A number of the top names at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) have taken shock early exits.

The ten-time tour winners Phil Hellmuth and Doyle Brunson were among the big names to leave the arena early this weekend.

Hellmuth blamed his exit after only six hours of play on Saturday on “horrendous, horrendous luck”, while Brunson said that he was happy with the way he had played despite heading home just five hours later.

“It never feels good to go out,” commented Brunson.

“But at some point, you’ve got to try to win some pots. If you don’t, you’re just wasting your time, so that’s what I did.”

With the 8,000 strong competition playing host to a variety of unpredictable amateur players, it is not always easy for the top performers to make their class tell in the early stages.

“Some guys are so bad, it’s not even Texas Hold ‘Em,” Hellmuth said.

Play on the final table is set to commence on August 10th, but there will no doubt be a few more high-profile casualties before that date arrives!

A new poker documentary is gathering together much interest at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP).

The documentary, No Limit: A Search For The American Dream On The Poker Tournament Trail, charts the journey of two single parents on the high-stakes poker trial.

It has already gathered much interest at this year’s WSOP and the media are dubbing it the ‘mother of all poker docs’. In the film, producer Susan Genard charts the high and lows of the high-stakes poker world in an eight month journey.

The film is due to premiere at the Las Vegas Palms Resort and is already gathering interest on the national film festival circuit.

Among the famous poker stars which are covered in the “pokermentary” are Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Kathy Liebert, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker and Scotty Nguyen.

Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson has augmented her talents further with the launch of a new poker site.

Anderson has joined forces with poker legend Doyle Brunson to bring the internet gaming world PamelaPoker.com.

The site will operate under the Doyle Brunson Poker Network and offer all the exciting games fans have come to expect from Brunson, specifically hold’em, Omaha, stud, and badugi, CardPlayer.com reports.

Anderson and Brunson announced their new partnership at the WSOP in Rio, hosting a mock wedding press conference in reference to Pammy’s upcoming nuptials with the singer Kid Rock.

The actress and model likened the partnership with the former World Poker Series champion to her work with Hugh Hefner, who first catapulted the blonde to fame through his Playboy magazine.

Anderson explained that both men were at the top of their game and she only works with the best.

“If you’re going to do it, do it right and go straight to the top,” she said.

“It was very exciting when we got the word that we could do business with Pamela,” added Brunson. “Obviously, everyone is impressed with Pam that meets Pam. We’re really thrilled about it.”

Two of the top names in the poker industry have joined the board of directors for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

Both Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer and Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson will join the not-for-profit organization, according to reports.

The PPA aims to promote the game of poker both domestically and internationally as well as maintaining its integrity and protecting it from too much government intervention.

Chris Feguson said: “The Poker Players Alliance’s mission to defend the integrity of poker makes the organization so critical in defeating attacks by congress and others.

“I look forward to becoming more involved in educating the public and lawmakers about our great game of poker and working to ensure that this American tradition is protected.”

Another poker pro who turned his hand to PPA management is Howard ‘The Professor’ Lederer who joined the board of directors just last month.

Michael Bolcerek, the president of the PPA, was upbeat about the appointments and the impact they would have on the 29,000 strong organization.

He said: “They are great ambassadors of the game and their reputations as poker professionals will provide the PPA with a wealth of knowledge and commitment as we continue to promote and protect poker.”

The WSOP’s youngest ever bracelet winner notched up his second victory over the weekend.

Jeff Madsen, just 21-years-of-age, won first prize at the $5,000 Short Handed No-Limit Hold’Em tournament on Saturday at the Amazon Room, reports PokerNews.com.

The young star, who scooped $643,381 for the victory, beat off final table competition from Tony Woods, Brits Jonathan Gaskell and Paul Foltyon, “Captain” Tom Franklin and Erick Lindgren.

Madsen started the final table seriously short-stacked at just $201,000, with chip leader Gaskell holding $727,000, but finished Lindgren off in the final heads up confrontation.

Madsen has now made three final tables this year, amassing some $1.4 million, putting him top of the table in the 2006 WSOP Player of the Year rankings.

Poker fans can now look forward to the $10,000 championship event set to get underway this weekend.

US gambling sites are set to pay increasingly close attention to bills proposing a ban on internet casinos.

The Goodlatte and Leach bills, which propose the ban, have recently caused a stir in the internet gambling community by becoming increasingly hot topics in governmental debates.

According to Online Casino Reports, the laws were recently given primary approval by the House of Representatives, which has come as a shock to many firms.

Should the two bills become law, as now seems possible, firms based in the US will have to make big decisions regarding how best to carry on offering their services to their thousands of customers.

The implementation of these new laws would make online casino gambling illegal in the US, leaving a large number of firms and millions of customers in the lurch.

European and offshore companies could be set to benefit hugely from new custom if the laws are passed.

World Series of Poker events seem to come in two very different forms these days.

According to Poker News, it is still possible to find events on the WSOP close to the traditional ‘pure’ poker experience, which were the mainstay of the series in its early years.

A recent $5,000 seven card stud WSOP event in Las Vegas was reminiscent of this old style of events, with a small group of 182 players, mostly well versed in their opponents’ games, battling it out for the prize.

In contrast, this week’s $1,500 no limit WSOP event demonstrated how large and impersonal many of these tournaments have become.

Some 2,126 players entered the event, with very few big names making it to the final table, as luck and stamina become as important as knowing your opponent.

The contrasting games are evidence, if it was needed, that the world of competitive poker is alive and well, whichever form of the game you enjoy.

The on-off saga of Louisiana’s proposed casino boat has finally come to an end with the announcement that the development will now go ahead.

After weeks of negotiations, parishioners in St Mary’s district, Louisiana, have given their approval for a casino boat to be relocated in the area.

The boat, which was originally located at a New Orleans berth, was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. As a result, town officials suggested the casino boat could be relocated to a berth on the eastern side of the city at Bayou Boeuf in Amelia.

And following weeks of wrangling, state gaming officials have now given the go-ahead after a local vote saw 65 per cent of residents approve the move.

The newly named Belle of Amelia (formally the Belle of New Orleans) managed to convince 5,163 local residents in the voting process – it is expected to bring jobs and revenue to the area.

Poker pro David Reese has won this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Horse event, netting himself $1.8 million in the process.

The event, which was held at the Rio All Suite Casino & Hotel, had a $50,000 buy-in and attracted 143 players in total.

Reese was pleased with his win saying: “It was anybody’s ballgame, but I won the match. It was special to win because all my friends wanted to win it too.”

The final table of the event lasted for 12 hours and included nine pros battling it out for the spoils.

Interestingly the final two competitors, David Reese and Andy Bloch, played for a record breaking seven hours and ten minutes of heads-up play to decide the ultimate winner – the previous heads-up time record was established in the 1983 WSOP.

Other notable pros who took part in the final table included two-time world champion Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Jim Bechtel.

The 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is notable for the astounding consistency of one of its players, according to reports.

Juan Carlos Mortensen, or “The Matador”, has had three consecutive top ten finishes in the WSOP, reports onlinegamblinginsider.com.

Despite not yet winning a WSOP bracelet, Mortensen has finished ninth twice and tenth once in three consecutive No-Limit Hold’em events – an impressive level of consistency given that over 1,000 players regularly take part in these tournaments.

Some of the players to break through and win their first ever bracelets in this year’s WSOP are Rafe Furst, Lee Watkinson, Max Pescatori, Mark Vos and David Williams.

InterPoker is offering its customers a chance to win seats at a number of the WSOP events being held all month at the Rio in Las Vegas.