The 44th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) starts in just two weeks and it promises to be bigger than ever. In one significant way, though, it will be smaller.Doyle Brunson will not be playing.

“The Godfather of Poker” made his announcement Tuesday night via his @TexDollyTwitter account, writing, “Afraid I am finally gonna give in to Father Time and pass on tournament play at WSOP. #toomanyhours”

Last week, we told you about poker superstar Phil Ivey’s lawsuit against London’s Crockfords for the casino’s failure to pay him the £7.3 million he won over two nights at a high stakes punto banco table in August 2012. The UK’s Daily Mail originally reported the story of Ivey’s big score and Crockfords’ lack of payment in October and it was not until this month that Ivey decided to pursue legal action.

Now things have gotten even more interesting. Crockfords, London’s oldest casino, has issued a public retort through the Daily Mail, detailing how it believes Ivey cheated.

While much of the attention of the poker community is currently on the drive of several states towards legalization and regulation of online poker, there are fights that are being waged in some states that might affect live poker games. A recent bill in theOregon legislature is an example of this type of attack.

Writer Harry Esteve of the Oregonian tells the story of a young Portland woman,Rachel O’Neal, who has started her own law practice in the city and enjoys the local card rooms for some Texas Hold’em on her rare off hours. In particular, Esteve mentions that O’Neal frequents the Encore Poker Club, where O’Neal admits she “feels safe” playing the game. Under a bill in the Oregon legislature, however, those games may be outlawed in the state.

The draft of the bill, under the nomenclature of LC 3928, would amend the laws in Oregon regarding what it calls “social gaming.” Those laws, put in place in the 1980s, have allowed for nearly a dozen card rooms to open up around Portland and across the state. One legislator, however, doesn’t see this as what the original law intended and is looking to chop it down.

A new poker series set to begin next month could be the next evolution of televised poker, offering not only the players but also the viewers of the events innovative ways to be involved with the proceedings.

Poker Royalty, LLC – the preeminent international agency that represents some of the biggest names in poker today – announced on Tuesday a new poker program called the “iSeriesLIVE.” The proposed tournament series will kick off at 6PM (Western European Time, 2PM U. S. Eastern Time) on April 5 in Dublin, Ireland with a $10,000 buy-in/winner take all match that features players such as Daniel Negreanu,Phil Hellmuth, Carlos Mortensen and David “Devilfish” Ulliott squaring off against each other in a ten person Sit and Go. What will make the iSeriesLive event unique are some of the enhancements that are promised by Poker Royalty.