Carlos Mortensen put himself into the WPT record books with his win in the inaugural Hollywood Poker Open in Lawrenceburg, Indiana yesterday. Mortensen came into the final table with a slight chip lead, but managed to hold off Mike Mustafa, Frank Calo, Chris Bell, Ravi Raghavan and Jerry Payne for the $393,820 top prize.

The purse put Mortensen past Daniel Negreanu as the all-time WPT money winner with more than $5.6 million from 56 WPT Main Events. The hat trick he scored in Indiana also ties Gus Hansen for the most WPT titles.

The Ecuadorian poker player is the only Hispanic Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker, winning the $10,000 No Limit Hold’emChampionship Event in 2001 and the $5,000 Limit Hold’em Championship in 2005. His lifetime tournament winnings now exceed $9 Million.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

The American Gaming Association is now “open to the concept of legalized internet gambling,” the association’s president and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf said this week. This is a drastic change in policy for the AGA, which previously opposed internet gambling because they did not believe the technology exists to properly regulate it with law enforcement oversight. That position changed, however, after MGM decided to open an experimental gambling website on the Isle of Man in September 2002. They only allowed a few countries to gamble with real money, and they banned all others, including the United States. The six month run of the site was a success, showing that the technology did indeed exist.

The AGA is a powerful lobby group which was formed in 1995 to give the commercial casino industry a voice in Washington, D.C. “We now believe that internet gaming can be properly regulated so long as there is a tough regulatory framework that is put in place,” said Fahrenkopf. “We would be open to looking at legislation that’s out there to see whether or not it provides the consumer protections that we think are so important.”

Having a major Commercial Casino Association in the corner of internet gambling is a strong boost in the face of proposed legislation by some American States such as Kentucky.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

The man…monkey hunt continues in the St. Petersburgh area for a rhesus macaque monkey that has avoided capture for nearly a year. Authorities don’t know where the animal came from, but it is likely the animal escaped from an unpermitted owner or gotten separated from a troupe of wild monkeys in an Ocala-area state park, about 195 kilometres north of St. Petersburg. Trappers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have racked the monkey through three counties, with no luck so far.

The monkey has received celebrity status, with 16,000 fans of the “Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay” Facebook fan page. The monkey was even featured two weeks ago on “The Colbert Report” with host Stephen Colbert poking fun at the quote from one trapper who is concerned with the fact that the monkey has been shot numerous times with tranquilizers, apparently unfazed. The trapper claimed the monkey was becoming a “drug addict” because of all the shots. “You took a monkey on the lam and put a monkey on his back,” said Colbert.

This quote stands out as something I never thought I would read from a wildlife official, or anyone for that matter: “He is an extremely intelligent monkey. He is very, very street-wise.”

The monkey was last seen yesterday in St. Petersburg resident Renee Barth’s backyard, swimming in her pool and eating grapefruit. No word on whether Barth will be charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for Gr88.com

PartyPoker’s Big Game IV takes place April 11-13 at the Les Ambassadeurs club in Mayfair, London and big names are signing up: Tony G, Luke “Full Flush” Schwartz, Phil Laak, Isaac Haxton, Neil Channing, Laurence Grondin and Jennifer Tilly. Another name being courted to attend: Isildur1.

Organizers are trying their best to bring in the mysterious Swede to play in the live environment – even under his terms. “We have been in contact with Isildur1 and would love him to join the game,” said Matchroom Sport managing director Eddie Hearn. “If he wants we will even make special arrangements so that he doesn’t have to reveal his identity to anyone. We are quite happy to let him play wearing a mask or in disguise.” Tony G has offered to stake Isildur1 in the game.

This year, Big Game IV includes an innovative structure that allows the eight players in the game to evict one player every two hours and replace him or her with a new challenger. All the action will be filmed for broadcast later in the year.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

I have been a fan of High Stakes Poker for several years. It has a very informal feel where the personalities and the chatter among the players comes to the forefront much more so than other televised games. It has tense plays over huge pots, sure, but there is a sense of it being just a bunch of dudes sitting around playing poker and joking around. The commentary of Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza was a great compliment to the play, adding playful banter with analysis of the play. The names and personalities at the table have always made for an exciting time.

This new season, its sixth, High Stakes Poker has yet to find that same magic. Kaplan is alone on commentary, which may explain why much of his talk seems to centre around keeping himself entertained. He tried to force a catchphrase of “durrr river”, after Tom “durrr” Dwan sucked out several times on the river, by repeating over, and over, and over, and… The players themselves have yet to provide any special spark. There has been some witty banter between Negreanu and online players Andrew Robl and Lex Veldhuis, but the personality that once made High Stakes Poker unique is not there yet. The crew of Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Daniel Negreanu, Patrik Antonius, Barry Greenstein, Andrew Robl, Lex Veldhuis and Dennis Phillips may still be in a “feeling out” phase, but hopefully the personality – and the pots – grow in coming episodes.

