We love of a good game of What Does Johnny Lodden Think (although, we prefer a game of What Does (French EPT Commentator) Benjo Think?. So, after last night's Sunday Million, we would love to sit around and ruminate on what Lodden thinks about making the final table of the biggest weekly poker tournament in the world.

That's exactly what happened on the last weekend of November. Lodden took fifth place early this morning for $72,616. It happened in a monster 9,077-player field playing for a $1,815,400 prize pool.The biggest winner of the day was Brazil's caio_pimenta who banked a startling $259,243 for first place. To see how he did it, check out Jen Newell's 11-29-09 Sunday Million report.

While that was the biggest win of the weekend, it was not the only one. November brought back from hiatus the much-loved PokerStars Turbo Takedown, a FPP-tournament with a $1 million prize pool. The PokerStars Blog's David Aydt tracked that one from beginning to end and saw viebu win $38,991 and a brand new car.

It was also the weekend for the Battle of the Planets finalists to square off in the monthly Triple Shootout. Aydt was on top of that one, too, and has the story of makkie21's win.

Finally, the tried and true Sunday Warm-Up got itself in the books before it got too late in the night. John Hartness saw Mr. Shanish make a good deal for himself and walk away with $116,468.

For all of this weekend's biggest finishes, check out our 11-29-09 PokerStars Sunday tournament results.

This week is all about live events. By this time tomorrow, EPT Prague and APPT Sydeny will be underway. Keep it here for all the live action.

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As this week's Super Tuesday headed toward its 12th hour, among the three players remaining were two who had won the weekly $1,050 no-limit hold'em tournament on PokerStars before. In fact, Brazil's Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes and the U.K.'s Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer had both won the tournament just last year.

Fernandes would fall short in third, however, then Brammer would strike a heads-up deal before being eliminated himself in second. That left blakjak19 of Cyprus to claim this week's title, good for a nice payday of $104,706.25 following the heads-up deal. And as if topping Brammer and Fernandes weren't enough, Philipp "philbort" Gruissem also made an appearance at this week's final table before being knocked out in eighth.

A huge turnout of 615 for the tournament meant a prize pool of $615,000, well over the $425K guarantee. It would take almost six hours for the field to be carved down to 72 players and the money bubble to burst, at which point RigasDinamo sat atop the chip counts.

About an hour-and-a-half after that they were down to 18, with RigasDinamo having tumbled from the lead early to finish in 41st ($2,767.50). Meanwhile Philipp "philbort" Gruissem had risen up into the top spot by building a stack of more than 410,000 -- at the time about a 100,000 clear of Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer in second position.

Dragon-GT200 (18th), bauruzito (17th), and EPT10 Prague Main Event champion Julian "jutrack" Track (16th) were the next players eliminated, earning $4,920 apiece.

Julian "jutrack" Track

greengrass67 (15th), ZhipOHoy (14th), and Cesar "Ce$ar$pa" Garcia (13th) were the next out, picking up $6,150 each. Then marchenkoser (12th), neverfoldQ5 (11th), and quinters (10th) were successively felted, with each taking away $7,380 from the prize pool.

They were approaching the tournament's nine-hour mark, and with Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer having moved well in front the final table was underway.

Seat 1: blakjak19 (Cyprus) -- 458,394
Seat 2: Hasseh922 (Finland) -- 368,307
Seat 3: Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes (Brazil) -- 237,268
Seat 4: Philipp "philbort" Gruissem (Malta) -- 312,396
Seat 5: Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer (United Kingdom) -- 724,902
Seat 6: Neffeltorf (Germany) -- 119,690
Seat 7: TTPlayer18 (Germany) -- 365,180
Seat 8: registr24 (Russia) -- 354,917
Seat 9: uwinho312 (Germany) -- 133,946

All nine players made it through the nine-hour break, and all nine nearly made it to the 10-hour break as well. But two hands before that next respite came the first final table elimination, then on the very next hand after that came another.

In the first it was a short-stacked uwinho312 shoving from early position for 47,272 (not quite four big blinds) and getting a caller in Hasseh922 a couple of seats over. Then TTPlayer18 reraise-pushed from the big blind for just over 140,000, and Hasseh922 called that one as well.

