You have to give them credit for at least trying, but for now the first-ever “green” poker table will simply be a display model. The eco-friendly tournament poker table is made from 98% sustainable materials and will be on display in the exhibit area at the Rio during this year’s World Series of Poker. Some of the table’s eco-friendly manufacturing include:

- All wood is FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified,
- All paints and stains used in the table are formaldehyde free,
- The table is assembled with water based adhesives.

Maybe they can still use the eco-friendly poker table for the Final Table at the Main Event, which won’t play out until November.

There have been a couple of high-profile incidents of online poker cheating. One of online poker’s best players, Sorel Mizzi “Imper1um”, was caught last year buying an account from the former managing editor of Bluff Magazine, Chris Vaughn. Vaughn had made the final table of a tournament, and sold the account to Mizzi, who went on to win the event and almost $200,000. They were caught and Mizzi was banned from playing online.

But now BetFair.com has not only allowed Mizzi to play there, but they have made him a member of team BetFair. Why is a company hiring a known cheater when there is plenty of young online talent out there? Especially a company called ‘BetFair’. Are you kidding me? Mizzi is the exact opposite of someone that bets fair – he cheats. And cheaters never prosper.

Well if this don’t beat all… Members of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) will be trading in their saddles for a pair of pocket aces when they go up against the National Rugby League (NRL) North Queensland Cowboys in the charity Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament.

This inaugural charity event takes place on Thursday, May 22 at 7:30pm in the Casino at Jupiters Townsville, which is donating the $5,000 prize pool. The prize pool will be split with the winner taking home $4,000 and the runner-up walking away with $1,000. All prize money won at the event will benefit local charities.

General Manager of Jupiters Townsville, Sean Knights, said that the event was a fantastic opportunity to welcome the Australian and international riders of the PBR to Townsville as they go head to head against the home favorites, the NQ Cowboys.

“As a major sponsor of both the NQ Cowboys and the PBR Troy Dunn International, it gives me great pleasure to be able to host the first Cowboys vs Cowboys Charity Poker Challenge,” Knights said. “This charity match not only gives us the opportunity to support the high-end events that are being hosted in Townsville, such as the PBR, but also to provide much needed funds to support organisations in our local region.”

Poker players for PBR Australia include legendary bull rider Troy Dunn, Brendon Clark, Luke Snyder and Pistol Robinson. And playing for the NQ Cowboys are Travis Burns, vice-captain Aaron Payne, David Faiumu and Ray Cashmere.

North Queensland Cowboys Chief Executive Officer Peter Parr added: “The Cowboys have always taken great pride in our work with the community and various charities. This event is no different and we look forward to contributing to the charities involved.”

The Asian Poker Tour kicks off this month on the 27th of May in Manila, with the $1M Guaranteed main event. Buy-in is $2500, and satellites are already running. Matt Savage has signed on as tournament director, so the event should be big success. The rest of the Asian Poker Tour will take place in Seoul, Macau and Singapore.

The dates for the other events have not been announced yet. It appears that Manila will be the litmus test for the tour, so a lot is depending on how much action enters. I don’t think that there’s anything to worry about; the region is ready for its own tour, even if the game isn’t baccarat.

There is sure to be some big-name Asian players who will make the trip and help promote the tour over there. There’s no shortage of gaming money in the region, so the tour should continue to grow.

I joined the Poker Players Alliance in 2006 at the WSOP. It was just starting out back then, and was created to assist poker players with unlawful or unethical situations they may encounter. The main issue at the time was professional players being compensated from poker organizations for using their likeness for profit.

Then the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act hit the industry, and the role of the PPA became more of a unifying force to help battle against the American government. This has put the organization at the forefront of the game’s battle in the U.S., and numbers have grown to over a million members this past year.

You can expect the organization to have a table set up at every WSOP. It’s the best gathering of poker players all year, with over 50,000 players and fans going through the Rio from May 30th to July 7th. If you’re not a member yet, go to the Poker Players Alliance website and check it out.

