Posts Tagged ‘2009’
Identity of Isildur1 May Be Revealed Saturday
In what will either be the worst kept secret ever in the poker world or the most stunning reveal of all-time, the identity of the online phenomenon Isildur1 will purportedly be unveiled on Saturday evening in the Bahamas.
Several poker news sites have announced that the identity of Isildur1 will be revealed at 7:00pm ET on Saturday night during action at the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), currently ongoing at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. OnlinePoker.net indicated that the Tournament Director of the PCA stated that the announcement of Isildur1’s identity would come while trumpeting the arrival of Viktor Blom, the Swedish pro who has long been rumored to be the man behind the curtain.
PokerNews has also reported tomorrow’s reveal: “There’s a lot of speculation regarding the other identity of Blom, many claiming that he is indeed Isildur1 of nosebleed online fame. We can’t say for sure, but PokerStars is set to reveal the true identity of their newest online pro on Saturday at 7:00pm. Are Blom and Isildur1 the same person? We’ll know for sure in just over 48 hours.”
Players, for their part, have not been keeping the secret very quiet during the Super High Roller event at the PCA… or have they? On their Twitter feeds, players have been calling Blom “Isildur1” when they note to their followers who is at their tables. For example, in his Tweet, 2010 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year Sorel Mizzi gave his table’s roll call: “Got Ashman, Negreanu, Timex, Vivek, Isildur1, and Nick Schulman. Fun!”
This hasn’t stopped some players from promoting different theories as to the true identity of Isildur1. Justin Bonomo noted a thread on TwoPlusTwo and Tweeted, “Coincidence that Hellmuth leaves UB just before Stars reveals Isildur1? Get ready to feel your heads explode Blom fanboys!”
Another Tweeter, Chris Choy, took the time to look over the entry list for the PCA Super High Roller event and noted, “Going through PCA $100K High Roller lineup… Seat 6 – Koen Berendsen is the only name I don’t recognize… Isildur1, is that you buddy?” Berendsen is a player from the Netherlands who has had some success in the European poker community.
Blom did not fare well in the PCA Super High Roller event, busting before the end of Day 1. Germany’s Tobias Reinkemeier leads Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu and Bryn Kenney as Day 2 plays out. Other players still a part of the action include recent WPT champion Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel “jungleman12” Cates, Eugene Katchalov, and Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger.
The Isildur1 drama has played out over more than a year since the arrival of the Swedish high-stakes player in 2009. Taking on such players as Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, and Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Isildur1 grew his bankroll in high-stakes play to record levels. As 2010 came to a close, however, the mysterious Swede decided it was time to take an unprecedented step.
Isildur1 unexpectedly signed a sponsorship agreement with PokerStars in December, guaranteeing a steady income, but also potentially prompting an end to the mystery surrounding his identity. It had been previously announced by PokerStars that Isildur1 would make the PCA his first official live event as a part of the Team PokerStars stable, and Saturday’s announcement of his or her identity will certainly draw the attention of the poker community.
Editorial - Prahlad’s signing is good for UB – is it good for poker?
Prahlad Friedman Joins Team UB.com
Following last week’s overhaul at Team UB.com that saw Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth depart on the same day, the USA-friendly CEREUS Network site has picked up its newest pro. On Thursday, site officials announced that Prahlad Friedman had joined Team UB.com.
Friedman seemingly hinted at joining an online poker site back in November. The 32 year old California native Tweeted, “I said I would never sign with a poker site. Should I ever reconsider? What y’all think? I would have to get over the fact that I’m ‘selling out.’ I’m the only player in the world that hasn’t wanted a deal that I know of.” UB.com promoted Friedman as “one of the world’s greatest cash game players, online and off, with millions in winnings earned since 1999.”
Friedman’s first major live cash came eight years ago in the Main Event of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio, where he booked $101,000 for his runner-up finish to Full Tilt Poker’s Erick Lindgren. One year later, he notched his first (and so far only) World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament and banked $109,000 in the process.
