The Nightly Turbo: Sam Trickett Wins Three Awards, Esfandiari on Howard Stern, and More

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Sep 18, 2012 5 min read

On Tuesday, Howard Lederer ended his 17-month silence in an exclusive interview with PokerNews.com. While that was certainly the big story of the day, there was plenty of other news going on around the world. You can find it right here in the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

We released the first two segments of The Lederer Files on Tuesday. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of the exclusive interview right here at PokerNews.com.

What does Rich Ryan think about Howard Lederer's story so far? Find out in his latest Five Thoughts piece.

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

Tony G and Phil Hellmuth needed to settle some business before their triathlon in Malta. Kristy Arnett was there when the stipulations of the challenge were disclosed.

The 2012 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open continued with Day 1b on Monday. Which notables advanced to Day 2? Find out in our WPT Borgata recap.

Jackson Genovesi was the chip leader after Day 1b of the World Poker Tour Malta Main Event. Matthew Pitt recapped the main highlights from the day, including a wild hand between Ronnie Bardah and Kara Scott.

Trickett Cleans Up

2011 was a great year for Sam Trickett, and on Monday the high-stakes poker star was recognized for his many achievements at the British Poker Awards in London.

Trickett scooped up awards for Player of the Year, Best Cash Player and Best Tournament Player during the night's festivities. Trickett had three seven-figure cashes on the tournament circuit in 2011 and was a regular in some of the biggest cash games in Macau. He beat out some tough players in the three categories, including JP Kelly, Roberto Romanello, Ben Grundy, and Chris Moorman.

Although Moorman fell short in the Best Tournament Player category, he did win Best Online Player for the third year in a row. Others collecting hardware on Monday were Liv Boeree (Poker Personality of the Year), Craig McCorkell (Breakthrough Player of the Year), and Vanessa Selbst (Best International Player).

Here's a look at all of the winners at the 2012 British Poker Awards:

For a look at all of the nominees for each category, check out the British Poker Awards website.

Antonio Esfandiari Talks With Howard Stern

As we reported in Monday's Nightly Turbo, Antonio Esfandiari joined the Howard Stern Show Tuesday morning to discuss his life as a poker player, his win at the Big One for One Drop, and �� as expected �� the usual diversions that go with a Howard Stern interview.

Antonio talked a lot about his childhood as an "unpopular" kid and living with a single father who did not approve of his decision to become a magician, and then, of course, a poker player. Esfandiari described his father as an "old school Persian dude" who would have a heart attack if he knew how much Antonio was wagering at the table. Obviously, as we saw at the Big One for One Drop, Poppa Esfandiari has changed his mind about Antonio's career.

Stern and his crew seemed most intrigued by Esfandiari's take on poker being a game of skill more than a game of chance. Antonio explained that each poker hand is like a "formula" which can be solved by combining math with the perceived "comfortability" of his opponents. "It's all about making good decisions," he said. "If you keep making good decisions mathematically and putting your money in with the best hand, math with prevail."

"This seems like hard work!" Stern sidekick Robin Quivers commented.

We highly recommend listening to the full interview. You can find it right here.

Lipparelli Leaving Gaming Control Board

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada Gaming Control Board (GCB) Chairman Mark Lipparelli will step down from the three-member panel at the end of this month. Lipparelli was appointed to the position by Governor Brian Sandoval in January 2011 and reportedly informed Sandoval earlier this month of his decision to leave.

As chairman of the GCB, Liparelli has played a crucial role in the progress of intrastate online poker in Nevada, already approving a handful of operators for online gaming licenses ahead of the launch of the market. Lipparelli said this summer that he expects online poker to be up and running in the state by the end of this year, but now he will no longer be a cog the gaming industry when it happens.

"It was a personal decision," Lipparelli told the Review-Journal on Tuesday. "Once I decided not to serve another term, I thought this would be the best way to go about a smooth transition."

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has more.

WSOP on ESPN

ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker continues Tuesday night with more action from Day 5 of the Main Event. The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET and will focus on the remaining 150 players, including the five women remaining in the field: Gaelle Baumann, Elisabeth Hille, Vanessa Selbst, Marcia Topp, and Susie Zhao.

ESPN also asks poker players about the most overused phrases in the game. One Time? That's Poker! Here's a snippet from the feature:

Read more about the broadcast at WSOP.com.

Lucky Massage?

On Day 2 of the World Poker Tout Malta Main Event, Jonathan Duhamel increased his stack by 700 percent during an 80-minute massage. Coincidence? Duhamel talked about it with Kristy Arnett.

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