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Joe Cada Signs with Apparel Company Shodown Couture
In our industry, sponsorship opportunities outside of the poker landscape are difficult to come by. While players such as Vanessa Rousso have been able to land lucrative deals outside of the poker spectrum, those opportunities seem to be few and far between.
It was announced on Friday that World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Cada, who defeated Darvin Moon in November to become the youngest Main Event champion ever, would be sponsored by Shodown Couture, a clothing company that features apparel themed around the poker lifestyle.
“The signing is a perfect match with Shodown’s brand image and philosophy. Joe’s style is aggressive, but he is respectful while playing. He intimidates at the tables,” said Philip Lake, President and Founder of Shodown Couture. “He is the face of poker and is extremely talented. He represents what Shodown is about: quality play, bad ass style, and respect for the game.” The first event that Cada will appear at wearing Shodown Couture apparel will be the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) stop in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun in April. Soon after, Cada will have his own self-inspired line of clothing with the company.
“I’m pumped to be a part of the Shodown Pro Team and really looking forward to helping design my signature series,” Cada stated during the announcement. “The guys at Shodown not only understand fashion that appeals to poker players like me, but they are also poker players themselves and grind as hard as we do.” Cada’s agent, Dan Frank of Top Set Management, echoed Cada’s sentiments and said it was difficult to find sponsorship deals that went in line with Cada’s persona. “Shodown struck a chord with us, as they are the underdog, just like we are. Their work ethic echoed our own and we appreciate that,” Frank stated.
Cada becomes a member of a formidable stable of players being sponsored by Shodown Couture. Cada joins two other players on the Shodown Pro Team who are quite successful in their own right. 2006 WSOP Main Event runner-up and 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Paul Wasicka is one of Cada’s teammates. Also flanking Cada is the youngest player ever to win on the European Poker Tour (EPT), top online and live player Mike “Timex” McDonald. Both were excited to team up with Cada and look forward to assaulting the tables not only through their play, but also through their clothing styles.
“I’m ecstatic that Joe Cada has joined the Shodown Pro Team,” Wasicka enthusiastically commented. “He represents the brand ideals perfectly and I can’t wait to see what designs come out of this.” McDonald agreed with Wasicka and was quite pleased with the addition of Cada to the squad: “I love being a part of the Shodown Pro Team. I’ve been waiting to see who we were adding to the team and needless to say, I am pleased.”
The Shodown Couture line features shirts that are made from bamboo fibers, which makes them a perfect choice of clothing for players who have to deal with extreme temperature changes that can be found in poker rooms. The line offers unique designs that not only feature a poker theme, but also are aggressive, eye-catching, and fashionable. Shirts from Shodown Couture start at $49.99 and are currently available online only, but plans are in place for Shodown Couture’s apparel to move into retail outlets by mid-2010.
Suspect Arrested, Released in EPT Berlin Poker Robbery
According to the Associated Press, a man held in custody related to the armed robbery of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin event last Saturday has been released due to a lack of evidence. The Associated Press sources an unidentified Berlin Police spokeswoman.
The news outlet added that $328,000 was stolen from the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the German city. The Associated Press story detailed the suspect’s stay in custody before ultimately being set free: “The suspect, who was detained late Friday, denied throughout several hours in questioning having taken part in the heist at the Grand Hyatt hotel in the capital.” A total of four robbers stormed the EPT Berlin tournament registration area exactly one week ago in a mid-afternoon heist. No one was injured and the assailants did not enter the tournament area.
According to MSNBC and the Berliner Morgenpost, the man arrested may have been involved in a separate Berlin casino robbery six years ago: “The [Berliner Morgenpost], citing security officials, said a man was arrested late Friday in Berlin and that he was believed to have also been involved in a Berlin casino raid in 2004.” Bluff Magazine added that the suspect was purportedly of Arabic origin. The entire raid was caught on tape by dozens of security cameras as well as the personal cell phones of tournament participants and staff. Also running at the time was EPTLive.