In 2005, Friedman played second fiddle to Chris Ferguson in the WSOP Circuit Championship at Harrah’s Rincon to earn another $363,000. One year later, this author remembers being at the Rio in Las Vegas and following Friedman through the WSOP Main Event. There, he turned in a 20th place finish for nearly a half-million dollars and fell just short of the coveted Main Event bracelet.
He’d make amends in August 2009, when Friedman took down the Legends of Poker, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT). His victory in the California poker tournament was worth a colossal $1 million and saw Friedman outlast a final table that included November Niner Kevin Schaffel, Todd Terry, Toto Leonidas, and Sam Stein.
Friedman was a victim of the superuser scandal that rocked UB.com and drew the ire of PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu for signing with the site that had wronged him. “Kid Poker” responded to a variety of Tweets last weekend, among them one sent to fellow poker player Alex Outhred that read, “Like you, I’ve known him for years, which makes it all the more shocking. I’ve defended Prahlad on many occasions. Can’t here.”
Negreanu added to Outhred, “UB will always have to offer more than face value [for a sponsorship] because given a choice that’s close, no one would choose UB. Or shouldn’t… UB has to offer more money obv. He used to say it wasn’t about the money. I don’t believe that anymore… He used to speak out against all corporations, claiming he stood for something. Then, the money was right and his tune changed… I get it happens. I’m disappointed it did happen. I’ve always liked Prahlad and still do despite his decision. Just shocking.”
Nevertheless, Friedman will join UB.com just in time for the sixth UB.com Online Championship, or UBOC, which gets underway on January 16th. The 29-event series will stretch all the way until January 30th, when a $1,050 buy-in Main Event will kick off. The $1 million guaranteed feature tournament will deal No Limit Hold’em and be played as a Monster Stack.
Running alongside the sixth UBOC schedule is a MiniUBOC series, which features the same 29 tournaments, but with buy-ins that are generally one-tenth as large. The MiniUBOC slate ends with a $55 buy-in Monster Stack Championship Event that comes with a $50,000 guaranteed purse.
Following the departures of Hellmuth and Duke, UB.com’s stock of pros now includes Friedman, Joe Sebok, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, and Maria Ho. The site happily accepts players from the United States and joins Absolute Poker on the CEREUS Network.
Play with Prahlad Friedman today only by visiting UB.com.
Jordan Young (Jymaster0011) Wins PocketFives.com 2010 Yearly PLB Crown
Michigan online poker pro Jordan “Jymaster0011″ Young was named the winner of the 2010 PocketFives.com Yearly Leaderboard PLB title this week, accumulating 19,057 PLB Points to take the honor from 2009 champ Chris “moorman1″ Moorman. Young barely bested the 18,979 points of 2010 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year Taylor “taypaur” Paur, who finished as the runner-up in the PocketFives.com Yearly PLB race.
Young, who is currently ranked #1 in the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings, made huge waves on August 1st when he won two Sunday Majors on the same day, an accomplishment considered to be one of the greatest in online poker history. Young won the Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed for $132,787 and, just hours later, took down the Sunday Brawl for another $104,951. The scores were the biggest of his young career.
“I think it’s completely ridiculous,” Young told PocketFives.com about his unforgettable Sunday. “I know I’ll never have another day online like that again. I might have a bigger payday online, but it’s going to be because of one tournament; it’ll never be because of winning two really big tournaments. At the time, I didn’t realize how amazing I ran that day. It was a big stress reliever to set myself up comfortably financially.”
Young’s August heater continued with a victory in a $100 tournament on PokerStars on August 25th for $14,418 and then a win in the Full Tilt Poker $150 Rebuy for $79,784. He added another massive score in December, taking down the Full Tilt Poker $150 Rebuy again for $76,623. That victory helped him win not only the Yearly PLB title, but also the Monthly PLB race for December. He earned the same honor in August after his two Sunday Major wins.
