Barack Obama: My Weekly Poker With Lobbyists Is Okay, But McCain’s Isn’t

Politico: "The DNC is buying ads on religious Web sites to highlight the McCain gambling ties reported on Sunday’s New York Times front. BREAKING: “Watch for Obama to use the story about McCain and gambling in the NYT yesterday to drive his change message, especially on the economy and the influence of lobbyists.” Team Obama will argue this reflects on temperament and judgment."

That would be this New York Times story, describing McCain playing the craps table with Rick Davis and Scott Reed. Davis is a longtime McCain friend and associate, currently his campaign manager, who runs a lobbying firm that represented Indian tribes with casino interests. Reed also worked as a lobbyist for Indian tribes, but he was also Bob Dole’s campaign manager in 1996, where McCain is a top surrogate. To define these longtime buddies of McCain as lobbyists, you would also have to define David Axelrod as a lobbyist.

Beyond that, are we supposed to ignore the fact that the criticism is going to come from the guy who used to have a weekly poker game with lobbyists?

USA Today, July 6 of this year: "On Wednesday nights during Illinois General Assembly sessions, a group of lobbyists and lawmakers used to gather at the headquarters of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association for a weekly poker game. Barack Obama, who represented part of Chicago as state senator from 1997-2004, was a regular."

I guess gambling with lobbyists is scandalous, but if a Democrat does it, it’s okay.

Source: acc-tv.com

Daniel Negreanu: Pros don’t overplay coin-flip situations

Fans of televised poker have heard a commentator use the terms "coin flip" and "race situation" to describe a big all-in altercation. These terms are typically used when a player with a pair risks it all against another player with two overcards, such as pocket sixes versus A-K.

While that’s a traditional type of coin flip, a race can occur any time there’s an all-in pot where the odds are even close to 50-50. I’ll explain why it’s usually a better idea to gamble on a coin flip after the flop as opposed to before.

The most important reason why it’s dangerous to risk all your chips pre-flop is that you simply can’t be certain that you are even in a coin-flip situation at that time.

You could actually be a much bigger underdog than that. Say you’re playing pocket sixes against a higher pair, such as 9-9. The outlook is dismal in this situation, as you would have just a 19 percent chance to win the pot. That’s not a coin flip; you’re a 4-to-1 underdog!

You see, even a lowly starting hand like pocket sixes is a favorite against a seemingly strong hand like A-K. But the real problem with playing the sixes is that you’re banking on the best-case outcome to win the pot before the flop. Either you’re in a coin flip as a small favorite or you’re a massive underdog against a bigger pair.

Rookies often make this mistake. They’ll overplay these hands before the flop by calling big all-in bets. Or even worse, they’ll re-raise all-in.

Professionals, on the other hand, dread the idea of shoving all their chips into the pot in coin-flip situations. Once they push their chips in, they understand that skill is no longer a factor. Instead, they’re simply at the mercy of Lady Luck.

That’s why pros wait to take their chances with coin flips until after the flop.

It’s often said that to win a poker tournament, you have to win your fair share of coin flips. That’s true. But it’s not often mentioned that you can choose when to do your gambling. You’ll be much safer to delay moving all-in until after the flop, especially if you hit a two-way draw like a straight and flush draw, a pair and a draw, or a draw and overcards.

OK, say you hold 4h-6h and the flop comes Jh-6d-3h, giving you a pair and a flush draw. It’s impossible to be drawing dead against your opponent in this situation. If he has three of a kind, you still can hit your flush. And if he’s on a better flush draw, well, you’re still in the lead with a pair of sixes.

This is the kind of situation where you can gamble aggressively because you can’t be a massive underdog. Even if your opponent holds As-Ad, you’d still be the favorite with a 51.6 percent chance to win. If he has Ah-Kh for the better flush draw, you’d be favored to win a little over 52 percent of the time. And in the worst possible case, if he has three jacks, you’d still manage to win the pot 30 percent of the time.

Do what the pros do and wait until after the flop to try to win a race. That way you can be fairly certain that you’re in no worse shape than a coin-flip situation. Also, by playing aggressively after the flop, you might actually force your opponent to fold his stronger hand, thus winning the pot without even having to see the next two cards.

● Go to www.cardsharkmedia.com/book.html for information about Daniel Negreanu’s newest book, "More Hold’em Wisdom for All Players."