Being debated is who was responsible for the decision for tournament security guards to be unarmed. PokerStars officials told a German news outlet on March 8th, "EPT events are run by local organizers. In the case of the EPT Berlin event, it was the Spielbank Berlin. Hence, they are responsible for the security team." The EPT Berlin marked the roving tournament series’ first trip to the German metropolis. A total of 1,000 players turned out for the Main Event of EPT Berlin.
On the horizon in the United States is the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), a multi-million tournament series that will play out at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Last time out, the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event drew 6,494 players for a total purse of $61 million. Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Cada took down the $8.5 million first place prize, more than six times what Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee pocketed for winning the EPT Berlin Main Event last weekend.
The robbery halfway around the world has attracted the attention of Harrah’s officials in Las Vegas. WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky told Poker News Daily that in the wake of the high-profile heist, the WSOP may take additional steps beyond its usual security measures in order to prevent a similar occurrence: “Obviously, the robbery raises eyebrows and is definitely on our radar. We’ve also had a security briefing since then. It really is night and day what happened in Berlin. We’re a casino and we’re used to having all of these scenarios.”
Palansky added that plenty of surveillance exists on the WSOP playing floor: “There are hundreds of cameras at the WSOP and the Amazon Room is treated like a gaming floor. I don’t want to reveal security plans, but we feel very comfortable with what we will have in place to ensure it’s a safe place to be.” Last October, the Las Vegas Sun reported a robbery of Danny's Slot Country on the Boulder Highway.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest updates on the EPT Berlin armed robbery.
Mclean Karr Wins WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star
In the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star event’s final table, Mclean Karr bested a talented final table that included UB.com pro and 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.
Hellmuth’s stay at the televised feature table was short-lived. After entering as the second largest stack, “The Poker Brat” hit the rails in sixth place; Hellmuth still pocketed $117,000 for his efforts. With blinds of 10,000-20,000 and an ante of 3,000, Hellmuth called from the small blind pre-flop with pocket queens and chip leader Andy “BKiCe” Seth made it 80,000 from the big blind. Hellmuth raised to 280,000 before Seth shoved all-in. Hellmuth called for his tournament life and was in prime position to double up against Seth’s A-J.
The flop came K-6-5, keeping Hellmuth out in front, and the turn was a ten. Needing to catch an ace on the river to send the decorated industry veteran packing, Seth saw the ace of hearts hit the board, sending Hellmuth out in dramatic fashion. As you’d expect with Hellmuth, his exit was far from quiet. Coverage found on the WPT’s website explains, “Then, Hellmuth steps off the stage, kneels down, and drops down to the floor in a little ball. The other players expected a blowup, but not this. Someone asks if he needs a doctor and Seth asks, ‘Do you think he'll sign my bounty shirt?’” Seth collected his fourth $5,000 bounty of the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament.
Matt Keikoan was bounced in fifth place from the $10,000 buy-in WPT event. Keikoan shoved pre-flop with A-7 and received a call from Seth, who held pocket nines. Both players made a flush by the river, but Seth’s nines were enough to scoop the pot and send Keikoan out in fifth place for $175,000. It was Keikoan’s first WPT final table appearance.
Hasan Habib, who has reached the final table of the WPT Championship twice, called all-in on a flop of J-2-2 with two clubs, turning over K-10 of clubs for a flush draw. Karr held 4-2 of spades for trip deuces and a jack of spades on the turn improved the tournament’s eventual winner to a full house. The river was the four of clubs, filling Habib’s flush, but he was still sent away $234,000 richer for his wear. Karr pulled away from the pack after scooping Habib’s stack.
Seventy-five hands later, Dan O’Brien committed his 19 big blind stack with just J-2 of diamonds. He was up against Karr’s wired pair of sevens and the flop came 5-5-3. A ten on the turn left O’Brien drawing to a jack on the river, but an eight of spades instead fell. O’Brien boosted his bankroll by $292,000 and Karr held a 5:2 chip lead over Seth entering heads-up play.
