Poker buff and EMMY award winning talk show host Montel Williams has devised a new poker TV show format, called "International Team Poker League", which their press release claims will revolutionize poker on television in 2009, as the show will combine poker with reality television.

The show, starting with satellite tournaments in March and to be televised from November this year, will combine fast-paced No Limit Texas Hold'em (NLTH) games with 'reality TV' style segments about the players.

Creator, commissioner, and CEO of ITPL, Montel Williams comments, "I love poker - it's a game that has everything, played by kings and leaders and regular joes alike. It crosses boundaries and borders, now, thanks to technology and the internet, a global phenomenon that brings people of different ethnicities and origin together around the world."

He added, "It is truly international, and the time is right for the International Team Poker League to take poker to a new level and a wider audience."
In a similar format to familiar talent shows, the series will begin with a selection process through regular NLTH satellite tournaments in both land-based casinos and online poker sites. Entrants play to win entry into a three-day Draft Pool Seeding Tournament at a Las Vegas host casino at which the leading players will be selected into six teams, before fighting it out to build chip stacks for the final one-day SuperTable team event.

The six winners will become the ITPL Team for the season, and will be filmed as they live the Poker lifestyle, play the Pros and possibly find celebrity for themselves.

The Asian Poker Tour is heading to the Philippines this week to get started on another season. With the help of PartyPoker, 22 online poker players will be joining in the festivities as well, including playing in the $2,700 main event.

"Some of the players who qualified for the Asian Poker Tour only invested a few dollars to secure their thriller in Manila," said a PartyPoker spokesman. "Last year, plenty of the online qualifiers ended up in the money, so we'll be looking for a repeat performance or better."

The 22 players won their way to the APT Philippines via online qualifiers at PartyPoker. Their prize packages are worth $6,000 and include the buy-in for the main event, accommodation at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel, and $2,500 in spending money.

The online qualifiers will also get to take in some of the parties taking place during the APT series. One event that promises to be "tastefully wild" is the FHM player's party on Jan. 31. FHM will bring cover models to act as hosts at the party, and afterward, FHM will have party buses available to take players around Manila's hotspots.

Leading the charge for the PartyPoker players is Irish Poker Championship winner Rory Reese Brennan. The Dubliner plus the bevy of online qualifiers from around the world will hit the main event when it begins Thursday in Manila.

While the online qualifiers are living the live poker tournament life in the Philippines, PartyPoker still has loads of action to offer its players online. Feb. 1 will be the first Monthly Million at the online poker room, offering players a $1 million guaranteed event.

The buy-in for the Monthly Million is $600+$40, and it will take place at 5:45 p.m. GMT. There are also diverse qualifiers for players to win their way into the Monthly Million for as little as $1.

For more information about the poker site, check out the Party Poker room review and get signed up to play today.

Well the WSOP 2009 has finally been released as expected there is a four month delay for the Final Table which will be played in November as was the case last year.

News is that there will be no rebuys but there will be two extra events.

The WSOP 2009 Schedule is:

Event Number Date, Time Tournament Buy-in

• 1 May 27, noon Casino Employees Event no-limit hold 'em (two-day event) $500
• 2 May 28, noon 40th annual no-limit hold 'em (four-day event) $40,000
• 3 May 29, noon Omaha high-low split eight or better (three-day event) $1,500
• 4 May 30, noon No-limit hold 'em (four-day event) $1,000
• 5 June 1, noon Pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $1,500
• 6 June 1, 5 p.m. World Championship seven-card stud (three-day event) $10,000
• 7 June 2, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 8 June 2, 5 p.m. 2-7 draw lowball (three-day event) $2,500
• 9 June 3, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 10 June 3, 5 p.m. Pot-limit Omaha/hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500
• 11 June 4, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,000
• 12 June 4, 5 p.m. World Championship mixed event (three-day event) $10,000
• 13 June 5, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500
• 14 June 5, 5 p.m. Six-handed limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500
• 15 June 6, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $5,000
• 16 June 6, 5 p.m. Seven-card stud (three day-event) $1,500
• 17 June 7, noon Ladies no-limit World Championship (three day-event) $1,000
• 18 June 7, 5 p.m. World Championship Omaha high-low split (three day-event) $10,000
• 19 June 8, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em $2,500
• 20 June 9, noon Pot-limit hold 'em $1,500
• 21 June 9, 5 p.m. HORSE (three-day event) $3,000
• 22 June 10, noon No-limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $1,500
• 23 June 10, 5 p.m. World Championship 2-7 draw lowball (three-day event) $10,000
• 24 June 11, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 25 June 11, 5 p.m. Omaha/seven-card stud high-low $2,500
• 26 June 12, noon Limit hold 'em $1,500
• 27 June 12, 5 p.m. Pot-limit Omaha high-low split $5,000
• 28 June 13, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 29 June 13, 5 p.m. World Championship heads-up (three-day event) $10,000
• 30 June 14, noon Pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $2,500
• 31 June 14, 5 p.m. HORSE (three-day event) $1,500
• 32 June 15, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,000
• 33 June 15, 5 p.m. World Championship limit hold 'em (three-day event) $10,000
• 34 June 16, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 35 June 17, noon Pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $5,000
• 36 June 18, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,000
• 37 June 18, 5 p.m. World Championship seven-card stud high-low split (three-day event) $10,000 TBA
• 38 June 19, noon Limit hold 'em $2,000
• 39 June 20, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 40 June 20, 5 p.m. World Championship pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $10,000
• 41 June 21, noon No-limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $5,000
• 42 June 21 , 5 p.m. Mixed event (three-day event) $2,500
• 43 June 22, noon Seniors World Championship (three-day event) $1,000
• 44 June 22, 5 p.m. Razz (three-day event) $2,500
• 45 June 23, noon World Championship pot-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $10,000
• 46 June 23, 5 p.m. Omaha high-low split $2,500 TBA
• 47 June 24, noon Mixed hold 'em (limit/no-limit, three-day event) $2,500
• 48 June 25, noon Pot-limit Omaha high-low split (three-day event) $1,500
• 49 June 26, noon World Championship HORSE (five-day event) $50,000
• 50 June 26, 5 p.m. Limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $1,500
• 51 June 27, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 52 June 28, noon Triple chance no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $3,000 TBA
• 53 June 28, 5 p.m. Seven-card stud high-low (three-day event) $1,500
• 54 June 29, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
• 55 June 29, 5 p.m. 2-7 triple draw lowball (three-day event) $2,500
• 56 June 30, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $5,000
• 57 July 3 -- July 15 No-limit hold 'em main event $10,000

For further WSOP News check out LTDPoker's Online Poker News and see what online satelites are being played for the WSOP.

Here's something that the online poker community will be shouting about. New research confirms that multi millionaires including professional online poker players make better lovers! A controversial study claims that a woman finds lovemaking more fulfilling if her partner is wealthy, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

It seems that every week there is a new millionaire in the world of poker and this week will be no exception with some lucky man or woman walking off with a cool million dollars at the 2009 Aussie Millions.

While there are plenty of millionaire pros taking part in this week's Aussie Millions final, we could have a new millionaire crowned and that person - assuming it's a male - will likely have his sexual prowess enhanced as a result.

That study already proves my own findings: money, status and success remain a key ingredient in sexual attraction for females.

The researchers found several factors influenced the women's enjoyment of sex. However, one of the biggest turned out to be the income of their partner.

'We found that increasing partner income had a highly positive effect on women's self-reported frequency of orgasms,' Dr Pollet said in  the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour.

So ladies, if you want to achieve more orgasms, find yourself a professional poker player - one who has made it into the millions.

More Aussie Millions News | Meet the Poker Players | Live Poker Dating Evening

The 2008 European Poker Awards were handed out last week at the Aviation Club in Paris, to cap off what has been a fantastic year for European poker players. From dominating the WSOP both in Vegas and Europe to making waves online, European players have been making headlines for the whole of last year

Peter Eastgate was naturally honored with the Tournament Performance of the Year Award for wrestling the WSOP Main Event Bracelet from Ivan Demidov. But Demidov did not go empty handed: his unprecedented top 3 places in both Vegas and European WSOP Main Events earned him the Rookie of the Year Award.

Marcel Luske, who has twice taken the Player of the Year Award, was honored this year for his Lifetime Achievement, both for his poker prowess and for his excellent presence as ambassador of the game. There was fierce competition for the Europe’s Leading Lady Award, with players of the caliber of Isabel Mercier, Kara Scott and Annette Obrestad among the nominees; the award ultimately went to German player Sandra Naujoks for her dominating performances at the EPT and CAPT.

Finally, the Player of the Year award was hotly contested among poker greats such as Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier, David Benyamine, Andreas Krause and Marty Smyth. But there can only be one winner, and this year it was Grospelier, whose wins in the WPT and the Bahamas singled him out as the top European Player of 2008.

