Daniel Negreanu has a video blog on his website, and if you go to the entry for 7/26/06 you'll hear his take on the lawsuit against the World Poker Tour from 7 top players. It contains some interesting information that may pave the way for a settlement. Lyle Berman, who owns the World Poker Tour, apparently told Daniel that he would be happy to have the players sign the same release they sign for the World Series of Poker (all 7 players suing them are playing in the WSOP and signed that release) rather than the one for the World Poker Tour. If that's a genuine offer and it's made to the players, they will certainly hurt their cause significantly to refuse it. It's tough to explain in court why they would find the same release actionable in one case but perfectly fine in another.
I disagree with Daniel, though, when he says that the World Poker Tour is going to trash the folks suing them because of their ties to online poker. The WPT has their own online poker site, so they certainly can't go after those players for their ties to online poker. Anyway, it looks to me like there's room here for a settlement. If the WPT is serious about allowing them to sign the WSOP release instead, and the players obviously are okay with the WSOP release, then that really should be the end of it.
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The WPT has not made one penny for its shareholders since inception. My shrinking hard earned cash has gone into making these 7 players a financial success. I do not believe that any player, who promotes a WPT competitor in any form, should be allowed to play in a WPT event. If we go this route then no problem with signing a release.
And if you go that route, the WPT will be reduced to watching Joe the plumber and Billy the mechanic play poker. Virtually all of the top pro players endorse adn promote one of the online poker sites. If you really want that rule, kiss the TV show goodbye.