Heads-up action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event lasted 56 hands. In the tournament’s final pot, Seth pushed before the flop with pocket fours, but ran into Karr’s pocket eights. The board ran out K-10-3-A-A and Karr took down his first WPT title. Seth, meanwhile, recorded his largest WPT cash to date. Here were the final payouts in the San Jose, California poker tournament, which will air as part of Season 8 of the WPT on Fox Sports Net:
1st Place: Mclean Karr - $878,500
2nd Place: Andy "BKiCe" Seth - $521,200
3rd Place: Dan O'Brien - $292,800
4th Place: Hasan Habib - $234,300
5th Place: Matt Keikoan - $175,700
6th Place: Phil Hellmuth - $117,000
Amazingly, Karr was the tournament’s short stack with 27 players remaining. On his comeback, Karr told WPT Live Updates Hostess Jacque following his win, “I was on life support. I got it in good, tripled up, won a few coin flips, and thanks to this great structure… once you get a few chips back, you have a shot again.”
Next up for the WPT is a trip to the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana for the Hollywood Poker Open. The $10,000 buy-in Ohio Valley tournament kicks off on March 20th and will crown a champion four days later.
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Karr Comes Back for Bay 101 Win
Karr, a U.S. Air Force Academy Applied Math and Statistics grad turned poker player who found his way into the event through a $1,200 satellite said it was at least the second biggest moment of his life.
"It's a close call, I think when I finally graduated from the Air Force Academy and the Thunderbirds came rolling over and we threw our hats in the air and said, "You can't take this diploma back now, I made it," that was pretty close and a bigger sigh of relief," he said.
"Here I was still going to be a big winner even if I came second. It was still going to be my biggest cash ever, but obviously this is really cool. I can't even express to you how happy I am. I don't even think I'll realize for another few days."
Although he was once the shortest stack left in the event, Karr, 28, said he never gave up hope.
"I definitely thought it was possible," he said. "But it was definitely a long shot. I've played a lot of tournaments and there have been times where I've gotten down really short and came back, so I knew it was possible.
"I knew it was going to be an uphill battle against this field though. There were a lot of great players."
In fact, when the final six began Friday afternoon, one of the biggest names in the game donned the marquee at Bay 101.
However, the lights on Phil Hellmuth's tournament were turned off fairly quickly.
The 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner lost the first few pots he played and before long, found himself all in with queens against chip leader Andy Seth's A♣ J♣.
The king-high flop kept Hellmuth safe, but he had a sweat when a ten on the turn gave Seth two more outs to a straight.
The crowd sat on the edge of their seats expecting a Hellmuth double up, but were suddenly shocked into silence when an ace fell on the river sending him out.
Hellmuth stared blankly at the board before standing up, walking to the rail and falling to his knees in anguish.
He cupped his head in his hands and kneeled on the floor in the fetal position rocking back and forth for several minutes before finally getting up, letting the WPT TV crew interview him and signing Seth's new, "I busted Phil Hellmuth," t-shirt.
After a few minutes, he walked off the WPT stage, unlucky for the fourth time, with a smile and a wave to the crowd chanting his name.
After Hellmuth's emotional exit in sixth, Seth appeared to be cruising before Karr bluffed him off an 800k pot and the chip lead with a big river bet on an ace-high board forcing a fold.
It was the moment Karr really thought winning was possible.
"It gave me that confidence that I can knock heads with the best of them here," he said. "It was like, 'Let's play some cards.'"
WSOP bracelet winner Matt Keikoan was the next player out, running ace-seven into Andy Seth's pocket nines.
He was soon followed to the rail by Hasan Habib, who committed his chips with a flush draw against Karr's flopped trips and was sent home fourth from his third WPT final table when Karr turned a full house.
A short stacked Dan O'Brien then stepped out of the way third, running jack-deuce into Karr's sevens and Karr took a better than 2:1 lead into heads up with Seth.