Every online poker room has some sort of WSOP satellite action, but some have gone to extremes this year. The two sites that have pumped up this promotion are Bodog and Full Tilt Poker. The Bodog poker room has been giving away multiple seats each week since February, and they’re currently awarding five seats per week. They have satellites for as low as $1.50 and other qualifiers are $7, $18, $27, $5.50 (plus tourney fee), and special qualifiers that use Bodog Points.

Full Tilt has offered $10M to any of their players that qualify for the WSOP main event and wins it. They are running hundreds of satellite tournaments each week, including the Race to the Main Event Giveaway, the 150-Seat Main Event Guarantee, the $200 Tuesday Main Event Guarantee, the $300 Wednesday Main Event Guarantee, the $1K Thursday Main Event Guarantee, and the $500 Sunday Main Event Guarantee.

Last week Team Bodog announced the newest addition to their poker team, Justin Bonomo. Justin is probably one of the best poker players out there but unfortunately is known for his multi accounting 2 years ago in Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker Tournaments. He has long since apologized for his actions.The 22 year old will now be on the team with Bodog members Evelyn Ng, Jean-Robert Bellande and David Williams representing the Bodog online poker room at televised tournaments around the world. His first tournament will be the 2008 WSOP in Las Vegas. Justin has already managed to add 14 final tables and 1.2 million dollars in career winnings to his live poker tournament resume.Personally I think that this is a great move for both Justing and Bodog as it will help his once destroyed reputation and turn his name into something positive. This is the time for the poker community to recognize him more than just a cheat. Players wishing to join Justin Bonomo at the 2008 WSOP can qualify online to play the $10,000 main event as a Team Bodog member.

Ayre Force is the first of its kind and just released graphic novel from Bodog. Based on real people this novel reveals the hidden activities and past of billionaire founder, Calvin Ayre, as he leads the covert operations unit composed of members from the Bodog team.
The poker pro’s include, Evelyn Ng, David Williams and Josh Arieh along with MMA fighters Tara LaRosa, Jorge Masvidal, Trevor Prangley and musicians Bif Naked, Jason Darr and Nazanin.

Calvin Ayre and his unit have been in a years-long war with pharmaceutical magnate Janus Winter, attacking the illegal operations of Wintercorp all over the globe. Now, Janus has upped the anti by unleashing his genetically-engineered, superhuman children on Calvin and his team, intending to end the war between Bodog and Wintercorp!

This graphic novel is defiantly action packed and lead by an outstanding creative team: Shawn Martinbrough, Adam Slutsky, Joseph Philip Illidge, Andrew Dalhouse and Marshall Dillon.

All materials used in the production and distribution of the novel are environmentally friendly and all proceeds from sales will be donated to support the Calvin Ayre Foundation.

Ayre Force

According to actor Vince Vaughn, Cinco de Mayo was the perfect excuse to play a little poker — for a good cause, of course. E! Online reports that Vaughn celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the Velvet Margarita poker party in Hollywood Monday night. The buy-in was $120, with all proceeds going to the charity Friends of El Faro, which donates money to an orphanage in Mexico.

Reports E! Online, Vaughn and his friends sat at a private booth and enjoyed the bar’s signature margaritas. By the end of the night he had turned his attention to the blonde in the cute pony tail and cowboy hat. According to an eyewitness, “Vince seemed interested in her. He wanted her to stick around.” The two left the party together.

Having an online poker room as a poker sponsor is a huge advantage for any player. Having all or most of your tournament buy-ins covered for you would alleviate much of the pressure of being a tournament pro.

Poker room sponsorships seem to be as individual as the players. Specific terms are usually private, but most consist of tournament entries with little or no winnings going back to the poker room.

Beyond the financial advantages that being sponsored would provide, having one has become a badge of honor among players on the circuit. Having a sponsor means that you’re good enough for a company to spend tens of thousands of dollars on you. This adds an intimidation factor to a player’s game; it tells everyone at the table that you’re skilled and experienced. The only worry you could possibly have when you have a sponsor is having enough success to maintain that sponsorship into the future.