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• Dan Cypra

  

  A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Cypra is one of just a handful of students ever to complete a joint degree program. After moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 1999 for college, he still resides in the bustling metropolis.

  His love of the great American pastime of poker began on his 21st birthday, when Cypra recorded a three-figure payday on a 25 cent video poker machine, hooking him instantly. He began working with some of the top poker-related sites on the Web, which eventually led him to Poker News Daily. He enjoys playing live cash games at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, Mississippi and makes annual pilgrimages to Las Vegas.

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• Sean Gibson

  

  Sean Gibson has been a journalist in the poker industry for over three years and has interviewed the biggest icons of the game on-camera for Poker News Daily.

  He's also been featured in the upcoming poker documentary, BOOM, as well as a featured subject in Jared Tendler's poker strategy book, "The Mental Game of Poker." Gibson is a well versed poker player himself, having made his home at $1-$2 NLHE full ring games at various online sites and at $2-$5 tables in Las Vegas.

  
  
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• Tom "Championship" Jenkins III

  

  Tom Jenkins is a poker enthusiast from Boston, Massachusetts. He was turned onto the game as a kid battling against his other brother at the kitchen table for nickels and dimes, largely to no avail. Jenkins graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Communications. He originally wanted to become a professional stage actor, but the notion of singing "Guys and Dolls" seven nights per week to a half-sold house didn't appeal to him.

  He began playing poker to pay the bills and is happy to impart his knowledge with the readers of PokerNewsDaily.com now that he has a ton of experience. Jenkins will write about anything newsworthy, from what Doyle Brunson said on his blog to reporting from some of the largest live tournaments in the world. If it's making news, you can rest assured that Jenkins will be there. If it's not making news, he might be there anyway looking to spark some controversy.

  Jenkins is an avid bowler, although his glory days have long passed him by. You can, however, catch him fine-tuning his skills on the lanes with the family during Cosmic Bowling every Friday night. He is married and has two children, Steven (who is 10 years-old) and Sarah (who is eight). He looks forward to both becoming World Series of Poker bracelet holders when they're legally able to gamble. .

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• Brett Collson

  

  Brett Collson grew up in western New York and studied Sports Management at the State University of New York College at Cortland. He has worked in the sports industry since 2004 as a writer and editor, providing content for such companies as CBS Sportsline and Fox Sports.

  Brett picked up poker in 2004 and began playing Texas Hold'em frequently both online and in Atlantic City, NJ. He spent the summer of 2008 as a tournament reporter at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and won the WSOP Media Event, donating his $5,000 prize to the Wounded Warrior Project.

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• Dan Katz

  

  Dan wrote the news for the original Poker News Daily and is excited to return as a contributor for "Version 2.0." In addition to general poker news, he has reported live from the World Series of Poker and United States Poker Championships, interviewed popular players and authors, and written feature articles for Canadian Poker Player magazine. When he is not busy chasing around his two children and providing content for several other poker sites, he can be found with as many as five, ten, and even twenty-five dollars at risk at an online poker table! To prevent stalkers and beggars (there are only so many pennies to go around), Dan must unfortunately decline to reveal his online identity. Achieving the middle reaches of the BronzeStar level is hard enough without all the distractions.

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• Earl Burton

  

  Earl, a former United States Marine, has been playing poker for most of his life. His major accomplishments on the felt include a daily tournament victory at Binion's in Las Vegas and playing in the World Series of Poker. He also plays online frequently, heading to PokerStars and Full Tilt on most occasions to find action.

  Earl's has written for several major online poker news websites in the past five years and has also been published in major poker magazines, such as Poker Player Newspaper and Woman Poker Player Magazine, as well as major sports publications in Texas. In addition to working with Poker News Daily covering all aspects of the world of poker, Earl also hosts a weekly Internet radio program, "The Tournament Trail," on Hold 'Em Radio (holdemradio.com) that focuses on news in poker and the latest tournament action.

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• Mike Sexton

  

  The voice of the World Poker Tour, Sexton helped launch the tournament series in 2002. He ends every show with his signature phrase, "May all your cards be live and your pots be monsters" and owns one of the most recognizable voices in the game. Sexton has been invading homes during WPT programming, which currently airs on The Travel Channel, GSN, and Fox Sports Net. The WPT was instrumental in growing the popularity of poker.

  Sexton won a Limit Seven Card Stud tournament in 1989 for a World Series of Poker bracelet and finished fourth in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold'em during the 2008 WSOP for $248,000. In 2006, he took down the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, winning $1 million in the process and besting Daniel Negreanu heads-up.

  Sexton has been associated with many legendary names in poker throughout his illustrious career, and he told Poker News Daily that if the late Stu Ungar were still alive today, "He would be far and away the top superstar in the poker world and the greatest star on the World Poker Tour. I believe that he had that kind of talent." Sexton is one of the top minds in poker. Catch him alongside Vince Van Patten during broadcasts of the World Poker Tour.