Seth soon doubled with jack-nine versus ace-four when he flopped two pair and before long he pulled even.
As the clock struck 2 a.m. PT it began to look as though the sun might rise before a champion would be crowned in San Jose.
However, Seth pushed with fours soon after. Karr called with eights and after a board of blanks, the $878,500 first-place prize was his.
"I got a little bit of luck and picked some good spots and, wow, here I am," he said.
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Daniel Negreanu Offers Phil Hellmuth 800-1 Odds to Win WSOP Players Championship
Daniel Negreanu is always among the first in line to provoke poker brat Phil Hellmuth. The PokerStars Team Pro took another hearty shot at Hellmuth this week at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star event in San Jose, California, making Hellmuth a rather humorous offer for the upcoming World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player's Championship.
The two poker superstars were seated at the same table during Day 2 of the event when the topic of the $50,000 Player's Championship at this year's WSOP came up. The event, which will replace the $50,000 HORSE event that was introduced in 2006, will feature the same games as HORSE plus No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Hold'em, and 2-7 Triple Draw. Negreanu told Hellmuth he's probably an 800-1 favorite to win the event, which instigated a heated discussion between the two players. Suddenly, talks of a serious prop bet were in motion.
During a break in play at Bay 101, Tournament Director Matt Savage spoke with Negreanu about the bet: "In mixed games, obviously he doesn't spend a lot of time on it and he's not very good at a lot of the Limit games," said Negreanu. "So I was needling him, because that's what we do, so I said, 'you're about 800-1 to win that event.' So now he wants me to book action on 800-1."
Negreanu expects there to be around 150 players in the inaugural Player's Championship. He admitted that the original offer was just to get a rise out of Hellmuth, but a bet will likely be in place before the WSOP kicks off in May. "Laying 800-1 is no fun on anything," Negreanu told Savage. "So instead I told him I'd lay him a price on a crossbook. He's down to 250-1… so now we're getting close."
Savage also spoke with Hellmuth regarding the prop bet and in typical fashion, Hellmuth outlined a lengthy explanation for his side. "At 800-1 I like my father (to win)," joked Hellmuth. "You could pick an internet player off the rail who you could teach for a year and he's probably 800-1. I haven't played a lot of those games, but recently I've been playing a ton of mixed games on the internet and it's been helping my game a ton. Right now, I'm trying to improve and get better at every game because the Hold'em tournaments are so deep that I think it's more difficult these days."
Hellmuth never cashed in the brief four-year history of the $50,000 HORSE Championship at the WSOP. Each of his 11 bracelets came in Hold'em, but he has reached final tables in HORSE, Pot Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, and Seven-Card Stud events. Last year, the $50,000 HORSE Championship attracted only 94 players as the event was taken off the ESPN televised lineup. David Bach was crowned champion, beating John Hanson heads up to collect the $1,276,802 first-place prize and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy. Other previous winners were Scotty Nguyen, Freddy Deeb, and Chip Reese.
The Player's Championship wager talks have likely been put on hold as Hellmuth prepares for the final table of the WPT Bay 101 event on Friday. Hellmuth, who held the overall chip lead going into Day 3, will enter the final day second in chips behind Andy "BKiCe" Seth. Hellmuth is playing for his first ever WPT title as well as the $878,000 top prize.
Shuffle Up and Deal Producers Searching for Sponsor
In December, Oates Media Group, the creators of the poker game show “Shuffle Up and Deal,” announced an online casting call seeking contestants. Three months later, the franchise is still looking for a sponsor to bring its product to life.
World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton was named the front man for “Shuffle Up and Deal,” a game show in which contestants select cards from an electronic tote board in an effort to make the best hand and reap the most prize money. Whichever player banked the largest cash total at the end of every episode would have a shot at winning a progressive jackpot that began at $250,000 and rose by $10,000 each time it wasn’t hit. The series also featured a “Follow the Ace” home game in which viewers could nab $10,000.
