This year’s World Series of Poker is changing venues, in fact, it is moving to a different country altogether. Don’t worry US poker players. The Las Vegas-based WSOP will still be held where it is always held, in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, the World Series of Poker Europe is shifting from London’s Casino of the Empire to France where is will take place at the Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette and the Hôtel Majestic Barrière. It will take place next fall from October 7th through the 21st and the site change will make it a much bigger event than it was this past year as the next one has 75 tables, double the amount of the Casino of the Empire. This paves the way for seven bracelet events in 2011, two more than last year.

In a statement released announcing the move, Mitch Garber of Caesars Interactive Entertainment said,

“This is a unique agreement between two casino leaders with great brands. Lucien Barrière Hôtels & Casinos is a well-run organization and we are excited to work with them to access the French market with high-quality and reputable poker events both in their hotels and casinos, and online with BarrierePoker.fr.”

The change of venue is also a precursor to an exciting time for poker in France as there will be a new poker tour as well, the Barrière Poker Tour. The Barrière Poker Tour will hold tournaments beginning this April at the following cities: Toulouse, Nice, Lille, Dinard, Enghien, Trouville and Bordeaux.

Additionally, the partners will be launching WSOP.fr, a real-money online poker site available to poker players living in the country as will leverage BarrierePoker.fr. The merged site will provide online poker qualifying tournaments into the World Series of Poker Europe.

Just six weeks ago, he had a shot at poker immortality, today, he’s just another sad example of people who insist on drinking and driving. At the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, John Racener made a spectacular run, but ultimately came up short against winner Jonathan Duhamel, finishing second in this year’s big event. Just 5 weeks later, the young man from Florida was pulled over is his hometown, and was subsequently charged with driving under the influence. Even more troubling is the fact, that for Racener, this is his third such arrest since 2005 and fourth arrest overall. In 2005 and again in 2007, Racener was arrested for driving under the influence in Hillborough County. He also sports a 2009 arrest on a misdemeanor battery charge in the same county. While being caught three times, one has to assume that this is a behavior in which he has engaged in several times before.

The arrest also comes on the heels of Racener’s most recent poker accomplishment, a 4th place finish at the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic which netted him another $232,000 to go along with the $5.5 million for his Main Event showing. The winner of that tournament was Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari.

Racener’s checked past and present could have his sponsor’s thinking twice about associating themselves with him in the future. During his main event run, Racener was first seen sporting a CardRunners logo at the final table before switching it for Full Tilt Poker apparel once reaching heads-up play.

As expected, the news has created a virtual firestorm on popular poker forums such as twoplustwo.com who already had a 22-page posting about the news less than 24 hours after breaking, most of which came down quite hard on him.

For all of his successes on the live and virtual felt, it seems as though Racener is also battling some pretty powerful internal forces. He should consider himself lucky that he was caught before he could hurt himself or others through his reckless actions.

After five months of waiting and the hype machine working overtime, it is finally over except the shouting, especially if you are a friend, fan or general supporter of Jonathan Duhamel, in which case, the party is likely still raging on. Late last night, Duhamel became the first Canadian to capture the World Series of Poker Main Event crown, by consistently using his enormous chip advantage to apply the pressure against runner up, John Racener. For his victory, Duhamel earned a life-changing sum of $8.9 million dollars while his opponent did well also, walking away with $5.5 million, for his efforts.

In the last hand of the heads-up battle, the already short-stacked Racener decided to go for a much needed double up when he pushed with K-8 of diamonds. Unfortunately for him, Duhamel awoke to find Ace-Jack offsuit. The flop was 4-4-9 which did not hlp Racener at all. The 5 on the turn and the river on the 6 sealed the deal and Duhamel’s supporters went ballistic, even prompting him to crowd surf on the stage at the Pen and Teller theatre.

Following the win, sheer pandemonium ensued with confetti being blown out of cannons, much like the scene following a Super Bowl victory. Seemingly at a loss for words while being swept up in all of the excitement, in the postgame interview, all Duhamel could muster was, “Thank you to everybody for being here… Thank you to everybody. It’s so crazy right now and I don’t know what to think. Enjoy the party and it’s going to be great tonight.”

What’s up next for the latest Main Event Champ? If Joe Cada’s win last year was any indication, he can expect a full slate of interviews and visits to the late night talk show circuit. At the tables themselves, he can expect players to be gunning for him harder than before as the anonymity he once enjoyed is now a thing of the past.

This fall, award-winning documentary filmmaker Andrew Jenks will take viewers on unforgettable journeys as he captures on film a wide range of voices and personal stories in the new MTV docu-series “World Of Jenks,” premiering Monday, September 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In each episode, the 24-year-old Jenks focuses his lens and creates a bond with his subject to tell the story of one person’s life, bringing viewers closer to understanding someone else’s reality – everyone from a platinum-selling recording artist to a young homeless woman, from a pro-cheerleader to a young adult with Autism.