TTPlayer18: [Qs][Qd]
Hassah922: [Ac][Tc]
uwinho312: [As][8s]

The board came [7d][3d][Kc][3s][5d], meaning TTPlayer18's queens were best while uwinho312 was ousted in ninth.

The next hand saw Philipp "philbort" Gruissem open-push his last 62,610 from middle position, then TTPlayer18 reraised all-in from the small blind to isolate. Gruissem had [As][Td] and a slight edge over TTPlayer18's [Kh][Qh] preflop, but the board came [Kd][Th][9h][Qc][7s] to give TTPlayer18 two pair to Gruissem's one, sending the latter out in eighth.

Philipp "philbort" Gruissem

registr24 became short-stacked soon after that but managed to survive multiple all-ins to climb out of the danger zone. But just a few hands later registr24 open-pushed a stack of 214,988 from UTG -- about 15 BBs -- and got called by blakjak19 in the next seat.

registr24 had [As][Jc] while blakjak19 had [Qd][Qc], and when the community cards came [5h][4d][6d][7d][8d], blakjak19's flush beat the straight on the board, and registr24 was done in seventh.

Just a few minutes later a hand arose that saw blakjak19 make a raise to 32,900 from early position, then next-to-act Hasseh922 pushed all-in for 258,330 and when it folded back around blakjak19 called.

Hasseh922 had [Ad][Js] and needed to improve to survive against blakjak19's [9c][9s], but the [4s][3c][8d][2d][4h] board brought no such help and Hasseh922 was eliminated in sixth.

Fifteen more minutes passed and the blinds had risen to 8,000/16,000 when Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer opened for 40,000 from UTG, then TTPlayer18 three-bet pushed for 271,439 from the button. Brammer called the push, showing [Js][Jh] and having the edge over TTPlayer18's [Ts][Th]. The [2c][7d][Kh][Ad][5s] runout changed nothing, and TTPlayer18's run ended in fifth.

Two hands later Brammer was open-pushing all-in from the small blind and Neffeltorf called off for 122,460 after posting the 16,000-chip big blind. Neffeltorf had [Kd][4s] and hopes the hand would hold against Brammer's [8d][6d], but the board went [6h][9d][As][8h][Tc] to make two pair for Brammer and bust Neffeltorf in fourth.

Three-handed play began with Brammer out in front with almost 1.45 million, blakjak19 was next with about 1.17 million, and Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes third with almost 450,000.

Soon Fernandes limped in from the small blind, Brammer shoved from the big, and Fernandes called all-in with the 336,207 he had left. Fernandes had [As][Kd] and looked to be in good shape against Brammer's [Ks][4s], and after the [9c][5s][3d] flop and [5d] turn Fernandes was still in front. But the [4c] fell on the river to knock out the Brazilian in third, a couple of spots shy of winning another Super Tuesday as he did in January 2015.

Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes

The remaining two players played one small hand of heads-up then paused the tournament to discuss a possible deal. The stacks were practically even at that point, with blakjak19 on 1,561,652 and Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer with 1,513,348.

Figures were produced leaving $8K aside for which to play, with blakjak19 due just about $350 more. Brammer then typed "even chop with 8k to play for plz," blakjak19 agreed, and the pair were each guaranteed $96,706.25.

Play resumed and over the next half-hour blakjak19 began chipping up and extending a lead, at one point sitting with more than 2 million. Then Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer managed to get all-in with [5c][5s] on a hand in which blakjak19 had picked up [Ad][Ah], and it appeared the end had come for Brammer. But a five fell on the flop to give Brammer a set, and after the hand held up he typed "ul" in recognition of blakjak19's misfortune.

Brammer had the lead and as already noted like Fernandes was gunning for yet another Super Tuesday title. He's already won multiple ones, most recently doing so in August 2015.

Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer

blakjak19 managed to chip back up, however, and before long was back up around 1.3 million. Then came another big all-in confrontation involving pocket pairs, with blakjak19 holding [9s][9c] this time and Brammer [6h][6s]. The better hand held up on this one, and suddenly blakjak19 was up close to 2.7 million while Brammer was back down under 385,000.

Then on the very next hand Brammer pushed all-in from the button and blakjak19 was quick with a call.

blakjak19: [Ac][Jh]
NigDawG: [Ah][8c]

Both had picked up aces, but blakjak19 had the better kicker. The board came [5c][3s][Tc], then [2d], then [3d], meaning those kickers played and blakjak19 had won the last pot and extra $8K on the table.