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• Nolan Dalla

  

  Nolan Dalla is one of the fixtures of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), serving as its longtime Media Director. He can regularly be found scurrying around the world's largest live poker tournaments coordinating media interviews, compiling event notes, and serving as the primary liaison between tournament officials and the press. In addition to the WSOP, you can also catch Dalla at Circuit Events as well as independent tournaments like the Bayou Poker Classic.

  With the help of Peter Alson and World Poker Tour Host Mike Sexton, Dalla was the co-author of "One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey 'The Kid' Ungar," profiling the late poker star. Dalla is an industry veteran who has seen the game of poker explode in popularity during his career. He looks forward to imparting his unique industry insight to the readers of Poker News Daily.

  Dalla graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of Texas in 1984. He's one of the top professionals in his field and well-networked throughout the industry. In 1996, Dalla created Card Player magazine's "Player of the Year" system. Dalla also formally worked for the legendary Binion's Horseshoe Casino as PR Director and later served as Communications Director for PokerStars.com.

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• Linda Johnson

  

  "The First Lady of Poker," Linda Johnson is a World Series of Poker bracelet holder in Seven Card Razz. She is a member of the Board of Directors of a variety of influential industry organizations including the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS), and Ladies Poker Association (LPA). Johnson is a partner of Card Player Cruises as well as Pro Poker Exchange, an industry staking site featuring players such as Tom McEvoy and Mike Sexton.

  Many poker fans know her as the in studio announcer for the World Poker Tour. She has also made her mark on the poker industry as the co-founder of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) along with Matt Savage, David Lamb, and Jan Fisher. Many card rooms across the globe use TDA guidelines during events.

  She was the 2005 California State Ladies Poker Champion and the 2006 Orleans Open Women's Poker Champion and has appeared on invite-only shows such as "Poker Royale" and the Professional Poker Tour. Johnson has shared her passion for poker with others as an instructor for the World Poker Tour's Boot Camp, which provides top-tier insight to its students. An inaugural inductee into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2008, Johnson brings a unique background to the Poker News Daily family.

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• Eric Lynch

  

  Eric Lynch has proven that online poker players can transition successfully into the live arena. He logged a win in the marquee PokerStars $1 Million Guaranteed in 2006. During the same year, he dominated the felts of the World Series of Poker Main Event, earning the respect of his peers by finishing 24th and pocketing nearly half a million dollars for his efforts. Online, Lynch goes by the name Rizen.

  He has helped countless numbers of other players develop their skills in the game by serving as an instructor for the popular poker training site PokerXFactor.com. For those not in the market for intense coaching, Lynch co-authored the immensely popular book "Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time" with fellow online stars Jon "PearlJammer" Turner and Jon "Apestyles" Van Fleet.

  Lynch is a father of two and several of his columns on Poker News daily have focused on balancing his professional life with his personal obligations. He feels that being a poker player has allowed him ample time to witness the "firsts" of his children that many fathers miss because they are away from their families.

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• Bernard Lee

  

  Finishing 13th in the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event pushed poker author, columnist, and radio show host Bernard Lee into the spotlight. He cashed for $400,000 in that event and has made a string of final tables in WSOP tournaments since then. He has branched out to share his poker knowledge with the mainstream world, utilizing his years of experience.

  Lee contributes a regular column to the Boston Herald newspaper entitled "The Final Table" and has produced a series of books of the same name. The books include descriptions of hands played out on tour as well as analysis and insight from those who were involved. It can be found on the shelves of some of the world's top poker pros as well as aspiring amateurs.

  He writes content for ESPN.com and hosts "The Bernard Lee Poker Show" on WWZN The Zone in his hometown of Boston. The show re-airs on Rounder's Radio during the week. Lee is an instructor for the World Poker Tour Boot Camp and has had considerable success in live poker tournaments throughout the Northeastern United States and around the world.

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• Annie Duke

  

  One of the top female poker pros on the planet, Duke serves as a tournament consultant and mainstream personality for popular online poker room Ultimate Bet. In 2004, Duke joined the ranks of poker's elite, winning a $2,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Eight or Better event for her first World Series of Poker bracelet, besting a final table that also included Erik Seidel and Todd Brunson.

  Duke took down the inaugural WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2004, winning $2 million and defeating some of the world's top poker players in the process, including four former Main Event champions. Duke was pulled into poker by her brother, Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer.

  Her charitable work has not gone unnoticed. She has worked tirelessly with actor Don Cheadle to raise funds for the Ante Up for Africa charity, which generates money and awareness for the crisis in Darfur. Her affable personality has also led to appearances on television shows such as "1 vs. 100," "The Colbert Report," "Deal or No Deal," and "The Celebrity Apprentice."

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