"The Adventure" is a series of articles about my journey this summer that will take me from Rockland, Ontario, Canada to the World Series of Poker Big One for One Drop 1M buy-in tournament in Las Vegas...


Rare is it that a person is granted the opportunity of the lifetime, let alone at age 35.

THE ADVENTURE – ACT 3: VIVA LAS VEGAS

“Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire
Got a whole lot of money that’s ready to burn,
So get those stakes up higher
There’s a thousand pretty women waitin’ out there
And they’re all livin’ devil may care
And I’m just the devil with love to spare
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas”

- Elvis Presley, “Viva Las Vegas”
(Viva Las Vegas (EP), 1964 RCA Records)


MY 36-HOUR WHIRLWIND IN SIN CITY
Ten hours of sleep out of four nights – who do I think I am? A teenager going out to bars every night again? That’s the price you pay for a member of poker’s elite, right? Ok, elite may be stretching it a bit … ok, ok, a lot!

DANIEL NEGREANU 25K WSOP FANTASY DRAFT COVERAGE
I recently was summed to Las Vegas to provide “expert” commentary on Daniel Negreanu’s 25K WSOP Fantasy Draft, not a bad gig at all! I was able to finally meet my friends from the QuadJacks family face-to-face for the first time as well as meet my co-host for the draft, Pokernews’ Remko Rinkema – all turned out to be great people – this includes Remko’s father, who was visiting from the Netherlands – we both enjoyed sushi together!

Covering the draft was a blast! A pre-game interview with newly crowned WSOP Heads-Up Champ Brian Hastings followed by post-game interviews with Sorel Mizzi, Jason Mercier, Eugene Katchalov (my #1 draft pick in the WSOP Media Draft) and Daniel Negreanu certainly added to the highlights in my life.

SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL : THE 2012 WORLD SERIES OF POKER
After a night of eating and drinking, I woke up Sunday with the Rio on my mind. This day marked the opening of the 2012 World Series of Poker – the Casino Employees event would be featured on this day.

I went to the Rio to pickup my media pass and spent all day inside the Amazon taking in the experience. The ESPN “mothership” stage looks absolutely amazing this year, can’t wait to be back to cover the One Drop!

It's hard to put into words whenever you enter the convention area at the Rio every year ... as soon as I pass the Penn and Teller Theatre, I always start getting goosebumps, you can feel the buzz that is the World Series of Poker.

POKER EH! SEASON FINALE
A few days prior to my weekend in Vegas marked the final show of the season of Poker EH! on the QuadJacks Radio Network. We had an amazing final show of the season featuring two of Canada’s biggest poker stars – Xuan Liu and Sorel Mizzi – as well as the reference to poker in Canada, Joh Harnish, breaking down Canada’s chances at the WSOP. Jon has become a friend and I was very happy when he accepted to join me during the Mizzi interview.

I would to thank everyone for their support and for listening to Poker EH! on QuadJacks.com every week - special thanks to all of our guests who have taken time to talk shop with us.

MAKING @AGENTMARCO LOOK GOOD!
It’s been a few crazy weeks since my latest trek to Vegas, I have been hired on to write the news scripts (twice-daily) for QuadJacks.TV’s unprecedented Live at the WSOP daily coverage.

THE ADVENTURE ... CONTINUES:
It’s been a crazy summer so far and with the One-Drop now only three weeks away, it sure doesn’t look like things are going slow down anytime soon.


Here it is, “The Adventure” - a 50-day venture that will take me from Rockland to Gatineau to Las Vegas and to other places in between. Join me as I attempt to relive the blow-by-blow accounts of the thrill-ride that awaits me this summer.

Here I am, standing in front of you, as vulnerable as ever, but ready – win or fail – to live the thrill of a lifetime and hoping you will follow along as I live “The Adventure”.



