The final installment of ESPN’s poker show “Inside Deal” before the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table was released on Tuesday, featuring Chad Brown and Liv Boeree.
The “Inside Deal” crew moved to a new set to open the show and its attention immediately turned to Phil Ivey mucking the winning flush during last week’s WSOP on ESPN broadcast, which saw the field trimmed to 18 players. “Inside Deal” host Bernard Lee gave his take on the errant move: “It was shocking. That’s really all you can say. I’m sure it’s happened before, but not in the final 27 of the WSOP Main Event.” Ivey remains in the running for the $8.5 million first place prize despite the hiccup.
On Kara Scott being the new host of the GSN poker franchise “High Stakes Poker,” Lee quipped, “At least we know that Norman Chad will be watching;” Chad referred to Scott as “Kara Scott-Chad” throughout the 2009 WSOP Main Event broadcast. Poker News Daily can independently confirm that Scott is the new host of “High Stakes Poker” pending finalization of her contract and obtaining a working visa. No official announcement has been given by GSN.
A recent study released by the Joint Committee on Taxation, a U.S. Government agency, revealed that over $40 billion could be realized from taxing the internet gambling industry over a 10-year period. Lee explained the significance of the report: “That has to raise a lot of eyebrows in the government, knowing that amount of money could go into their coffers. This has to slowly move the pendulum toward us.” In the meantime, the financial services industry in the United States must come into full compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by December 1st.
Boeree them joined the show and revealed that she studied physics and astrophysics in school before being cast for a poker reality show featuring Ultimate Bet pros Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth. Boeree has been competing on the tournament circuit for only one year and commented, “I definitely don’t think I could go back to hosting now. I find it very difficult being at a European Poker Tour (EPT) event and asking people what their strategies were.” Her favorite band is Metallica, whom she has met and seen in concert. Boeree, a Brit, also claimed that her worst pet peeve of Americans is “easting like idiots.”
Brown discussed being one-half of a “power couple” in poker along with wife Vanessa Rousso: “We both have our own careers. As a couple, [we] can be supportive of each other.” Brown was the 2006 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year on the strength of five Top 40 finishes in World Poker Tour (WPT) events and a fifth place showing in EPT London. On the accolade, which only takes into account $5,000 buy-in tournaments with more than 100 players, Brown told Lee and fellow “Inside Deal” host Laura Lane, “These are the best players in the world you’re competing against.” John Juanda and Barry Greenstein were on his heels throughout much of the competition.
Brown noted that he was cast to be part of a movie directed by James Woods, but the project was put on hold due to the lingering global recession. On his acting career, the Team PokerStars Pro member explained, “If you’re a movie star, you can do whatever you want. If you’re a working actor, you need to stay in Hollywood and pound the pavement.” While Brown has put his acting skills to use on the green felts, Boeree commented that exploiting her femininity is advantageous: “There are definitely times when you can use it to your advantage. If you can flirt with the guys, they’ll want you to stick around.”
“Inside Deal” now heads to Las Vegas for the finale of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. The show is released each Tuesday on ESPN.com.
