Last Chance to Qualify for the Unibet Poker Million!
126 left at Star City heading into Day 2
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Brammer and Adeniya amongst EPT Deauville leaders
PokerNews Debate: Should the WSOP Continue the November Nine Concept?
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PokerNews Exclusive: Barry Greenstein — I Want to Make it Clear I Owe This Money
Daniel Negreanu Fans Several Poker Flames In Interview, Claims He Was Misquoted
In a recent interview with a British poker magazine, Canadian poker pro Daniel Negreanu appeared to fan several of the hottest flames in poker. Once the article appeared, however, Negreanu claimed that there were several instances where he was “misquoted” by the author.
The interview with Poker Player UK, written by Alun Bowden and entitled “What’s Wrong With You?” for its January issue, covered a wide range of subjects including the current state of the poker world, improving his online game and the ongoing Full Tilt Poker debacle. True to his nature, Negreanu didn’t pull any punches as, in the first few paragraphs, Bowden states that Negreanu believes that the game of poker is in “big trouble.”
In discussing the current state of the game, Negreanu is quoted as saying, “I think we’re heading in the wrong direction. The WSOP was much more serious and boring this year. It was much more fun with guys in chicken suits being jerks.”
“When poker became popular you had people like Devilfish, Sammy Farha, Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey,” Negreanu continues. “Today the story is: ‘I dropped out of college and I grinded 20 tables to build my bankroll.’ The story isn’t sexy…they don’t want to hear, ‘Well, he’s raising UTG+1 and polarizing his range with a 31BB effective stack.’”
Daniel allegedly addresses how to fix the current state of the game during the interview, stating, “Televised poker needs to address it. If you want to create the best show you need to create poker personalities. Audiences like Phil Laak and Antonio (Esfandiari)? Then okay you invite them. Daniel Cates? Okay you’re a great player, but nobody gives a s**t. You may be a better player, but who cares?”
Poker Player UK also touches on the subject of Full Tilt Poker, where Negreanu unleashed a few more barbs. Bowden asks the Team PokerStars Pro member his impressions of the ongoing saga and Negreanu doesn’t hold back, stating, “They were running the company like buffoons.” When asked if he had been in touch with any of the former Full Tilt pros, including his good friend Phil Ivey, Negreanu allegedly responds, “I’ve spoken to all of them. They are embarrassed and have disdain for their leaders. They trusted Howard (Lederer)…I didn’t. I don’t trust that family. It’s a family of scoundrels.”
When pressed by Bowdon as to his impressions of Lederer, Negreanu is quoted as saying, “I don’t think he’s evil, but he’s arrogant. He talks to people like they are stupid. I don’t think he set out to defraud people, it’s just negligence, arrogance and incompetence.”
Finally, Negreanu discusses the improvements in his online game, giving credit to his improvement through his usage of poker software and strategy discussions with other players. Perhaps most interesting during this discussion, however, was when Bowden asked Negreanu about his deal with PokerStars.
“If I hadn’t signed with PokerStars I would be a much better player today,” Negreanu reportedly said. “I would be infinitely better. It sounds really bad, and I really enjoy working for PokerStars, but look at the paths me and Ivey took. We were on a similar level and he just played poker non-stop and I started doing a lot more media work. It’s no coincidence that he became the best player in the world and I fell off the map a little. I still think I am one of the best, but I need to work a lot harder on my game.”
Naturally, Negreanu’s alleged statements during the interview were like chum in the water for sharks when it comes to the message boards. Negreanu seemed to have started it himself when he Tweeted on Wednesday, “Just read my article in Poker Player mag and it set a new record for the number of misquotes. Pretty impressive! They twisted everything.”
On the Two Plus Two message boards, the discussion escalated between not only the posters on the site but also Negreanu and Bowden. “Let’s nip this one in the bud,” poster ‘InsidePoker’ (apparently Bowden) wrote yesterday. “There is nothing in that article that is misquoted. It’s all on an audio file if he has any specific points he would like to address.” In the thread, Bowden also apparently releases the audio file after several requests by posters.
Negreanu and Bowden discuss their issues through the 2+2 thread and reach a form of détente, with Negreanu contributing an article to the online arm of PPUK where he clarifies the interview, while the discussion continues to rage on the message board.
FairPlayUSA to Continue Push on Educating Public on Need for Online Poker Regulation
Half Of Jonathan Duhamel’s Stolen Money Recovered By Canadian Authorities
While 2010 World Champion Jonathan Duhamel may have had a rough end to 2011, he seems to have recovered nicely through the first few weeks of 2012.