Source: azstarnet.com

Aussie exposes online poker rip-off

Detective work by an Australian online poker player has uncovered a $US10 million cheating scandal at two major poker websites and triggered a $US75 million legal claim.

In two separate cases, Michael Josem, from Chatswood, analysed detailed hand history data from Absolute Poker and UltimateBet and uncovered that certain player accounts won money at a rate too fast to be legitimate.

His findings led to an internal investigation by the parent company that owns both sites. It found rogue employees had defrauded players over three years via a security hole that allowed the cheats to see other player’s secret (or hole) cards.

Now the owners of the sites have filed a $US75 million claim against the makers of the software that powers them, claiming they were unaware of the security holes when they purchased the sites in 2006, MSNBC reported this month.

Official investigators – brought in following Josem’s revelations – have named one of the world’s most successful poker players, Russ Hamilton, as the main perpetrator of the fraud.

Suspicions of unfair play at Absolute Poker were first raised late last year. Josem plotted the win rate of several thousand players against the suspicious accounts and found the cheats won money at a rate that was 100 times faster than a good player could reasonably win.

The cheating accounts played every hand as if they knew every card that the other players had and folded hands at just the right time.

The findings led to an investigation by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which licenses several hundred online casinos and poker rooms. It found Absolute Poker attempted to cover up the cheating by deleting gaming logs and records and fined it $US500,000.

Absolute Poker repaid those who had lost money but refused to release the cheater’s identity because a private settlement was reached.

A few months later, Josem and players from the Two Plus Two online poker forum used the same methods to uncover almost identical cheating occurring at Absolute Poker’s sister site, UltimateBet. One player account, NioNio, netted a profit of $300,000 in just 3000 hands and won 13 of the 14 sessions recorded on the MyPokerIntel.com website, which tracks high stakes online tournaments.

"The chances of a player winning at those rates is approximately equal to winning a one-in-a-million lottery on six consecutive occasions," said Josem.

"In poker, a contest of limited information, if you know what cards your opponent has, you’ll never lose – and this is precisely what happened."

The cheats passed their fraudulent winnings between multiple user accounts in an attempt to avoid detection.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission today released the initial findings of an audit it is conducting into UltimateBet.

It named World Series of Poker winner Russ Hamilton, previously associated with Ultimate Bet’s affiliate program, as the main perpetrator. Commission spokesman Chuck Barnett said the names of others involved would come out when the final report was released in November.

The commission ordered UltimateBet to begin refunding all players adversely affected by the cheating scheme and remove any staff connected with the scheme by November 3.

The site has also been fined $US1.5 million and will have its licence revoked if it does not comply with any of the sanctions.

An Australian company, Gaming Associates, conducted the official investigations on both UltimateBet and Absolute Poker for the commission. Its principal consultant, Alan Pedley, refused to discuss the specifics of the findings as he was bound by a non-disclosure agreement.

As a result of his detective work Josem has been employed by the leading online poker site, PokerStars, to work on its security team.

He said other sites weren’t vulnerable to the same cheats because they used different software and had more credible operators.

"Just as not all insurance companies behave the same way as HIH, and not all politicians are the same as Brian Burke, not all poker companies are the same as UltimateBet and Absolute Poker," Josem said.

"The employees of the leading online poker operators simply don’t have the feature or ability to view hole cards of players during a hand and they don’t have this ability because of a security decision that was made when their software was first written many years ago."

Josem said people could still be confident about playing on online poker sites because, if something untoward happened, it could easily be caught by statistical analysis, precisely as happened in this situation.

"Every online poker hand is recorded electronically and can be analysed after the fact. Just as the third umpire video replay can be used to enforce the rules in cricket, third-party analysis can be used to enforce the rules of poker."

Source: The Age

Online Gaming Leads to Gambling Addiction for Some

When Derek Norman, a psychology senior, started playing online poker, he couldn’t stop. Soon he found himself playing eight to 10 hours a day, neglecting school work and finally losing over $2,000 in a roller coaster of highs and lows, Norman said.

Despite being a "terrible poker player," Norman was encouraged by big wins and started to look at poker "more as a career than a hobby," he said.

As poker’s popularity among college students continues to rise, so does the number of students who develop bad gambling habits that can lead to a pathological gambling addiction later in life, said Jeff Friedman, a therapist at Cottonwood de Tucson.