Paur, who plays as “tramp$d0pray” on PokerStars and “ambiguosity” on Full Tilt Poker, had a pair of six-figure scores of his own in 2010. The 22-year-old California native won the Full Tilt Poker Sunday Brawl in April for $101,852 and then collected the biggest payday of his poker career in May by winning FTOPS Event #29, a $150 Rebuy, for $192,228. Paur claimed the #1 ranking on PocketFives.com in June before relinquishing it weeks later. He currently stands at #2 in the Worldwide Rankings behind Young.
Rounding out the top five on the Yearly leaderboard were Mickey “mementmori” Petersen, Paul “paulgees81″ Volpe, and Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek. Peterson’s biggest payout came in May, when he took second in SCOOP Event #19, a $2,100 buy-in event in which he earned $161,660. Volpe, from Philadelphia, didn’t find a six-figure score in 2010, but was consistent throughout. He collected 15 scores of at least $20,000, including a victory in the Wednesday Quarter Million on PokerStars for $51,367.
Jarzabek, who also finished in the Top 10 in the CardPlayer Online Player of the Year Rankings, picked up his biggest cash of the year on the third day in January, when he won the PokerStars Sunday $100 Rebuy for $77,976. Here’s a look at the final results of the 2010 PocketFives.com Yearly PLB Leaderboard:
1. Jordan “Jymaster0011″ Young – 19,507.77 PLB Points
2. Taylor “taypaur” Paur – 18,979.23 PLB Points
3. Mickey “mementmori” Petersen – 18,922.16 PLB Points
4. Paul “paulgees81″ Volpe – 18,378.20 PLB Points
5. Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek – 18,350.73 PLB Points
6. Adam “Squee451″ Sherman – 17,970.93 PLB Points
7. Zachary “HustlerGrune” Gruneberg – 17,689.70 PLB Points
8. Chad “evechad” Eveslage – 17,651.23 PLB Points
9. Jeremy “daisyxoxo” Fitzpatrick – 17,636.64 PLB Points
10. Steve “gboro780″ Gross – 17,613.39 PLB Points
Taylor Paur (ambiguosity) Wins 2010 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year
Earlier this week, Taylor “ambiguosity” Paur was named the 2010 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year after edging out defending titleholder Steve “gboro780″ Gross in the final days of December. Paur stockpiled an all-time record of 11,030 points for the year, besting previous winners Gross (2009), Alex “AJKHoosier1″ Kamberis (2008), and Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron (2007) in that department.
Paur, 22, won the Full Tilt Poker $75,000 Guaranteed on December 27th for nearly $25,000 to help put a stranglehold on the crown. In total, he amassed more than $1 million in online poker earnings for the year, making up more than two-thirds of his lifetime winnings. He won 13 tournaments in 2010, six of them for scores of $80,000 or more. His biggest payday came in May when he took down the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) $150 Rebuy for $192,228.90.
Paur’s biggest feat, though, may have been fending off Gross, whose accomplishments in online tournaments are simply unparalleled. Gross, who has more than $5 million in earnings since 2005, finished as the runner-up to Kamberis in the 2008 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year race before earning the honor in 2009 and finishing runner-up again in 2010. His consistency and dedication to the game have landed him among the elite players in the industry.
Rounding out the top five in the 2010 Online Player of the Year standings were Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek, Chris “Gettin Daize” Oliver, and Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet. Jarzabek, who helped open the online training site Tournament Poker Edge this year, totaled $782,355 in winnings to claim a spot in the Top 10 for the second straight year. Oliver, meanwhile, burst onto the scene in 2010 and spent several weeks as the #1 ranked player on PocketFives.com.
There’s a certain set of criteria for tournaments that count toward Card Player’s Online Player of the Year standings. Sites included in the rankings include PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, UB.com, Cake Poker, Absolute Poker, and Bodog and only tournaments with a buy-in of $100 or more qualify. The prize pool of a tournament must be at least $100,000 and prize packages such as trips or live tournament buy-ins do not count.