Congratulations to blakjak19 for overcoming a big field, a tough final table, and two challenging final opponents in Fernandes and Brammer at the end to win this week's Super Tuesday.

3/29/16 Super Tuesday ($1,050 No-Limit Hold'em) results
Entrants: 615
Prize pool: $615,000.00
Places paid: 72

1. blakjak19 (Cyprus) $104,706.25*
2. Christopher "NigDawG" Brammer (United Kingdom) $96,706.25*
3. Joao "jricardosc" Fernandes (Brazil) $62,730.00
4. Neffeltorf (Germany) $47,355.00
5. TTPlayer18 (Germany) $33,210.00
6. Hasseh922 (Finland) $26,137.50
7. registr24 (Russia) $19,987.50
8. Philipp "philbort" Gruissem (Malta) $13,837.50
9. uwinho312 (Germany) $9,409.50
* = denotes a two-way deal leaving $8,000 for the winner

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Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.

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San Antonio's 31-0 start at home is two shy of Orlando's run of 33 home wins in a row to begin the 1995-96 campaign.

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Oklahoma City Thunder At San Antonio Spurs (-8.5, 210.5)

The San Antonio Spurs opened the season with a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it has been a dominant run ever since. The Spurs will look to exact a measure of revenge and extend their lengthy home winning streak when they host the Thunder on Saturday in the first meeting since the season-opening encounter in Oklahoma.

San Antonio opened its five-game homestand with a 109-101 victory over Chicago on Thursday to improve to 31-0 at AT&T Center this season and extend its home winning streak to 40 games dating to last season. One more victory at home will give the Spurs sole possession of the third-longest run in NBA history as they enter this one tied with the Orlando Magic of the mid-1990s and four behind the Chicago Bulls of the same era. A meeting on the back end of the homestand with the Golden State Warriors - who pulled into Friday with an NBA-record 46 straight home wins and a three-game lead on San Antonio in the Western Conference - is looming, but the Spurs must first contend with what could be an angry Thunder squad. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 54 points but their teammates provided little support in a home loss to Minnesota on Friday, Oklahoma City's seventh defeat in 11 games.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as eight point favorites at home and by early Saturday morning that line was already adjusted to -8.5. The total opened at 213 on Friday afternoon, wobbled throughout the evening, began falling overnight, and settled in at 210.5 near mid-morning on Saturday.

INJURY REPORT:

Thunder - SG D. Waiters (Questionable Saturday, personal)
               SG A. Robinson (Questionable Saturday, ankle)

Spurs - No injuries to report.

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Thunder (-9.7) - Spurs (-16.4) + home court (-3) = Spurs -9.7

DANCE TEAM WAR:

ABOUT THE THUNDER (44-21): Starting guard Andre Roberson lasted 14 minutes before a left ankle injury knocked him out of Friday's loss. Anthony Morrow, who could pick up some of the minutes if Roberson is absent, was 1-of-8 from the floor against Minnesota and missed all six of his 3-point tries, falling to 1-of-11 from long distance over the last two games. Westbrook had 33 points and 10 assists against the Spurs in the season opener.

ABOUT THE SPURS (55-10): Only three players reached double figures in the win over the Bulls but all three - Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker - hit the 20-point mark. Parker, who also had a season-high 12 assists, was 10-of-16 from the floor after going 4-of-17 over his previous three games combined as he made a solid return from a toe injury. Thursday's high-scoring trio will hope for more support from the rest of the Spurs, who combined to shoot 14-for-43.

TWEET BEAT:

 

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.

* Spurs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 vs. NBA Northwest.

* Under is 4-0 in Thunder last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.

* Under is 7-1 in Spurs last 8 games following a straight up win.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Surprisingly, the public is betting against the top team on the Covers.com Power Rankings despite the numbers above indicating that the point spread is too low. 66 percent of the bettors are picking the Thunder to cover and 64 percent of them are betting on this game to go over the number. "); h = d.getElementById(tid); h.parentNode.insertBefore(s, h); })(document);

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The Cavaliers have won 15 of the past 18 meetings with the Clippers, including a 115-102 home win on Jan. 21.

