Buckle up. This is the In and Out List.

Poker’s In List: January 30 – February 5, 2012

Chopping the 75 Billionth Hand on PokerStars: IN

Earlier today PokerStars hit its latest milestone, hand 75 billion. And to celebrate they gave away $140,000.

And it gets better. The milestone pot was chopped, meaning two players had their prizes doubled!

edroqui07 and acer2831 both made the same seven-high straight and took $42,810 and $34,600, respectively.

Here are the payouts for the 75 billionth hand and their chat box reactions, courtesy of PokerStars Blog.

edroqui07: $42,810... "yeeeaaaaaaaaaa" acer2831: $34,600 i-268: $19,450... "awesome, ty" ant_poker: $19,010... "ooooh" Sebastfrz: $16,970 pavl007: $16,970... "enough for a sandwich" (but presumably a very big one)

We really like the sound of a $16,000 sandwich.

tcash777 for Live Updating his $2/$5 Game Against Jamie Gold: IN

Two Plus Two forum poster tcash777 sat down in a $2/$5 game at the Trop in Las Vegas and found the poker room’s namesake Jamie Gold sitting to his left.

"No one's live updated me since the 2006 Main Event"

 

He’s In this week because instead of sitting starstruck, or the much worse ask-for-a-picture, he started a thread about it.

Drawing on the vast number of bored slackers knowledge and experience available in NVG he asked for help. The feedback wasn’t exactly helpful, and his cell phone ran out of batteries before he could get much of a dialogue going, we're still commending him for taking the initiative.

Check out the thread right here.

Bryan Devonshire for Winning a Second WSOPC Ring: IN

The man known in the poker world as Devo has won a second WSOP Circuit ring, and a spot on this week’s In List.

Bryan Devonshire defeated the venerable Paul “Eskimo” Clark heads-up and pocketed $55,291. In total 228 players bought into that $1k event at Caesars Las Vegas.

Devonshire narrowly missed the 2011 November Nine, finishing 12th in the Main Event for over $600,000. He’s now got close to $2 million in lifetime earnings.

Get the full story from the amazing Nolan Dalla right here.

Poker’s Out List: January 30 – February 5, 2012

Subject: Poker for Closing its Virtual Doors: OUT

Subject: Poker, the website that has become synonymous with secret-source Full Tilt Poker news, has packed up shop and will no longer be publishing new articles.

Site founder NoahSD announced that he was getting into the online poker security consulting game, and would therefore be unable to present the kind of independent news for which the site was revered.

Feature writer Diamond_Flush has started a new blog, however, and will continue to follow the Black Friday debacle as it develops.

Daniel Negreanu for Bubbling the $250k Down Under: OUT

Some might call it cruel but we’re putting Daniel Negreanu Out this week for nailing one of the biggest bubbles in poker, the $250k Super High Roller at the Aussie Millions.

Maria Ho is one of 11 players bumped off the GPI this week.

 

Negreanu posted yesterday about what it’s like to go out in fourth and lose $250,000, instead of finishing third and winning $800k.

To make matters worse Negreanu spent the next evening with Patrik Antonius, the one who busted him out of the Super High Roller with jacks against A-8. Antonius, his wife Maya, plus Jason Mercier and his fiancée all went to the Aussie Open finals for that epic Nadal/Djokovic finale.

Click through here for Negreanu’s latest blog post.

11 Players from the Global Poker Index: OUT

Earlier this week 11 players were knocked off the weekly Global Poker Index ranking. The GPI ranks the top 300 live tournament players in the world.

Among those bumped off the list was Maria Ho, who has been in the top 300 since the 2011 WSOP, and Cornel Cimpan, who earned over $3 million in 2009 but hasn’t done a whole lot lately.

Still in the number one spot is Erik Seidel whose 2011 was among the greatest in poker history. Seidel has been number one 14 of the 32 weeks the GPI has been in existence. That’s more than any other player.

Click here for the full ranking.

Today in the 3-Bet we find John Juanda hitching a ride to the Aussie Millions, Jason Mercier pocketing another half-mil and an outsider’s look at the success of social media in the fight for poker regulation in the US.

1) Juanda Gets Free Upgrade to Private Jet Class

Friends in high places.

 

We've said it before: the best way to get through life is to make friends in high places.

Former Full Tilt pro John Juanda, a veritable regular in the high-stakes games at the Aussie Millions for years, has been surprisingly absent this year but it has nothing to do with the ongoing FTP saga.

The problem? This year's schedule ran right on top of Chinese New Year, keeping Juanda – and 8 wealthy Chinese businessmen, he adds - out of the $100k Challenge.

