Final Table Poker Radio Show w/Dennis Phillips & Paul Harris

Today on The Final Table poker radio show, we talked about some strange rulings Dennis witnessed at the World Series Of Poker Event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in which players were penalized when they shouldn't have been -- and not penalized when they should have been. We won't have those kinds of problems when the Circuit Event kicks off at Harrah's St. Louis Thursday, so we ran down the entire schedule of tournaments, from no-limit hold'em to pot-limit Omaha to HORSE to the seniors event to the ladies event and the Main Event two weekends from now. In our guest segment, with the first anniversary of Black Friday coming up, we talked about the prospects for the return of online poker in the USA -- at both the federal and state levels -- with John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance. Then, Daniel Skolovy joined us to introduce you to the basics of Pot Limit Omaha, which he has been writing about for PokerListings.com. If the only poker you've played is Texas Hold'Em, here's a chance to learn the other game that is gaining in popularity, particularly here in the midwest. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio.

Today on The Final Table poker radio show, we discussed a couple of hands Dennis played in a tournament at Caesar's Palace this weekend and whether a new site that offers insurance to online players who want to cut down on variance is a good value. In our guest segment, we welcomed back Daniel Negreanu, one of the most recognizable pros in the poker world, who is in Dublin, Ireland, to take part in iSeriesLive, a 10,000-Euro buy-in winner-take-all event you can watch live online on Thursday -- and (if you're not in the US) wager on the outcome. Among the other topics we touched on with Daniel: why he doesn't regret his recent comments about Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Ray Bitar of Full Tilt Poker;why there's more anger at Full Tilt than Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet, which also haven't returned funds to players;which new event at this year's WSOP he's looking forward to;advice for WSOP Main Event rookies (like Paul);how he might sell shares of his entry into the $1,000,000 buy-in One Drop tournament at the WSOP;whether legalized intrastate poker can work if it's only in Nevada or New Jersey; whether he still wants to be on Survivor, and which of this season's contestants he couldn't stand.Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). If you want to join us at the St. Louis premiere of "All In: The Poker Movie" at Ronnie's 20 Cine on Thursday, April 19th, tweet the phrase "all in" to either @dennis_phillips or @paulharrisshow on Twitter. We'll choose five more winners next week at random. You can watch the trailer for the movie here. We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio. Also on The Final Table... Daniel Negreanu discussed encountering a cheater at the WPT Championship and his first thoughts on Epic Poker League (5/18/11) Daniel Negreanu talked about "High Stakes Poker," his friendship with Doyle Brunson, playing in the big cash game in Bobby's Room at Bellagio, and using Twitter (9/16/09) 

This week on The Final Table, we discussed Paul qualifying for the World Series Of Poker Main Event via the double shootout at Harrah's St. Louis, while Dennis talked about his road trip to the circuit event in San Diego and spring training in Phoenix. In our news segment, we analyzed the plea bargains by two more payment processors who were indicted by the Department Of Justice on Black Friday, and commented on a very moving e-mail from one of our listeners. In our guest segment, we talked with Tony G, owner of Poker News and a man who likes to verbally intimidate opponents at the table. We asked Tony to comment on how Black Friday affected his poker media business, and for his thoughts on the Full Tilt story. Tony surprised us be predicting that the Group Bernard Tapie purchase of Full Tilt Poker will be finished within the next week. He then discussed what that means for the former players getting their money back, whether they'd play on the site once it returns, and whether we'll ever see Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson in a live tournament again. Tony also had a few things to say about his feuds with Phil Hellmuth and Andrew Robl. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). If you want to join us at the St. Louis premiere of "All In: The Poker Movie" at Ronnie's 20 Cine on Thursday, April 19th, tweet the phrase "all in" to either @dennis_phillips or @paulharrisshow on Twitter. We'll choose five winners each week at random. You can watch the trailer for the movie here. We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio.

This week on The Final Table, Dennis explained what it's like to play poker in Las Vegas during March Madness, when the sports books are overflowing and a lot of loose players sit down at the tables. We also discussed this weekend's tournament at Harrah's St. Louis, where Paul finished 16th in a bigger-than-expected field. In our news segment, we talked about the bankruptcy filing of Federated Sports + Gaming, parent company of Epic Poker League and Heartland Poker Tour, and whether funds from the latter were used to prop up the former, and how it seems that the proceeds from a charity event for Disabled American Veterans were never paid to that organization. We also discussed a new poker event, iSeriesLive, where ten pros will compete in a 10,000-Euro shootout that will stream live online so that viewers can place bets on who will win, what will happen in the next hand, who will last longest, etc. (of course, none of that wagering can take place in the US, but will be available to the rest of the world). In our guest segment, we welcomed back the First Lady Of Poker, Linda Johnson, who was inducted into the Poker Hall Of Fame a few months ago. Linda explained why she got so emotional that night, and discussed her work with PokerGives.org, CardPlayer Cruises, and more. A longtime advocate for poker in all its forms, we also talked with her about Iowa and Hawaii jumping off the bandwagon for legalizing online poker, leaving Nevada just about the only state moving forward with legislation this year, while the federal government isn't even discussing it. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio. Also on The Final Table... Linda Johnson explained why poker cruises always stop the games at dinner time and what the TDA can do about deep stack tournaments that offer too much play (1/4/11)