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Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers (+1.5, 208)

Power forward Kevin Love will return after a one-game absence and the Cleveland Cavaliers look for their sixth victory in seven games when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Love sat out Thursday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers due to pain in both knees and he's looking to rebound from an 11-for-42 shooting slump over his last four outings.

Love's shaky play has contributed to the Cavaliers being unable to perform at the level that forward LeBron James is seeking. Cleveland's recent surge has been fueled by point guard Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 24.9 points over the last seven games after scoring 26 during Thursday's 120-108 win over the Lakers. The Clippers have won five of their past seven games as they make a run at catching the third-place Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race. The contest with the Cavaliers is followed by a five-game road trip that begins in San Antonio and concludes by visiting the Golden State Warriors.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: The spread opened on Saturday afternoon with the Cavaliers pegged as 1.5 point favorites and has held steady. The total hit the board at 207.5 and rose slightly to 208 by Saturday evening.

INJURY REPORT:

Cavaliers - C T. Mozgov (Questionable Sunday, illness)

Clippers - PF L. Mbah a Moute (Questionable Sunday, eye)
                SF P. Pierce (Questionable Sunday, toe)

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Cavaliers (-8.9) - Clippers (-8.8) + home court (-3) = Clippers -2.9

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Cleveland will be playing an early daytime game on the West Coast after daylight savings time.  The Cavaliers have been in California since Wednesday, and they’ve had two days off prior to this game, but this is still a tricky scheduling spot.  Los Angeles has alternated wins and losses over their last four games; they won at home in their last game.  The Clippers’ defense has allowed 98 points or less in four of their last five home games." - Covers Expert Steve Merril

DANCE TEAM WAR:

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (46-18): Cleveland is vying to hold off Toronto for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and is 2-0 on a four-game road trip that concludes Monday against Utah. Center Tristan Thompson has posted back-to-back double-doubles during the excursion and is averaging 14 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two contests. Thompson has scored in double digits in a season-best six straight games and is averaging 12.5 points on 28-of-41 shooting during the stretch.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (42-22): Small forward Jeff Green has produced back-to-back strong efforts by averaging 20 points on 16-of-24 shooting against Oklahoma City and the New York Knicks. Consistency has been an issue for Green since he was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies as he scored in double digits in only one of the previous four games, twice going scoreless. "It's great that I'm on the floor," Green said after playing 45 minutes against the Knicks on Friday. "I don’t mind it. It's all about competing. It's 5-on-5. I’m going to push through and compete."

 

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. NBA Pacific.

* Clippers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.

* Over is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.

* Under is 7-1 in Clippers last 8 home games.

COVERS CONSENSUS: The public seems to agree with our Power Rankings and is favoring the Clippers early on. The over is getting punched at a very agressive 71 percent and we can expect the total to move up, at least, another half point by gametime Sunday afternoon. "); h = d.getElementById(tid); h.parentNode.insertBefore(s, h); })(document);

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Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs (-3.5, 217)

The Golden State Warriors take another swipe at ending their dismal performances in San Antonio when they clash with the Spurs on Saturday. Golden State has lost 32 consecutive regular-season visits to San Antonio with the last victory occurring Feb. 14, 1997.

The Warriors had no issues when hosting the Spurs on Jan. 25 as they rolled to a 120-90 victory and they now attempt to halt San Antonio's 43-game homecourt winning streak. This matchup is the first of three between the clubs during the final 3 1/2 weeks of the regular season and the Spurs represent the biggest threat in keeping the Warriors from breaking the 72-win record held by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Golden State reached 62 victories Friday when it delivered a 130-112 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks for its seventh consecutive win. San Antonio is one victory away from matching the Bulls for the second-longest home winning streak in NBA history and also is just six victories away from setting a franchise single-season record.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs have opened as 3.5-point home favorites for this huge Wester Conference matchup against the Dubs and the line has yet to move off that number. The total however, has been bet down a point and a half from 218.5 to 217. Check out the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Warriors - C A. Bogut (Doubtful Saturday, toe), SF K. Looney (Out Saturday, hip), SF A. Iguodala (Out Saturday, ankle), C F. Ezeli (Out Saturday, knee).

Spurs - No injuries to report.

