Gossip Column: Hellmuth Beats Esfandiari in Round 1 of High Stakes Duel; PIL Filed Against Kohli & Bhatia 

PokerGo’s latest series, ‘High Stakes Duel,’ pitted two poker world behemoths against each other, Phil Hellmuth and Antonio Esfandiari. An incredibly entertaining match took place between the duo, with Hellmuth winning the first round.

A-listers Virat Kohli and Tamannaah Bhatia have been named in a PIL filed by AP Suryaprakasam at the Madras High Court. The petition was mainly aimed against online gaming apps, with Kohli and Bhatia being named for endorsing the fantasy sports app Mobile Premier League (MPL).

As the COVID-19 woes continue, the latest to join the afflicted list was the Major League Baseball (MLB) team St. Louis Cardinals. According to rumors, the virus spread among the team members after a few of them visited a casino.

Hellmuth v. Esfandiari: 15-Times WSOP Champion Wins Round 1 of High Stakes Duel on Poker Go

The first match of PokerGo’s newest series, ‘High Stakes Duel,’ is now in the books! And what a match it was! Featuring two of the poker world’s biggest names, 15-times WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and ‘The Magician,’ aka Antonio Esfandiari.

The pre-recorded, long-awaited match was initially scheduled to air on PokerGo on July 30. Technical issues forced Poker Central to postpone it until noon (PT) on July 31, and it even moved the show to its YouTube channel.

You can catch the entire match below:

The competitors began with 300,000 chips, and the blinds started at 500-1,000, increasing every 20 minutes. Early on, Hellmuth seemed to hit every other flop, which frustrated Esfandiari. Even then, Hellmuth wasn’t able to take much of a lead against the latter. Hellmuth won several small pots, until Esfandiari won a big pot, to pull ahead.

Two hours into play, and Esfandiari had nearly a 3-1 chip advantage. He took full advantage of Hellmuth’s mistakes. The ‘Poker Brat’ was his usual self during the match. When things weren’t going his way, he complained about how lucky Esfandiari was getting. Then, his luck and aggression turned around, and so did his attitude.

Shortly afterward, Hellmuth hit a lucky river card to win a massive pot, which put him back in the lead. The match wrapped up soon after that, with Hellmuth coming out on top.

Both players put up $50,000 for the first match. Per the rules of ‘High Stakes Duel,’ the loser can challenge the winner to a rematch, increasing the prize pool from $100,000 to $200,000. So, although Hellmuth won the first game, he’ll need to win again to advance to the second round where another player, who hasn’t yet been named, will be waiting in the wings.

PIL Filed Against Virat Kohli & Tamannaah Bhatia in Madras High Court For Promoting Online Gambling

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition has been filed seeking the arrest and prosecution of the captain of the India national cricket team Virat Kohli and actor Tamannaah Bhatia for endorsing online gaming apps.

The PIL, which has been filed in the Madras High Court, seeks a direction to shut down online gaming sites and to arrest and prosecute promoters and its brand ambassadors. The petition comes following the recent suicide of a youngster in Chennai who, according to his suicide note, was addicted to gambling and lost all his savings and the additional money, which he took from his employer, on an online gambling app.

The petitioner, AP Suryaprakasam, an advocate at the Madras High Court, has also sought a direction to arrest and prosecute Kohli and Bhatia for endorsing online gaming apps. He states in his PIL that they played a prominent role in abetting youngsters to gamble online and that according to the law, both gambling and abetment to gambling is a criminal offense.

Both celebrities are brand ambassadors of the real-money skill gaming esports startup, Mobile Premier League (MPL). While Kohli had signed on with the brand in March 2019 and renewed his sponsorship in January this year, Bhatia was appointed ambassador in March 2020.

This is not the first time that a petition has been filed against an online gaming app. In December 2019, the Supreme Court had dismissed the SLPs filed by the Central Department of Revenue, Union of India and State of Maharashtra against the April 30 order of the Bombay High Court in the Sachar Vs. Dream11 case, stating that all fantasy sports games were ‘games of skill’.

Going by that verdict, this petition seems to be a frivolous one. However, only time will tell what view the Madras High Court takes in this matter.

MLB Team St. Louis Cardinals’ COVID-19 Outbreak May Have Resulted From Casino Trip

An outbreak of COVID-19 within the Major League Baseball (MLB) team St. Louis Cardinals rose to 13 people on August 3, causing the team to postpone playing until August 7 at the earliest, as the MLB grapples with the possibility of canceling the season soon after restarting it on July 23.

As a result of the positive tests, the Cardinals’ four-game series against the Detroit Tigers, set for August 4 to 6, has been postponed. The Cardinals have been in quarantine since last Thursday and will stay in Milwaukee, and their personnel will continue to be tested daily, MLB said.

On Saturday afternoon, baseball analyst and former MLB player Jerry Hariston Jr. tweeted that he had been told that “a few Cardinals” went to a casino before the positive tests emerged.

A few Marlins go to a club & now hearin a few Cardinals went to a Casino? That’s not following protocols. #MLB Players are furious cause 28 other teams have worked hard to follow guidelines. #smh.

— Jerry Hairston, Jr. (@TheRealJHair) August 1, 2020

At the time of Hairston’s tweet, it was just a rumor, but longtime baseball insider Jon Heyman confirmed the story Monday morning. According to the tweet, three players and four staff members of the organization have tested positive.

At least a couple Cardinals did go to a Casino, as @TheRealJHair 1st suggested. MLB has since tightened its rule on leaving the team hotel from very strongly discouraged to not allowed. Cards Covid count going into today: 3 players, 4 staff

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 3, 2020

The outbreak among Cardinals’ players and staff raises further questions about MLB’s plans to safely hold the season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, 21 players and staff on the Miami Marlins tested positive for coronavirus, and the Philadelphia Phillies have also had several positive tests.

ESPN reported that Commissioner Rob Manfred had warned union leader Tony Clark in a Friday call that if the league and players don’t do a better job of following COVID-19 protocols and managing the virus, Manfred could shut down the shortened season.

MLB is tentatively planning for the Cardinals to resume their season August 7 against the Chicago Cubs.