One of the biggest poker pros in the world has decided not to attend the biggest poker tournament in the world. Phil Ivey has boycotted the WSOP. He will not attend the World Series of Poker because, he says, the online poker room Full Tilt Poker has not paid back players and if as a result they can't play, then he won't, either. Ivey is a shareholder in Tiltware, the company that owns Full Tilt Poker. Some says that his stance makes no sense, and that he is positioning himself away from the company to avoid trouble with the US government, which has targeted the online poker room.

The latest WSOP winner is one Allen Bari. The poker pro defeated fellow pro Maria Ho in heads up to cinch the victory. He won the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event in Las Vegas, the latest of the string of World Series of Poker events being held in Sin City. With the victory comes a coveted WSOP bracelet and $874,116, bringing Bari up to $1.7 million in earnings in live poker tournaments, an occupation he has been applying himself at since 2004. Bari has been successful at live tournament poker, but this is his first WSOP win.

The winner of the third WSOP event is Francesco Barbaro, also known as “Cheech.” The WSOP 2011 continues to hold a strong showing despite the current anti- online poker atmosphere in the US. The 3rd World Series of Poker event was a Omaha Hi-Lo tournament, and in fact was the largest in WSOP history with 925 players. Cheech , a 37 year old former bartender, took home $262,283 and his first bracelet with his victory. Humberto Brenes was at the final table and finished in 6ht place.

Online poker room PKR has announced it will host at Summer of Music. The PKR Summer of Music will allow players to attend music events in London and elswhere. The online poker room will host events in Hyde Park in London as well as events in Sweden, Germany and France. Players can visit the online poker site for more details on how they can attend such events as the Berlin Festival for just €24, where they might find music from The Killers, Arcade Fire and Moby among others.

In a fan friendly event dreamed up by the WSOP organizers, poker legends Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth faced off in a grudge match. The World Series of Poker Grudge Match pits heads up players against their famous rivals. Chan was the winner of back to back WSOP events in 1987 and 1988. Hellmuth defeated him in 1999, breaking what would have been a three-streak record in the process. Now in 2011 the rematch gave Chan his chance at revenge, and he took it, defeating Hellmuth for a $25k win.

One poker network has decided to be proactive and block US players, at least temporarily. With major online poker rooms getting shut down by the US, Merge Network has decided better safe than sorry. As of June 3 the poker site will not allow US players to sign up, although current players from the US can still play for real money. Merge Network has poker rooms like Iron Duke, Hero Poker, Carbon Poker, Poker Nordica, PDC Poker, and Lock Poker, all of which will be affected by their decision.

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, one lawmaker has asked for more time for poker law to come into effect. Bars with poker tournaments are the target of the cops, and Damon Baldone wants them to slow down. In a measure filed by Baldone, a state representative, poker law could change to make the poker events legal, and he doesn't want the bars and poker players to suffer in the short interim time frame. House Concurrent Resolution 117 was filed by Baldone, D-Houma, and specifically asks local law enforcement to refrain from taking action to give the bill a chance to be addressed.

The first events of the 2011 World Series of Poker got underway on Tuesday. The WSOP is being held once again at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. The first event was the $500 Employee Event. To participate in this event the poker players had to work at a casino. Also kicking off on the first day of the World Series of Poker was Event #2,the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. It is worth noting that the most expensive event started the same day as the cheapest.

A new division has been created for poker company HeadsUp Entertainment. HeadsUp is the operator of the Canadian Poker Tour as well as other concerns. Poker players participate in the poker tour and learn about it via the Canadian Poker Player Magazine, also owned and run by HeadsUp. The new division of HeadsUp will cover all poker related concerns, including the Canadian Poker Player Television Network. The division is so new there is not a clear leader as of yet, according to Kelly B. Kellner, President and CEO of HeadsUp Entertainment International, Inc, who said they are looking for a person to serve as president of the new division.

The home of 888 poker has secured a gaming license in Italy. 888 Holdings, the parent company of one of the first online poker rooms, has expanded to allow Italian players. This move comes as good news for poker players in Italy, who will be able to play on the popular online poker room now that the required licenses have been secured. 888 Holdings may offer an online casino in addition to an online poker room, both of which would be open for play for players from Italy.