Eric

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THE ADVENTURE: SERIES > THE ADVENTURE: BEGINS > THE ADVENTURE: SITTING, WAITING, WISHING

THE ADVENTURE: SUMMER 2012 May 19-20, 2012 Le Grand Tournoi de Poker Loto-Quebec Casino du Lac-Leamy | Gatineau, QC May 26, 2012 Daniel Negreanu 25K WSOP Fantasy Draft Aria Hotel Casino | Las Vegas May 27, 2012 World Series of Poker Kickoff Event Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas July 1-3, 2012 WSOP The Big One for One Drop Rio All-Suite Hotel | Las Vegas

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! POKER EH! FEATURING STEVEN KERR AND MICHAEL WATSON

PICTURE: QUADJACKS


Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio feat Steven Kerr and Michael Watson | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network May 10 2012

Click link to listen to/download the show:
POKER EH! MAY 10 2012

Steven Kerr is the founder of one of the hottest poker tours in Canada plus he’s
about to head to the World Series of Poker with what most players covet – a sponsor’s patch!

Hot off his 81K score at SCOOP, Michael Watson joins us to talk SCOOP, his most
recent poker travels – including some big wins – and his love for the Toronto Blue
Jays!

“What else is TSN going to show during the NHL lockout?”

When Steven Kerr founded the Orangeville Poker Tour, he intended for him and some buddies to engage in fun competition, little did he know that a few years later, his and one of his buddies would be playing Day 2 in a World Series of Poker 1.5K NLH event. What started off as a poker season now includes qualifiers to several WSOP events and to other events across North America.

Kerr recently signed a sponsorship deal with Blue Shark Optics and explains how he got involved with the sunglasses company, as they were looking to sign successful amateur poker players.

@SkinnySteve
www.stevenkerr.com
www.orangevillepokertour.com

***

We have finally done it! We have finally covered Canada, coast-to-coast ... Newfoundlander Michael Watson becomes the first man from Canada’s East Coast to join us on Poker Eh!

What exactly does someone who majored in Combinatorics + Optimization at the University of Waterloo do? Well, in Watson’s case, he travels the world and wins big poker tournaments!

In the past six months or so, SirWatts has played in poker tournament in Cannes, Prague, Dublin, Vienna, Berlin and Monte Carlo ... but what other city did he visit that he would pick as his favorite? Melbourne, Australia!

The former WPT Champion talks about his beloved Toronto Blue Jays and explains why his statistical resources (the man is a admitted math geek!) tell him that this may very well not be the year the Jays make it back to the MLB playoffs.

A WSOP bracelet is in the plans oh, and more SCOOP scores for Watson!

@SirWatts
www.sirwatts.blogspot.com


Hope you enjoy this week’s Poker Eh!

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! POKER EH! FEATURING JUSTIN KELLY AND ADRIENNE ROWSOME

PICTURE: QUADJACKS


Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio feat Justin Kelly and Adrienne Rowsome | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network May 3 2012

Click link to listen to the rebroadcast (MP3):
POKER EH! MAY 3 2012

Some great things are going on at the Playground Poker Club near Montreal and Justin Kelly can’t wait to tell us about them! Plus, in her first live interview, Talonchick aka Adrienne Rowsome talks to us about her recent move to paradise, all things poker and about the life of a PokerStars Online Pro!

The Playground Poker Club is in middle of an awesome run and who better than Playground Poker Club Marketing and Business Consultant Justin Kelly to have to talk to us about the latest and greatest at Playground!

The Playground Poker Classic is currently ongoing, smaller buy-in events were featured at the start of the Classic but the big-boy and girl events are on the horizon. It’s Main Event time starting this weekend and we can’t wait – big name pros Mike “Timex” McDonald and Christopher McClung are expected to be part of the field … and for the finale? A 10K buy-in High Rollers Event!

“It’s the Undertaker v. John Cena for the title!”

At least, that’s what Justin’s marketing partner – and MEGA WWE fan – Phil was dreaming of when he thought of awarding Championship Belts instead of bracelets to the winner of the Main and High Roller events – great initiative!

Justin discusses the recent visits of Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari (genuinely good guys), some current and legendary Montreal Canadians (including Habs goaltender that, according to Justin, can certainly hold his own at the tables) and THE man himself, MMA Superstar Georges St. Pierre.

The Playground Poker Club and on the front lines of “the way to do things in the era of social media” – they are certainly doing great things – For Players by Players!

@POKERJK , jkelly@playgroundpoker.ca
www.playgroundpoker.ca

***

PokerStars Team Online Pro Adrienne Rowsome – known to most as TalonChick – could actually be the coolest chick on the planet. Granted, I haven’t met all women on Earth, and I tend to think my Mom and sister-in-law are pretty cool, but Adrienne grabs you – she is genuine and is exactly the person that young, up-and-coming poker players should be looking up to.

