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In their most recent Top 10 list CardPlayer Magazine decided to take a look at the biggest nits in poker, and topping their list is the man known as “Chainsaw”, tournament poker grinder Allen Kessler. Affectionately dubbed “Complainsaw” by his peers, Kessler is known for his ability to min-cash in tournaments, and as Card Player points out, his penchant for scrounging around for the best deals.

Kessler was in some good/bad company on the list, as a couple of Full Tilt Poker owners found their way onto the dubious register, as both Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson were chosen (perhaps out of spite). Card Player decided to post some videos to emphasize why certain people were selected, and in Ferguson’s case it was a multi-episode appearance on Poker After Dark that won him the distinction of being poker’s third biggest nit!

Throughout the entire episode of PAD Ferguson flat-out refuses to play with a $500 2/7 bounty, despite every other player in the game advocating for the 2/7 bounty to “liven” up what was otherwise a very tight table. His absolute refusal led to repeated allegations of his nittiness by everyone from Mike Matusow to Antonio Esfandiari; and even Phil Hellmuth and Todd Brunson (two super-nitty players in their own right) were taken aback by Ferguson’s refusal. While there was little action during the episode, the ribbing Ferguson took is well worth sitting through the entire episode –especially now that it has come to light that Ferguson has collected tens-of-millions of dollars from Full Tilt Poker.

You can check out the complete list of the Top 10 nits in poker at CardPlayer.com

If you thought the possible acquisition of Full Tilt Poker was the only contribution to the poker world that Groupe Bernard Tapie would be making, think again! This week we have learned of another poker enterprise the investment firm, headed by Frenchman Bernard Tapie and his son Laurent Tapie, has their hands in is a new poker league set to debut in 2012, the International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT).

The ISPT is not your dad’s poker tournament, according to the league’s website, which includes a teaser for the tour, upwards of 20,000-30,000 players will be participating in the tournament, first at individual seats in the stands which come complete with their own computer terminal where the contestants will play online poker, followed by the top 10% or so of the field making their way to the stadium floor where they will take part in a more conventional poker tournament.

The first tournament is scheduled to take place in Wembley Stadium in London, and the ISPT is guaranteeing a $30 million prize-pool, with at least $10 million going to the winner! These World Series of Poker Main Event-like numbers are sure to attract a formidable crowd of players, and with a buy-in that appears to be in $1,000 range the tournament will also appeal to the more casual poker player as well.

For more information on the ISPT and to get a look at the teaser video (which really sells the idea for the tournament) you can head on over to the ISPT website.

The fan voting portion of the 2011 Poker Hall of Fame has concluded, and this week the final 10 nominees were revealed. Amongst the 10 nominees (only two of which will likely be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame this November) are a mix of top-flight players, contributors, and a few people who blur the lines.

Here is a look at the 10 nominees and who we think will be standing on the podium, giving a speech just before the 2011 WSOP Main Event Champion is crowned in November:

• Barry Greenstein – Early odds Even Money

Greenstein is a great player and a great ambassador for the game. The fact that he has been at the top of the poker food chain for years and knows many of the voters will play in his favor.

• Jennifer Harman-Traniello — Early odds 2-to-1

Harman has the same qualities as Greenstein, minus the philanthropy. Her affiliation with Full Tilt poker may also be seen as a negative.

• Linda Johnson — Early odds 4-to-1

Johnson is one of the true “good people” in the game. The only downside is her lack of success AT the tables.

• John Juanda — Early odds 4-to-1

Juanda is one of the game’s best, and also one of the nicest people in poker. His time is coming, but I think 2011 will be the year for other players.

• Jack McClelland — Early odds 4-to-1

McClelland’s contributions as a tournament director cannot be overlooked. Unfortunately, the voters tend to pick players over contributors.

• Huckleberry Seed — Early odds 8-to-1

Seed is another player that will more than likely be in the Hall of Fame, just not in 2011.

• Tom McEvoy — Early odds 40-to-1

McEvoy has an excellent grass roots campaign that gets him in the finals each year, but he is unlikely to get the same kind of love from the 35-person committee who does the final voting.

