Old school poker players will be disappointed to learn that PokerTek, the firm that manufactures electronic, dealer-less poker tables, has won another contract. As Casinos focus more on profit and their never ending quest to boost their bottom line, the appeal of a faster electronic poker table is a no-brainer. While Internet players will likely embrace these games, those seeking to enjoy a live game of poker “the old fashioned way” may have to look around a bit to find a table with a live dealer and real cards.

You can find PokerTek tables at many casinos from coast to coast in the US as well as any ship in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. You may also see the exclusive, World Series of Poker heads up tables in select bars and restaurants that offer “play money” games to patrons. Now you’ll see them at the Boomtown Casino and Hotel in Bossier City, Louisiana. Players that miss the slower paced live poker games will now have to head to another casino to appreciate the tactile feel and pace of “regular poker”.

Is this the signal of a sea change in a culture that has deep roots dating back hundreds of years? Will we soon see electronic tables on ESPN for the WSOP? While that scenario may be years away, it’s not something that can be ruled out with certainty. An informal poll of Internet players indicates that they wouldn’t mind these tables. If you were to ask someone such as Doyle Brunson what his thoughts are however, you may hear a different take.

Regardless, the tables are here to stay and according to the PokerTek website, their stock is trending upwards on the NASDAQ stock exchange. That’s a clear indicator that more than just a few folks are gravitating towards this new form of live poker.

Twisted readers that live in Europe will love the latest promotion from Everest Poker, it’s a cool series that allows poker players the opportunity to qualify for free via a live event for the EPEC aka Everest Poker European Cup. We here at Twisted Gambler assume that most of our readers play poker so if you’re near any of these live events on the dates listed below, make sure to head over to Everest Poker to learn more details.

Like many stocks in 2008, poker stocks have also taken a beating this year. Companies that went public prior to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 are still trying to recover after the law dealt them a significant blow and 2008 has gone into the books as a year that CEO’s and COO’s will hope to forget. Below is a look at two of the most notable companies in the poker industry and how they have fared in 2008.

Party Gaming

Party Gaming went public in 2005 with an initial price of 125.50 pence but lost a third of its value a year later when the UIGEA was passed and the company had to close its doors to its American business. As of January, the company was trading at 29 pence, the company then consolidated their stock which added 10 times the value to the stock price. The Party Gaming stock price then jumped to a high of 312 pence due to rumors that the company was close to settling with the US Department of Justice. A settlement was never made and the stock is now trading at 124 pence.

World Poker Tour Enterprises

2008 has been a tough year for World Poker Tour Enterprises who has faced set back after set back. First, its online gambling site didn’t take off as expected and was closed this fall as a result. The company was also forced to take a less than lucrative TV contract with FSN after GSN opted not to renew their contract. The WPTE was told this summer by NASDAQ that it may lose its spot on the exchange due to its trading price falling below $1 for more than a month. Because of the financial crisis, the action against the company was suspended until May 2009. WPTE stock is currently trading at 36 cents though it start

So much for being a Full Tilt “Red Pro”. In the midst of several departures (David Benyamine and Clonie Gowen), it’s being reported now that Peter Jepsen has bailed to head over to Ladbrokes.

Ladbrokes Poker has announced that they have signed a sponsorship contract with Peter “Zupp” Jepsen to represent the room. He will sport Ladbrokes gear at many offline events to include the European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour tournaments as well as all the Ladbrokes events.

The announcement which came yesterday out of Copenhagen stated that the agreement will officially begin on January 1, 2009 and last initially for one year. Peter is a young and motivated poker player who is a tough competitor that does very well in both high stakes cash games as well as multi table tournaments online.

The announcement is comes as no surprise as Jepsen is good friends with fellow Ladbrokes Poker pro Jonas “Nuchbad” Danielsson. Ladbrokes has found itself with two young and talented players who define the profile of a Ladbrokes Pro. Jepsen will have his own online promotions to include Heads Up tournaments and multi table tournaments at Ladbrokes where players will have the chance to challenge and take down the new pro.

“Peter Jepsen was our main target to become our new Danish sponsored player and we are very pleased to have secured his signature. Peter is one of the best online poker player’s in Europe and has also proved that he is a good player in live tournaments after his EPT win in Warsaw last year.” said Edward Ihre, Ladbrokes Poker Managing Director.

In a world where winning is everything yet nothing is familiar, Dorothy (Liz Lieu), along with her dog Toto (Toto Leonidas), try to find the key to winning the world’s biggest poker event. Along the way, she meets a Scarecrow (Gus Hansen), a Tin Man (Barry Greenstein), and a Cowardly Lion (Mike Matusow) who help her learn about herself and join her quest to find the only man with the answer: The Wizard of Odds.

Edit: The first installment is here!

We proudly present the second installment of “It’s a Wondurrrrful Life” for your viewing pleasure.

Sung to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Gustav the Red Full Tilt Pro

Used to ship his chips in light,

And if you ever saw him,

You would say he makes Eli look tight.

All of the other players

Used to laugh and call him lame.

They never let poor Gustav

Play in any Full Tilt games.

Then Gus won three Double-You Pee Tees,

And Howard came to say:

“Gustav with your fame so bright,

Please be a red pro at my site!”

Now all the players love him,

And they chat him up with glee:

“Let us sit down at your table

And give you all of our monies.”

“We’ll give you all of our monies!”

We’re proud to announce a new addition to the Twisted Gambler lineup. As part of a new section we’re going to call The Muck, we present you with It’s a Wondurrrrful Life.

Kimberly Lansing is hot – no doubt about it. She’s probably next in line to host the WPT seeing as how they tend to replace hosts every year anyway. She also does video interviews for Poker News and a few other news outlets. So what’s next if you’re a smoking red hot chick in the poker world?

Sign with Full Tilt Poker as a “Red Pro” of course. They’ve been on a tear lately, signing everyone from micro-limit grinders douches to this dude. So we figure that since Clonie is gone and Jennifer Harman is pretty much an absentee owner at this point, that Kimberly is the perfect choice for the next female Full Tilt Poker Red Pro. Since Daniel Negreanu is taken now (he’s the girl from PokerStars), this is the perfect opportunity to snatch up some real talent before her stock goes up.

The requirements to get this gig simply can’t be that hard.

Lets take a look:

Full Tilt Poker Red Pro Job Application

[X] Are you hot?

[X] Can you even remotely talk about and/or play poker?

[X] Do the fucktards on Two Plus Two make threads about you that blow up?

[X] Is (your name) available as a Full Tilt screen name?

[X[ Can we (FTP) make a silly ass cartoon avatar of you with big boobs?

You’re hired!