According to reports in the Canadian press, the Longueuil Police Department has recovered roughly half of the money that was stolen from Duhamel during a brazen robbery just before Christmas. For those of you who may have forgotten, Duhamel was the victim of a home invasion on December 21 in which the thieves beat the 2010 World Series of Poker Championship Event winner in order to get him to open his home safe. Once the robbers were able to gain access to that safe, they walked off with approximately $115,000, Duhamel’s WSOP bracelet and a Rolex Submariner that his sponsor site, PokerStars, had gifted him with to commemorate his World Championship victory.
The Longueuil authorities, acting on an anonymous tip, were able to recover the money in a rather strange location. That tip led the Canadian police to a mail box in Longueuil and, after opening the box, found approximately half of the money stolen simply sitting in an envelope. The police were able to identify the money because much of what was stolen was in large denomination Euros, a currency not seen much in North America (as of now, the WSOP bracelet is the only thing that hasn’t been recovered; the Rolex was being worn by one of those alleged to have stolen it when they were arrested).
This latest good news for Duhamel in 2012 comes after the alleged conspirators in the crime – Anthony Bourque, John Clark, Andre-Robert Perron and Duhamel’s ex-girlfriend Bianca Rojas-Latraverse – have all faced preliminary hearings in the case. Arrested within a week of the robbery, the foursome has been charged with various crimes, including assault, kidnapping, breaking and entering and conspiracy. In January, two of the alleged thieves were denied bail during their preliminary hearing on the charges.
During those preliminary hearings, Clark and Rojas-Latraverse presented themselves in less than appealing ways, at least if they were trying to get the judge to set bail for them. Rojas-Latraverse stated that her profession was “professional poker player” and that she had no known home residence for the court. Although her father stepped up during the hearings to state that he would provide a residence for Rojas-Latraverse, he also admitted that he had not been in contact with his daughter for several years.
Clark, for his part, seemed to use the hearing as a tryout for the Chuckle Shack. When asked by the judge directly if he could refrain from alcohol use while awaiting trial (Clark had prior alcohol convictions on his record), he stated that he “wouldn’t like to” but would do it “if he had to.” He had much the same answer when asked if he would abide by court monitored supervision until the trial date.
With this evidence presented, the judge in the case denied bail for Clark and Rojas-Latraverse, remanding them to jail until their February 21 court date. Bourque and Perron are also awaiting their trial dates, with Bourque out on bail and Perron released on his own recognizance.
While these hearings were ongoing, Duhamel went back to his job as a poker player, with outstanding results. During the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Duhamel was a terror on the felt, making four final tables in some of the highest buy in events on the schedule. He kicked off what would be a huge January for him by finishing in fourth place in the $100,000 Super High Roller tournament that started the festivities in the Bahamas on January 5.
Three days later, Duhamel would add some more cash to his bankroll. He finished fifth in a $5000 Turbo tournament on January 8, then turned around and won a $5000 NLHE Eight Max event the next day. Jonathan would wrap up his January by finishing in second place in the $25,000 High Roller event on January 12, making his total score for the month of January just north of $1.2 million.
Although 2011 might have ended on a down note, it seems to be obvious that Jonathan Duhamel has adjusted quite nicely in 2012, to be sure!
PokerNews Weekly: February 3, 2012
Alan Fox heads Genting Poker Series Day 1A
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Tapie group says Lindgren, Ivey, Matusow owe Full Tilt money
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EPT Deauville Day Two: Martins Adeniya Leads The Pack, Ludovic Lacay & Chris Karagulleyan In Top Ten
Day Two at the European Poker Tour stop in Deauville, France, has come to a close with one of the brighter emerging stars in the poker world, Martins Adeniya, seizing the lead at the end of play on Thursday.
After two Day Ones, the field numbered 889 players, of which 546 came back on Thursday afternoon for the continuation of the event. Leading the pack at the Casino Barriere was Day 1B chip leader Amir Salhani, who had amassed 191,100 chips in his starting day. Following him on the leaderboard was Toufik Ouirini, Day 1A chip leader Kristijonas Andrulis and Philippe Ma, but only Andrulis would be around by the time play ended on Thursday.
