February 16 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

We’re not sure how it happened, but it’s already Wednesday, and the only thing we can hope for is that the remaining two days of this work week go as fast as the first two. In tonight’s Nightly Turbo, we’ve got the results from the World Poker Tour National Series in Paris, the details on the Team PokerStars Challengers, and more.

In Case You Missed It

The 10th Annual European Poker Awards were held Sunday night at the Queenie Club in Paris. Want to know who took home a trophy? Check out our EPA recap.

The World Series of Poker Circuit Tunica stop finished up Tuesday night, and a winner was crowned. Find out how Sam Barnhart navigated his way through the final table in our WSOP-C recap.

While at the WSOP-C in Tunica, Mississippi, we caught up with one of the players trying to qualify for a seat in the National Championship $1 Million Freeroll. Check out the latest PokerNews Interview, to find out more on Chris Tryba and his Circuit grind.

While the Poker Players Alliance didn’t lobby to get the intrastate Internet gambling legislation passed in New Jersey, it will be there if the bill becomes law. Read what PPA executive director John Pappas has to say about the PPA’s role in New Jersey.

*Photo courtesy of the PartyPoker Blog

From Russia, With Love

No, Natalia Nikitina is not the newest Bond girl, she took down the World Poker Tour National Series Euro Finals of Poker Diamond Championship early Wednesday morning. Nikitina was the last woman standing at the end of play, besting the 188-player field, taking home €243,830.

Nikitina battled Alexandre Brivot heads up, with the chip lead transferring hands a number of times before Brivot moved all in with king-jack and was called by Nikitina. Nikitina’s ace-three held and all the chips were pushed her way.

“That was a long and hard contest,” she said shortly after her first live major tournament win, “Three hours before the end I was actually finding it hard to stay awake and keep concentrating on my game but I am delighted to win. I am going to celebrate by buying a BMW 6 Series,” she said shortly after her win.

Sam Trickett, who has had a stellar year so far, was part of the final table, finishing in sixth place, good for €43,545.

Final Table Results

1. Natalia Nikitina – €243,830
2. Alexandre Brivot – €174,170
3. Jean-Louis Tepper – €113,210
4. Benjamin Pollak – €69,670
5. Tobias Wagner – €52,250
6. Sam Trickett – €43,545
7. Ingo Paulus – €34,835
8. Nicolo Calia – €26,120

Head on over to the PartyPoker Blog for more, including an interview with Nikitina.

Team PokerStars Challengers

While we’d like to say we stumbled across the Team PokerStars Challengers while playing online it wouldn’t be accurate, because these guys are playing higher than our $.05/$.10 bankroll will allow us to. We came across a thread on TwoPlusTwo titled, New “team pokerstars pro’ [challenger] ?? and we decided to do a little investigative work. After an email or two to our sources, we’ve figured it out.

Team PokerStars Challengers are three players from Greece, George Kapalas (gkap13), Alexis Zervos (J0hnny_Dr@m@), and Stavros Kalfas (IDOLLS). The Challengers, who will be gradually introduced over the next few months, are professional players who are well known in their local market by their performances online and on the European tournament circuit.

The three have agreed to take on a challenge to determine which one of them is going to be the best overall performer in 2011. Online tournament ROI, most live event cashes, and SCOOP and WCOOP performances are some but not all the categories the three are competing in.

We’ve been told that PokerStars will be releasing more information on the Challengers soon, as well as a way to find out how they’re performing.

Why don’t you sign up for a PokerStars account and rail their tables, or take advantage of our sign up bonus.

Lend a Helping Paw

Every time the Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercial comes on, we have to turn away from the television. What can we say, we’re suckers for animals. On May 21, you can help out the Nevada SPCA at the fifth annual Jennifer Harman Celebrity Poker Tournament at the Peppermill Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. The event will be included in the Heartland Poker Tour’s fall line-up of televised programming.

Players can enter individually for $230, or $2,500 per team, as part of the third annual Throw Down, team competition. Teams will get a pro/celebrity team captain, customized jerseys, and more.

“The best thing about adopting a pet is experiencing their unconditional love. The Nevada SPCA ensures these once abandoned and abused animals are cared for, given loving homes, or live humanely in its no-kill shelter for the rest of their lives. Everyone who participates is actually saving a life, and that means so much to me,” Harman said.

Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Marco Traniello, Daniel Negreanu, Lacey Jones, Maria Ho, Antonio Esfandiari, Joe Sebok, and Barry Greenstein are just a few of the poker pros on slate to attend.

Want to find out more? Check out GreasieWheels.com.

Macau Poker Cup Begins Soon

As if the high-stakes cash games in Macau weren’t enough to get poker players there, the Macau Poker Cup gets under way next week. Officials are calling for a record-breaking week for PokerStars Macau at Casino Grand Lisboa. The Red Dragon Main Event, which begins February 21, is boasting a HKD $3million guarantee and the 321-player record, set in 2010, is expected to be smashed this year.

Both Day 1 flights have 200-player caps and already, more than half of the Day 1a cap is occupied by PokerStars qualifiers. Marcel Luske, Pieter de Korver, Celina Lin, Raymond Wu, and Bryan Huang have been confirmed to attend the event.

Find out more at PokerStarsMacau.com, and while you’re at it, we can’t think of a reason not to sign up for a PokerStars account and qualify for some events.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and become a fan on Facebook.

