As many of you know, both the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour have both signed exclusive deals with competing magazines for media coverage.  With these new deals in place, media outlets like PokerWire.com are no longer allowed to post live updates or chip counts.  The WPT exclusive took us by surprise; over the last six months we had put together a team of reporters that was second to none in the industry.  

There were many complaints by the media about limited access during the WSOP—but the WSOP restrictions seem almost lax compared to the press release about the WPT’s new arrangement.   The wording in the press release stated "Floor Access via escorted PR escort ONLY" in fifteen-minute increments and that "there will no longer be designated areas for media with tables, chairs, internet access and power."

We were pleased to see that the spirit behind the restrictions was much more gracious than the rules themselves.  The WPT PR representatvies have been as accomodating as possible since our arrival.  However, business decisions had to be made, and the loss of live updates and chip counts means that PokerWire can no longer continue to support a full staff and radio show.

The PokerWire you know and love will cease to exist.  We will include a few hands and the top 10 chip counts each level, but there will no longer be live updates and chip counts as these are made available by the WPT.

The entire staff will be moving on to new endeavors.  Some of them will be remaining in the poker community (we’ll update you on where everybody ends up) while others will be seeking careers in a different field.  

This also means that PokerWire Radio will be broadcasting its final show from The Legends of Poker Tournament at The Bicycle Casino in L.A.  The show (shows?) will be recorded and posted this week.

It’s been an incredible ride for the company that brought you poker’s first real-time reporting.  With that in mind, special thanks are in order for the queen of the chip counts, Jen Creason.   Jen’s professionalism as a tournament reporter and chip counter opened the door for this industry.  Andy Bloch also made innumerable behind-the-scenes contributions during PokerWire’s formative year.

Finally, Heather Borowinski, Amanda Leatherman, Jeremiah Smith, Jeremy Firth, Joe Stapleton, Alex Henriquez, Gavin Smith, Joe Sebok, and LA Mike would all like to say “Thank you!” to the thousands of readers who have been relying on PokerWire for the last three and a half years…

Joe Sebok has ended Day 3 as the chip leader with 1,057,000.  Close behind him is David Pham with just over 1m.  Three top-flight pros round out the top 5: Lee Markholt 873k, Peter Feldman, 853k, Tom Schneider 803k.

August 12, 2007 (Las Vegas, NV) - The National Poker League, an international poker organization, announced today they have joined forces with The Venetian Resort~Hotel~Casino in Las Vegas to host the 2007 Vegas Open, scheduled November 24th – 30th, and the World Championship Tournament on December 3rd. The Venetian Poker Room will also serve as the home base for the NPL Broadcast Center for all 26-episodes of the NPL television series airing nationally and internationally to more than a projected 100-million viewers.

“We are extremely honored and excited to partner with The Venetian as The Venetian Poker Room offers poker players a stylish and comfortable environment for our player-friendly tournament,” exclaimed Robert Huxley, vice president of poker operations for NPL. “By making The Venetian the new home of the NPL, we are assured to provide players with a magnificent poker room and a resort that offers the very best Las Vegas has to offer.”

Seat 1:  Jon Kalmar
Hometown:  Chorly, Lancashire (UK)
Chip Count:  20,320,000
Jon Kalmar is a 34-year-old professional poker player, who plays mostly in clubs located in the north and the Midlands region of England.  He is married with one child.  Among his prior accomplishments, Kalmar was once the lead singer in a punk rock band.  Before entering this year’s world championship, Kalmar admitted to enduring a “terrible” run of bad fortune at this year’s World Series of Poker.  He failed to cash a single time in the preliminary tournaments. 

But everything changed the night before the main event began.  Dejected, Kalmar tried to switch his airline ticket and return home early.  But he was told the cost to change his departure from Las Vegas back to England would be about $600.  So instead, Kalmar decided to enter the last mega-satellite at the Rio just before the start of the main event.  He ended up winning a $10,000 seat.  And now, here he is at the final table ten days later – third among the chip leaders. 