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Warriors (-15.1) - Spurs (-16.5) + home court (-3) = Spurs -4.5

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Don’t pay too much attention to San Antonio’s 30-point loss at Golden State earlier this season. The Spurs have shown a tendency to play possum against other elite teams during the regular season. However, expect the Spurs to take tonight’s game serious, especially with the game being at home. Golden State exerted a lot energy last night in Dallas, and Andrew Bogut went down with an injury, and that puts the Warriors in a tough spot for this game." - Covers Expert Steve Merril.

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "The Spurs put their 34-0 home record on the line tonight has they host the 62-6 defending champion Warriors in a battle of Western Conference powerhouses. The Spurs look to move with in three games of the Warriors tonight and are a 3-point favorite. The Warriors are coming of a win in Dallas last night and are getting just over 55 percent of the action to cover the +3." - Michael Stewart of CarbonGaming.

DANCE TEAM WAR:

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (62-6, 39-27-2 ATS, 40-27-1 O/U): Reigning MVP Stephen Curry was 8 years old the last time Golden State won in San Antonio and he is fully aware of the history and of San Antonio's homecourt winning streak. "A lot of talk about this record," Curry told reporters after scoring 31 points against the Mavericks. "It's there and we want to get there and do it the right way, but our mission from New Year's and even after the All-Star break was to continue to get better and reach our stride as we move toward the playoffs. I believe we're on that trend." Shooting guard Klay Thompson was on his game against the Mavericks with 39 points and made 10 3-point baskets to raise his career total to 1,008.

ABOUT THE SPURS (58-10, 40-28 ATS, 30-36-2 O/U): San Antonio has won five consecutive games and is looking to avenge the shellacking it received from Golden State in the first matchup. "We're going to show up for the game and we're going to play it," center Tim Duncan told reporters. "It's not going to change our season or anything else. It'll be a great matchup for us, two of the best records in the league, and they're playing exceptionally well. So it's a good test for us — a playoff type of atmosphere, playoff type of intensity, a good experience for us." Not only was the Spurs' defense suspect by allowing a season high for points in the first contest but San Antonio also committed 26 turnovers.

TWEET BEAT:

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Under is 5-0 in Warriors' last five versus a team with a winning SU record.

COVERS CONSENSUS: The public is strongly backing the Warriors here, with 58 percent of wagers taking them as 3.5-point pups. As for the total, 61 percent of wagers are on the over.

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There are three Midwest Region Second Round matchups on tap Saturday, highlighted by Cinderella Arkansas-Little Rock taking on high scoring Iowa State. We break down all the action in our betting preview.

No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans vs. No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones (-6.5, 145)

Game to be played at Pepsi Center, Denver, CO

No. 12 seed Arkansas-Little Rock pulled off one of the first upsets of the NCAA Tournament and Thursday and will try to rip off another when it faces No. 4 seed Iowa State in the second round on Saturday in Denver. Senior guard Josh Hagins played the hero for the Trojans in the opener and will try to keep up with a Cyclones squad that dropped 94 points in their first-round win.

Hagins buried a tying 3-pointer from just in front of half court to force overtime against Purdue and banked in a layup to force a second overtime as Arkansas-Little Rock squeezed out an 85-83 win. “We're a fantastic team,” Hagins told reporters. “We're a bunch of guys that like to fight. That's the bottom line, man. We didn't come here to kind of show up and be happy to be here. We're here to win. We really believe in ourselves and we're here to win.” Iowa State lost in its opening round NCAA Tournament game last season to No. 14 seed UAB and was determined not to make that mistake again. The Cyclones put all five starters in double figures, led by Georges Niang’s 28 points, and jumped out to a big lead en route to a 13-point win over Iona.

TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Iowa State has opened as 6.5-point faves over upset minded Arkansas-Little Rock and the line hasn't moved since. The total has been bet down one point from 146 to 145. Check out the complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK (30-4, 20-10 ATS, 11-19 O/U): The Trojans were down by 13 points with 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation on Thursday before Hagins took over and finished with a career-high 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Arkansas-Little Rock sailed through the Sun Belt during the regular season and is united in its belief that it can make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. “We're not done yet,” Trojans coach Chris Beard told reporters. “I've always thought there's different kinds of teams that go to tournaments. Teams that are happy to be in the tournament and teams that go to try to win the tournament. That's kind of our objective right now. We think we have a team that can advance in this tournament.”