Here’s a look at the Top 20 in the 2010 Card Player Online Player of the Year Standings:
1. Taylor “ambiguosity” Paur – 11,030 points ($1,099,435 in earnings)
2. Steve “gboro780″ Gross – 10,320 points ($1,023,658 in earnings)
3. Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek – 9,932 points ($782,355 in earnings)
4. Chris “Gettin Daize” Oliver – 9,268 points ($854,769 in earnings)
5. Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet – 9,164 ($859,489 in earnings)
6. Zach “HustlerGrune” Gruneberg – 8,984 points ($776,347 in earnings)
7. “kirbynator” – 8,878 points ($1,143,749 in earnings)
8. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy – 8,874 points ($837,089 in earnings)
9. Raj “BadcardsAA” Vohra – 8,688 points ($1,319,012 in earnings)
10. Aditya “Intervention” Agarwal – 8,432 points ($739,105 in earnings)
11. Mark “dipthrong” Herm – 8,250 points ($811,208 in earnings)
12. Jamie “TheCronic420″ Rosen – 8,126 points ($664,588 in earnings)
13. Jordan “Jymaster11″ Young – 8,088 points ($751,593 in earnings)
14. Nick “Grippolio” Grippo – 8,044 points ($688,878 in earnings)
15. Ross “zestfullyclean” Myers – 7,960 points ($618,388 in earnings)
16. James “croll103″ Carroll – 7,898 points ($712,167 in earnings)
17. Mickey “mement_mori” Petersen – 7,792 points ($737,838 in earnings)
18. Ryan “ryanbluf” Karp – 7,712 points ($648,334 in earnings)
19. “mralan2950 – 7,710 points ($777,994 in earnings)
20. Chris “cdbr3799″ Dombrowski – 7,704 ($817,196 in earnings)
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, absolute poker, bodog, buy-ins, cake poker, full tilt poker, Online Poker, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, trips
David “Viffer” Peat wants to play the SuperStar Showdown against “Isildur1?
Tony G lost his Showdown against “Isildur1″ a few days ago on PokerStars and before they played the Challenge, he wrote on his blog that he would like to play a live challenge match against “Isildur1″ during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure which is played from 7th to 16th of January.
There has been no refusal from PokerStars yet, so we might see that happen.
But now also David “Viffer” Peat wants to take a live challenge against “Isildur1″. “Viffer” wrote on 2+2:
“Id like to take the challenge live at pca. we can play 1 table 150k deep unlimited rebuys, cant quit unless 150k looser or 2500 hands.
Im open for other offers, or if not interested i understand.”
According to some rumors, “Isildur1’s” identity will be revealed during PCA, which makes sense, as then the live challenges are possible to be played.
At least there will be more SuperStar Showdown’s online and the third one is already being planned.
Source: Pokerista.net, Poker.org
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David “Viffer” Peat wants to play the SuperStar Showdown against “Isildur1″
Daniel “jungleman12” Cates finishes 2010 as a $5.4m winner
Top Online Poker Winners and Losers of 2010
Whether it was the durrrr Challenge II on Full Tilt or the new Isildur1 SuperStar Showdown on PokerStars there always seemed to be intriguing action of one kind or another on the go.
From the emergence of relative newcomer Dan “jungleman12” Cates to the continued success of established pros like Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius there were numerous plotlines to the high stakes games this year.
We’ll start by celebrating the five biggest online poker success stories of 2010 before taking a hard look at the five biggest disappointments of the year.
Top 5 Biggest Winners of 2010
5. Di “Urindanger” Dang: $2.2 million
Although Di “Urindanger” Dang tends to fly under the radar when compared to some of his more illustrious colleagues he’s remarkably consistent.
Since he started playing the high stakes games on Full Tilt in 2007, Dang has never recorded a losing year. 2010 was no exception.
Dang did suffer through a few losing months in late spring but he came around in August and by December was up to $2.2 million.