An article published in the New York Times magazine stated that in 2005 an estimated 1.6 million out of 17 million U.S. college students gambled online – mostly on poker.

Poker, particularly Texas Hold ‘Em, owes most of its increasing popularity to its presence on cable TV.

The escalating presence of poker in mainstream media has created an atmosphere of acceptability, said Rick Pyper, director of the Arizona Office of Problem Gambling.

"Poker is different from most forms of gambling because the player has the ability to make many more decisions and exert more control over the game. This is why poker attracts action gamblers while compulsive gamblers, who play to escape their problems, prefer to play games of pure chance like roulette or slots," Pyper said.

The element of skill is what initially attracted Norman to the game and, after walking away from poker for several months, he realized this is exactly what he had lacked.

Norman began picking up poker books and reading online forums.

Soon after turning 21, Norman went to Las Vegas and played in person for the first time and won $2,000 in three days.
Now Norman believes he’s a good player but acknowledges that at first he had "no idea how to play the game or manage his finances."

Mike Gelfund, a 22-year-old former UA student, agrees managing money is critical to being a successful poker player and actually has a separate bank account for his poker money.

"You can’t risk money for things you really need like rent or food," Gelfund said. "If you are afraid to lose your money, you won’t be able to put all the chips out there when you need to," he said.

Gelfund is very aware of gambling addictions and has seen many of his friends "go on tilt" and lose large amounts of money.
One of his friends lost $5,000 in 15 minutes while on the way to Las Vegas because they decided to play blackjack.
When he goes on tilt, Gelfund likes to take a break, breathe deeply and "try not to throw over the poker table," he laughed.

A successful poker player is someone who consistently wins, not someone who wins big once or twice, he said.
Gelfund and Norman agree poker is getting much more popular among students at the UA.

A study done by the Annenberg Public Policy Center concluded that the number of college males who reported gambling online once a week or more doubled in 2005.

Friedman has also seen an increase in the number of pathological gamblers that come into Cottonwood de Tucson, but attributes this mostly to the fact that there are more opportunities to gamble.

Most college students that report gambling problems come for treatment of a substance abuse problem and don’t meet the criteria for pathological gambling because they don’t have enough money, Friedman said.

If you have a problem with gambling or know someone who does, Friedman recommends you call Gambler’s Anonymous at (520) 570-7879 or go to their website, www.gamblersanonymous.org/mtgdirAZ.html to see their meeting times.

Source: media.wildcat.arizona.edu

Boss Media accelerating IPN poker network growth with tournaments, jackpots and games!

Boss Media today announced that it is aggressively growing the International Poker Network (IPN) by upgrading its online poker platform with a greater variety of multi-table tournaments, progressive jackpots and authentic new side games. In addition Boss will also be capitalizing on the recent national gaming legislation changes in Italy and creating a new poker network in one of the world’s largest gaming markets.

Brought together by their recent acquisition by GTECH, Boss Media and St Minver are now exporting their Poker expertise to Italy in conjunction with their GTECH sister company Lottomatica Scomesse. "The network will initially be for Italian poker players exclusively, but we hope that eventually, legislation will allow us to pool liquidity from the Italian network with our other European poker networks, possibly even with the IPN hosted outside Italy," says Per Karlsson, Head of Poker at Boss Media. The company continues to be the dominant solution provider in the national operator segment of the e-gaming market. The new Italian poker network represents the third online poker network Boss Media has launched in Europe for nationally-licensed operators. Boss Media has also supplied poker network solutions to Sweden and Austria.

The launch of the Italian project is an example of how Boss Media plans to take advantage of the combined skills and resources of the GTECH family of companies to further develop its poker platform. "With additional resources to invest in development of the poker platform and bring the player’s user experience to a new level, we aim to grow and acquire even more market share" says Karlsson. Karlsson continues "Albeit industry poker growth has slowed down IPN is still growing strong in terms of market share thanks to a reliable poker system and attractive tournaments and promotions. Our September Sizzler campaign increased rake in the IPN by almost 11% compared to August."

Boss Media has already invested significant resources in the development of its jackpot system and multi-table tournament technology. Early this December, the new Bad Beat Jackpot will be introduced at the IPN. With an initial value of no less than €100,000, this progressive jackpot will keep growing and drawing interest until one lucky player hits it.

