Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Bill Gains 66th Co-Sponsor

A total of 22 players remain in the L.A. Poker Classic, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT). 2001 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Carlos Mortensen leads the way with 1.67 million chips.

Mortensen sent Michael Woo to the rails in 23rd place. Woo pushed all-in on a board of J-8-4-3 with three clubs, flipping over pocket queens. Mortensen made the call and showed pocket jacks for top set. Needing to catch one of the two remaining queens in the deck on the river to stay alive, Woo watched as an ace hit, sealing his exit. He picked up $45,000 for his efforts in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament.

Thirty minutes prior, Mortensen had doubled up through Raymond Dolan. Mortensen held pocket aces in the hand and Dolan held jacks. The hand boosted Mortensen to 960,000 in chips, kicking off “The Matador’s” last–minute surge to the top of the pack. Mortensen has two WPT titles under his belt. He won the Season 3 Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship for $1 million and also came out on top in the Season 5 WPT Championship for nearly $4 million. He’s second all-time to Daniel Negreanu with $5.26 million in WPT earnings and would become just the second three-time WPT event winner, the other being Gus Hansen.

Mark Newhouse, who held the chip lead entering Day 4 on Monday, finished with the second largest stack at 1.31 million. Newhouse doubled up through Dan “Wretchy” Martin late in the day. On a board of 7-5-3-J-Q, Newhouse pushed all-in for 561,000, nearly the size of the pot, and Martin made the call, flipping up pocket kings for an overpair. Newhouse, however, showed J-7 of spades for a turned two pair, pushing his chip stack to 1.5 million. Martin, meanwhile, dropped to 500,000 after his aces were cracked, but finished the day with 684,000, good for seventh place on the leaderboard.

Also doubling up late in the day was UB.com pro and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke. The top female pro picked a prime spot to shove with A-K pre-flop, as Masa Kagawa called and showed A-Q. The flop came ace-high and no queen came for Kagawa, doubling Duke to 266,000 in chips. She ended the day at 241,000, the second shortest stack in the room next to John Cautela’s 219,000.

Ten-time WSOP bracelet winner Johnny Chan remains in contention and doubled up on Monday with pocket aces against DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins’ pocket kings. The board came 7-7-6-9-8 and Chan moved to 450,000 in chips. He ultimately ended with 406,000, the 17th largest stack entering Day 5. Chan and Doyle Brunson are tied with 10 bracelets each, trailing only Phil Hellmuth’s tally of 11 for most all-time.

When play resumes today at Noon PT at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, the blinds will be 6,000-12,000 with an ante of 2,000. The following 22 players remain in the hunt for the top prize of $1.8 million:

1. Carlos Mortensen - 1,669,000
2. Mark Newhouse - 1,308,000
3. Raymond Dolan - 1,229,000
4. Masa Kagawa - 1,129,000
5. Andras Koroknai - 1,002,000
6. Tri Huynh - 942,000
7. Dan “Wretchy” Martin - 684,000
8. Jean-Claude Moussa - 672,000
9. Steve Sung - 671,000
10. Jim Casement - 609,000
11. Tim Begley - 603,000
12. Gevork Kasabyan - 594,000
13. Jamie Brown - 552,000
14. Mari Lou Morelli - 456,000
15. Dylan Linde - 447,000
16. Bob Kairnes - 421,000
17. Johnny Chan - 406,000
18. Danny Fuhs - 379,000
19. Michael Kamran - 327,000
20. Connor Allisen - 324,000
21. Annie Duke - 241,000
22. John Cautela - 219,000

Each player left is assured a $45,000 payday, while the top nine will take home at least $100,000. Despite the tournament already being down to 22 runners, the final table will not take place until Thursday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT coverage.

Read more here:
Carlos Mortensen Leads WPT L.A. Poker Classic with 22 Left

The UB.com sponsored poker news show “Poker2Nite” has seen its final new episode air on cable station Fox Sports Net. Season 2 of the franchise will appear on Versus, according to a post on PokerRoad.

The new season will hit television airwaves on Wednesday, March 3rd, where it will appear in the 11:00pm ET time slot. The show stars poker pro Joe Sebok and PokerRoad personality Scott Huff, who break down the latest news and events from the industry. In addition, Dana Workman offers up a satirical look at the latest poker headlines in the Weekly Misdeal. The program runs for 30 minutes and aired an original season that lasted for 13 episodes.

Now, it’s on to Versus, although no official statement has been made by show sponsor UB.com on its future. Text found in an article posted on PokerRoad explains what viewers can expect on the show’s new home: “Versus, formerly OLN, is already a regular cable stop for fans of NHL hockey, cycling, and outdoor sports like hunting and fishing, but thus far hasn’t ventured far into the world of poker. However, with Poker2Nite now in their rotation, that may all change for the better.” OLN stands for the Outdoor Life Network.