ABOUT IOWA STATE (22-11, 16-13-1 ATS, 14-15-1 O/U): The Cyclones got over the mental hurdle of last year’s early exit and look like a stronger team than the one that came into the Tournament off back-to-back losses thanks to the health of guard Monte Morris. The junior strained the AC joint in his right shoulder during the regular-season finale and went 1-of-9 from the field in the opening loss of the Big 12 tournament against Oklahoma but was 7-of-12 in 37 minutes on Thursday. “Now you got the pressure to go to the Sweet 16,” Iowa State coach Steve Prohm told reporters. “There's a constant pressure in this business. But you want to be at jobs where there's pressures and expectations or really what are you coaching for and what are you playing for?”

TRENDS:

* Arkansas-Little Rock is 4-0 ATS in its last four neutral site games, but 0-5 ATS in its last five versus Big 12 opponents.
* Iowa State is 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall.
* Under is 4-1 in Arkansas-Little Rock's last five neutral site games.
* Over is 5-1 in Iowa State's last six NCAA Tournament games.

No. 8 Butler Bulldogs vs. No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers (-7.5, 130)

Game to be played at PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Virginia was knocked out in the Round of 32 in last season's NCAA Tournament, a fate it hopes to avoid when it meets No. 9 seed Butler on Saturday in a Midwest Region affair in Raleigh, N.C. The top-seeded Cavaliers shook off a slow start - and a scare when coach Tony Bennett fainted just before halftime before returning to coach the second half - to rout Hampton 81-45 in Thursday's first round.

They shot 55 percent, made 12 3-pointers and turned the ball over only five times in their most lopsided win since the season-opener against Morgan State. "It just started with ... getting into the paint, having our bigs be aggressive down low and just finishing down low," London Perrantes - who scored all 12 of his points on four 3-pointers - told reporters. "It opened up for us around the 3-point line." The Bulldogs also worked past some early issues to take control and knock off Texas Tech 71-61. They are seeking their first Sweet 16 berth since 2011, when they were national runners-up for the second straight time.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: No. 1 seed Virginia opened as seven-point favorites and have been bet up to -7.5. It no surprise with defensive-minded Virginia involved, the total has been bet down two points from 132 to 130. Check out the complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT BUTLER (22-10, 17-14-1 ATS, 16-14-1 O/U): Kellen Dunham scored 23 points and Kelan Martin had 11 in the final eight-plus minutes in the win over the Red Raiders. Tyler Wideman also hit double digits with 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting while Andrew Chrabascz chipped in 13 for the Bulldogs, who have won at least one game in nine of their last 10 tournament appearances. To keep pace with the Cavaliers, Butler may need more from senior forward Roosevelt Jones, who has a total of nine points on 2-of-17 shooting over his last two games.

ABOUT VIRGINIA (27-7, 18-14 ATS, 12-20 O/U): Senior forward Anthony Gill was seen praying with one hand on his coach's shoulders after the brief collapse on the sidelines, and later joked that he had been the one to heal Bennett. The Cavaliers are getting used to Gill stepping up in postseason play, as he has now scored in double figures in five of six career NCAA Tournament games while some of the other big names around him have struggled. Marial Shayok provided a boost Thursday with 10 points off the bench and he has reached that mark in two of his last three games after 11 straight single-digit efforts.

TRENDS:

* Butler is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall.
* Virginia is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall.
* Under is 4-0 in Butler's last four non-conference games.
* Under is 6-1 in Virginia's last seven non-conference games.

No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 3 Utah Utes (Pick, 140)

Game to be played at Pepsi Center, Denver, CO

Third-seeded Utah meets No. 11 seed Gonzaga on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Denver in a Midwest Region contest featuring a pair of sophomore big men at the top of their games. Seven-footer Jakob Poeltl, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, recorded 16 points and 18 rebounds in the Utes' 80-69 victory over Fresno State on Thursday while 6-11 Domantas Sabonis registered 21 and 16 in a 68-52 triumph over Seton Hall.

