PokerWorks

Poker News Nuggets are presented on PokerWorks each week to give readers a glance at some of the big news stories in and around the poker industry. From international poker tournaments to player prop bets, from political happenings to sponsorship deals, game enthusiasts can stay informed with these weekly tidbits of information.

What They’re Playing

LAPT Brazil:  The most recent stop on the PokerStars-sponsored Latin American Poker Tour wrapped this week with a new champion in Florianopolis. The 364-player tournament with a R$1,624,200 prize pool paid out 48 players, and it all came down to the final table on August 8 where Matthias Habernig was able to hold the chip lead through most of the action and win a challenging heads-up match with Dayan Vardanega to claim victory. Habernig won R$435,000 and the title.

Macau Millions:  The PokerStars-sponsored Macau Millions just wrapped at the Casino Grand Lisboa, and its inaugural event set records for the region, as it became the most well-attended live poker tournament in that part of the world. The five starting days brought 741 players to the tables, and when it was all said and done, Hong Kong’s own Justin Chan won it all, outlasting the large field and defeating American Tom Chou in the end to grab the HKD $275,000 first place prize. It was Chan’s first major tournament victory.

Who’s Playing

Women:  After months of voting and consideration by the members of the organization, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame has chosen its three 2010 inductees. Many nominees were up for the annual honors, but only three ended up with the most votes and support. The three are Kathy Liebert, Jennifer Harman, and Billie Brown. Liebert and Harman will accept their honors at the Third Annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner in Las Vegas on September 3, and Brown will be honored posthumously as a poker player and tournament organizer in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased on the WiPHoF website.

Sam McMaster:  The name is not a very recognizable one. Samuel McMaster Jr. doesn’t have much of a poker tournament record with little more than $30K in lifetime winnings to his name, but the 59-year old man recently admitted to 26 felony charges of securities fraud and told the judge he can pay the money back to those he wronged by winning it in poker. The amount he took came to $444K, and he claimed to have stolen it to feed his poker habit, but his request to postpone his sentencing until he can win the money back in poker tournaments has been temporarily granted. McMaster faces up to 12 years in prison, but he hopes to win enough money to make amends to his victims in order to lessen his eventual sentence.

Where They’re Playing

Florida:  With the new laws in place as of July 1st in Florida removing the caps on poker games and tournaments, it was only a matter of time before the state’s casinos secured contracts to host major live poker events. And rumors that the World Poker Tour was in talks with a Florida casino have been confirmed, as a new stop on Season 9 of the WPT was just announced. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will host a stop on the tour from April 27, 2011, through May 3, and the $10K buy-in tournament is one of many in the future, as a five-year contract was signed with the WPT.