You see, TalonChick is different than most online poker players – especially the other members of her PokerStars Online Pro family – she has tons of responsibilities, she is a little more mature (yes Adrienne, this means you’re older ) than most “online poker culture” grinders and, more importantly, she has a regular 9-to-5 job.

Don’t get me wrong, she still puts in a ton of hours grinding online (find her ripping souls at the Omaha tables) but, for example, in order to make her way to the PCA in the Bahamas this past January, Rowsome had to ask for time off from her regular job … something that is SO foreign to most online grinders.

Before you go on thinking that Adrienne is just a sweetheart that would fold the nuts to you out of kindness – need I remind you that she made her ascension in Omaha by kicking the asses of old men – and taking their pensions at 10/20 stakes – don’t feel bad, these are the same men that wanted to make her go broke ASAP because she was infringing on their “guy” time.

“I always thought there was something wrong with Henrik Sedin”

Swedish twins? No thank you says TalonChick. She’s a Edmonton Oilers fan forever – despite her recent move in the Okanagan (the most beautiful place on Earth in you ask her) – in Vancouver Canucks country. You can take the girl out of Edmonton, but, you can never take the Bill Ranford #30 jersey off the girl!

Adrienne Rowsome is a tremendous ambassador to the world of poker, and she takes her job as ambassador very seriously – she answers all questions from the up-and-coming pros to the everyday once a month 0.10/0.25 limit grinders! TalonChick is the real deal and I for one am proud to call her a fellow Canadian.

@TalonChick
www.talonchick.com
facebook.com/TalonChick


Hope you enjoy this week’s Poker Eh!

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! POKER EH! WITH LAURENCE GRONDIN AND MATTHEW MARAFIOTI

PICTURE: QUADJACKS






Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio feat Laurence Grondin and Matthew Marafioti | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network April 19 2012

Laurence Grondin and many poker players have a beef with a recent newspaper article and Matthew Marafioti tells us about how he and Daniel Negreanu went from bitter rivals to partnering up in an attempt to take the poker world by storm – Canada style!


Laurence Grondin refuses to stay quiet when she feels wrong has been done to her or the game she loves so much. Grondin, the EspaceJeux poker pro was visibly upset last week when an article came out in French newspaper Le Journal de Montreal – the article indicated how bad EspaceJeux was doing and talked about the problems associated with the site and why it shouldn’t be in existence.

One problem – what should have been an editorial was an actual article, one-sided, without rebuttal – plus, the article contained tons of half-truths and false information.

Take this for example; the article states that the EspaceJeux platform was not up to par with rival “International” sites … stating that you cannot play multiple tables on the site. Well, as Laurence was getting ready to join us to talk, she was just wrapping up a session on EsapceJeux – where SHE WAS 11-TABLING!!!

We all understand that poker (and all forms of gambling) carries a certain stigma, that some cannot control themselves and Laurence agrees that help needs to be offered to those people. But, people have been gambling from Day 1 … remember that Aristotle was rolling dice back in 320 BC!

I also asked Laurence about the upcoming One Drop 25K qualifier at the Casino du Lac Leamy in Gatineau and we talked about Daniel Negreanu’s latest blog and the state of females in the world of poker – she gives fantastic answers, as only Laurence can!

***

A less than 100% Matt Marafioti rocked our collective ear drums with some incredible answers and stories.

“My girlfriend wanted to try to crab bisque”

Word to the wise; don’t go for cream-based soups at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida … then again, the problem might be Marafioti’s stomach not being able to handle said soups, as his father has told him time and time again that his stomach doesn’t do bisques!

At the tender young age of 24, Matt Marafioti already refers to some select poker players as “kids”, that’s because Marafioti has been kicking asses and taking names for a while now, both online and live. Marafioti has been on a fantastic run on the live tournament circuit since late last year – he recently finished second to Phil Collins at the Palms’ Heartland Poker Tour Main Event.

Marafioti talks about an article written in a Toronto-bases magazine from a few months ago and explains why Poker Eh! host Eric describes him as the Ric Flair of poker!

Finally, Matt talks about what was up with his rift with fellow Canadian Daniel Negreanu and how the two ended up burying the hatchet and becoming friends.

It’s another great episode of Poker Eh! for your listening enjoyment!