As explained via his Twitter:

“Really miss Melbourne& Aussie Million; but impossible to go bcos its same time as Chinese NY. Hope they do better job w/scheduling next year.”

Despite the scheduling conflict, Juanda and at least one of said businessman are on their way now.

They'll be arriving in style on the Crown Casino corporate jet (see pic above) no less – a substantial upgrade for Juanda from his previous flight on Continental.

“Crown sent this to pick up my Super HR friend&he let me tag along. I hope its better than my last continental flight!:)”

Look for Juanda and the unnamed super high roller in our coverage of the $250k event at the Aussie Millions this weekend.

2) Mercier Dismantles Elite Cash Game at Aussie Millions

It’s been awhile since Jason Mercier binked a huge tourney score (*awhile meaning 6-8 weeks on the Mercier scale) so he’s been forced to take to the high-stakes cash games to keep the #whenwillitend machine going.

Despite an insane line-up including Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Daniel Negreanu, Dan Cates and Sam Trickett, it’s worked out pretty well for him - to the tune of roughly half a million dollars in the last two days.

Just another day at the office for Mercier, apparently, as he ho hummed on Twitter:

Making Dilbert jokes with durrrr.

 

“Kinda nice to win 500k in 2 days ... Gamble on the 250k 2moro :)”

Mercier's office reminds us very much of our office, except we don't play $500/$1k NLH/PLO much any more and Trickett, Negreanu, Antonius and durrrr don't drop by ever, despite our e-vites.

Also coming out big winners from the cash game were Trickett (roughly $220k) and Negreanu ($150k).

Most of the game was filmed for TV and will air shortly, but check Poker Asis Pacific for a recap of some big hands.

Follow Mercier on Twitter here; just skip over the Miami Heat tweets and every third #hashtag.

3) PC World Gives PPA Thumbs Up for Social Media Efforts

PPA Director John Pappas.

 

Truth be told, it may be giving the Poker Players Alliance a bit too much credit.

But noted computer magazine PC World has given the PPA and its ongoing drive to regulate online poker in the US a big thumbs up in a recent list of social media campaigns is says have combined activism and social media to spur change in the world.

Ranking it as “effective” and connecting the campaign to the recent DOJ ruling that online poker falls outside the Wire Act, PC World puts it alongside such heavyweight social media campaigns as the Anonymous hacks, the Occupy Movement, revolutions in Russia and Egypt and Dan Savage’s It Gets Better campaign.

High company, for sure.

While it may be a stretch to say the PPA was the driving force behind the DOJ decision, there's still no doubt the work of the PPA since 2006 has certainly put the issue in the scope of millions of people who might not care otherwise.

Getting in the discussion is a win in itself.

See the full list here.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Joe Hachem back in the Global Poker Index, get a major case of plaque envy from the Aussie Millions and watch WPT Raw Deal host Tony Dunst balancing his tweet range.

1) Hach Back in Top 200 of Global Poker Index

Soul patch is back!

 

The latest update to the Global Poker Index was posted today and, to no surprise, Erik Seidel and Jason Mercier held on to the top two spots.

Jonathan Duhamel jumped into the top 10 (from #11), Mike "Timex" McDonald dropped out of the top 10 (to #11) and a slew of other great tournament players moved up or down the rankings as usual.

Making a big move, however, to ring in his new ambassadorship with the Asian Poker Tour and the AsianLogic Group was Australia's favorite chiropractor-turned-poker pro, Joe Hachem.

Hachem came flying back into the GPI this week as his third-place finish in the Aussie Millions $100k High Roller event scored him 228 points and rocketed him back up to #177 in the rankings.

$100k High Roller winner Dan Smith, aka KingDan23, also crushed the rankings this week on the back of his $100k finish and jumped up 90 spots all the way to #65.

Check the full updated rankings for this week here.

2) Cash-Game Plaques, So Hot Right Now

Plaques are the mack.

 

The bundles of cash they used on GSN's High Stakes Poker were pretty baller, for sure, but everybody knows what takes you to the next level of money cachet.

Plaques. Flat, plastic stacks of heavy casino plaques.

Because the best way to show how truly above it all you are is to never sully your hands with cash again.

As Daniel Negreanu tweeted along with this great picture of his stack of plaques at the Aussie Millions cash game, plaques are also just "so James Bond."

To paraphrase Chris Rock:

"Bundles of cash make you look rich. Plaques make you look wealthy."

Check out a few more pics from yesterday's cash game in the PL blog and look for more reports later today.

Follow @RealKidPoker on Twitter for some of the best tweets in the game.

3) Tony "Bond_18" Dunst Balances His Tweet Range

Likes it raw.

 

Think the lingering resentment towards Full Tilt Poker and its primary owners Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer has dissipated at all?

