Poker pro Phil Hellmuth is alive and running after his wild trapeze stunt a couple of nights ago. It seems that the poker brat had a few too many drinks at the MGM’s Studio 54 and decided to take up acrobatics.

Hellmuth’s Twitter read:

Remember that scene in Ocean’s 11 when Brad Pitt’s character tries to teach a bunch of well known celebrities how to play poker? And they’re all terrible? That scene is a bit of homage towards the fact that celebrities constantly appear at poker tournaments. They may play well, but they’re not necessarily huge winners. Maybe it’s because they don’t need the money, or maybe they’re just not as experienced. But, whatever the reason, it’s rare for a celebrity to make breaking news in the poker world.

Last weekend Bahador Ahmadi, a Canadian born Iranian, won a bracelet in the 2009 World Series of poker winning $278,104. Ahmadi made the request of playing the Iranian National Anthem to pay respects to all the Iranians looking for a better future for their country.

Deal Me In is Phil Hellmuth’s new book and the first to be produced under his new publishing company, Phil’s House Publishing. It’s a collection of autobiographical accounts, highlighting the struggles, obstacles, and tragedies that 20 of the greatest poker pros have overcome in their journey to poker stardom.

When one wins a WSOP bracelet, they’re presented it at a ceremony every day around 2 p.m. At that ceremony, typically the player’s national anthem is played as a tribute to their success. It’s usually the same old instrumental arrangement that’s been playing for years.

That is, until this past week. During John Kabbaj’s ceremony, the Sex Pistol’s classic “God Save the Queen,” blasted through the speakers.

Do you have what it takes to play against the pros? If so, try your luck at Full Tilt’s new reality game show Face the Ace! This new television series has seven scheduled hour long recordings set to premiere August 1st on NBC at 9pm ET. The show begins filming on July 9th in Las Vegas. Contestants will be given the opportunity to defeat Full Tilt pros in head-to-head matches with the chance to walk away with as much as a MILLION dollars!

There is exciting news for the online poker community at Bodog poker. Starting in early July, Bodog is holding a “Mini Poker Series” for those who would like a chance at a $12,000 seat package to the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP). The winner will receive just that, as well as bragging rights. So get ready and mark your calendars for July 3-15, 2009; a different event will be held every day, eventually leading up to the winner.

President Barack Obama has always expressed his love for poker, recalling the game as an enjoyable pastime. So in the midst of recent anti-poker legislation, we’re all hoping that Obama will voice his liking for the game. One incredible rumor going around is that Obama will be participating in the WSOP Main Event.

Naturally, all this talk has sprung several juicy wagers. Richard Sklar has $40 with Chris Ferguson at 25,000-to-1 and $2 with Phil Gordon at 100,000-to-1 on Obama’s appearance. If Sklar can win the wager, he’ll get $1.2 million.

We here at Poker Shark love Annie Duke. She’s clearly one of the most talented female poker players, and as a fantastic attitude to boot! Now that she’s conquered reality TV, making it to the final two in Celebrity Apprentice Season Two, she’s trying to conquer the World Series of Poker – by possibly making it to the Final Table.

Last week poker star Doyle Brunson announced the purchase of a brand new Cadillac Escalade to replace his older model.

And guess what? Bruson has “gone green”. The new Escalade is actually a hybrid. It produces few greenhouse emissions and achieves a 50 percent improvement in fuel economy over the non-hybrid model.

"I loved my old Escalade but no comparison to my new one. It has 160 mph on the speedometer and it might really go that fast," Brunson stated on Tuesday.