Free $600 Poker Bonus at Full Tilt Poker

Jenks dives wholeheartedly into twelve disparate lives and in the process pioneers a new style of storytelling for this generation of young people.

Poker fans will be interested in one particular episode where Andrew tags along with poker pro Nick Schulman during the 2010 World Series of Poker for an up-close-and-personal look at what goes on behind the scenes at the WSOP.

Jenks keeps the cameras rolling every hour, every day. Throughout the series, his experiences continuously change how he perceives and interacts with the environment around him. For Andrew Jenks’ first film, HBO’s “Room 335,” he moved into an assisted-living facility and stayed for over a month. Jenks’ second film, “The Zen of Bobby V” had him spending seven months in Japan filming American baseball manager Bobby Valentine as he managed the Chiba Lotte Marines. Praised by film critics around the world, the film premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

For a sneak peek click here:
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/540648/world-of-jenks.jhtml#id=1644240

One development that didn’t garner too many headlines leading into the World Series of Poker was a unique reward system offered to players represented online poker site UB.com at this year’s Main Event. UB.com set aside a special player pool with funds set aside to distribute to all players competing in the biggest tournament of the year. In total, 53 different players took part in the promotion which essentially paid the players just for showing up. The players were paid from a progressive prize pool that grew to $265,000 by the time the first Main Event hands were dealt. The promo was called “Show Up, Get Paid”, and was open to all of their online qualifiers. The only thing they had to do has wear the UB logo for the duration of the tournament, and they would receive money regardless of where they finished.

Just take a step and think about what this meant. The minimum any of the player would receive was $3,750. This means, it was conceivable that a player could have used player points to qualify for a Step 1 tournament, worked their way through the ranks, earned a free Main Event seat and then be guaranteed a few thousand dollars plus whatever winnings they may happen to earn. They are the only site known to have this type of agreement in place with their entire roster of WSOP qualifiers. The pay scale would increase depending on how deep of a run a player actually made.

For example, Christ Bolt, who finished 53rd for an official cash of $168,556 and 4 others cashed in the Main Event and thus were awarded an additional $20,312.50. Overall, it was a strong showing for UB.com as, in addition to the 5 online qualifiers who cashed, Team UB Pros Eric Baldwin, Brandon Cantu, Shawn Rice and Jon Friedberg all cashed in the big one.

It will be interesting if this successful poker promotion causes rivals to take notice and offer something similar in the 2011 edition.

After having survived 8 of the most grueling days of poker of their entire lives, the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event has played its way down to the final table, or more commonly known as, the November Nine. Over 7,000 players descended on Las Vegas looking for a shot at poker glory and now just a select few remain.

The final table is devoid of poker pros, except for one name, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi. The Miami native started off his WSOP with an impressive victory at the $50K Players Championship, regarded by many as the most prestigious event at the series. To bookend end it with a Main Event win would be one of the greatest achievements in the history of the game. Day 8 began with 27 hopefuls who could practically smell the final table and although chip stacks were deep, the action was hot and heavy with players looking to make some big moves and stake their claim to the final table seats awaiting them. The crowds were delighted by the action swirling around the poker room and with seemingly every card turn, cheers could be heard emanating from every corner.

The action did however slow down once 10 players remained as the contestants were quite aware of what was at stake. The ultimate bubble boy was Brandon Steven who lost a classic coin flip when his AK failed to improve against Matthew Harvis’ pocket Queens. The 9 remaining players will now have a few months to prepare themselves for what amounts to be the most lucrative sit and go of their lives with a first place payday of $8,944,138.

Below are the November 9 and their chip counts

Jonathan Duhamel – 65,975,000

John Dolan – 46,250,000

Joseph Cheong – 23,525,000

John Racener – 19,050,000

Matt Jarvis – 16,700,000

Filippo Candio – 16,400,000

Michael Mizrachi – 14,450,000

Soi Nguyen – 9,650,000

Jason Senti – 7,625,000

For 10-time WSOP bracelet winner, and former 2-time Main Event champion, his dreams of capturing an unprecedented 3rd World Champion will not becoming to fruition. Early on in day 5, Chan had the unfortunate cooler of running his pocket Kings into his opponents pocket Aces, leaving his stack completely crippled and making it all but impossible for him to have the fairytale ending poker pros had been yearning for. Instead of having enough chips for a deep run, Chan was instead fighting for his tournament life, ultimately losing the remainder of his stack when his pocket Jacks fell victim to pocket Aces once again. It was Chan’s best showing in several years though the glory would not be his.

Meanwhile, it was another popular pro who continues to steal the headlines as he remains near the top of the leaderboard. Having already captured the prestigious $50,000 Players Championship, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, is enjoying his greatest World Series of Poker in his illustrious career. Towards the end of the day, he ranked in the top 10 with over $5 Million chips, well over 200 Big Blinds, giving him plenty of room to maneuver. He is currently the odds on favorite to take down the whole tournament, capping a rollercoaster of a year for him.

