Steve Billirakis Takes Down 2007 WSOP Event #1, Becomes Youngest Bracelet Holder in WSOP History --  Score one for the YouTube crowd.  21-year-old Steve Billirakis -- actually 21-year-and-10-day-old Steve Billirakis -- conquered a tough final table to claim the $5,000 "Mixed Limit" title.  Billirakis dethrones Jeff Madsen as the youngest-ever WSOP bracelet winner, with Madsen himself holding that honor for only a single year.  Billirakis also claimed a tidy $536,287 for the win.

NETeller Announces Plan for Repayment Plan --  No, that's not redundant.  As expected, NETeller waited right till the end of its self-imposed 75-day deadline to formulate a plan for the repayment of frozen funds to U.S. customers.  These customers will have a 180-day window within which to request a full withdrawal of their remaining balances.  The window will begin once the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office of Southeast New York is resolved, which is expected to be no later than July 13.

Players Denied Summary Judgment in World Poker Tour Lawsuit --  Remember the matter of the lawsuit filed by seven big-name pros against World Poker Tour Enterprises, Inc., dramatically announced during last year's World Series Of Poker?  There had been some posturing by both sides in the case, but no real movement.  This past week, a judge denied a motion for summary judgment filed on behalf of the seven players -- Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, and Greg Raymer -- which would have granted a victory to the players without their having to bother with that messy thing called a trial.  No such luck, and a court case or a protracted negotiation between the two sides is now much more likely.

Richard "Quiet Lion" Brodie Banned from Harrah's Properties --  Harrah's properties include, of course, the Rio Hotel & Casino, current home of the WSOP.  What was Brodie's crime, you ask?  He had the audacity to win money at three different Harrah's casinos, hitting four royal flushes in recent months while playing the "high roller" video poker games.  He says he's given 80% of it back already playing house games, but no matter -- Quiet Lion received a letter from Harrah's stating that since they didn't know how to make money off him, he was no longer welcome at any Harrah's property.  You'd think there was more to this story somewhere, but as of yet nothing has surfaced.  Brodie is a modern-day Jed Clampett, with many millions tucked away as the original author of Microsoft Word (which I hate because it does what it wants me to do, not what I want to do; thanks for that, Richard).  But why in heaven's name would Harrah's chase Brodie and select other whales (code name for big spenders) away, just because they got lucky in the short term?  Could Brodie's association with Full Tilt have any possible connection at all? Unlikely... but this story is the weirdness of the week.

They Shoulda Stuck With Shana --  The World Poker Tour announced the third new hostess in as many seasons with the hiring of London-born Lyla Kayleigh, the first non-blonde hostess in WPT history.  Neither Season IV hostess Courtney Friel nor Season IV experiment Sabina Gadecki adequately filled the shoes of the long-departed Shana Hiatt, so the WPT will ty, try, try it again.  Kayleigh has plenty of experience in predominantly "guy" shows, with previous gigs including ABC football broadcasts and Fox Sports' Best Damn Sports Show, Period.