The show originally signed a letter of intent to air on My Family TV, a local station located out of Palms Springs, California, but that is no longer the case. Instead, producer Dewey Oates has been vehemently searching for a larger audience by taking on a sponsor and a cable or network television partner. Oates told Poker News Daily, “If we had a sponsor, we'd start filming immediately. The production company is ready to go.” Meanwhile, Oates and company have approached a couple of the industry’s major online poker sites, which have purportedly taken a cautious approach about expanding further into the U.S. market due to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
Sexton is a sponsored pro of PartyPoker, which does not accept action from the United States, while PokerStars pro Chad Brown was tapped to host a live stage show version of “Shuffle Up and Deal” in casinos. On Sexton’s involvement, Oates told us, “He got us in touch with the people at Party Gaming, but he can't go to Full Tilt and ask for a sponsorship if he's the host.” Oates approached officials from the WPT, who stated that their sponsorship of the show would hinge on a signed television contract.
Meanwhile, Oates reached out to GSN, which airs the popular cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker,” but the network was seeking a title sponsor or partial sponsor of the show before it would hop on the bandwagon. Oates added that “Shuffle Up and Deal” was not in a position to purchase airtime on major television networks, which would likely come with a hefty price tag. Oates revealed that prices on major stations could top $1 million for a half-hour program, potentially leading to an expensive debut for an upstart program.
Despite the lack of success of the franchise in procuring a television sponsorship, “Shuffle Up and Deal” may soon make its way to a casino near you. Oates and company have been reaching out to top-tier Indian casinos around the United States pitching a floor promotion where patrons would swipe their players’ cards to register for a chance to play a miniature version of “Shuffle Up and Deal.” Oates told Poker News Daily, “We're marketing it to Indian casinos nationwide. We’ve teamed up with SCA Promotions to insure it. We started that two weeks ago and we’re getting phone calls now.”
Facebook serves as the main medium for contestants to register to become a contestant on the “Shuffle Up and Deal” television show. Nearly 1,000 applications from hungry poker fans have been received and Oates was elated at the overwhelmingly positive response: “We're getting a lot of responses. We have people visiting ShuffleUpTV.com signing up to be contestants all day long. We’re getting a lot of energy from the public from people who want to see the show.”
My Family TV specializes in providing “spiritual programming,” according to its website, and is based in Florida.
Scott Seiver Recaps Recent NAPT, L.A. Poker Classic Success
Poker pro Scott Seiver has been on the run of a lifetime. The young gun finished fourth in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) High-Roller Bounty Shootout last month for $215,000 and won the L.A. Poker Classic High-Roller event for another $425,000. In December, Seiver took down a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $218,000.
Poker News Daily: Tell us about your recent run in which you’ve logged nearly $1 million in tournament cashes in just three months.
Scott Seiver: I feel I’m playing well right now. Obviously, some of it is getting lucky, but the tournaments’ deep stacks have been helping me. I’ve been playing well recently and it feels good.
PND: Talk about your single-handed destruction of your NAPT Bounty table, where you knocked out all six of your opponents.
Scott Seiver: It was a really interesting tournament because it was a bounty tournament. Some of the players might not have adjusted to that. I just tried to play in a way here I could get all-in to get bounties, which is I think the way to play because that’s where the money is.
PND: Some poker players would argue that you should pay less attention to the bounties and more attention to the prize pool. You feel differently, then?
Scott Seiver: I think it’s not even close. The bounties are a huge part of those tournaments. Any time you get all-in, a huge amount of money is at stake. As long as you can get all-in even with a coin flip, it’s a good idea. All seven players at the NAPT Bounty table were top-level players, so there’s even more reason to be aggressive. You can’t wait to outplay guys like Elky and Barry Greenstein.
PND: How did the field of the NAPT High-Roller compare to the L.A. Poker Classic High-Roller?
Scott Seiver: The L.A. Poker Classic might have been tougher. I happened to have the toughest table for the NAPT, but all around the room, there were sponsored pros. When you’re doing well and playing well, you actually play better. I was feeling good from the NAPT going into L.A. and I think that helped me.