Adeniya would seize the lead of the EPT Deauville about two hours into play on Day Two and it came at the expense of Ma. After making a bet in late position, Adeniya saw Ma up the action to 6200, which Adeniya called. After an A-9-4 flop, Ma led out with a 10K bet and Adeniya simply made the call. The same happened on the King turn but, on the five river, Ma moved his remaining chips to the center of the felt. Facing a decision for his tournament life, Adeniya made the call and turned up an A-J for top pair. Ma was bluffing the entire time, showing only 7-4 for bottom pair, and the chip swing rocketed Adeniya into the chip lead with more than 237K in chips.
While this was going on, several of the notable names in the tournament poker world were falling by the wayside. WSOP floor host Kara Scott, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso, Scotty Nguyen, Praz Bansi, Kevin MacPhee, Arnaud Mattern and EPT Season Seven Player of the Year Fernando Brito all headed out of the Casino Barriere with nothing to show for their efforts, but other top names were able to earn their way to Day Three play.
Looking to complete the mythical poker “Triple Crown,” James “Flushy” Dempsey was able to end the day with 274,600 (good enough for 25th place) after starting with only around 50K to start Thursday’s action. Ludovic Lacay was also active, garnering over 377K in chips to end the day in fourth place, and former World Poker Tour champion Chris Karagulleyan put his name in the hat as a contender by finishing with 360,700 (seventh).
Also of note among the remaining players is the continued success of Team PokerStars Pro Italy’s Luca Pagano, who is looking to continue to extend his record of cashes on the EPT. He is the only PokerStars pro left in the field and, if he is able to outlast fifty people from the 178 remaining players on Friday, Pagano will earn his twentieth lifetime cash on the EPT. Pagano is set well for this pursuit, holding slightly more than 174K in chips.
The day truly belonged to Adeniya, however, as he seemed to dominate pretty much any table he was at. Adeniya was able to push many opponents around as his stack grew, using the late stages of the evening’s play to expand his stack as players looked to survive the Day Two action. By the time that the final cards flew for the night, Adeniya was able to claim the chip lead with his 512,200 in chips:
1. Martins Adeniya, 512,200
2. Brahim Oubella, 452,000
3. Artem Litvinov, 397,100
4. Ludovic Lacay, 377,300
5. Jason Hallee, 375,900
6. Julien Ehrhardt, 363,300
7. Chris Karagulleyan, 360,700
8. Andre Vieira Andrade, 345,000
9. Fehmi Cherif, 338,400
10. Samphane Phomveha, 334,800
The money bubble will burst tomorrow, with the minimum payday of €7500 going to the 128th place finisher. The remaining players are all looking for the big payday, however, as first place will take down €875,000 from the €4.6 million prize pool. The latest champion on the EPT will be determined on Monday night and the final two days of the EPT Deauville will be streamed on the internet via PokerStars.tv.
Global Poker Index: Seidel Maintains Lead
Norman Chad’s Sense Of Humor Draws Ire Of California Court Judge
According to reports from the Los Angeles Times, ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad – whose sense of humor is well known to the poker community – was chastised by a California Superior Court judge for using that sense of humor over Twitter.
In an article written by the Times’ Kimi Yoshino, Chad was called in for jury duty in January and was selected as a juror in a residential burglary case. As the case was litigated, court officials informed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laura Foland Priver, who was the judge for that particular case, that Chad had been Tweeting during the proceedings. Judge Priver took the action of filing contempt of court charges against Chad and dismissed him from the case as a result of his Tweets.
The hearing on those contempt charges brought Chad and his attorney back to the courtroom on Wednesday, where Judge Priver blasted Chad and his attorney. “He made a mockery of our system,” Judge Priver stated during the hearing to Chad’s attorney. “I’m disturbed by this behavior. Once the information is out there, it’s out there forever. The public who sees these Tweets is going to think this behavior is OK.”
For his part, Chad stated when he was dismissed from the burglary hearing that he had not communicated with other jurors hearing the case or Tweeted any information about the trial. This is important because, under California law, communicating during a case is a misdemeanor offense. The court instructions state to all potential jurors that they cannot discuss a case or use an electronic device to e-mail, get on the internet or Tweet.
After receiving the profuse apologies of Chad and his attorney, Judge Priver decided to let him off with a warning, but city attorneys have the option to reinstate charges if they see fit.
While waiting to be selected for a case, Chad allegedly Tweeted while waiting in the jury room, “No tweeting allowed in the courtroom, so I’ll be sending messages-in-a-bottle via the Los Angeles River.” He would later in the day allegedly Tweet, “I was selected for the jury. I asked the judge if we could go straight to jury deliberations but was denied, plus gagged and bound.”
