February 09 2012, Brett Collson

If you like good fodder for debate, this Nightly Turbo is just for you. Online poker was among the topics discussed during a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on Thursday, and a gambling legend stated in an interview that sports betting takes more skill than playing poker. Read on to find out more.

In Case You Missed It

The 2012 World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix reached a final table on Thursday. Andrea Dato made his second straight final table at WPT Venice and is leading the way heading into the final day.

The Global Poker Index didn’t see any change in the top 10 this week. Vadzim Kursevich made the biggest jump in the rankings after his victory at the EPT Deauville Main Event.

Need a new book to read at the tables? Check out our review of Crushing the Microstakes by Nathan “BlackRain79” Williams.

Plans for a Vegas-style casino complex in Miami, Florida, were put on hold last week. Inside Gaming has the details on why the vote on a required bill was postponed for at least a year.

Quinn Sivage joined the Strategy with Kristy podcast this week. Sivage discussed using statistics for optimal preflop strategy in six-max no-limit hold’em games.

Poker vs. Sports Betting

Which activity involves more skill: poker or sports betting?

We’re pretty sure we know your answer. But renowned sports bettor Billy Walters disagrees.

In an interview with Covers.com this week, Walters argued that sports betting should be included with skill games like poker in discussions about legalizing online gaming. Walters, who has allegedly won hundreds of millions wagering on sports contests, says that sports betting is a more skillful form of gambling than poker.

“I used to be a professional poker player,” Walters said, “and, they’re right, if you’re a good poker player, it’s a game of skill. Well, betting sports is much more of a game of skill than poker. I’m living proof that betting sports is a game of skill. I’ve won 37 years in a row. If that’s not a skill, then I don’t know what is.”

We’re curious to know what poker player and highly regarded NBA bettor Haralabos Voulgaris thinks about this. Paging Haralabob…

What are your thoughts? Be sure to leave them in the comments section below.

Senate Revisits Online Gaming

On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing entitled, “The U.S. Department of Justice Opinion on Internet Gaming: What’s at Stake for Tribes?” The hearing focused on the how the DOJ’s new interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act will affect the gaming interests of Indian tribes.

Thursday’s list of witnesses included Poker Players Alliance Litigation Support Director Patrick Fleming, who was speaking on behalf of poker players. During his testimony, Fleming stated clearly that online poker is very different than online gambling. He also said that Indian tribes are very important to the potential legalization and regulation of online poker, and that Internet poker can help bring patrons to land-based Indian casinos.

Stay tuned to PokerNews for a detailed recap of the oversight hearing.

Shoryuken!

Randy “nanonoko” Lew is a legend – and a Guinness World Record Holder – in the realm of online poker. However, Lew first made a name for himself on the video game scene, where he played Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on the national circuit throughout his time at college.

It appears Lew misses his college days. Terribly. The Team PokerStars Pro is auditioning for a new Internet reality show called Cross Assault, where contestants compete against each other in Capcom’s new game Street Fighter X Tekken. Take a look at Lew’s hilarious audition tape:

Get the Inside Shuffle

If you’re looking for another place to get reliable poker news, we recommend checking out the Inside Shuffle over at PokerWorks.com. The Inside Shuffle runs every Monday and Thursday and brings readers up to date on everything from poker politics, to business ventures, to tournament results from around the globe.

We like to think of the Inside Shuffle as the younger sibling of the Nightly Turbo, only without the constant bickering and abuse.

Check it out at PokerWorks.com!

“This is just a Bad Copy of the Venetian in Las Vegas”

You can’t ride your bike on the Venetian Lagoon, so Tony G was forced to take a Gondola ride to the Casino Di Venezia for the World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix.

As you’ll see below, he wasn’t impressed. And his new personal assistant took the brunt of the blame.

Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

Follow Brett Collson on

February 09 2012, Brett Collson

The penultimate day of the 2012 World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix began with nine players attempting to reach the televised six-handed final table. The rapid play during the first two days in Venice resulted in the 155-player field being whittled down to 27, and only nine survived a shortened Day 3. Simon Ravnsbaek held a slight chip lead over Alessandro Longobardi and Andrea Dato, and American poker pro Jason Wheeler wasn’t far behind the leaders.

Day 4 began with two short stacks hanging on with less than 20 big blinds. Massimo Mosele entered the day with 163,000 chips, just over 15 big blinds, but his afternoon at the table lasted just two hands. The WPT Live Updates team reported that Mosele’s stack was carved down to just 109,000 before he moved all-in with and was called by Dato, who tabled . The board came up empty for Mosele, and he exited in ninth place with “13,795.

The other short stack, Rinat Bogdanov, fared much better. After starting the day with 201,000, Bogdanov was able to increase his stack early on and then got involved in preflop battle with Jeremie Sochet. According to the WPT Live Updates team, Bogdanov opened to 27,000 in the cutoff (blinds 6,000/12,000) and Sochet moved all-in for 94,000 more from the small blind. Bogdanov made the call, and the cards went on their backs.

Sochet:
Bogdanov

Sochet was poised for a double up, but the board gave Bogdanov trip kings to send Sochet to the rail in eighth place for “19,055.

That left Wheeler as the short stack on the final table bubble. Despite adding some chips to his stack by moving all-in and putting pressure on the rest of the table, Wheeler’s impressive run ended at the flip of a coin in Level 22. With the blinds increased to 8,000/16,000, Dato raised to 33,000 from the hijack. Andrea Carini three-bet to 85,000 from the cutoff and Wheeler four-bet shoved for 436,000 from the blinds. Dato made the call, which prompted a fold from Carini, and Wheeler’s was left flipping against Dato’s . The board brought no help to Wheeler, who made a disappointing walk to the cashier to collect his “25,625 prize for seventh place.

Dato ended the day as the chip leader 1,591,000. What makes his accomplishment most impressive is that it marks his second straight final table at WPT Venice. He took fourth place at the WPT Venice event last December for $56,822, and will seek to improve on that result when the final table commences on Friday. First place in this event is worth “229,800, which includes a seat to the WPT World Championship at Bellagio in May.

Chasing Dato on Friday will be Ravnsbaek, who also reached his second career WPT televised final table – he made the final six at WPT Vienna last year. Ravnsbaek will take 922,000 chips to the final table and, fortunately for him, will have position on the chip leader for the remainder of the tournament.

The final is set to get under way at 1400 CET (0500 PST) on Friday as the final six play down to a champion. Here’s a look at the seat draw when play resumes:

World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix Final Table Seat Draw

For more on the WPT Venice Grand Prix, be sure to visit the PartyPoker Blog to see what Tony G and Mike Sexton have to say from the Casino Di Venezia.

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today!

*Photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour.

Follow Brett Collson on