Most notable tournament performance of the year:
Nominations:
• Neil Channing ( England)
• David Benyamine(France)
• Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier(France)
• Marty Smyth ( Ireland)
• Jesper Hougard (Denmark)
• Stefan Ruthenberg (Germany)
• Peter Eastgate (Denmark)
Winner: Peter Eastgate (Denmark)

Europe’s Leading Lady:
Nominations:
• Sandra Naujoks (Germany)
• Isabel Mercier (France/Canada)
• Kara Scott ( England)
• Annette Obrestad (Norway)
• Svetlana Gromenkova (Russia)
Winner: Sandra Naujoks (Germany)

Rookie of the Year:
Nominations:
• Stephen Chidwick ( England)
• Ivan Demidov ( Russia)
• Davidi Kitai ( Belgium)
• Jesper Hougard ( Denmark)
• Stefan Ruthenberg ( Germany)
• Alexander Kostritsyn (Russia)
Winner: Ivan Demidov ( Russia)

Lifetime achievement award:
Winner: Marcel Lüske

Rob Gardner Award for Innovation:
Winner: Rob Yong

 See the nominations and winners for the Player of the year award and the casino staff award

The 2008 European Poker Awards were handed out last week at the Aviation Club in Paris, to cap off what has been a fantastic year for European poker players. From dominating the WSOP both in Vegas and Europe to making waves online, European players have been making headlines for the whole of last year.

Finally, the Player of the Year award was hotly contested among poker greats such as Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier, David Benyamine, Andreas Krause and Marty Smyth. But there can only be one winner, and this year it was Grospelier, whose wins in the WPT and the Bahamas singled him out as the top European Player of 2008.

Player of the Year:
Nominations:
• Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier (France)
• David Benyamine (France)
• Andreas Krause ( Germany)
• Marty Smyth (Ireland)
• Neil Channing (England)
Winner: Bertrand “Elky” Grospelier (France)

Congratulations from LiveThe Dream's Online Poker Community

You will often hear bad online poker players comenting that online poker sites are fixed simply because the amount of high cards, bad beats etc.. are too frequent to be randomly selected. However as we all know this will seem the case simply becasue of the volume of hands  being played are so much greater than in a game of live poker.
 
The clever men in white coats have come up with an answer! Founder and CEO of Gioia Gaming Systems, Gene Gioia, has been recognised by the awarding body for his Cut N’ Shuffle and Game Check products. These revolutionary new programs allow players to actually cut, shuffle and deal their own deck of cards in an online casino.

GGS thinks that it can make a revolutionary impact on online poker. More and more people find themselves mistrusting online poker sites. While many of them are simply blaming their own bad play on conspiracy theories or failing to understand the ups and downs of poker, it is worrying that so many are taken in.

Gene Gioia’s new system will put an end to this – if players can see the deck being shuffled, cut and dealt (as they would in a friendly home game) then hopefully they will be reassured at the integrity of their favourite online poker site.

Tom Dwan may have started out his path to notoriety known only as "durrrr", a FullTilt Poker player who just continued to outshine opponent after opponent at table after table in tournament after tournament. Now the proven online poker champ has put out the call to all players online and off, amateur and pro, to try and best him in a 4-table, 50,000-hand, $200/$400 minimum, heads-up match.

So far, four players have taken Dwan up on his challenge, all three among the most familiar names in the high-rolling poker world, online and off:
1. Phil Ivey
2. Patrik Antonious
3. David Benyamine
4. Barry Greenstein (the philanthropist who donates all his winnings--presumably included those potentially forthcoming here, to charity)
If all three of these pros come out on top, Dwan stands to lose, at this point, $6 million.

 The challenge: 3-to-1 odds, any opponent's $500,000 to Dwan's $1.5 million.
That means Dwan is so confident of his win that he's willing to offer $1 million free to anyone who can beat him.

Although FullTilt Poker has not yet been announced as the venue for these matches, there is little doubt that it will wind up being the chosen host. It's only right. After all, if it weren't for FullTiltPoker, Tom "durrrr" Dwan may not be in a position to make such a million-dollar challenge.

According to a customer service e-mail received on Wednesday, Playboy Gaming, the parent company of online poker room Playboy Poker, will shut its doors on January 29th. The e-mail read, in part, “I can confirm that Playboy Gaming will no longer have a poker site and will not be moving to another network.” Poker News Daily has also confirmed the news with CryptoLogic, the network Playboy Poker belongs to.

No mention of a shut down is given on Playboy Poker’s website at the time of writing. Playboy Poker is a site on the CryptoLogic Network and has no plans to head to another group of sites. Other CryptoLogic rooms include Interpoker, Betsafe.

In 2007, Playboy Gaming added an online casino to its suite of offerings. Its Rewards Club is one of the major features that separates Playboy Poker from its competition. The site offers a variety of experiences that can be purchased with player points, including lunch with Playboy Playmates and Bunnies, a party at the Playboy Mansion in California, and a trip to the Playboy Club in Las Vegas. Playboy merchandise and poker paraphernalia are also available. The site takes its name from the popular magazine and adult film company founded by Hugh Hefner. It is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “PLA.”

If you have been playing at Playboy Poker online and need a new online poker room make sure you check out our top online poker rooms