The Nightly Turbo: Norman Chad's Column, Esfandiari and the $1 Million Big One, and More

Brett Collson Chief Editor

Jun 25, 2012 5 min read

Norman Chad captured the attention of the poker community by making a World Series of Poker final table on Sunday. He also wrote a great column about the current state of the game. We'll cover that story, plus Antonio Esfandiari playing the Big One for One Drop, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

The $50,000 Poker Players Championship kicked off on Sunday. Read about that event and more in the Day 29 WSOP recap.

Zach Clark is going after his first WSOP bracelet on Monday. We take a look at that story and more in Monday's WSOP What to Watch For.

Dan Shak is suing his ex-wife Beth over her $1 million shoe collection. Yes, seriously. Read about it in our story at The Muck.

Did you miss Sunday's World Poker Tour coverage on FSN? Read our WPT recap to get caught up.

Looking for a fun, behind-the-scenes perspective of life at the WSOP? All Mucked Up has daily stories from inside the Rio, so check it out!

Whamboozled!

When he's not commentating for ESPN, running deep in World Series of Poker events, or tweeting during a burglary trial, Norman Chad writes a pretty darned good column for the Washington Post.

Just hours before finishing sixth in the $2,500 buy-in Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8 or Better event at the WSOP on Sunday, Chad's latest Couch Slouch piece about poker was published by the Post. It was well-received by many high-profile poker pros who agree that it's time for the poker world to "join the real world."

"Poker is at a crossroads �� the game is under siege, both from outside forces and from within," Chad wrote. "As a poker community, we either can step up and be more productive citizens or step back and lurk in the shadows of mainstream America."

Chad echoes the sentiments of fellow poker commentator Mike Sexton in saying that players should dress better and treat everyone at the poker table better. "Let��s interact with these other Homo sapiens in a more civilized fashion," he added.

Chad's column is always worth a read. Check it out at the Washington Post.

Antonio Esfandiari Playing the Big One?

According to a recent post on Twitter, Antonio Esfandiari will be playing the $1 million Big One for One Drop at the World Series.

Esfandiari had expressed interest in playing the event for weeks and was looking for backers into the inaugural event. It seems his action is sold out and he's ready to roll.

Thanks for all the support. No more pieces available for One Drop. Wiiish me luck !!
— Antonio Esfandiari (@MagicAntonio)

Esfandiari boasts a WSOP bracelet, two World Poker Tour titles and nearly $5 million in live tournament cashes around the world. He recently placed third in the $3,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout for $151,613. It was his second WSOP final table in as many years.

"The Magician's" participation in the Big One hasn't been confirmed by the WSOP yet, though. Communications Director Seth Palansky told PokerNews Monday afternoon that Esfandiari is not registered, so keep an eye on this space for any developments.

You can find the official list of entrants at allinforonedrop.com.

PokerStars Announces MicroMillions II

Next month, PokerStars.com will run the second edition of the massively popular MicroMillions tournament series, offering $5 million in guarantees across 100 events with buy-ins starting at just 11 cents.

The series will run from July 12 through 22, 2012, with events running around the clock. The series will end with a $22 MicroMillions Main Event with a $1 million prize pool on Sunday, July 22.

��It��s a fantastic series for players of all levels,�� said Team PokerStars Pro Macin Horecki, who won the MicroMillions Player of the Series the first time around. ��Last time I tried to play as many events as possible and it turned out to be a great move for me. The very affordable buy-in levels are perfect for micro-stakes players who dream of winning a huge prize but often don��t have the chance.��

For more on the MicroMillions II series, read the story here at PokerNews.com.

PartyPoker Upgrades

PartyPoker has released a new version of its Mac client that allows multitable tournament players to get in on the action.

The previous beta version offered only cash games and single table tournaments, but players can now find multitable tournaments and multitable sit-and-go tournaments. A number of formats are now available, including Satellites, rebuys, shootouts, and bounty tournaments.

The new software was happily welcomed by members of Team PartyPoker. "I��m the Mac daddy so it is great news for me," Tony G said.

Newly added PartyPoker pro Marvin Rettenmaier added, ��My bounty tournaments start on PartyPoker.com in a couple of months so this has come at just the right time!��

To learn more about the exiting new release, visit PartyPoker.com.

Intimacy With a Twi$t

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Barbero Versus Danzer

Nacho Barbero and George Danzer were seated together on Day 2 of Event #42. Lynn Gilmartin caught up with the two PokerStars Pros for the latest edition of Versus.