Utah also boasts a backcourt featuring senior Brandon Taylor and junior Lorenzo Bonam, who combined for 33 points Thursday with Taylor also providing six assists and four steals. The teams are loaded with experience as the Utes reached the Sweet 16 last season while the Bulldogs made it to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual national champion Duke. Gonzaga is appearing in its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament - fourth-longest behind Kansas (26), Duke (21) and Michigan State (19) - and is coming off its eighth straight first-round victory, matching the Jayhawks for the longest current run. ''This group of guys, as well as the guys before them, have just done an unbelievable job of making streaks that just seemed impossible when you look back at them,'' Bulldogs coach Mark Few told reporters.

TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Despite this being a matchup between a 3-seed and an 11-seed the line has opened at a Pick'em. The total has been bet up one points from 139 to 140. Check out the complete line history here.

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT GONZAGA (27-7, 16-15-1 ATS, 16-16 O/U): Senior forward Kyle Wiltjer (20.5 points per game) is the highest scorer on either team and leads four Bulldogs in double figures. Sabonis (17.5 points) is seventh nationally at 11.7 rebounds while senior Eric McClellan (10.5 points) - the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year - and freshman Josh Perkins (10.2) add scoring punch out of the backcourt. Senior guard Kyle Dranginis (6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds) adds veteran leadership while sophomore guard Silas Melson (6.8 points) also contributes.

ABOUT UTAH (27-8, 17-15-1 ATS, 19-13-1 O/U): Poeltl (team highs of 17.6 points and 9.2 rebounds) receives support down low from sophomore forward Kyle Kuzma (10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds), who could be the top candidate to help slow down Wiltjer. Senior forward Jordan Loveridge (11.9 points) scored 16 versus Fresno State while Bonam (10.1 points, 3.1 assists) and Taylor (9.8, 3.9) are the Utes' other top scorers. Coach Larry Krystkowiak uses an eight-man rotation that averages at least 13 minutes and includes senior forward Dakarai Tucker (5.3 points).

TRENDS:

* Gonzaga is 6-0 ATS in its last six games overall.
* Utah is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
* Under is 6-1 in Gonzaga's last seven non-conference games.
* Over is 4-0 in Utah's last four games overall.

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Last month, the Court of Justice for the European Union ruled against the Germany's restrictive online gaming laws. As a result, many legislators and other vested parties believe a complete overhaul of the country's online gaming regime is required sooner rather than later.

Yesterday, a good first step to overhaul the online gaming legislation in Germany took place when, according to Poker Industry Pro editor Jocelyn Wood, the country's 16 state presidents discussed proposals for change.

This potentially landmark meeting followed the discussions that took place between a of wide variety of stakeholders, including industry and media representatives, legal experts, politicians, and academics at the German Association of Internet Businesses symposium a few weeks ago.

At the heart of the presidential discussions were the discussed of guidelines prepared by the Hesse state government back in October, which include no restriction on foreign licenses, an unlimited amount of games, and a 20-percent tax on gross gaming revenue.

Wood further noted that although the Hesse state proposals originally included a €1,000 stop-loss per month for players this is not currently part of what was planned to be discussed for the potential liberated online gaming framework.

Perhaps most importantly to player security, however, is that the proposals mention that as part of maintaining a two-year license, online gaming operators would be required to always hold in its accounts customer deposits. In other words, gaming operators would not be allowed to use customer deposits for operating expenses, which is something that caused scandal after Black Friday took place on April 15, 2011, when it was uncovered that Full Tilt, Absolute Poker, and Ultimate Bet were unable to pay its customers back money that was believed to be segregated.

While Full Tilt was bailed out when PokerStars acquired the company with most of its customers being paid back, there are some that are still awaiting funds. Even worse, customers at Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet were never paid their funds back and likely never will.

Since then other similar scandals have taken place where customers were left with no recourse to withdraw funds. Most notably Lock Poker closed its doors in April 2015 with TwoPlusTwo members reporting $1 million in unprocessed payouts and US Poker speculating there could be as much as $10-$15 million in unprocessed customer withdrawals outstanding.

Whether or not these discussions lead to reform remain to be seen as their are many hurdles to be crossed before Germany passes new gaming regulations. However, as Wood points out, the European Commission is growing impatient and is expected to launch infringement proceedings against the country as a result of its current gaming regime being non-compliant with the European Union laws.