With the release of Boss Media’s upgraded poker system software this November, the IPN will be capable of arranging multi-table tournaments in all its games. Poker fans in the IPN can expect even more tempting tournaments such as the 10-week promotional schedule of €5,000 free rolls. The You Only Live Twice tournament takes off this month, and in December, the IPN will hold a €1 Million Guaranteed tournament with satellites starting in October.

In addition, Boss Media will offer all IPN partners a full suite of instant-play games that can be offered to players as side games within the poker room. "Fast games like slots, video poker, scratch tickets and others heighten the entertainment value of a poker room," says Eric Matsgård, Head of Casino & Games at Boss Media. He says the company intends to expand its selection of exciting instant-play games through cooperation with innovative game creators like the recently-acquired Dynamite Idea as well as games from Spielo, Atronic and other sister companies within the GTECH Group. "We’re now bigger, better and even more motivated to do great things in gaming."

Source: igamingbusiness.com

Online Poker Plan Uses Real Cards to Prove Honesty

A Denver entrepreneur has devised a system for online poker that answers all questions of authenticity, accountability, and transparency. Gene Gioia wondered about the implausible hands he saw online, and wanted to find a way to verify that software flaws were not causing hands that would not occur at live tables.

Gioia came from a professional background as a consultant in charge of auditing software installations for nationwide companies. He decided the way to assure players the game and system were legitimate was to deal actual cards.

Gioia and his brother created a machine, which they call the "Real Deal", to continuously shuffle and deal cards at very high speed. The results can be transmitted to computers running hundreds of simultaneous games. This should give true results, unlike the random number generators currently used, Gioia believes.

All hands dealt are recorded and available for future auditing.Gioia will open the site realdealpoker.com to give free demonstrations of his product.

After the AbsolutePoker and UltimateBet cheating scandals, players are more suspicious than ever of online poker rooms. One poll showed over two-thirds of online players do not trust the deal, and many players aviod Internet play for reasons of trust.

Gioia doesn’t accuse sites of cheating, but he notes they can’t prove they don’t, and his method can. He hopes that the demo website will bring him the financing necessary to get his own online poker room running, and then the natural draw of an auditable site will bring customers flocking.

Source: onlinepokerwebsite.net

Jadestone To Shake Up Online Poker Industry With New Multiplayer DiceArena Games

Swedish online game developer Jadestone announced today that it has developed a suite of new and exciting dice games for online gaming operators. The fully managed game network is called DiceArena(TM) and will be launched at popular European gaming sites during this fall.

As the growth in online poker in Europe is starting to level off, Jadestone readies a new gaming service aimed at both casual and hardcore players looking for something new and different. The DiceArena network, operated by Jadestone Networks, will feature a range of carefully selected dice games. The launch games will be the all-new Dice Hold’em(TM) and casual friendly, fast paced Shoot the Moons. These will be followed by the classic board favorite Backgammon and Liar’s Dice, which will let players take their bluffing skills to new heights.

“Billions of people have played with dice,” said Robert Henrysson, CEO of Jadestone. “We all know how to shoot dice and immediately associate it with exciting social gameplay. We’re now taking that feeling online with DiceArena. With quick and easy gameplay, it’ll be enjoyable for casual players but also a fun diversion for the more seasoned poker pros.”

The DiceArena suite of games has been in development at Jadestone for almost two years. With a high number of network partners lined up for DiceArena games, it’s one of the biggest new product introductions in Jadestone’s history.

“We’re really trying to create something new with this product,” said Linus Dalin, Product Director at Jadestone. “The whole experience is designed to be about fun and excitement rather than hard competition. We want the gameplay to be accessible and the look and feel to be really inviting. We’ve also seen in user tests that casual players enjoy the social features, like playing with the avatar editor to create their own in-game image.”

The DiceArena game service is built on a proven platform specifically designed for multiplayer turn-based games. It is heavily based on experiences from the online poker industry and contains all functionality and more from regular poker systems. DiceArena applies a network based model, aggregating players from a group of different network distribution partners.

The business model is based on in-game rake and tournament fees. Rake is taken from every real money game pot. The model is the same as for online poker. For tournaments, there will also be fees paid by each entrant.