Not if the Twitter tempest around a new report that came out yesterday revealing some “secret” accounts of Ferguson is any indication.

Most notably expressing his latent rage was WPT Raw Deal Host Tony Dunst, who made it pretty clear in a couple of tweets what he’d do if he ran into either of those two again:

“If Chris Ferguson shows his face in poker again I'll happily be the first one to drive a stake through that piece of shits ankle.”

Not to give Lederer a pass, he followed that immediately by:

“I'd bring retribution to Lederer too if I weren't so confident that the fat fuck will eat himself to death if he has any money left.”

Just to balance his range, Dunst was back to his more jovial host persona four minutes later when he tweeted:

“Check out season X of the WPT on FSN starting February 12th!”

Follow Dunst on Twitter here to see who gets it next.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Jonathan Duhamel on the receiving end of another sucker punch, another up-and-coming pro gets locked in to a pro deal and the debate about whether poker is for money or not gets weird.

1) Finger Gets Punchy with Duhamel at PCA

We’ve written about German Martin (0Piggybank) Finger’s booze-induced aggressive tendencies before, but it seems like he’s still not so good with the drink.

Finger: Needs to keep his hands to himself.

 

This time the object of his aggression wasn’t a disagreeable restaurant window but 2010 WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel.

Duhamel was out celebrating his runner-up finish in the PCA $25k High Roller, as you do, when Finger sucker punched him in the face for “talking trash.”

Or, as he explained it on IM to a German friend, "in the puss."

Piggybank: i’m drunken Piggybank: duhamel is drunken Piggybank: he started talking trash Piggybank: i was thrown out of the club Piggybank: even i ddin’t do anything Piggybank: i waited for him in front of the club Piggybank: he comes out Piggybank: i hit him in his puss Piggybank: nice line Piggybank: imao

Piggybank: he was soooooo drunken Piggybank: pissing me off, even i just wanted to walk by Piggybank: really getting on my nerves Piggybank: i just chill Piggybank: he was kinda aggro Piggybank: security Piggybank: busting me Piggybank: i’m out Piggybank: waiting the whole time Piggybank: with isildur Piggybank: then duhamel showes up Piggybank: i walk towards him an hit him directly in his face. security intervene

Duhamel didn’t seem too worse for wear, based on his tweets and the fact he took home $1.2 million from the PCA.

He also likely deserved a bit of what he got this time.

Still, stop punching Jonathan Duhamel. It only makes him win more tournaments.

2) Melanie Weisner Signs as Lock Poker Pro

Locked in.

 

Former Full Tilt pro Melane Weisner has a new deal with Lock Poker.

Weisner joins Chris Moorman, Matt Stout and Leo Margets, among others, on the Lock Pro Elite team.

With just under $400k in career live earnings and $1.2 million online under the screen name Callisto 5, the 25 year-old from Houston, Texas, is a rising star in the game and part of the next generation of female pros weaned on the internet.

"Melanie is a perfect fit for Lock," CEO/Owner of Lock Poker Jennifer Larson said.

"Passionate, relentless in her dedication to the game and incredibly intelligent. Players like Melanie give us the true insight into the product and player experience that we need to become the best."

Weisner's biggest live cash was for €30,000 at EPT Prague last year but she has several scores in the same range.

Online her biggest score is $50,397.50 in the PokerStars Sunday 500.

To sign up and get our exclusive bonus at Lock Poker, check out our Lock Poker review.

3) Poker For Wins, Not Money, is Crazy Talk

We like a good poker debate as much as the next guy, but some debates really shouldn't even start.

In two recent International Federation of Poker blog posts the idea was floated that the "real story" in a poker tournament is the glory of the win, so to speak, rather than the payout.

Excerpt from blog one:

"if we want our game to be taken seriously as a competitive sport and to take the focus off gambling then we need to start appreciating players not for their total tournament winnings, but for how they stack up against the other greats of this game of giants."

Excerpt from blog two, where Leonid Bilokur's win in the PCA $25k win is used as a case study:

"The event was won by Ukrainian player Leonid Bilokur, an accomplished player even before he won the first prize ($1.1 million).

Bilokur: Did it all for the trophy? No.

 

"When asked how the money would change his life he merely shrugged, brushing off the question in that old fashioned way.

"It was too important a title to be sullied by the issue of money ....

and

"On course for victory, before Bilokur made a remarkable comeback heads-up, Duhamel was visibly devastated that he’d fallen short of another title.

"Was it the money he was interested in ...? No. The Canadian only wanted the esteem of a new title, the number “1” shining proudly on his tournament Palmares."

To which we say, um, no. That is a horrible misread.

The only people who don't play poker for the money are people who have lots of money.

Anything else is crazy talk.