Versus is owned by cable goliath Comcast and airs over 50 National Hockey League (NHL) games every season. In addition to smash mouth hockey, Versus airs cycling, hunting, fishing, Mixed Martial Arts, Indy Car racing, bull riding, and college football. According to the network’s schedule posted on its website, two episodes of “Sports Jobs with Junior Seau” will serve as the lead-in to “Poker2Nite” next Wednesday. Following the poker show is a 30-minute program called “Whacked Out Sports.” The channel airs in stunning high-definition.

November 18th marked the first episode of “Poker2Nite” on Fox Sports Net. The show welcomed ESPN World Series of Poker (WSOP) announcer Lon McEachern to the stage. McEachern, who was fresh off a trip to watch the WSOP Main Event final table unfold in Las Vegas, told Huff and Sebok, “It’s an event now. To have that many people watching nine guys sit and play cards was incredible. To come from the obscure beginnings to where it is now has been the ride of a lifetime.”

Initial reviews of the poker news series were favorable, although many critiqued Sebok’s nervousness in front of the cameras. By the time the show welcomed UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth on December 9th during its fourth episode, Sebok was in full stride. Hellmuth announced that he had taken a break for the remainder of a rough 2009 calendar year and noted, “There is some luck. That’s what people at home don’t understand. I just have to find a way to come back in 2010 and win one or two. That’s what it’s all about.” Hellmuth is an 11-time WSOP bracelet winner, which leads all players.

Besides Hellmuth and McEachern, other “Poker2Nite” guests have included 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Mike Sexton, Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas, prop better extraordinaire Gavin Smith, 2009 CardPlayer Player of the Year Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, and tournament director Matt Savage. Its final new episode, which aired on February 3rd, featured “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, who previewed the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Recurring contributors on “Poker2Nite” included Mike Matusow, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and Absolute Poker pro Lacey Jones.

Fox Sports Net continues to air Seasons 7 and 8 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Sunday nights. The network often sees its original programming preempted due to local sporting events, including college hoops, college football, and pro contests.

We’ll have a full recap of “Poker2Nite” Season 2’s kickoff episode right here on Poker News Daily.

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Poker2Nite Moves to Versus for Season 2

A total of 872 players entered the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event on Saturday and, when the smoke cleared, 476 remained in the hunt for the $827,000 top prize.

Topping the leaderboard after Day 1 was Andy “BKiCe” Seth, an online poker pro who chipped up steadily throughout the day, even taking a break to play online poker at one point. By 5:00pm PT yesterday, he had amassed a stack of 120,000 and ended the day with 245,600. Seth is one of only four players, or 1% of the field, with more than 200,000 chips. In second place on the NAPT Venetian leaderboard is fellow online poker pro Phil “USCphildo” Collins, who holds a stack of 227,900 chips. Also near the top is 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker, whose pile of 207,300 chips is good for fourth overall entering Day 2 on Sunday.

Moneymaker isn’t the only former WSOP Main Event champ making waves in Las Vegas. Registering the 14th largest total at the Venetian is 2004 Main Event winner Greg Raymer, who boasts a stack of 144,100. Raymer nearly recorded a second bracelet in 2009 after taking third in the $40,000 No Limit Hold’em event commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP; he banked $774,000 in that tournament. All told, Raymer owns nearly $6.5 million in career WSOP earnings and has made six final tables.

UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth’s stay in the $5,000 NAPT Venetian Main Event was short-lived. After much deliberation, including seeking the advice of fellow tournament pro Daniel Negreanu, Hellmuth raised all-in with pocket queens on a flop of 4-10-5. Eric Levesque made the call with pocket aces and Hellmuth was suddenly drawing to two outs. Neither hit on the turn or river, eliminating Hellmuth. Coverage found on the official website of PokerStars detailed his exit: “Needless to say, Hellmuth was not quiet or happy, but he was required to pack his things and leave the table.”

Also sent packing late in the day was Team PokerStars Pro’s Gavin Griffin. The acclaimed pro, who owns major titles on three poker circuits, shoved with K-Q on a board reading Q-10-4 with two clubs. An opponent made the call with 2-3 of clubs for a flush draw and ultimately spiked a third club. By the time the eighth level had been played out on Saturday, Full Tilt Poker pro Gavin Smith and PokerStars’ Hevad “RaiNKhaN” Khan had also both hit the rails.

After seeing his stack crippled after his nut flush fell to a boat, Barry Greenstein doubled up at the expense of Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania. Greenstein held 6-8 and pushed all-in on a board of A-7-5-4 for the nuts, while Charania held pocket fives for a set. The board failed to pair on the river and Greenstein’s stack boomed to 49,000. He finished the day with 40,700 chips, the 291st largest tally in the room.