Additional information about DiceArena can be found on www.jadestone.se. There is also a newly launched consumer website with information and blogging about the DiceArena games at www.dicearena.com.

Kentucky Files Case to Stop Online Gambling Industry

Kentucky is taking on the online gambling industry by attempting to seize 141 domain names registered to online companies by using a law that allows officials to seize devices that are used to for illegal gambling. The government will try to convince a judge on Thursday that the law applies to Internet domain names and that the state should take ownership of them in order to protect its citizens

Gov. Steve Beshear announced the state’s actions at a press conference that took place yesterday. The Justice Cabinet asked Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate to transfer control of the domain names to Kentucky last Thursday. The judge ordered the immediate transfer of the domain names to the state, pending the results of a forfeiture hearing, which is scheduled for Sept. 25.

According to the Governor’s office, if the judge allows this to happen, it will legally allow Kentucky to block its citizen’s from accessing the sites on the list.

The list of “dot com” domain name include ones associated with Full Tilt Poker, Doyles Room, PokerStars, BodogLife, Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker and Cake Poker, as well as many online sports books and casinos.

Democrat Beshear, who ironically is trying to convince state politicians to permit casino gambling in Kentucky, is going after the online gambling sites because he says they’re undermining the state’s horse racing industry, allows minors easy access to the sites, and takes away taxes and licensing compensation that would normally go to the state.

Through a press release announcing this maneuver, Beshear said that Kentucky loses “tens of millions of dollars” a year to unregulated and unlicensed online gambling. He also said the unregulated industry is a threat to national security.

“Unlicensed, unregulated, illegal Internet gambling poses a tremendous threat to the citizens of the Commonwealth because of its ease, availability and anonymity,” Beshear said at Monday’s press conference. “The owners and operators of these illegal sites prey on Kentucky citizens, including our youth, and deprive the Commonwealth of millions of dollars in revenue. It’s an underworld wrought with scams and schemes.”

John Pappas, Executive Director of the Poker players Alliance, quickly disagreed with Beshear that online poker is even illegal in Kentucky. In a statement regarding Kentucky’s actions, he framed the argument as one of choice: Kentucky chooses not to regulate and license online poker.

Pappas’s entire statement follows:

The Poker Players Alliance is outraged at the actions taken by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and the Franklin County Circuit Court to seize the domain names of Internet gambling websites. We believe this action not only unduly restricts the freedom of Kentucky residents to play games of skill, such as poker, online, but sets a precedent for censorship of the Internet by force.

Many of Governor Beshear’s arguments – that online poker is illegal, unregulated and without a mechanism to capture tax revenue – are false. Online poker is not illegal under Kentucky law, is regulated in its home jurisdiction and the Commonwealth of Kentucky chose not to license and regulate poker websites.

If the Governor truly wants to implement tighter regulations, taxation mechanisms and consumer protections on Internet gambling, the PPA suggests he publicly support federal legislation by U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, H.R. 2460, which would achieve those goals.

Poker is a game of skill, a true American pastime and has a proud heritage in Kentucky. Simply because the game has evolved into the 21st Century, it should not be treated as suspect activity. Forcefully and secretly seizing control of websites that offer online poker games is not a sound public policy or a sound legal solution.

Source: CardPlayer.com

Another Poker Room Joins Playtech Italian Network

Playtech has managed to expand its Italian poker network by signing on another licensee last week. The latest online poker room to join the network is Eurobet Italia, a site owned by the UK based Gala Coral.

A full downloadable play-for-real option will be launched by the end of this year, however players can already become familiar with Playtech’s superb poker suite at Eurobet Italia in a play-for-fun mode. All the games will be customized to suit Italian gambling regulations.

The Managing Director for Eurobet Italia, Domenico Giovando said about the new deal: “Playtech has a proven track record and were able to meet our needs, and more importantly were able to adapt their services to the Italian market. We are confident that we will both benefit from this partnership. In fact, Eurobet is one of the few Italian operators with a strong experience in poker gained on an international stage, and Playtech gives added value with their leading position in poker platform management worldwide.”

Eurobet is the second site to join the network, following on the heels of Italy’s leading land based operator, Snai, who also launched a site last month.

The Chief Executive Officer of Playtech, Mor Weizer said: “We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with Gala Coral’s Eurobet, one of the leading online gaming operators, a group which is highly experienced in the global market and strongly established in Italy, and now joins Snai on Playtech’s expanding Italian poker network.”

