Andreas Oscarsson was the founder of PokerListings.com. He reportedly had homes in SoHo as well as in Sweden. He was shot to death in his bedroom on August 3. News reports make the crime sound like a targeted hit on Oscarsson; various theories are being floated (with little concrete support, that we can find), and most of them seem to indicate that this was not a total surprise. From Poker News Daily:

TwoPlusTwo member Loctus, who lives in Sweden, commented, "Police [have] been talking on the radio about it saying that it's quite probably [something] from his past that has caught up to him in this unfortunate way."

Bluff Europe Magazine reports a fantastical-sounding rumor that someone else named "Andreas Oscarsson" was killed last year in what may have been a case of mistaken identity; they also say there are rumblings of enemies:

As of now there are no further details except that police are uncertain of the exact motive, but reports emanating from Sweden suggest 'concrete threats' were made towards Oscarsson, according to friends and colleagues in Stockholm and Gothenburg.

[Pic: Pokerlistings.com]

This reminded Mr. [Hairspray performer Daniel] Robinson of the various handsome Latin boys who have been coming around backstage. It’s a real letdown, he said, when they inevitably reveal that they are the guest of a certain bearish showbiz fixture. “I’m like, ‘Eww. So how much is he paying you?’” he said.

Any guesses?

Five Card Studs: Harvey Fierstein's Poker Game [New York Observer]

According to reports, two of world's best poker players only narrowly beat a computer program at Texas Hold'em earlier this year. Dear online gambler, you are not even close to being one of the world's best poker players. Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick's proposed two-year jail terms and a $25,000 fine for online gamblers should be the least of your worries. John Henry lost to the steam hammer, and so will you. (Photo by Plutor)