This week on The Final Table, we caught up with Darvin Moon, the runner-up in the 2009 World Series Of Poker Main Event, who is now an ambassador for the Heartland Poker Tour and was in St. Louis for their 100th event this weekend. In addition to talking poker, Darvin offered some advice for young pros about how to handle their newfound wealth after a big tournament score. We also talked with Todd Anderson and Greg Lang, founders of the HPT, about how they started the tour seven years ago, who they target with their tournaments, and the legal mess they find themselves in since parent company Federated Sports + Gaming and Epic Poker League filed for chapter eleven bankruptcy. Also on the show, Paul explained why he laid down pocket aces pre-flop in a hold'em tournament last week, and criticized Phil Hellmuth for the rude way he acted towards poker fans who wanted to meet and play with him. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio. Also on The Final Table... Darvin Moon discussed his heads-up battle with Joe Cada at the 2009 WSOP Main Event, including how he played several hands (12/9/09)

This week on The Final Table, we discussed the Epic Poker League filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, what that means for those who played in its tournaments, whether a pros-only league was a good idea, and the fallout from its lack of sponsors and failed merger with the Heartland Poker Tour. In our guest segment, we talked with Mori Eskandani, whose company produced last year's ESPN coverage of the World Series Of Poker. He explained what's happening with plans for this year's WSOP coverage, as well as the return of his "Poker After Dark" show in reruns on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus), and the possibility of new episodes of that show and "Poker After Dark" and the "National Heads-Up Championship." Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio. Also on The Final Table... Mori Eskandani explains how he picks players for "High Stakes Poker" (February, 2009)Mori Eskandani explained the decision to replace Gabe Kaplan with Norm McDonald on "High Stakes Poker" (4/6/11)

This week on The Final Table, we discussed:a well-known pro taking an angle shot by playing with the All-In button during the Main Event of the LA Poker Classic this weekend;the return of "Poker After Dark" to late-night televisionrecent comments by a lawyer for the Bernard Tapie Group regarding its purchase of Full Tilt Poker, in response to a blog by Matt Glantz, who doubts it will ever happen;which of the presidential candidates would be most likely to sign online poker legislation;some big upcoming promotions in the Harrah's St. Louis poker room during March.In our guest segment, we talked with Will Failla, who you may have seen the last couple of Sundays on the World Poker Tour's coverage of the Legends Of Poker tournament, which he won. He talked about that event and others he's run deep in recently, and explained his strategy in a couple of big hands along the way. He also revealed how he gets other players to loosen up and give him free information at the table -- let's just say Will's not exactly shy and reserved, as you'll hear. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio. Follow us on Twitter: Dennis is here, Paul is here.

This week on The Final Table, we had a real Dog and Pony show, with stories from a WSOP Circuit Event at a Florida dog track and a HORSE champion as guest. We started with Paul recapping his weekend at the Palm Beach Kennel Club, where they had a huge sellout of Event 1 (and a near-riot of players trying to enter) which created the largest prize pool for a WSOPC preliminary event ever, and history was also made in another tournament when women took the top three spots for the first time. We also analyzed a hand I witnessed in one of the pot-limit Omaha cash games on Sunday. In our guest segment, we talked to mixed-games specialist David Bach, who just won his second Aussie Millions ring in a $2500 HORSE event to go with the bracelet he won in the $50,000 HORSE championship at the 2009 World Series Of Poker. He explained the difference in strategies between those limit games and no-limit hold'em. We also discussed his recent blog post about how TV coverage can have a negative impact on tournament play, a famous hand he played against Vanessa Rousso in the 2011 WSOP Main Event, and his reaction to Daniel Negreanu's comments about Full Tilt board members Ray Bitar, Howard Lederer, and Chris Ferguson. In our news segment, we discussed Jason Somerville's coming out announcement, the return of Jonathan Duhamel's 2010 Main Event bracelet, and why an Illinois prosecutor decided not to file charges against the players in a small-stakes home tournament. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio. Follow us on Twitter: Dennis is here, Paul is here.

This week on my Final Table poker radio show, we caught up with 2010 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel, who bounced back from a brutal home invasion in December and went on to win over a million dollars at the PCA in January. He talked about recovering from not just his physical injuries, but the mental stress he suffered from the attack, and offered advice to other players who have achieved poker success and found themselves in a world where everyone wants a piece of you. He also explained why he decided to re-buy after busting out of the $100,000 super high roller event, how his game has changed in the last year, and why he never has time to play cash games anymore. On the local front, we ran down the just-released schedule for the World Series Of Poker Circuit Event that's coming at Harrah's St. Louis in April, with ring events at both Noon and 5pm, as well as our first pot-limit Omaha championship and two re-entry events. And since Harrah's St. Louis is now running bounty tournaments on Tuesday nights, Dennis revealed the different strategies you'll need to succeed in them. In our poker news segment, we discussed an online petition to ban Full Tilt shareholders and debtors from playing in this year's World Series of Poker, a reversal of a decision last fall regarding a player banned from an Epic Poker League event, and an odd video by poker pro Brad Booth regarding Russ Hamilton and Phil Hellmuth. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis on 590 KFNS radio. Follow us on Twitter: Dennis is here, Paul is here. Also on The Final Table... Jonathan Duhamel talked about how he won the WSOP Main Event, including the Joseph Cheong "blow-up" hand and how many women propositioned him after his victory (12/1/10)Jonathan Duhamel explained how he became chip leader by exploiting the November Nine bubble (9/15/10) 

Today on the Final Table radio show, we talked with Jack Effel, tournament director of the World Series Of Poker, about the schedule he's just released for the 2012 WSOP. The biggest changes have to do with the Main Event. If you play, it won't take two full weeks to get to the final table, and if you do, you won't have to wait all the way until November to play it out. We also talked about other changes Jack has made to the WSOP, from new events like an Ante Only tournament to increasing capacity by 24% to fewer $10,000 buy-in events. He also talked about the satellite and deep stack tournaments that will take place every day. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes or click here to subscribe via Stitcher (for Android phones and other devices). We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT on 590 KFNS radio from the poker room of Harrah's St. Louis.