“We are committed to continue expanding our presence in regulated European markets in general and specifically further establish our presence in the Italian market and look forward to working with Eurobet to provide an exciting gaming experience for Italian players,” concluded Mor.

Source: online-poker-insider.com

Hope for Online Poker Advocates

With the congressional session winding down in Washington, some gamblers and online poker advocates were caught off guard when the House Financial Services Committee recently introduced, then passed, a bill that would overturn much of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

The bill, HR6870, would likely make it easier for Internet poker players to make deposits and cash out winnings online.

The enforcement act, signed into law by President Bush in 2006, severely restricts financial transactions linked to online gambling. After its passage, several major poker sites pulled out of the U.S. market.

Efforts to overturn the law are followed closely in Las Vegas, which has become the de facto home of many major players with online gambling interests.

Jay Lakin, the co-owner and vice president of Poker Source Online, praised the committee chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., for leading the drive against the enforcement act.

“The fact that Barney Frank introduced HR6870, the Payments System Protection Act, on a Thursday and had it marked up Tuesday shows that he’s motivated to overturn the UIGEA,” Lakin said. “Maybe there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Although approval of the bill generated praise from poker players, one of its provisions has to worry online sports betting advocates. The bill evidently would expressly prohibit financial institutions from approving transactions linked to sports betting.

Many serious sports bettors in Nevada, the only state with legal sports betting, would like to have some online “outs,” or sports book accounts, to complement their casino sports wagering — without fear of treading in a legal “gray area.”

Some big offshore sports books already offer an online poker room as part of their operation, though. It’s possible others could add poker if they believe they could take advantage of a U.S. law that permits online financial transactions linked to poker.

In other words, perhaps U.S. citizens could deposit money into the poker room of a particular online gambling giant, then transfer the funds into the sports book of the same operation and bet sports to their hearts’ content.

It’s unclear how lawmakers, if they remain dead set against sports betting, would address such potential loopholes, according to Dan Cypra of Pocketfives.com, a poker insiders’ Web site.

“There are probably a couple of ways it could go, depending on how it’s enforced,” Cypra said.

Regardless, Cypra believes the ongoing economic turmoil in the United States could prompt more lawmakers to look toward online betting and its ancillary financial businesses for new streams of revenue.

“The longer we struggle with the economy, the more important online gambling becomes,” Cypra said.

Poker for a cause

The Hacienda near Boulder City will host the second annual Shane Patton Scholarship Fundraiser, a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the hotel’s banquet room.

Sign-ups begin at 5 p.m. for the tournament, which carries an entry fee of $50 with $20 rebuys available for players who bust out early.

Half of the prize pool goes to the Shane Patton Scholarship Foundation, which honors the memory of Patton, a 2000 Boulder City High School graduate who died in Afghanistan while serving as a Navy SEAL.

Patton was killed along with 15 other U.S. servicemen when their MH-47D Chinook helicopter was shot down during a rescue mission.

The incident was the basis for last year’s best-selling book by Marcus Luttrell, “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.”

Since last year’s benefit tournament at the Hacienda, the Patton foundation has awarded seven scholarships to Boulder City High graduates.

The other half of the prize pool goes to the tournament’s top finishers. The payout structure will be determined by the number of entries.

To register early, call Grant Turner at 375-6923.

Contest update

Las Vegas poker pro Bill Edler won the first opening-round match in the “Money Talks” football handicapping contest sponsored by Leroy’s sports books, with a second pairing scheduled for tonight at the Riviera.

Edler went 5-2 against the point spread in his seven picks to knock out Sal Selvaggio of Maddux Sports (4-3) last week.

In this week’s match (10 p.m., KLAV 1230-AM), Ken “the Shrink” Weitzner faces Minnesota-based Vince Armstrong, a newcomer to the $5,000-entry contest.

Weitzner, a former psychiatrist who owns the Eye on Gambling Web site, was knocked out by Jorge Gonzalez in last year’s contest.

The “Money Talks” contest, the biggest event of its kind in Nevada, includes 16 entrants competing in a bracket-style, single-elimination tournament for a winner-take-all prize of $80,000. Picks, results and the full bracket are updated online at www.leroys.com.

Source: casinocitytimes.com

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