I’m sure as chip counts dwindle and players become more aggressive we will see more action and table talk. If even for poor, lonely Gabe Kaplan’s sake, I hope it happens soon.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

Right from a scene from Kubrick’s The Shining, “Blood Falls” is a five-story, blood-red waterfall that slowly pours out of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys. Geologists first discovered the frozen waterfall in 1911, and it has been thought that the red color of the water came from algae. Its true nature, however, has finally been revealed, with spectacular implications for live on Earth – and elsewhere in the Universe.

Roughly 2 million years ago, the Taylor Glacier sealed a small body of water which contained an ancient community of microbes beneath it. Isolated inside a natural time capsule, these microbes have evolved independently of the rest of the living world. They exist in a world of very little heat, with no light or free oxygen. This “primordial ooze” has a red color because of the very high salinity and rich iron content in the underground lake.

The existence of the “Blood Falls” ecosystem shows that life is indeed possible in the most extreme conditions and life could perhaps exist on other planets with similar environments and similar bodies of frozen water – notably Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

Here is a coffee-fueled quick round-up of the latest tournament results in the world of poker:

The European Poker Tour Snowfest is underway in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. After both Day 1 and 2 (or 1a as those wacky Austrians are calling it) sessions, over half the field of 546 had been eliminated and 259 players remained with hope of claiming the top prize of €445,000. Koen Berendsen finished the day with 162,200 in chips, and stands fifth overall behind the Day 1 leaders. Notable names making through the day were Nasr El Nasr, Felipe Montenegro, Florian Langmann, Luca Pagano, Rino Mathis, Luis Medina, Johannes Steindl, Richard Toth and Nacho Barbero. Boris Becker, Sorel Mizzi, Evelyn Ng, Team PokerStars Pros Dario Minieri, George Danzer, Sandra Naujoks, and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellierdid not fare as well.

Day 1 of The World Poker Tour Hollywood Poker Open was not kind to many of poker’s big names. Gavin Smith, Billy Kopp, Josh Arieh, Jonathan Little, Vanessa Rousso, Jason Mercier. Frank Calo holds a decent lead over Todd Terry, who sits in second place with 515,000, and has at least 200,000 more chips than the other 13 players returning for Day 4 tomorrow.

Tony Hachem won the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Perth event and the $132,750 AUD first place prize.This win is Hachem’s first major tournament win as well as his biggest pay day. The win is also his sixth cash in an ANZPT Main Event, and he is poised to take the ANZPT Player of the Year title for a second successive year.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

PokerStars’ The North American Poker Tour will feature a 16 day festival at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut consisting of 37 tournaments, including a $25,600 two-day High Roller Bounty Shootout that will attract the biggest names in the game.

The High Roller tournament combines both bounty and shootout formats. Round one, which starts April 12th, involves nine tables of nine players, with the first place finisher from each table competing in the final on April 13th. Players gain a $5,000 bounty every time they knock out an opponent. All the finalists will get $50,000. The remainder goes to the overall winner.

Some of poker’s biggest names are expected to participate including PokerStars team members Joe Cada, Vanessa Rousso, Chad Brown, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, and Daniel Negreanu.

Mohegan Sun has scheduled a special $5,250 super-satellite qualifying tournament at Noon on Sunday, April 11 for anyone interested in playing the High Roller Bounty Shootout.

The bounty structure is gaining popularity in poker tournaments, most famously with the WPT’s BAY 101 Shooting Star, which makes poker’s top names marked targets worth $5,000. The bounty in the Mohegan Sun High Roller Shootout should attract a great line-up, as well as a healthy audience: The High Roller Bounty Shootout and the Main Event at Mohegan Sun will be shown on ESPN.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

In what could be the beginning of bad jokes becoming reality, Elbert Thompson II, a fugitive from Michigan, was arrested Sunday after he entered a Pittsburgh bar wearing only a hospital gown. Police said Thompson left Allegheny General Hospital and walked to the bar with an intravenous needle still in his arm. Thompson had been detained by police after fleeing a traffic stop 25 miles (40 kilometres) northeast of Pittsburgh. He was hospitalized after complaining of feeling sick and losing consciousness. Thompson was arrested after he ran from the bar and was Tasered when he refused repeated commands to surrender. Thompson was wanted in Pittsburgh and Michigan on charges connected to two bank robberies.

I have two questions: 1) Where did Thompson have money on him if he was just wearing the gown? and 2) Did he ask for a pint or did he ask to have it hooked up to his IV?

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com

All four suspects in the EPT Berlin armed robbery have been taken into custody in Germany, after two men, 20 year-old suspect Mustafa Ucarkus and 19 year-old Jihad Chetwie were arrested at Berlin’s Tegel Airport Saturday. Both men turned themselves in to police, having police informed through their lawyers that they would be traveling back to Germany from Istanbul and Beirut, respectively.

The arrests follow the apprehension of 28-year-old Ahmad el-Awayti, who was thought by authorites to be the mastermind of the robbery. “According to the current state of our investigation, the suspect is thought to have been the organiser and brains behind the operation. He also drove the getaway car,” Berlin police said in a statement.

A German newspaper postulates that the heist may have not have been planned by the four robbers themselves. The newspaper reported that an Arab crime family known to police could have masterminded the theft.

Ryan Smith is a contributing blog writer for GR88.com