Poker in 2010: the year in review

Typically I would outline the Top 10 poker stories in 2010, but since there were plenty of stories to cover in 2010 I thought I’d do a quick rundown of not only the most important, but also the most outrageous, and the most talked about stories in 2010, ENJOY!

• Rush Poker

Full Tilt introduced the world to the Crystal Meth of Poker, Rush Poker!

• Debut of The Micros

Jay Rosenkrantz and John Wray gave the poker wolrd something to laugh about with their new animated series The Micros, which was an instant hit.

• John Racener’s third DUI

It was three times unlucky for the WSOP Main Event runner-up as he was pulled over in late 2010 for Driving Under the Influence, and could be facing jail time after his third such arrest.

• Jonathan Duhamel wins the WSOP Main Event

Duhamel became the first Canadian to win the WSOP Main Event in November, and collected the nearly $9 million first place prize-money.

• States mull legalized online poker

Both New Jersey and California have taken matters into their own hands and attempted to pass online poker legislation at the state level.

• Washington State bans online poker

Washington State became the first state to make playing online poker a crime.

• UIGEA legislation goes into full effect

In June 2010 the online poker world had to come to terms with a fully enacted UIGEA law, and a number of payment processors have been prosecuted since.

• The WSOP Ladies Tournament brouhaha

Men in drag and the whole gender equality argument marked this year’s Ladies Tournament at the WSOP.

• Isildur1 heads to PokerStars

The Mystery man from Sweden signed with PokerStars in late 2010.

• Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke spat… AGAIN!

Following the Ladies Tournament fiasco Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu rekindled their longtime feud with a series of blog posts, which culminated in Negreanu calling Duke a C**T -the second time he has done so

• Mike Mizrachi’s up and down year

Mizrachi won the $50k Players Championship, made the final table of the WSOP Main Event, was sued, and had properties foreclosed, talk about a rollercoaster!

• Online Poker Legislation fails in the US

Close but no cigar is the only way to explain Harry Reid’s proposed online poker legislation.

• Phil Laak sets a record and then gets a bone set

Phil Laak put his name in the Guinness Book of World Records this year for a 115 hour poker session, and then proceeded to launch an ATV off a 40 foot cliff, nearly killing himself.

• High Stakes in Macau

A high-stakes poker game of epic proportions was played in Macau following the APT Cebu tournament, and the rumored $4k/$8k NLHE game stole the headlines for almost two weeks.

• Dan Harringotn and Erik Seidel make the Poker HOF

Two longtime pros were inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame this year, and amazingly both Harrington and Seidel got their starts at the Mayfair Club in NYC.