Like Vanessa Selbst winning the PPT Cannes, Sam El Sayed’s moment of triumph came while most of the poker world’s eyes were glued to the WSOP final table action. Nevertheless, the €426k El Sayed took home for winning the WPT Amneville looks just as good out of the spotlight. The WPT’s first ever visit to Amneville drew some 542 players for a total prize pool of €1.73m. In addition to his stack of Euros, El Sayed also earned a seat at the WPT Championship at the Bellagio in April.
The NAPT is making its inaugural stop in Los Angeles this week, and one poker pro will be wearing a brand new fashion accessory when she takes her seat on Friday. Maria Ho, 35th on the all-time female poker money list, has signed on with UB.com, joining fellow female stalwarts Annie Duke and Tiffany Michelle, as well as some guy named Phil Hellmuth. Guess UB had a little more sponsoring cash lying around since shedding those other three guys a couple weeks back.
Finally, the Poker Player Alliance has bowed to the inevitable. Recognizing that the Republican mid-term election successes have all but doomed progress on legalizing poker at the federal level, the PPA has decided its resources are best aimed at the state level for the foreseeable future. Executive director John Pappas has asked the PPA’s state directors to get more active in organizing and strengthening lines of communication with members in their respective states. Pappas sees this as a smart move regardless of what transpires in Congress, as in the unlikely event that federal legislation is passed, the states will ultimately have their own decisions to make as to whether or not to opt in to the scheme.