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA!! POKER EH! WITH TYLER BONKOWSKI AND OWEN LAUKKANEN

PICTURE: QUADJACKS






Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio feat Tyler Bonkowski and Owen Laukkanen | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network April 12 2012
We were lucky enough to be joined by two great guests on Poker Eh! this week. Team 888 Poker Pro Tyler Bonkowski and author Owen Laukkanen join us to talk about what they know best!


Tyler Bonkowski is a young, talented poker player brimming with confidence … you would too if you were a signed poker pro, representing a site that is currently trending upwards in the poker landscape – did we mention that he’s already won a WSOP bracelet?

The Team 888 Poker Pro talks about his experience at his first WSOP final table and speaks to us about his ascension in the poker world.

Finally, Bonkowski shares his thoughts on (freshly-signed) fellow Team 888 member Georges St-Pierre, how he found out about the news, how he got to coach St-Pierre and what type of player Georges is at the poker table.

***

Poker reporter, fisherman and now author – when it comes to careers, Owen Laukkanen sure knows how to pick the most stable ones!

The author of the critically acclaimed “The Professionals” – his debut thriller about four friends who turn to “low-stakes” kidnapping in order to earn a living – is certainly excited to see how his book has been received by so many, Laukkanen discusses how he came up with the idea for the book, how a sequel is already in the works.

“What the heck, I have a car!”

Did Laukkanen drive escorts in a previous career? Maybe not, but Laukkanen is a proud fisherman by trade and is a former writer for PokerListings, where he traveled the world covering poker tournaments.

Laukkanen talks about both subjects and tells us what’s next for the new author.

Join us for a wonderful conversation with one of Canada’s brightest young authors, we are sure we will all be seeing big things from Laukkanen in the very near future.

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! PREVIEWING APR 12 EDITION OF POKER EH! ON QUADJACKS.COM

PICTURE: QUADJACKS










Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio Preview | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network Thursday April 12 2012
WSOP bracelet winner, Team 888 Poker Pro and the man in charge of taeching GSP the poker ropes Tyler Bonkowski as well as author, fisherman and former poker reporter Owen Laukkanen on Thursday's Poker Eh!

Join @EVhero and I live Thursday at 9PM ET, 6 PT.

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! POKER EH! WITH GSP NEWS AND PETER JETTEN

PICTURE: QUADJACKS






Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio feat Peter Jetten | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network April 5, 2012
Peter Jetten is more than just a simple poker player. Along with poker, Jetten’s interests range from hockey, to music festivals to the art of fine dining. Join us as we interview “the most interesting man in the world”.

Is he a cash game master or a live tournament superstar? Is he a poker player or a hockey player? Is he a music lover or a foodie? Fact is, Peter Jetten is all those things.

“We’re already looking ahead to next season”

Peter and EVhero reminisce about old times at the Rounders Club in London, Peter talks about the crushing defeat in his men’s league hockey finals, his upcoming trip to the Coachella Music Festival in California and about some of his fine dining experiences, including his 40-course meal at El Bulli in Barcelona, Spain.

Jetten also tackles the very tough subject of his short-lived relationship with Full Tilt Poker. Jetten was signed as a Red Pro at Full Tilt in January of 2011. Three months later, Black Friday came along followed by the well known complications at Full Tilt.

You also don't want to miss the start of the show where EVhero and I discuss the latest in the GSP signing with 888 poker.

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! 4/5/2012 POKER EH! PREVIEW

PICTURE: QUADJACKS










Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio Preview | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network Thursday April 5 2012
We are joined by famous Canadian pro Peter Jetten this week on Poker Eh! on QuadJacks Radio. Peter will talk poker, men's hockey, great food and Coachella!

Join @EVhero and I live Thursday at 9PM ET, 6 PT.

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! POKER EH! MARCH 29 2012

PICTURE: QUADJACKS.com










POKER EH! ON QUADJACKS RADIO
We turn the tables on EVhero this week as the interviewer becomes interviewee as we dissect and discuss his latest revelation –
that he has chosen to abandon creating and posting new videos on his popular YouTube channel in order to focus more on poker.

Jon Harnish also comes back to talk about big buy-in tournaments coming to a Canadian casino near you!

Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio feat Jeremy Sibthorpe and Jon Harnish | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network March 29 2012

Poker Eh! co-host Jeremy Sibthorpe — a.k.a. EVhero — has been working hard at posting videos up on YouTube for over a year now. His videos range from live video from final tables, educating the masses on do’s and don’ts online and how he’s doing as he grinds it out daily online. His channel has been a very popular one and EVhero has fans that go as far down as Argentina!

Well, our man EVhero dropped a bombshell on the poker world earlier this week when he announced that he was no longer going to post videos on YouTube, at least for the time being.

Sibthorpe states that he needs more time to focus on his game and more time to stay away from poker. EVhero mentions that making these videos takes a ton of his time, and he admits to thinking about what he’s going to talk about during his next video and actually working on these videos while multi-tabling online, taking away from his focus.

“It’s one of the most stressful jobs”

We dive into a subject that seems to be taboo in poker — the burnout. Seems like many players around EVhero’s age are coming close or experiencing symptoms of burnout — the simple fact of the matter is — as EVhero explains — that poker isn’t for the faint of heart, whether it’s the crazy long hours, the lack of a balanced life, the fact that players don’t eat regular meals, more and more young poker players — especially online grinders — are feeling the effects, even at such a young age.

Regular contributor to Poker Eh! Jon Harnish of Canada Poker discussed big buy-in tournaments coming in the next few months in Canada, including a 10K buy-in tournament at the Playground near Montreal and the 25K buy-in qualifier to the One Drop 1M buy-in WSOP tournament at Casino du Lac Leamy minutes from Ottawa.

Jon also talks about the latest results from the Montreal PartyPoker Classic, including Kara Scott’s run at Le Windsor and Canadians looking for stakeholders in upcoming major tournaments and his love in putting money on some of those “horses”.

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! - THU MAR 29 POKER EH! PREVIEW

PICTURE: QUADJACKS










Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio Preview | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network Thursday March 29 2012
We turn the tables on our friend and co-host Evhero, the man will switch from interviewer to interviewee and we dissect and discuss his latest revelation - that he will abandon his popular YouTube Channel for the time being, in order to focus more on his poker game.

Also, Jon Harnish will be back to talk about big buy-in events coming to a Canadian casino near you!

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA! - POKER EH! WITH LAURENCE GRONDIN AND JON HARNISH

PICTURE: POKERNEWS










Poker EH! Canadian Poker Radio feat Laurence Grondin and Jon Harnish | QuadJacks Poker Radio Network Thursday March 22 2012

EspaceJeux poker pro Laurence Grondin Joined Poker Eh! to talk about her recent 135K score, her performance at the WSOP and in the 2010 Big Game. Lady Luck also discusses her love for tennis, animals and what’s coming up for the Quebec pro.

Picture this. You’re at your local health club, get back to the change room and you come to find that someone stole your winter jacket! Pretty tough beat. Two days later, you decide to skip a friend’s birthday party because you have an early wake-up call the next morning. You decide to log into your favorite online site and play a little cash game poker. What if I told you that you hit quad queens? Your opponent has quad jacks and you win your share of a 500K Bad Beat Jackpot???

Well, our guest on Poker Eh, EspaceJeux Poker Pro Laurence Grondin, did just that – collecting a 135K score – not bad for a quiet Friday night!

Grondin has been a tremendous poker ambassador to the French Canadian community for a few years now. Her work with EspaceJeux, with French 24 hour all-sports channel RDS and her work in the community (helping with a local animal shelter many times a week) and her realizing the importance of her actions and how she is perceived in society prove that the provincial government’s lottery corporation Loto-Quebec (who runs EspaceJeux) made the right decision in picking Laurence as their rep.

The Criminology major shares her thoughts on her performance at the 2009 WSOP where she collected a third place finish in a 2K side event and at the 2010 Big Game.

Laurence will be playing in two upcoming tournaments at the Casino du Lac-Leamy, one fun celebrity tournament in April and another – the 2012 Grand Tournoi de Poker de Loto-Quebec – where one player will qualify for the 1 million dollar buy-in One Drop Event at the World Series of Poker. Laurence will be one of many players participating in the one of the most prestigious poker tournament in Canada’s poker history.

Can you hear me now?

Our expert in all things poker in Canada, Jon Harnish, joined us to discuss the current on-goings in poker and the major events coming up as the World Series of Poker approaches.

Unfortunately, we were having phone issues with Jon and were unable to have a full report. We hope to have Jon back next week to dive right into what’s on the horizon in Canadian poker as well as a few other fun things!