PND: Tell us about your upcoming tournament schedule.
Scott Seiver: I’m at the Wynn right now playing a $1,000 tournament. What I always say is that if you’re doing poorly, you don’t want to see a single card. When you’re doing well, you want to play everything you possibly can. I might play some Circuit Events and might go to Indiana for the WPT. I just want to play right now. I’ve been really enjoying it.
PND: This month, you made your first appearance on ESPN’s list of the top 10 players in the world, dubbed “The Nuts.” How big is that for you?
Scott Seiver: I think it’s wild and it feels great. It’s wild to see your name in print like that and it’s a big publication that I can tell my parents to look at. While I was playing at Bay 101, a friend of mine pulled it up and showed me. Daniel Alaei, who is also on that list and was at my table, hadn’t seen it either.
PND: Two other extremely hot players right now are Jason Mercier and Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, who you faced at the L.A. Poker Classic High-Roller and NAPT High-Roller Bounty Shootout final tables, respectively. Talk about their games.
Scott Seiver: They’re both on incredible hot streaks and winning every tournament they’re playing. I had one final table with Jason Mercier before and he didn’t have many chips in L.A., but he played well. Faraz is very good and a very strong player. He’s very aggressive, but not just wildly aggressive. He knows when and who to attack.
PND: How have you been able to evolve your game in the last two years since your World Series of Poker bracelet run in 2008?
Scott Seiver: It’s been by playing a lot. I play a lot online – tournaments and cash games – and also live tournaments and cash games. I play big stack games and short stack games. I’m learning through experience and have a great group of friends to talk to. Practice makes perfect and I try to absorb what I can.
PND: Which fellow pros to you talk to?
Scott Seiver: A bunch of different people like Isaac Haxton, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Aaron Been, and all sorts of other friends. We usually just talk theory and whatnot.
Pitbull Poker Update
Almost nine months have gone by since the Pitbull Poker scandal was blown wide open and to date, justice has yet to be served. The small poker site, formerly part of the Flash Poker Network, was first put under investigation by members of the TwoPlusTwo community. Many of these members suspected the site had players that had access to see hole cards at a table, also known as superusers. During the scandal, the two owners of the site closed up shop in the middle of the night, sticking players with bankrolls at Pitbull Poker.
Poker News Daily caught up with former room manager Dave Brenes, who stated that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and has not heard from either of the owners. As of now, there have been no updates and no resolutions in the matter, leading many to believe that nothing will ever be resolved in the case.
Representatives for Poker News Daily were able to reach the embattled former poker room manager for Pitbull Poker on Thursday. Brenes told PND that he has moved on from Pitbull Poker and is holding down a temporary job while looking for something long-term. To his knowledge, no employees or customers have recovered any funds since the owners closed the company doors and disappeared. Message boards for casino and poker site affiliates confirm that players owed funds through business dealings with the company have yet to be compensated.
Brenes concluded the conversation by stating that he has not heard anything from either of the owners, Kevin Baronowski and another identified in an earlier article as “Justin.” He claims that he is just as much of a victim as anyone else and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. His tone was much more upbeat and hopeful now that, in his mind, the controversy is behind him.
The controversy first started back in July 2009, when “chesterboy” from the TwoPlusTwo forums posted that he suspected that there were superusers on Pitbull Poker. Most posts like these are ignored for the most part by the community, but this player was actually a prop player and a respected longtime member of the community. Others stepped forward once he broke his silence and the site was suddenly placed under the microscope of intense scrutiny. While representatives for Pitbull Poker said there were no shady dealings at the site and that they were working to produce hand history files to back up their claims, players demanded their funds en masse.
Pitbull Poker closed its doors in the middle of the night without informing the company's employees. On-site staff called police, who did not stop owners from disconnecting and removing computer equipment. The next day, the poker room was down and all players with account balances were suddenly left in the dark. Scores of players called for justice, with some losing hundreds and others losing tens of thousands of dollars.