By the end of the day, just 81 players remained on 9 tables and players could begin to smell a potential victory. The current chip leader is a Danish poker pro named Theo Jorgensen with over 8.45 million chips while the grinder has $7.7 million himself. These two players will be tough to beat given their experience at high stakes tournament poker.

Less than an hour ago, the cards flew up in the air ringing in day 5 of this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event with 205 players remaining from the original starting field of over 7,000. Most of the world’s best known poker pros have fallen by the wayside though a handful still remain among the throngs of amateurs taking their shot at poker immortality. Everyone still in play has already earned close to $50K apiece but the dream of greater riches is almost within site. Of the pros remaining in the field, the highlighted bold face names include 2-time main event winner and poker legend Johnny Chan, Theo Jorgensen and Brandon Cantu. In particular, Chan has ridden some stellar play throughout the top of the leaderboards since very early on.

Though long considered one of poker’s elite, Chan has been on a major drought, not capturing any bracelets since 2005. In addition to the aforementioned pros still in contention, internet sensation Bryn Kenney remains a force to be reckoned with as pro after pro fell early and often throughout a brutal day 5, including Evelyn En, Hoyt Corkins, Scotty Nguyen and Jason Mercier. Still in contention for the title are brothers Robert and Michael Mizrachi, who both met at a final table early on in this year’s series at the $50K Player’s Championship.

With 205 players remaining, here are the top 5 chip leaders at the 2010 WSOP

1 Evan Lamprea 3,564,000
2 Michael Skender 3,527,000
3 Joseph Cheong 3,357,000
4 Duy Le 3,186,000
5 Theo Jorgensen 3,088,000

9 Johnny Chan 2,259,000

With the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event in full swing in the midst of day 4, the time has come for annual consideration for whom will be considered into the 2010 Poker Hall of Fame. Last year’s nomination process was filled with controversy and heated debate as one of the leading public vote getters, Tom “Durrrr” Dwan was among the leaders. In fact, his name ended up being dropped off the ballot altogether as directors invoked the “standing the test of time” clause as the young star simply had not proven hall worthy based solely on his exploits at the nosebleed high stakes online cash games.

The official voting is now open to the public who can submit their vote at the WSOP website. Each voter is allowed only 1 vote each. The polls will be open from now until September 1st, when Harrah’s and WSOP officials will announce the public results. These finalists will not have earned induction however. Instead, the finalists will be voted upon by the 16 living Hall of Fame members and members of the poker media. At that point, the top two vote getters will be inducted during the Main Event final table in November 2010. This is a change from the past in which 75% of the official votes would need to be tallied for enshrinement. Last year’s sole new member was Mike Sexton.

Prospective inductees must adhere to a strict set of criteria, high standards if you will. Established in 1979 and reserved only for the best of the best, the Hall of Fame is reserved only for those who are true legends of the game. In addition to honoring players, the Hall of Fame also allows entry for executives and innovators who have exhibited worthy contributions to the game of poker. Players must have shown consistency for an extended time period and must have achieved a certain level of respect from their poker peers. It is common for inductees to have been professionals for 30 years or longer. You can be sure that this honor is reserved only for the most worthy.

The World Series of Poker Main Event is the crown jewel of the poker community. Every year, thousands of poker pros and amateurs make the pilgrimage to the Rio Hotel and Casino to take their shot at becoming a poker immortal. For the fortunate few who manage to succeed and win the championship, their names will live forever. Past winners generally come back for more, longing for the opportunity to feel victory once again, though the odds of them doing so are quite remote. Since Chris Moneymaker’s win effectively launched the poker boom, no other Main Event winner has even made a final table, much less recaptured the crown. One former winner in particular has decided to skip the event altogether, to the surprise of most poker pundits.

In 2008, Peter Eastgate burst onto the scene and become the youngest Main Event winner, knocking down the distinction formerly held by 10-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. The win brought Eastgate riches that previously he could only dream of attaining and the fame that went along with being a new ambassador of the game.

Now, just 20 months later, Eastgate has announced he will be taking an extended break from the game, citing a loss of motivation for the game. In a statement, Eastgate said,

“In the 20 months following my WSOP win, I feel that I have lost my motivation for playing high-level poker along the way and I have decided that now is the time to find out what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

This seems like a rather mature decision as many players would keep chugging along and likely ruin their bankroll along the way. He is grateful however, for the opportunities that his poker playing has opened up to him. He said,

“The period following [my WSOP victory] has taken me on a worldwide tour, where I have seen some amazing places and met many new people; it has been a great experience.”

Eastgate followed up his Main Event win with an astounding 68th place run at last year’s finale, one of the most impressive back to back runs in history.