Nikolai Valuev, also known as ‘The Russian Giant’, has been noticeable absent from the ring since his loss by points to David Haye in November 2009. Has he been training? Has he been preparing his caveman-ish self for a fresh opponent? Not at all. Not even close. Nikolai Valuev has – apparently – been honing his skills as a professional poker player.

Online poker room PokerStars.com is now home to a page entitled Valuev’s Room, which hosts special tournaments allowing players to share a virtual table with the Russian Giant himself. Now, clearly this will draw ridicule from Valuev’s critics. There will be quips about his gigantic mitts struggling to hold a hand of cards – or, as it is online poker after all – crushing a delicate mouse between his solid steel fingers. Also, cynics are not about to attribute the strategic ability needed to be a successful poker player to the man they call ‘the missing link’ and frequently liken to a Neanderthal or Cromagnon. Well, they have it all wrong.

Firstly, the tournaments at Valuev’s Room are not designed as pure competition as such. Players can either compete against Valuev or coach him through the tournament. That’s right: Valuev is looking to other online poker fans for advice to make him a World Series Of Online Poker champion – and poker fans can pay for the privilege of improving the gentle giant’s game.
Secondly, it does not matter that Valuev is probably not brilliant at poker – if it is in fact himself who competes in these tournaments. The point is that after not entering a fight in ten months and not winning a fight in almost two years, Valuev has manoeuvred himself back into the spotlight. He may not have done it elegantly or in a subtle fashion, but he did it nonetheless.

However, this is not to say that any boxer could have pulled of such a comparatively lame stunt with as much success. Nikolai Valuev is a promoter by nature; his physicality alone makes everything he does something of a spectacle. As an outrageously large man, measuring 7’0” (213 cm), with distinctly caveman-like features, Valuev is nothing short of a modern freak show. For him to turn his shovel-sized hands to something as popular as online poker is a brilliant strategic move; and not only because the idea of Valuev attempting a pokerface is absolute comedy gold.

There have been rumours about Valuev taking on a Klichko brother at some point this year, but they were either untrue or the plan never came to fruition. Perhaps Nikolai was too busy learning poker rules and clicking his night away on the tables…in any case, you now have the chance to get your very own piece of Valuev action on the internet. Whether you choose to go up against the Russian Giant in a non-life threatening way or rather teach him bad habits to corrupt his new career – everyone can join in the fun.

Then again, perhaps we should not make it fun. If you are looking forward to seeing the monster from Saint Petersburg in the ring again, it might be best to ignore his poker efforts. The sooner he is bored, the sooner his anvils of fists will start itching and we will have reason to cheer again.

The World Series of Poker Main Event for 2010 may be a few months away, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a punt on the outcome right now.

BetUS has a range of unique WSOP bets for you to try your hand at in the lead-up to the Main Event. With odds on every player, exclusive futures, and Main Event specials, you can’t go past BetUS for the best in World Series of Poker betting. New members can join the online sportsbook today and collect up to 155% in bonuses.

To Win WSOP 2010 Main Event

Jonathan Duhamel: +275
John Dolan: +375
Joseph Chong: +750
John Racener: +900
Matthew Jarvis: +1000
Filippo Candio: +1200
Michael Mizrachi: +500
Soi Nguyen: +1400
Jason Senti: +1600

This list is set out in order of starting chip counts, from highest to lowest, and as you can see there is only one November Nine member that stands out. While the other eight players are all sitting on standard odds to win corresponding to their chip count, Michael Mizrachi is third favorite, despite having one of the lowest chip counts in the Main Event. The WSOP bracelet winner may have 50,000,000 chips less than Jonathan Duhamel, but his experience at the tables is expected to see him through the majority of the Main Event.

For fans of something a little bit different, be sure to check out BetUS’s WSOP specials. You can wager on the following bets right up until November 1^st:

Winning Hand

High Card: +1000
One Pair: +225
Two Pair: +160
Three of a Kind: +550
Straight or Flush: +475
Full House or better: +1200

Final River Card

Black: -105
Red: -105
Clubs: +275
Diamonds: +275
Hearts: +275
Spades: +275

There’s sure to be plenty more WSOP betting opportunities as the Main Event gets closer, but for now there is more than enough to entertain you poker lovers. Keep an eye on BetUS over the coming months for more wagers on the World Series of Poker.

It has been months in the making, but finally the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event final nine has been announced. Youth seems to be a key feature in this year’s November Nine, with plenty of unknowns making up the numbers.

Your 2010 November Nine:

• Jonathan Duhamel: 65,975,000 chips
• John Dolan: 46, 250,000
• Joseph Cheong: 23,525,000
• John Racener: 19,050,000
• Matthew Jarvis: 16,700,000
• Filippo Candio: 16,400,000
• Michael Mizrachi: 14,450,000
• Soi Nguyen: 9,650,000
• Jason Senti: 7,625,000

Aside from the excess of “Johns” in the group, there aren’t too many recognizable names heading for the Main Event. Only one, Michael Mizrachi, has ever won a WSOP bracelet before – and he won that this year – while two competitors have yet to gain any World Series of Poker winnings in their careers.

It’s been a long road to finalizing the November Nine, with an original field of 7,319 players needing to be whittled down to just a handful. The final table prize pool stands at an incredible $29,032,637, with around $9 million of that going to the ultimate champion. But even the losers will walk away with at least $811,823, so it’s not all bad.

In recent years, the chip leader at the start of the Main Event has never won. Rags-to-riches competitor Darvin Moon went close last year, but ultimately lost out to Joe Cada, who came into the final with 45 million chips less than Moon. 22-year-old Jonathan Duhamel will doubtless know that everyone will be gunning for him come November, especially considering his massive lead on the competition.

John Racener is one to watch, as he not only has a fair amount of chips to play with, but also a history of 10 WSOP cashes. Mizrachi will likewise be a threat, and his WSOP bracelet win in June will doubtless boost his confidence at the table.

Let us know who you think will win the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event by commenting below. And if you are keen to start playing online poker today, be sure to sign up to Full Tilt Poker for the very best in tournaments, promotions, and satellites.