Freeroller Takes EPT Copenhagen --  Among the numbers that poker-stat wonks have a hankering for is something called “Return on Investment,” or ROI.  It’s a measure of how much return one receives per dollar spent on entry fees.  American Timothy Vance can’t figure his European Poker Stars ROI, despite winning the most recent event, in Copenhagen.  The reason why?  It’s because Vance won his way into the event in an online freeroll on PokerStars, which he then parlayed into the Copenhagen event’s $1,236,095 first prize.   Dividing by zero does not compute, resulting in an ROI of infinity, but tossing a million-two into the old bank account sure does.  European Soren Jensen was the runner-up for $699,724, which might not be an infinite ROI, but is a pretty nice payday nonetheless.

A California-run Online Poker Room? --  The efforts last year of Anthony “Tuff Fish” Sandstrom to create a California-run online poker room for that state’s residents might not have been a total waste, after all.  While Sandstrom’s petition drive fell far short of the amount needed to put his initiative on the ballot, the concept of a California-run poker room has now been picked up state Assemblyman Lloyd Levin, a Van Nuys Democrat.  The proposed Assembly bill (AB2026) has been sponsored by a relatively unknown group called Poker Players of America (PPOA).  A bill of this nature still faces a severe uphill climb and uncertain logistical challenges.  More at a later date.

WPT Signs “Magician” as Spokesman --  From the “good work if you can get it” category, World Poker Tour Enterprises announced this past week that they had signed former Ultimate Bet spokesman Antonio Esfandiari as the official spokesman for the WPT.   Esfandiari was released from his UB duties when that site trimmed its U.S. endorser lineup following passage of the UIGEA, but Esfandiari has remained one of the more visible of the younger, well-known pros, including teaming with pokerbuddy Phil Laak in a cable-TV prop bets series called I Bet You.   Esfandiari had been reported by others as hinting for weeks that he’d been on the verge of finalizing a big deal.  This qualifies.

Violence, the First --  Three men were gunned down after alleged cheating occurred at a Florida poker game.  The three people who were shot and killed, Jerome Anthony Henry, 48, Richard David Smith, 50, and Robert Erwin Ford, 50, were targeted by alleged gunman Duane Demaris Crittenden II after Crittenden believed he had been cheated at a late-night poker game.   Crittenden, 28, left the game, then returned to kill the others.  All four of the Ocala/Gainesville area men sported lengthy criminal records, with Crittenden facing the spectre of a death sentence should he be found guilty in the slayings.

Violence, the Second --  Just breaking is news that another shooting took place at a game in San Antonio, TX, this time the result of an attempted robbery.  The victim here was reported on poker discussion forums as being Charles “Chuck” Lineberry, who has nearly $200,000 in tournament winnings over the past four years, including a couple of minor cashes at the WSOP.  Lineberry was reported to be in critical condition following the shooting.  The assailant remains at large, with the total take in the robbery believed to be $3,000.

Ever Play Duplicate Poker? --  The odd game based on dealing identical series of poker hands to players at different tables has often billed itself as the “only legal U.S. poker game” -- itself a statement of some dispute.  It is, however, freely available to players in 39 of the 50 U.S. states, and the site has now announced its first-ever Duplicate Poker World Championship, which will run from now until September.   30 weeks of online qualifications will produce a starting field of 180 players who can move on to the regionals, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, all chasing a $120,000 guaranteed prize pool.  But… is it really poker?