Seat 2:  Lee Childs
Hometown:  Reston, VA
Chip Count:  13,240,000
Lee Childs is a 35-year-old aspiring poker professional from suburban Washington, DC.  He is married with no children.  Childs holds a BBA in computer information systems from James Madison University, in Virginia.  Just two months ago, he voluntarily took some time off from a high-tech position with a firm affiliated with the National Geographic Society.  He worked on “The JASON Project,” which is an educational foundation for students dedicated to scientific expeditions and research founded by the person who first located the Titantic.  Childs has been on his own for a few months – and is pursuing one of his dreams which is to play in the World Series of Poker.  He says that he would not be here without the love of his incredible wife, dad, and all the support of his family and friends.  His is currently fifth in the chip count.   

Seat 3:  Philip Hilm
Hometown:  Cambridge, England
Chip Count:  22,070,000
Philip Hilm is the chip leader coming into the final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker.  He is a 31-year-old online poker pro.  Hilm is a native of Denmark, but currently lives in England.  Family is very important to Hilm.  He spent two years living in Poland to get to know his mother’s side of the family before moving on to England.  Ten years ago, Hilm earned a degree in economics from the Copenhagen Business School.  He formed a company with 12 employees, but eventually went bankrupt. 

Just four years ago, Hilm was at his lowest point – selling coffee machines at grocery stores to make Christmas money so he could buy presents for his family.  Then, Hilm discovered poker on the Internet.  Before long, he was earning enough money to make a decent living.  And now, he is the largest stack at the final table of the main event.

Seat 4:  Jerry Yang  
Hometown:  Temecula, CA
Chip Count:  8,459,000
Jerry Yang is a 39-year-old psychologist and social worker from southern California.  He holds a Masters Degree in health psychology.  Yang was born in Laos.  He is married and has six children.  Yang started playing poker only two years ago.  He won a seat into the main event via a satellite held at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA. 

His total investment in this event is $225.  The socially-conscious Yang is determined to give something back to charity. 

He is pledging 10 percent of his winnings from this tournament to three different charities – the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Feed the Children, and the Ronald McDonald House. 

Seat 5:  Raymond Rahme
Hometown:  Johannesburg, South Africa
Chip Count:  16,320,000
Raymond Rahme is the first person ever to appear at the final table of the main event from the continent of Africa.  At age 62, he is also the senior participant at the final table.  He is married to his wife Teresa, and together they have six children.  Prior to his retirement, Rahme owned and operated a bed and breakfast inn.  Although he played stud for three decades, Rahme has only been playing the game of hold’em for about two years. 

Yet, Rahme has already enjoyed significant tournament success.  He’s taken first and second place at major events held in South Africa.  He also took fourth place in the “All Africa Poker Championship” recently, which was the largest poker tournament ever held in Africa.  As part of his prize, he received a travel package to Las Vegas and an entry into the 2007 main event.  And now, he is ranked fourth in the chip count at the start of the final table.  

Seat 6:  Tuan Lam
Hometown:  Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)
Chip Count:  21,315,000
Tuan Lam was born in Vietnam on New Years Day in 1966, during the war.  He eventually immigrated to Canada at the age of 19.  He now lives in the Toronto area where he plays poker professionally.  Prior to turning pro, Lam worked as a general laborer for a metal company.  Then, he learned how to play poker from friends and has made it all the way to the final table of the 2007 main event.  This is his third year to attend the WSOP.  His prior cashes were 46th place in an event last year and 78th place in a WSOP tournament held in 2005.  He is married with two children.  Lam arrives at the final table ranked second in the chip count.

Seat 7:  Alex Kravchenko
Hometown:   Moscow, Russia
Chip Count:  6,570,000
Alex Kravchenko is a 36-year-old businessman originally from Archangel, USSR.  He has been playing poker for about eight years.  He is married and has two children.  Kravchenko became the first Russian citizen in history to win a WSOP gold bracelet when he was victorious in the $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low championship at this year’s WSOP – in what was the largest Omaha High-Low field in history.  Russian immigrants have won previously at the World Series.  But Kravchenko’s victory was clearly a milestone.  Kravechenko has an impressive history of poker tournament wins in Europe.  He won the Austrian Masters Pot-Limit Championship in 2001.  He also won the Russian Pot-Limit Championship held that same year and a Limit Hold’em title at the Helsinki Frezeout in 2002.  He has cashed over 30 times in what is becoming an illustrious poker career. 

This is Kravchenko’s fifth time to cash at the WSOP in 2007.  Kravchnko faces the biggest challenge of any player in the finale, as the lowest stack at the table.