"cheesemonster" Captures FTOPS VIII Main Event -- Full Tilt’s FTOPS VIII series concluded a very successful two-week run with its Main Event, which easily topped its guarantee and finally paid out a $2,375,000 prize pool.  $410,780 of that went to the player nicknamed cheesemonster, who Brie’d to victory over a field stuffed with many of online poker’s biggest names.  "MarMoss" finished as the runner-up for $249,375, while "Slmelonman" claimed third for $161,500.   Jason "strassa2" Strasser finished ninth for $30,875, while Martin Klaeser was the highest of a number of Full Tilt “red pros” who cashed, taking 62nd spot.  The event’s bubble boy? Only Phil Ivey.

Phil Hellmuth’s Beer Mug –-  If you have a hankering for a cold Milwaukee’s Best this summer, you’ll be seeing a lot of the Poker Brat, Phil Hellmuth.  In a deal announced this past week, Milwaukee’s Best will put Hellmuth’s image, biographical snippets, and a selection of all-time classic Hellmuth quotes on more than 12 million cans of Milwaukee’s Best beer products.  Hellmuth even offered up an extra possibility for can fodder when commenting to a home-state news source about seeing the new cans: "It was like winning a (WSOP) bracelet, it really was.  I was just on Cloud Nine.  It was awesome.  Unfortunately, when I win a bracelet, my ego gets knocked up a little bit and now my wife has to beat me up a little more."

Rousso Challenge Tossed --  Much ado for no positive result… that’s the end story of Washington attorney Lee Rousso’s legal attempt to have that state’s felony ban against online gambling declared unconstitutional. King County judge Mary Roberts tossed Rousso’s complaint after a May 15th hearing in the case that had been delayed for several months.  A PPA (Poker Players Alliance) rally on the courthouse steps drew a couple of dozen poker supporters and a handful of mainstream headlines, but made no dent in the nation’s most oppressive online gambling law.  Rousso has vowed to appeal and continue his fight in the case.

New CEO At PartyGaming --  The successor to exiting PartyGaming CEO Mitch Garber has finally been chosen, and it’ll be Jim Ryan, who was previously CEO at online network St. Minver Ltd.  Ryan also had previous experience at both Excapsa (Ultimate Bet) and Cryptologic.  The departing Garber, a Canadian national, had previously cited a desire to return to Canada from Gibraltar, where Party is headquartered. Another change at Party will be the promotion of John O'Malia to the newly created executive position of Managing Director.