Yet another good Christmas for the Dang household.
4. Phil Ivey: $3 million
Phil Ivey usually plays far less hands than his online opponents but he always manages to rank as one of the top five winners.
This year Ivey wasn’t particularly active until mid-April, when he went on a $2 million heater. After logging notable victories against Ashton “ASHMAN103” Griffin and Patrik Antonius, Ivey vacated the online tables from May to late August.
In August Ivey got right back to business and quickly peaked at $3.8 million in profit.
Although Ivey coasted for the rest of the year and didn’t play any huge sessions, he still finished with a very respectable $3 million.
3. Tom “durrrr” Dwan: $3.6 million
It was yet another strong year for the poker prodigy originally from Edison, New Jersey.
Once again Tom Dwan was king when it came to volume, playing a total of 296,725 hands in 2010.
The year got off to a rocking start for Dwan and by mid-spring he peaked at an astounding $6.6 million. Unfortunately for Dwan he would come back down to earth over the rest of the year.
Dwan’s biggest obstacle was Dan “jungleman12” Cates. Dwan simply couldn’t solve Cates and lost more than $600k so far in the durrrr Challenge II.
At any rate, Dwan fared far better this year compared to 2009 when he ran into a hot Isildur1 and lost millions.
2. Andreas “Skjervoy” Torbergsen: $3.7 million
Perhaps the biggest surprise of this list is a Norwegian by the name of Andreas Torbergsen.
Torbergsen, who plays with his hometown of Skjervoy as his handle, signed with CardRunners this summer and went on to become one of the biggest winners in the high stakes online games this year.
Torbergsen was essentially at $0 in August but by the end of December was up $3.7 million. It helped he won $1 million in a 24-hour period in September and recorded several $500k sessions.
It remains to be seen whether Torbergsen will remain a fixture of the high stakes online poker scene.
1. Dan “jungleman12” Cates: $5.5 million
What more can be said about Dan “jungleman12” Cate’s dominance this year?
Three years ago Cates was flipping burgers but in 2010 he was playing the biggest online games in the world and hardly ever losing.
Cates dominated Tom Dwan in the durrrr Challenge II but also found time to take on anyone else who wanted a piece. His graph reads looks like an escalator (going up, of course). He won hundreds of thousands playing PLO (which he’s still learning).
Although some members of the online community cried variance, Cates was a consistent winner for the entire year.
At any rate, Cates now finds himself in an elite group of year-end winners that includes Patrik Antonius ($8.9 million in 2009), Phil Ivey ($7.3 million in 2008) and Niki Jedlicka ($3.1 million in 2007).
To put it simply: 2010 belonged to Cates.
Top 5 Biggest Losers of 2010
5. Brian “sbrugby” Townsend: – $1.5 million
Brian Townsend had a fantastic 2009 winning $2.4 million to become one of the biggest winners of the year.
2010 wasn’t quite as kind to the former CardRunners instructor.
Although Townsend didn’t use the sbrugby account until summer (more on that later), he didn’t waste any time donating stacks of cash online.
From June to October, Townsend lost $1.6 million and never really recovered, opting to sit out the last couple months of 2010.
Check below for even more on Townsend’s disastrous 2010.
4. Gus Hansen: -$1.6 million
You’d think losing $1.6 million would make for a pretty bad year but it could have been a lot worse for Gus Hansen.
The Great Dane actually got off to a hot start in 2010 and was up $2.3 million after the first couple of months.
Like many high stakes pros, Hansen took a break from the tables during the WSOP but was still up nearly $1 million.
It was during late summer that problems started to arise for the Team Full Tilt member. From July to October, Hansen lost $4 million, the biggest downswing of the year.
Hansen would hit rock bottom in mid-October going down to -$3.6 million.
Fortunately for Hansen he was able to put a steady string of wins together to finish the year at only -$1.6 million. Not the worst year for the recent WSOP bracelet winner.