_{*Lead image courtesy of deviantart.net.}

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^Steve Wynn and the Mohegan Sun are squaring off in a battle for a casino license in Massachusetts, and the two have vastly different views of how regulations are being constructed.

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First Look at Software

PokerStars NJ is now accessible for download and real-money play in New Jersey. The site entered a soft launch testing period starting at approximately March 16 at 4:00 pm, and is slated for a full launch at midnight on March 21. Here are some notes, observations, and analysis from my play on PokerStarsNJ.com during the soft launch period.

The PokerStars NJ platform is based off the PokerStars 7 software, which is the latest version offered internationally. Although only in a limited launch phase, server response has been generally lightning fast, vastly outperforming existing NJ operators.

Login and payment processing requests are processed instantaneously, and geo-location issues have been practically nonexistent. That being said, the network is prone to occasional hangups, but that’s to be expected during a testing phase. Any and all issues should be ironed out by the time PokerStars NJ officially launches on Monday.

As for the interface itself, it is nearly as feature rich as its global counterpart, sporting a wide array of customization, quick accessibility features, filters and views.

Currently, players can engage in cash games, a vast array of sit & gos formats, the widely popular Spin & Go’s, and multi-table tournaments.

More at Online Poker Report

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The Cavaliers have won 15 of the past 18 meetings with the Clippers, including a 115-102 home win on Jan. 21.

USA Today Images

Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers (+1.5, 208)

Power forward Kevin Love will return after a one-game absence and the Cleveland Cavaliers look for their sixth victory in seven games when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Love sat out Thursday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers due to pain in both knees and he's looking to rebound from an 11-for-42 shooting slump over his last four outings.

Love's shaky play has contributed to the Cavaliers being unable to perform at the level that forward LeBron James is seeking. Cleveland's recent surge has been fueled by point guard Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 24.9 points over the last seven games after scoring 26 during Thursday's 120-108 win over the Lakers. The Clippers have won five of their past seven games as they make a run at catching the third-place Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race. The contest with the Cavaliers is followed by a five-game road trip that begins in San Antonio and concludes by visiting the Golden State Warriors.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: The spread opened on Saturday afternoon with the Cavaliers pegged as 1.5 point favorites and has held steady. The total hit the board at 207.5 and rose slightly to 208 by Saturday evening.

INJURY REPORT:

Cavaliers - C T. Mozgov (Questionable Sunday, illness)

Clippers - PF L. Mbah a Moute (Questionable Sunday, eye)
                SF P. Pierce (Questionable Sunday, toe)

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Cavaliers (-8.9) - Clippers (-8.8) + home court (-3) = Clippers -2.9

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Cleveland will be playing an early daytime game on the West Coast after daylight savings time.  The Cavaliers have been in California since Wednesday, and they’ve had two days off prior to this game, but this is still a tricky scheduling spot.  Los Angeles has alternated wins and losses over their last four games; they won at home in their last game.  The Clippers’ defense has allowed 98 points or less in four of their last five home games." - Covers Expert Steve Merril

DANCE TEAM WAR:

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (46-18): Cleveland is vying to hold off Toronto for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and is 2-0 on a four-game road trip that concludes Monday against Utah. Center Tristan Thompson has posted back-to-back double-doubles during the excursion and is averaging 14 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two contests. Thompson has scored in double digits in a season-best six straight games and is averaging 12.5 points on 28-of-41 shooting during the stretch.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (42-22): Small forward Jeff Green has produced back-to-back strong efforts by averaging 20 points on 16-of-24 shooting against Oklahoma City and the New York Knicks. Consistency has been an issue for Green since he was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies as he scored in double digits in only one of the previous four games, twice going scoreless. "It's great that I'm on the floor," Green said after playing 45 minutes against the Knicks on Friday. "I don’t mind it. It's all about competing. It's 5-on-5. I’m going to push through and compete."

 

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. NBA Pacific.

* Clippers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.

* Over is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.

* Under is 7-1 in Clippers last 8 home games.

COVERS CONSENSUS: The public seems to agree with our Power Rankings and is favoring the Clippers early on. The over is getting punched at a very agressive 71 percent and we can expect the total to move up, at least, another half point by gametime Sunday afternoon. "); h = d.getElementById(tid); h.parentNode.insertBefore(s, h); })(document);

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