Here are the top 10 stacks headed into Day 2 of the PokerStars NAPT Venetian Main Event:

1. Andy “BKiCe” Seth - 245,600
2. Philip “USCphildo” Collins - 227,900
3. Mark Ketteringham - 211,000
4. Chris Moneymaker - 207,300
5. Yongli Jin - 160,800
6. Steven Tabb - 159,800
7. Daniel Schreiber - 157,600
8. Jason “TheMasterJ33” Dewitt - 154,000
9. Mark Mierkalns - 153,000
10. Samuel Stein – 151,500

Other players remaining in the top 50 on the leaderboard include:

13. Vanessa Rousso – 144,900
14. Greg Raymer – 144,100
23. Danny Wong – 123,100
27. Men “The Master” Nguyen – 118,400
28. Andrew “good2cu” Robl – 116,400
32. Jimmy “gobboboy” Fricke – 112,600
35. “Miami” John Cernuto – 111,200
50. Montel Williams – 100,300

The top 128 players will finish in the money. The PokerStars NAPT Venetian Main Event crowns a champion on Wednesday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest NAPT Venetian coverage.

Read more from the original source here:
Andy Seth (BKiCe) Leads NAPT Venetian Main Event After Day 1

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe has been airing on ESPN2, with three hours of coverage shown last Sunday. The ratings for the annual tournament series have dropped 25% year over year due to stiff competition.

ESPN officials haven’t been shy about putting WSOP Europe programming up against some of the world’s most watched television shows. The first installments hit airwaves on January 31st and featured a recap of the inaugural Caesars Cup, pitting top pros from North America against counterparts from Europe. The night marked the annual Grammy Awards on CBS, while the NFL Pro Bowl appeared on ESPN. On the heels of two staunch competitors, the WSOP Europe Caesars Cup on ESPN2 kicked off at 11:00pm ET and ran for two hours.

On February 7th, the most watched NFL Super Bowl in history featured the Indianapolis Colts taking on the New Orleans Saints. More than 106 million people tuned into the extravaganza, which saw a Tracy Porter interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter seal the Saints’ first Super Bowl title. Three hours of coverage on ESPN2 began at 10:00pm ET, about the same time as the Super Bowl ended, with exhausted poker fans asked to camp out for another 180 minutes to watch the WSOP Europe Main Event kick off.

Last weekend, Sunday marked both Valentine’s Day in the United States and the 2010 NBA All Star Game in Dallas, which drew the largest crowd ever for a basketball game at over 100,000 people. The NBA All Star Game aired on TNT and featured a who’s who of the sport, including Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and Canada’s Steve Nash. ESPN2 aired another three hours of WSOP Europe Main Event coverage beginning at 11:00pm ET that night. By the time the telecast wrapped up, the field was trimmed down to the final nine players, led by Team PokerStars Pro member Jason Mercier, who held 30% of the chips in play.

Meanwhile, Valentine’s Day typically features couples spending quality time together, taking in pricey four-course dinners at restaurants and then curling up by the fire and watching Nick Cassavetes’ classic “The Notebook.” Accordingly, ESPN2 aired the male-dominated poker in a late night timeslot.

On February 12th, the 2010 Winter Olympics kicked off from Vancouver, pitting 82 nations against each other in sports like alpine skiing, curling, figure skating, and snowboarding. NBC has virtually abandoned all other programming in favor of the Olympics, including the poker franchise “Poker After Dark.” The Winter Olympics take place just once every four years.

A representative of ESPN told Poker News Daily that, despite the rigorous competition, the network was pleased with its showing for the 2009 WSOP Europe broadcasts: “It’s no surprise that the ratings are down this year when we’ve been up against the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the NBA All Star Game. We’re pleased with the production.” ESPN’s WSOP Europe coverage features Norman Chad providing commentary alongside Lon McEachern, with new “High Stakes Poker” floor reporter Kara Scott filming player interviews and other vignettes.

On February 28th at 9:00pm ET, ESPN2 will bring the final table of the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event to primetime, as the telecast will run for two hours. Its competition that night will include the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and a men’s college basketball game pitting #6 Duke at ACC rival Virginia starting at 7:45pm ET.

ESPN officials stated that in 2009, WSOP Europe coverage ran head-to-head with the Super Bowl and NBA All Star Game. However, no Olympics were held last year. The network declined to release specific ratings figures until after the final two episodes aired at the end of February.

ESPN2 will also broadcast the first season of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) beginning in April.

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WSOP Europe on ESPN Ratings Fall 25% Amid Stiff Competition

ESPN offered up another triple dose of its World Series of Poker-Europe coverage last night, airing a mini-marathon of three new one-hour episodes. We saw the field shrink from 92 bracelet hopefuls to an elite final table that included six WSOP…

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The WSOP on ESPN: Mercier Takes Control, Shulman and Negreanu Chase History