LAURENCE GRONDIN - THIS WEEK ON POKER EH!

Firstly, join me on PKRGSSP on QuadJacks tonight (Tuesday) at 11PM ET, 8PM PT - chatting to GSSP about the ongoings on the live tournament circuit.

Check out the videos below (both English and French) to find out what's on tap this week on Poker Eh! - Thursday at 9PM ET, 6PM PT on the QuadJacks network!

@PTPRPOKER IN THE MEDIA!

PKRGSSP ON QUADJACKS.COM
Last Tuesday, I was on with @PKRGSSP on QuadJacks.com talking about the week that was on the live tournament circuit. Jack Effel, Steve Preiss and Collin Moshman also joined GSSP - I'm right off the top of the show...

POKER EH! ON QUADJACKS.COM
Stuart Hoegner and Paul Burns talk about the recent developments at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation while Quebec pro Pascal Lefrancois talks poker, partying and about going topless after his WSOP bracelet win oh and Evhero goes missing on the latest Poker Eh!

QUADJACKS PLAYER OF THE YEAR WEEK IN REVIEW
Hot off the presses! The latest edition of the QuadJacks Poker Player of the Year Week in Review, powered by PTPRpoker. Will "The Thrill", Frederik Jansen and Isaac Baron highlight the week that was on the live tournament circuit.

QUADJACKS JOINS FORCES WITH POKER TOURNAMENT PLAYER RANKINGS

QuadJacks and Poker Tournament Player Rankings (PTPR) have joined forces to introduce the QuadJacks 2012 Player of the Year, powered by PTPR Poker. The honour awards the best live tournament poker player in the world for the year.

PTPR’s exclusive point distribution system will continue to be the standard that determines just who is the best in the world. Currently, Jonathan Duhamel leads the race with 245 PTPR Points. Duhamel has had an incredible start to 2012. A start that has included strong showings at the PCA in the Bahamas, at EPT Deauville in France and at the WPT L.A.P.C. outside Los Angeles.

PTPRpoker’s Eric Danis will provide an exclusive weekly tournament round-up article on QuadJacks and will also offer a week in review video recapping the week that was on the live tournament circuit.


You can catch @PTPRpoker on the QuadJacks network on Tuesdays on The PKRGSSP Show (Tuesdays at 8PM PT, 11PM ET) where Jeff and Eric take a look at recently completed and upcoming live tournaments on the circuit and on Thursdays on Poker_Eh where Eric and his co-host @EVhero (Jeremy Sibthorpe) discuss all things poker in Canada - Thursdays at 9PM ET.

@PTPRPOKER ON THE RADIO!

PHOTO CREDIT: QUADJACKS.com
On last week's Poker EH! on QuadJacks Radio, Jeremy (@evhero) and I were joined by PokerStars Super Nova Elite player Kristen Bicknell...

PokerStars Super Nova Elite player Kristen Bicknell talks to us about her SNE status, the pressure on keeping her SNE card, how she balances poker and life and where things are going for the Canadian poker pro.

Kristen Bicknell (@krissyb24poker) is a PokerStars Super Nova Elite player from Canada’s Nation Capital, Ottawa. Recently back from a Caribbean and an Alaskan cruise, Kristen explains that the life of a Super Nova Elite player isn’t all fun and games.

The UltimateGrinders.com poker coach reveals that the pressure on keeping her SNE status can be detrimental to her health. Her latest ascension to SNE status (this past November and December) lead her to having to schedule time for shower, eat and sleep – scheduling life around poker! She was absolutely pokered out at that point, explaining the recent 15-days away from the on-line felt.

>> Click to read the remainder of the story plus watch the show - that's right > watch!!!

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COMING UP THIS WEEK...

Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Greg Mueller joins us on the show!! We'll talk poker, food and the Canucks with FBT! - join us for Poker Eh! Thursday at 9PM ET on QuadJacks.com.

Also, catch me on @PKRGSSP on QuadJacks! Jeff and I will talk recent circuit results as well as upcoming tournies, including the start of the LAPC and ongoing results from EPT Copenhagen. Thursday at 8PM PT (11PM ET) on QuadJacks!

@PTPRPOKER ON THE RADIO!

