The Nightly Turbo: 32 Confirmed for NBC Heads-Up, Vanessa Rousso Rocks PCA Party

January 15, 2013

The 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure ended Monday, but not before poker players (and media member) were able to cut loose during a wild party at the Atlantis Resort. We're bringing you that story, plus half of the official field for the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It:

Vanessa Selbst made history at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure on Monday. Her victory in the $25,000 buy-in High Roller shifted her past Kathy Liebert as the winningest female tournament player ever.

Did you miss any of the action from the PCA Main Event or High Roller? Chad Holloway breaks down the biggest hands from those two prestigious events.

Tony G has joined forces with Hall of Hands Limited, an innovative poker-hand replayer. Learn more about unique brand here at PokerNews.com.

Baptiste Chavaillaz won the 2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Bicycle Casino Main Event on Monday. Read about his path to victory in our WSOPC recap.

SkillBet.com is 100 percent legal in 28 U.S. states and offers players the assurance that their money is safe. Found out more here.

Half of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship Field Announced

With NBC's National Heads-Up Poker Championship returning to the poker schedule in 2013, media, fans and players alike have been waiting anxiously for the first names of confirmed players. Today, the first batch of 32 players was announced.

The event is scheduled to be filmed at Caesars Palace Las Vegas Jan. 24 through 26, and all sessions are to begin at 1:30 p.m. PT. The draw party to select the first-round matches and brackets, deemed "Selection Wednesday," will be held Jan. 23 at 9:00 p.m. at Cleopatra's Barge in Caesars Palace Las Vegas.

Surely, you've already started thinking of the possible snubs from this list and might even be questioning some of the selections, but remember that the full list hasn't been released yet — this is just one half of the total field. Once the full list of confirmed entrants is announced, we'll be able to dive into who belongs and who doesn't. In the meantime, feel free to voice your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

DJ Lady Maverick

The 10th anniversary of PokerStars Caribbean Adventure ended with a bang Monday when Vanessa Selbst won the $25,000 High Roller event, making poker history in the process.

To celebrate the 10th running of the series, PokerStars hosted another one of its massive, outrageous parties — or at least that’s how people in attendance described it. Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso even took the stage as the deejay, setting the crowd in motion with fist-pumping tracks.

Rousso didn't just hop on stage and press buttons, either. She's a pro. Last year, Rousso received a master certificate in Electronic Music Production from BerkeleeMusic.com. She's since been honing her new craft and writing her own music.

Rousso's skills were on display in the Bahamas, and many players applauded her efforts after the party.

Here's a brief look at the celebration, courtesy of the PokerStars Blog:

Grinder Poker Series

The Turlock Poker Room, in the heart of California’s Central Valley, has named DeepStacks Pro and two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi as its official poker ambassador for 2013.

Mizrachi will make regularly scheduled appearances at the Turlock Poker Room, hosting live tournaments and cash games, as well as representing the poker room at all major live events throughout the year.

His first appearance at the room will be on Saturday, Jan. 19, the starting date of the Grinder Poker Series. All participating players will earn points throughout the eight-tournament series, and the top 16 point earners will face each other in the Grinder Showdown — a heads-up, bracket-style tournament — for the chance to take on Mizrachi one‐on‐one for a $15,000 guaranteed prize.

"I’m excited to start my ambassadorship at the Turlock Poker Room,” Mizrachi said in a press release. "The room is beautiful, the staff is second-to-none, and they really know what it takes to run a first-class operation. Together, Turlock and I are going to have an outstanding and memorable 2013.”

For more on the Grinder Poker Series and the Turlock Poker Room, visit TurlockPoker.com.

MiniFTOPS Results

Full Tilt Poker's MiniFTOPS XXI continued Tuesday with three more events on the 35-tournament schedule. Events 19, 20 and 21 easily surpassed their respective guarantees with more than $235,000 handed out across the three events.

Here's a look at the results from the final tables:

Event #19: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Knockout ($25K Guaranteed)

*Denotes three-way deal

Event #20: No Limit Hold'em Six-Max 2x Chance ($100K Guaranteed)

*Denotes five-way deal

Event #21: No Limit Hold'em Turbo ($40K Guaranteed)

The MiniFTOPS action resumed Tuesday with three more tournaments: Event #22 ($11 Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys); Event #23 ($55 10-Game Six-Max Multi-Entry); and Event #24 ($22 No Limit Hold'em Rush Super Turbo).

The series culminates on Sunday, Jan. 20, with the $75 Multi-Entry Main Event. In case you missed our announcement yesterday, we will be giving away 100 Main Event tickets to our valued PokerNews readers! An exclusive freeroll will take place on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 13:00 ET, so be sure to keep reading PokerNews to find out the password.

Online Poker Traffic Report

Online poker traffic climbed 6 percent in the first full week of 2013, according to the recent report at PokerScout.com. With the peak season of online poker under way, PokerStars, PartyPoker, 888 and MPN have all seen gains of 5 percent or more since the year began.

Full Tilt Poker, however, continued its decline since the site relaunched on Nov. 6, 2012. Although the site performed well over the holidays, its lead over PartyPoker dropped from 50 percent to just under 40 percent last week. PartyPoker has maintained its lead over iPoker and 888poker for the No. 3 spot in the rankings.

Here's a look at the traffic rankings as of Tuesday:

Check out the full report at PokerScout.com.

Ship It, Holla!

Ever wonder what it's like to be a teenager on top of the poker world? You might be in luck because PokerNews is offering the opportunity to experience that very lifestyle.

PokerNews.com is giving its valued readers a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas with the Ship It Holla Ballas, a group of poker pros who took the high-stakes poker world by storm after dropping out of college. The sweepstakes runs from now until Feb. 12, with one grand prize winner receiving a trip for two to Las Vegas, and ten runner-up winners receiving a copy of the book Ship It Holla Ballas!

Stay tuned to PokerNews.com tomorrow for more information about this exciting giveaway.

PCA Highlights

Another year of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure has come and gone. Did you miss any of the most memorable moments? Kristy Arnett takes a look back at the trip's top highlights.

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