• Marcel Luske — Early odds 40-to-1

Luske was a bit of shocking finalist, but the Dutchman has pretty solid results, especially in Europe, and has really worked hard to bring unified rules to tournaments around the globe.

• Scotty Nguyen — Early odds 50-to-1

Scotty’s reputation (think WSOP HORSE tournament) is going to keep him out of the Hall of Fame (at least for the foreseeable future).

• Annie Duke – Early odds 100-to-1

Like Scotty, Annie Duke will be fighting her reputation more than anything. As one of poker’s most polarizing figures, her UB affiliation, and suspect tournament results (a lot of invitational money), it’s unlikely Annie will see the Hall of Fame unless the Epic Poker League totally changes the face of poker.

The second official day of action at the European Poker Tour London High Roller is now over, and a final table of eight players (all of whom will be paid out) has been established. The current frontrunner is Igor Kurganov, whose 854,000 chips are currently towering over the 622,000 stack of second-place contender Robert Akery.

A total of 75 players paid 20k pound buy-ins on Day 1, and 45 of those hit the rail before the end of the day. An additional 22 players fell on Day 2. Some of the most notable pros to face elimination on Day 2 included Eugene Katchalov, Jonathan Duhamel and Joe Hachem, all members of Team PokerStars Pro.

Katchalov, a fan favorite in major tournaments as of late, was eliminated with 9-9 when he pushed all-in against Andrey Bondar’s 8-6 suited. Bondar drew to two pair on the turn, and the river card provided no help to Katchalov. Hachem hit the rail in similar fashion when his 2-2 failed to hold up against the A-6 suited of Michael Tureniec.

Despite leading the field at the closing of Day 1, Sam Stein faced Day 2 elimination as well. He was crippled early on by Byron Kaverman, who held K-Q of hearts against the 3-3 of Stein. Additional hearts on the flop and river secured a huge pot for Kaverman. Stein was ultimately knocked out by Olivier Busquet with K-Q offsuit over A-10 suited.

Some of the other notables that fell just short of the final table included James Bord, Phil Collins, Mike “Timex” McDonald, McLean Karr, Mike Watson and Isaac Haxton.

The final table is a dangerous lot indeed, with experienced competitors such as Adrian Bussman, Joel Nordkvist, Sam Trickett and Philipp Gruissem joining the aforementioned Kurganov, Akery, Busquet and Tureniec. Over 511k pounds are reserved for the winner.

The European Poker Tour London Main Event is now over, and Germany’s Benny Spindler absolutely dominated the final table to take home the prestigious major title and a whopping 750,000 pounds in prize money – over $1.16 million according to current exchange rates. After leading the field on Day 1 and falling behind slightly as the tournament continued, Spindler played aggressively and made some incredible reads in the final stage of the Main Event, singlehandedly knocking out five of the final table competitors.

Second place belonged to Steve O’Dwyer, who knocked out the rest of the competition and won 465k pounds.

Spindler, who plays online poker using the handle “toweliestar,” is no stranger to success in virtually every poker medium – live, online, cash game or tournament. He earned over $500k playing online cash games in mid-September, took 3rd place in the 2009 PCA to win $1.1 million, and over $469k in May 2011 during the EPT Grand Final in another NLHE High Roller Event. In total, Spindler has over $4.2 million in career winnings despite looking like he’s barely out of his teens.

The first player to face elimination was Miroslav Benes of the Czech Republic, who qualified on PokerStars. Benes held on longer than expected given his tiny chip stack, and received 64k pounds for an impressive performance by any measure.

The pivotal moment of the tournament came next. Martins Adeniya, who entered the final table with the chip lead, bet his entire stack with A-K offsuit against Spindler’s 10-10. The board provided no help to either player, sending Adeniya packing with 86k pounds and giving Spindler nearly half of the event’s remaining chips.

Andre Klebanov finished in 3rd for 265k pounds, while Juan Manuel Pastor of Team PokerStars Pro ended fourth for 200k pounds.

Amazingly, Spindler said that he plans to focus on online cash games instead of live tournaments for the time being, though that could easily change once sponsorship offers inevitably start to pour in.