Some of the Tweets Chad allegedly sent might have had something to do with the case, according to Yoshino. “Judge has instructed us not to discuss case, so I can’t go into too many particulars,” Chad allegedly Tweeted. “However, I can tell you this about the case: It involves a retired midwife, a monkey grinder, an (allegedly) stolen microwave and a lawn sprinkler.”
In another few Tweets, Chad allegedly details how he is able to continue to reach out to his internet fans. “To allow me to live-tweet during the trial, I am hiding my iPhone in my left sock (where Bill Belichick keeps his red challenge flag),” one such Tweet attributed to Chad says. In another, Norm says, “Judge has copped a real attitude – every time she speaks, she acts like everyone in the jury box has to stop WHATEVER WE’RE DOING to listen.”
In some of the other alleged Tweets, it simply seems as though Norman is being, for lack of a better term, Norman. “During lunch break, I could’ve sworn I saw defendant getting into a white Bronco with Gloria Allred,” one such alleged Chad Tweet stated. In another, Norman goes for a little bit of levity in Tweeting, “Ran into judge at Panda Express – due to court rules, I couldn’t tell her she was making a mistake ordering the orange chicken.”
Although Chad might be able to dodge the contempt charges, his situation is a good lesson for those of us who might have to perform the civic duty of jury duty…always take the court’s instructions seriously!
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Annie Duke Teams Up With NASCAR Foundation To Host Charity Poker Tournament
As they prepare to open their 2012 season on the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway, stock car racing’s biggest names, as well as one of poker’s biggest stars, will come together for a charity poker event later this month.
On February 22 (four days before the 2012 Daytona 500), a charity poker tournament dubbed “High Speed Hold’em on the Halifax” will take place from 7-10PM at the MG on the Halifax, a luxury waterfront community near the Daytona International Speedway. The invitation only event is looking to draw more than 200 players who will put up $500 to take part in the event.
Hosted by the NASCAR Foundation, the tournament is raising money for Speediatrics, the pediatric unit at the Halifax Health Medical Center. NASCAR Foundation chairwoman Betty Jane France is looking forward to drawing together NASCAR’s best drivers, celebrities, poker pros and stock car fans for a thrilling evening of entertainment.
“What a great night this is going to be,” France stated during the announcement of the charity tournament. “(It will be) a lot of fun and all for some worthy causes. The NASCAR Foundation, Speediatrics and poker are things that I love dearly. People who know me can attest to that. This evening is going to be memorable and meaningful. I can’t wait.”
Joining France in hosting the tournament will be legendary driver and NASCAR Foundation board member Rusty Wallace, who admits that he isn’t a great poker player. In an interview with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Wallace compared playing in the charity tournament to his own career as a Winston Cup championship winning driver, saying, “You’ve got to be a bit nervy and willing to take your chances. You can play it safe the first 450 miles of the race, but the last 50 you’d better have all your stuff right and be able to stick it out there and go for it…sometimes you drive over your head and get to crash and sometimes you don’t. There’s a correlation with poker.”
Also in attendance for the tournament will be poker professional Annie Duke, the commissioner of the Epic Poker League, who will serve as the honorary tournament director for the event. “I am so pleased to play my part in this inaugural tournament to support the NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Program,” Annie added during the announcement of the event. “I’m looking forward to throttling up the action with Betty Jane and Rusty as we raise funds for this great cause.”
For the tournament, each of the 22 tables will have at least one celebrity, driver or poker player seated among the combatants. Notable names that have been confirmed for the tournament are former NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett and former NBA great Brad Daugherty, who is now a stock car analyst with ESPN and a NASCAR team owner. For the winner of the event, a seat at a $1500 Epic Poker League Pro/Am tournament will be the prize.
One player will be able to get into the tournament for free through a special drawing being held by the MG on the Halifax. By going online and registering at eventsatmgonthehalifax.com, one person and a guest will attend the tournament and the winner of the drawing will be able to play in the event. There will also be a charity auction and entertainment for those in attendance.
If the tournament reaches its maximum number of players, it would raise over $100,000 in just the buy ins alone and potentially even more through the auction. The funds would be well used at Speediatrics, which France founded in 1999 as a NASCAR-themed pediatrics unit. It is the only one of its kind in Central Florida that cares for more than 2,000 children each year, including about 300 of those receiving care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
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