PHOTO CREDIT: QUADJACKS.com
In case you missed it, here is an excerpt of the article that I wrote for QuadJacks.com following last Thursday's Poker Eh! on QuadJacks Radio...

Did Full Tilt Poker stick it to a charity? The curious case of FTP and the Montreal Poker Open. John Harnish joins us for a blow-by-blow account of how some Canadian poker players were innocent victims of Black Friday and the ongoing Full Tilt fiasco.

On Thursday’s episode of Poker Eh! on QuadJacks Poker Radio, Jeremy Sibthorpe (@EVhero) and Eric Danis (@PTPRpoker) were joined by John Harnish (@Jontm) to discuss the ongoing Montreal Poker Open controversy involving Full Tilt Poker and the Miriam Foundation.

The Montreal Poker Open is a yearly $275 buy-in No Limit Hold’Em Poker event with multiple rebuy opportunities held at Le Windsor in downtown Montreal. The tournament’s main focus is to amass funds for the Miriam Foundation, a charity that helps people with autism and developmental disabilities.

However, players play not only to help out a deserving cause, since once the tournament reaches the final 30, those players are then flown to Vegas in order to continue the tournament. The final 10 players also receive entry into the WSOP Main Event.

Mr. Harnish explains that due to the fact that this tournament was not played in a casino and instead was played at Le Windsor, the decision was made that all winners would have the monies collected added to their Full Tilt accounts.

On March 31, 2011, the final 30 players in the tournament qualified for the Vegas portion of the tournament. The tournament was to resume in late May, but April 15, 2011 – Black Friday – came along and everything changed.

The event went ahead with the finals and by the end of the Victoria Day Long Weekend (third weekend in May in Canada), our winners were declared.

>> Click to read the remainder of the article I posted on QuadJacks - as well as to listen to the re-broadcast of last Thursday's show.

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COMING UP THIS WEEK...

On this week's episode of Poker Eh! we welcome PokerStars Super Nova Elite Canadian poker player Kristen Bicknell (@KRISSYB24POKER) - join us for Poker Eh! Thursday at 9PM ET on QuadJacks.com.

Also, it's comeback week for @PKRGSSP on QuadJacks! The season debut was on Tuesday with the next episode coming Thursday at 8PM PT (11PM ET) - catch me every Thursday - where Jeff and I will discuss what's going on in the world of live tournament poker each week. Welcome back, Jeff!

LAST WEEK ON POKER EH! ON QUADJACKS RADIO

PHOTO CREDIT: QUADJACKS.com



On last Thursday's episode of Poker Eh! on QuadJacks Radio, @EVHero and I had the pleasure of welcoming Canadian PokerStars Pro Pat Pezzin to the show - and Pat did not let us down - a great interview!


Did you know that Pat was a world-class bocce player? Pat spent over 30 minutes with us talking everything poker ... oh, and he shares with us his passion for the Leafs!

@EVHero going to Costa Rica, I make my way to the NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa - that and so much more on last Thursday's episode!


Here it here:
>> POKER EH! JOINED BY POKERSTARS PRO PAT PEZZIN


Catch us tomorrow (Thursday) at 9PM ET, 6PM ET for another exciting episode of Poker Eh! on QuadJacks Radio!

LATEST POKER EH! EPISODE ON QUAD JACKS - HEY, THEY KEPT ME FOR AN HOUR!

PHOTO: QUADJACKS.com

I was back on Quad Jacks Radio this past Thursday on the Poker Eh! Show with @Evhero and the lovely and talented @Zekday0 - this time, they decided to keep me on for the full hour - hell, they even put my face in the Toronto skyline (see picture at the top of this post) - they like me, they really like me ;)


We were joined by Jon Harnish from CANADAPOKER.com - Jon has tremendous knowledge of the Canadian poker scene, it was great to finally hear his voice after communicating via e-mail and Twitter for the longest time.

Hope you enjoy!

LISTEN HERE >> POKER EH! ON QUAD JACKS RADIO - JAN 19/2012


Eric

RETURN TO QUADJACKS RADIO!

PHOTO: QUADJACKS.com

I will be back on the Quad Jacks airwaves tonight!!

Catch me on Poker EH! - show starts at 9PM ET ... I'll be on around 9:45PM ET talking about which Canadian players are about to take the live tournament world by storm in 2012.


http://www.quadjacks.com/radio/



Eric