Players on the site weren’t the only big losers thanks to the shocking actions of the site's owners. Affiliates stepped up to say that they hadn’t been paid either, with one, “JC Hawk," leading the charge, claiming he was owed well over $100,000 from his poker site NLPT.tv on top of cash investments he made into the site directly. Hawk gathered as many individuals as he could to join his cause and worked with the Costa Rican government to help bring the owners of Pitbull Poker to justice.
Some players, including “chesterboy”, decided that they could no longer be part of the world of online poker. In an announcement on the forums, he stated that he would be leaving poker for good and joining the United States Army. In December, JC Hawk continued to state that he was pursuing legal matters against Baronowski. It was Hawk’s guess that Baronowski had fled Costa Rica and was in hiding in his native homeland of Canada.
Since the turn of the new year, there have been few new developments in the case and at this point, the prospects of affiliates and players recouping any owed funds seems to be low. Many in the industry have claimed that this story is a perfect example of why regulation and legalization of online poker is vital to protect consumers from this type of apparent fraud.
Poker News Daily will continue to monitor the ongoing saga involving Pitbull Poker and report any new updates as they become available.
Phil Hellmuth Makes WPT Bay 101 Final Table
After 15 grueling hours of play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bay 101 Shooting Star event, the field was whittled from 27 players to six. Among those competing for the $878,000 first place prize is UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth.
Hellmuth has made three final tables on the WPT circuit. He finished fourth in the Gold Rush event during Season 1 for $34,000 and took third at Foxwoods during Season 2 for $281,000. Hellmuth returned to the WPT spotlight during Season 6, when he made the feature table of the L.A. Poker Classic, finishing sixth for $229,000. All told, the 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner has $836,000 in career WPT earnings; he’s poised to double that total if he wins at Bay 101.
Hellmuth told WPT Live Updates Hostess Jacque, “The guy on my left, Andy, is a very good player. I’ve had a read on him for two straight days, so that’s been helpful, but he still has the chip lead. If I can get a read on him tomorrow, I have a good chance to win.” On what it would mean to take down his first WPT title in four tries, Hellmuth remarked, “It would mean a lot. I really want to win. It’s what I do. I’ve been working really hard.” Hellmuth alludes to online poker legend Andy “BKiCe” Seth, the Bay 101 Shooting Star’s final table chip leader.
At one point during play on Thursday, Lon Diamond was down to just 17,000 in chips before mounting the comeback of a lifetime. With a stack equivalent to one big blind when play wrapped up on Thursday, Diamond tripled up and then doubled twice more to stay alive. Ultimately, Diamond was the final table bubble boy at Bay 101, finishing in seventh place for $58,000. Diamond called all-in pre-flop with A-Q, but ran into the pocket queens of Seth. The board came 10-9-6-6-8 and the six-handed final table was determined.
Former WSOP Main Event winner Scotty Nguyen hit the rails in eighth place for the same $58,000, baby. Nguyen shoved pre-flop under-the-gun with J-8 of hearts and ran into Seth’s K-Q. The flop came queen-high, keeping Seth out in front, and no help came for the five-time bracelet winner on the turn or river. Nguyen has made a colossal eight WPT final tables, emerging as the champ once.
Poker fans will also recognize Hasan Habib, who owns the second shortest stack entering the Bay 101 final table. Habib finished second in the WPT Championship during Season 2 for $1.3 million and promptly took third the following season for another $896,000. Making his first WPT final table is Matt Keikoan, who took seventh in last season’s Legends of Poker for $140,000.
