October 16 2012, Brett Collson

Looking for the day’s top poker stories? You’ve come to the right place. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we’re covering a new member of Team PokerStars Online, talks of a $50,000 boxing match between Shaun Deeb and Richard Ashby, and more.

In Case You Missed It

Daniel Negreanu tackled The Lederer Files in his latest rant on Monday. Rich Ryan touched on that topic and more in his Five Thoughts piece.

PokerStars is working on remodeling its software. PokerNews’ Chad Holloway recently got a first look at the new client during a presentation by Lee Jones.

Two members of the PokerNews team battled it out for the EPT Sanremo Media Event title. Who took it down? Chad Holloway provides a recap in The Muck.

Take A Guess

PokerStars is preparing to announce a new member of its Team Online roster. But before the new pro is unveiled, PokerStars is giving customers a chance to cash in on a promotion tied to the introduction.

If you can guess who is joining Team Online this week, you will be entered into a drawing for a $50 prize added your PokerStars account. Up to 50 winners have a shot at the $2,500 in cash prizes. Here’s how to qualify:

• Step 1: Go to Team Online’s Twitter page.
• Step 2: Follow @PSTeamOnline on Twitter.
• Step 3: Tweet your guess on who is the newest Team Online member to @PSTeamOnline using the hashtag #GuessTeamOnline in the following format: I’m (insert PS Username here) on @PokerStars, and I think the new @PSTeamOnline member is (Insert the PS Username or Real Name of your guess here) #GuessTeamOnline

You can only guess once, so be sure to make it count (Don’t guess Viktor Blom). And if you need some help, PokerStars is giving away one clue per day. The first clue comes from Team Online’s Randy “nanonoko” Lew:

Keep an eye on more clues at the PokerStars Blog.

Shaun the Boxer?

For whatever reason, poker players are drawn to the boxing ring. In the past we’ve seen Theo Jorgensen battle Gus Hansen, Lex Veldhuis take on Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, and Liv Boeree traded punches with Melissa Castello.

Now, Shaun Deeb is contemplating a fight against fellow high-stakes poker pro Richard “Chufty” Ashby.

Deeb tweeted over the weekend that Ashby wants to duke it out for a $50,000 purse. Deeb, who plays massive cash games with pots sometimes growing larger than $50K, looks at the opportunity as incentive to work out. “Could be fun way to get in some kind of shape besides round,” he wrote.

Deeb has a history of indecisiveness (see: 2009 poker retirement), so we’re not holding our breath on this one. But we’re certainly rooting for it to happen purely for the entertainment value.

Tomaž Kogovšek Wins WPT National Series Vienna

A winner was crowned at the “1,100 World Poker Tour National Series Main Event in Vienna on Tuesday. Young Slovenian Tomaž Kogovšek began the final table as the chip leader and carried that momentum all the way to his first WPT National title, picking up “60,600 in the process.

After dominating most of the final table, Kogovšek began heads-up play with a sizable lead over Thomas Mühlöcker. The two battled for a short time before Mühlöcker got his short stack all-in preflop with against Kogovšek’s . Mühlöcker was poised for a double, but the flop sent Kogovšek into the lead. The on the turn gave Mühlöcker a few more outs to a higher two pair, but the on the river sealed the deal for Kogovšek, who celebrated with friends after the victory.

Here’s a look at the final table results of the 2012 World Poker Tour National Series Vienna Main Event:

Photo courtesy of Poker770.com.

William Hill Takeover

Gambling firms Sportingbet and William Hill have reportedly agreed on terms for William Hill to take over its rival online bookmaker.

According to BBC News, William Hill sweetened an offer to buy the company for £530 million, 20 percent higher than the offer made last month. If true, the proposed deal would be subject to agreement on certain terms and conditions.

Under the agreement, William Hill, Britain’s largest bookmaker, would acquire Sportingbet’s operations in Australia and Spain, where gambling is regulated. GVC Holdings, William Hill’s partner in the deal, would take Sportingbet’s businesses in other parts of the world where regulatory laws are vague.

Sportingbet owns Paradise Poker, the once popular U.S.-facing poker site which exited that market in 2006. Paradise Poker now resides on the International Poker Network, while William Hill’s poker offering runs on the iPoker Network.

BBC News has more.

WSOP on ESPN

ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker continues Tuesday night with more action from Day 7 of the Main Event. The broadcast begins at 9:10 p.m. ET and will focus on the remaining 22 players battling for a spot at the final table.

When the broadcast begins, the energetic Rob Salaburu will be leading the way with 23,155,000 in chips. Among the remaining contenders in the field are Greg Merson, Jesse Sylvia, and Paul Volpe. Also in the field are Elisabeth Hille and Gaelle Baumann, who are both looking to become the first female to make the final table since 1995.

The coverage will also feature 21-year-old Jake Balsiger, who aims to overtake Joe Cada as the youngest player ever to win the WSOP Main Event. Here’s a teaser of tonight’s broadcast:

For more on tonight’s ESPN coverage, check out the story at WSOP.com.

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