We are tired of tiny freerolls, no doubt you are too. If so then check out our $34,000 Monster Pot Freeroll series with Poker770 – only a $20 deposit and 20 poker770 points to qualify.

February 17 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

If you’re looking for the top poker news stories of the day, you’ve come to the right place. In tonight’s Nightly Turbo, we’ve got the schedule for the Federated Sports + Gaming’s Poker League, and we’ll tell you who’s playing on Full Tilt again after being banned. Read on for more.

In Case You Missed It

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team was in Tunica, Mississippi, for the World Series of Poker Circuit earlier this week. We’re sure you followed the Main Event coverage, but here’s a look at results from the preliminary events.

The European Poker Tour Copenhagen is just around the corner. Headed to Denmark’s capital for the event, but don’t know what to do when you get there (besides play poker)? Lynn Gilmartin is here to help with the latest edition of Around the World with Lynn.

The end is near for the 19th installment of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series. Check out the results from this week’s events.

Ashton Griffin’s latest prop bet has sparked a little debate at PokerNews HQ. Is Prop Betting Good for Poker?

Federated Sports + Gaming’s Poker League Schedule Released

The schedule for the first season of the professional poker league that was announced in January by Federated Sports + Gaming has just been released. Every event will take place at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Four events are on the schedule, along with a championship event. Each “event week” includes three tournaments: a Pro-Am event, a charity tournament, and the Main Event which is a $20,000 buy-in. The four Main Events will feature different variants of no-limit Texas hold’em.

“We decided to vary the format of our events to showcase and challenge the skill of the best live tournament players in the world,” Annie Duke, Commissioner of the new Federated League, said. “Our Pro-Am events will create opportunities for break-out stars to shine.”

Players who don’t qualify for a league card will be able to qualify for a seat in the Main Event. Each event week will begin with a $1,500 Pro-Am event that will be open to all players 21 years of age or older. The top nine players from that event will awarded a temporary league card.

“Because the Main Events have four or more days to play down to a winner from a start of approximately 200 players, we believe it will offer the best, most friendly structures for the skilled player out there,” Duke said. “Great structures, no rake and generous overlays are integral to our celebration of the best live tournament players in the world.”

2011-2012 Federated Sports and Gaming Season 1 Tournament Schedule

For more, read the press release at FederatedInc.com.

Back on Tilt

Sorel Mizzi was permanently banned from Full Tilt Poker in late 2007. If you don’t know the story, it was revealed that he had taken over the account of Chris Vaughn late in the Full Tilt $1 Million Guarantee and then went on to win it. Soon after, both Vaughn and Mizzi were banned from Full Tilt Poker.

It seems as though Mizzi’s ban has been lifted and he is back at the Full Tilt Poker tables, playing under his screen name, “Imper1um.” Wednesday night, Mizzi tweeted, “19/25 in FTOPS #33 $300Rebuy- already won a ton in prop bets seeing if I can close big on first day back on FTP.” Imper1um ended up finishing in 24th place.

PokerKingBlog.com has more.

LAPT Announces Chile National Poker Championship

The PokerStars.net Latin American Poker Tour has announced its return Viña del Mar for the fourth season of the LAPT. The LAPT did not make it to Chile in season three due to the devastating earthquake that struck the country. The $1,100 buy-in LAPT Chile National Poker Championship will take place March 17 through 20 at the Enjoy Viña del Mar Hotel & Casino.

“It feels great to be returning to Chile. Poker has grown since we were last here and we look forward to helping it grow even more. Our partnership with the Enjoy Group, the leading live poker operator in Chile, is very strong, and we are looking forward to an exceptional tournament,” President of the LAPT, David Carrion said.

There are five events on the LAPT Chile docket with a wide range of buy-ins including a $4,000 High Roller event.

“This will be the second LAPT to take place in Viña del Mar, and we are very proud to bring this type of event to Chile. We believe this is a great opportunity to give our players a chance to take place in a tournament of high calibre and worldwide recognition, providing a significant push to the development of tourism within the region,” Juan Pablo Covacevich, gaming marketing manager of the Enjoy Group said.

Sign up for a PokerStars account and qualify for your seat at one of the LAPT events!

On the Big Screen

Beth Raymer’s memoir Lay the Favorite is being adapted to film and some well-known stars are attaching their names to the project. The best-seller is the personal story of Raymer about her rise from a Las Vegas cocktail waitress to a top sports gambling bookmaker.

Bruce Willis has already signed on to play the role of Dink, an ex-New York bookmaker who becomes Raymer’s mentor. Raymer will be played by Rebecca Hall. You may recognize her from 2010′s The Town. Rumor has it that Justin Timberlake and Catherine Zeta-Jones have also accepted roles — Timeberlake as Rosie, a Long Island bookmaker, and Zeta-Jones as Tulip, Dink’s wife.

MovieWeb.com has more.

Welcome to Sao Paulo!

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team is in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the first stop on season four of the Latin American Poker Tour. While we’re here sitting in our offices, Lynn Gilmartin got to tour the city that she and a number of poker players and poker media will be calling home for the next few days. Maybe we’re a little jealous, but at least we didn’t get rained on.

Get your PokerNews Live Reporting fix by following all the action from Sao Paulo.

Are you following us on Twitter? Go follow us now. While you’re at it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t like us on Facebook.

We have just announced three more $15,000 Sunday Million Freerolls with PokerStars, with $1,000 to the winner and 260 tournament tickets, including 45 Sunday Million Tickets on offer.