To go from 11-handed to 10-handed action took five hours. Here are the six players remaining in the 2010 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event:
1. Andy “BKiCe” Seth - 2,164,000
2. Phil Hellmuth - 1,433,000
3. Dan O'Brien - 1,129,000
4. Mclean Karr - 1,112,000
5. Hasan Habib - 455,000
6. Matt Keikoan - 371,000
When play resumes in San Jose, California, the blinds will be 8,000-16,000 with an ante of 2,000. Nearly two hours will be played at this level before the price of poker increases. Players who found the exit on Thursday were:
7. Lon Diamond - $58,600
8. Scotty Nguyen - $58,600
9. Brian “tsarrast” Rast - $38,000
10. David Forster - $38,000
11. “Miami” John Cernuto - $29,300
12. Dan Gamon - $29,300
13. Nick Schulman - $23,400
14. Chau Giang - $23,400
15. Joseph “BigEgypt” Elpayaa - $23,400
16. Tim McDermott - $23,400
17. Lars Elmoe - $23,400
18. Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka - $23,400
19. Vanna Tea - $20,500
20. John Monnette - $20,500
21. Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo - $20,500
22. Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little - $20,500
23. Taylor Raines - $20,500
24. Tom Marchese - $20,500
25. Thuy Phan - $17,600
26. Ted Jivkov - $17,600
27. Kafir Nahum - $17,600
Each of the six players remaining is assured a payday of $117,000, twice what the tournament’s seventh and eighth place finishers received. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT results.
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World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star Day 3: Final Table Set: Seth On Top, Hellmuth Second
Hellmuth Headlines Bay 101 Final
One of poker's biggest names will dawn the marquee in San Jose as Phil Hellmuth Jr. will come in second in chips in an attempt to win his first WPT title.
The 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner will be making his third WPT final table and a comeback of sorts, having admitted 2009 was his worst year in poker.
"I've been working really hard on my game," Hellmuth told PokerListings. "It feels really good. I'm really happy and I'm pleased with the way I'm playing."
Daniel Negreanu recently criticized Hellmuth, claiming the Poker Brat wasn't taking the necessary steps to improve his game in an ever changing poker landscape.
However, Hellmuth now says he's been working with players like Brandon Cantu, Ted Forrest and David "The Maven" Chicotsky to adjust.
A plan that appears to have worked out here at Bay 101.
"We've been talking about some of the Internet kids and their techniques and how they're playing," he said. "They seem to be very mathematical. Everything is about the math.
"And I've been learning because I have to figure out how they're playing and devise a strategy to beat them."
Armed with a better understanding of what the players around him are up to, Hellmuth will head into the final table confident and ready to get to work.
"I think I have a great chance if my reads stay strong," he said. "But I've still got a lot of work left."
Now, he says even his biggest critic has changed his tune.
"Daniel's in my corner now," he said. "He likes the fact that I'm trying some new school stuff."
However, it's still going to take all Hellmuth has to get past a final six with a combination of experience, youthful exuberance and poker skill.
Andy Seth, the runner-up in one of the many $1,500 events at the WSOP this past summer with a list of online poker accomplishments a mile long will come in with the chip lead and a reputation as the player whose been giving Hellmuth the most headaches thus far.
Plus, after an 11th place finish here last year and a ninth in Biloxi earlier this season, Dan O'Brien will finally get a crack at a big score here and has the chips to make some real noise.
Despite having played with the poise of a veteran pro, turning his short stack into a big one on the event's penultimate day, McLean Karr has just a few preliminary cashes around the circuit on his resume.
However, a recent run all the way to 62nd in the inaugural PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas and a boatload of online experience have set the U.S. Air Force Academy Applied Math and Statistics grad turned poker player on the edge of something rather large here in the Bay Area.
In the meantime, Hasan Habib will come in to his third WPT final table fifth in chips. He has yet to book a win, but does have five final tables at the WSOP and a bracelet there, proving he knows how to get it done.
Matt Keikoan has also won at the WSOP and took down the WSOP Circuit event in Lake Tahoe last year. After a seventh and a ninth on the WPT over the past few years, he will enter his first final table as the short stack.
Known for the loudest fans on tour, San Jose will be treated to a final filled with big names and dramatic story lines destined to go down as one of the most exciting in World Poker Tour history.
Action will begin at 4 p.m. PT. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.
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