The World Poker Tour, and More Odds and Ends

Sponsorship, anyone? Tournament players will be pleased to learn that the World Poker Tour and the Travel Channel have agreed to a sponsorship policy change that will allow players to wear approved logos in both preliminary rounds and at final tables of the televised World Poker Tour series. The new logo policy went into effect recently at the Borgata Open at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Speaking of the WPT … We recently filmed three WPT episodes at The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California: Battle of Champions, Legends of Poker, and Ladies Night III.

Don't read this entire section if you don't want to learn who the winners were prior to watching it on television. The Battle of Champions had a 90-second "shot clock" that didn't seem to cause a problem for any of the players. Throughout the entire filming, we had to give a 30-second warning only a few times, and never had the clock run out while a player was thinking. In fact, no player ever used his one-time extension to request extra time! By the way, during the filming, I heard a new poker term muttered by Phil Laak at the final table: CDU (courtesy double up).

Congratulations to the WPT Ladies Night winner Jennifer Tilly. Tilly has proven to be quite the player, having captured first place in both the World Series of Poker ladies event and the WPT Ladies Night. I was extremely impressed with her aggressive play, and she deserved the win, in my opinion. Tilly charmed the crowd with her sense of humor and playfulness, and commented that she no longer considers herself to be an "imposter" at the poker table. When I asked her what was the best advice that her boyfriend/poker coach (Phil Laak) had ever given her, she replied that he had instructed her, "Do as I say, not as I do."

Congratulations to The Bicycle Casino on its record-setting number of entrants for the ladies event during the Legends of Poker. More than 565 women showed up for a scrumptious buffet and a night of poker. The winner, London Gallagher, earned the wild-card seat in the WPT's Ladies Night III event. It took London until 5:30 a.m. to win the event, but she was back bright-eyed and eager for her television debut. Well done, London!

North to Alaska … Well-known poker player Perry Green has not given up on his quest to get poker legalized in Alaska. Green recently appeared before the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and called the game a "worldwide phenomenon" and a potential moneymaker for Alaska's oil-dependent economy. Last year, he backed a bill to set up a state gaming commission, with the authority to license a casino in Anchorage. The bill passed the House, but not the Senate. He almost has enough signatures collected to get a bill on the ballot again this year.

Poker's popularity rises … According to the Cox News Service, poker is now the third-most-watched televised sport on cable television, trailing only auto racing and football. The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported that casino poker earnings jumped 48.3 percent to $119.6 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Bye-bye, Bourbon Street … Harrah's Entertainment purchased the Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last year and has scheduled it to be closed for good on Oct. 31. Plans for the site have not been announced.

Chip tricks, anyone? One of the coolest innovations I saw at the WSOP Lifestyle Expo was a mouse pad called PokerPadz, which allows online players to re-create the feel of playing live action while clicking their mouses at home. The mouse pad features an 8-inch-by-14-inch felt-covered soft-foam pad, edged by a vinyl bumper in the oval shape of a poker table, and it is large enough to hold a couple of stacks of chips.

PokerPadz will help online players gear up for casino play. A player can shuffle, stack, roll, and bounce his chips on the felt pad. Practicing your chip tricks at home will make your brick-and-mortar casino opponents think you have been playing live games your whole life. For more information, go to www.pokerpadz.com.

WPPC … We regret that due to a contractual conflict, Daniel Negreanu will not be able to speak at the 2005 World Poker Players Conference on Nov. 12 at Foxwoods Resort and Casino. We are pleased to announce that Robert Williamson will be added to the list of Conference speakers. There will still be plenty of great poker authorities and celebrities on hand, including Mike Caro, Mike Sexton, Barry Greenstein, Barry Tanenbaum, Mark Gregorich, Lee Jones, T.J. Cloutier, Nolan Dalla, Mark Tenner, and others. For more information, go to https://www.cardplayercruises.com/.

Katrina … As I write this column, I am sitting in front of the television, and scenes of the areas in the South destroyed by Hurricane Katrina are being flashed continuously. Seeing this complete devastation puts perspective into what bad beats really are. I know that Rick Charles, aka "The Voice of Poker," lost his entire house in the storm, but he was able to evacuate his family safely. My thoughts and good wishes go out to all of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Now, let's play poker.

Linda is available for corporate nights, seminars, and other poker events. She can be contacted through her websites at www.cardplayercruises.com or www.Lindapoker.com.