3. cadillac1944: -$1.8 million
cadillac1944 is the only player on our list who has yet to be identified.
The online account first appeared in late August and that’s about when the losing began.
cadillac1944 quickly dropped down to -$677k by September with big losses against Urindanger and DrugsOrMe.
By November cadillac1944 was down -$1.53 million and finally hit -$1.8 million in early December.
The cadillac1944 account became inactive in mid-December and it’s anyone’s guess as to whether we’ll ever see it in use again.
2. Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies: -$2 milliion
Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, one of the original kings of swing, was up to his old tricks in 2010 with a “win a million, lose a million” mentality.
Sahamies started the year by winning $2 million in spring but then lost $2.6 million over the summer.
The fall looked promising for Ziigmund as he quickly swung his way up to $1.48 million in profit.
Unfortunately for Ziigmund October was a turning point and the Finnish pro went on what he has called the greatest downswing of his career.
Over the next few months Sahamies dropped down to -$2 million with victories few and far between.
2010 was easily Ziigmund’s worst year playing high stakes online poker.
1. Brian Townsend: -$2.5 million
Brian Townsend’s 2010 was so terrible that he made this list twice.
As bad as the game went for Townsend on his “sbrugby” account, it was far, far worse on his red pro “Brian Townsend” account.
Townsend was in bad shape from the very beginning as he quickly lost $300k in early January.
The losses just continued to escalate for Townsend and by May he was down $2.5 million.
It was then Townsend made the decision to leave CardRunners, ditch his red pro account and go back to being sbrugby on Full Tilt.
It didn’t seem to make a difference as Townsend lost another $1.5 million.
If you take both accounts into consideration, Townsend lost a grand total of $4 million this year.
No one suffered more than Townsend in 2010.Visit www.pokerlistings.com
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, Gus Hansen, high stakes, Online Poker, Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, pokerstars, Tom Dwan, usa, WSOP
Eurobet has a great campaign for Cash Players
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The Sunday Scoop: Brianm15 Does it Again
The PokerStars Sunday Million carries a $1.5M Guarantee, but that was laid to waste when 9,466 players dropped the $215 buy-in for a chance at online poker glory.
With a $1,893,200 prize pool up for grabs, Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier made a deep run that ended in 87th, but it was Brianm15 who stole the headlines this week.
After making seventh last week, he finished ninth in his second Sunday Million final table in a row, proving his 2009 Sunday Warm-Up win was no fluke.
He earned $13,252.40, but the big cash was reserved for winner He77_Razor, who grabbed $270,353.82 beating stevemruk ($198,786) heads-up. touchmynuts1 had to settle for third, but still managed to collect a healthy $140,948.74.
The Sunday Warm-Up had a million dollar prize pool of its own thanks to the 5,046 players who got in on the action.
A chip-chop three handed left $10k for first and three six-figure scores for the top three players.
7de9 took the title and $138,294.81 beating Anita seku ($114,190.71) heads-up, while pawnUz ($106,216.74) took third.
Meanwhile, KJulius10 just missed a six figure score, collecting $86,995 in the $530 Sunday 500.
He got past a field of 1,122, including a final table that featured EPT Berlin winner Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee (5th).
The hotly contested $109 Rebuy almost handed out six-figures for the winner as well, thanks to 1,268 entires, 2,245 rebuys and 1,088 add-ons.
In the end, lissi stinkt took first and $83,968.25 beating a final table that included Team PokerStars Pro and back-to-back LAPT champ Jose "nachobarbero" Barbero (3rd).
The guarantees were rendered moot on Full Tilt as well, with 4,556 creating a $911,200 prize pool that paid 648 players in the site's $750k Guarantee.
mcc3991 beat Hungarian pro Andras Nemeth heads up to take the title and $157,601.15.
The $95,676 second-place prize wasn't enough for Nemeth, however, as he went on to finish 12th in the Sunday Mulligan for another 2,279.70.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Brawl drew 3,044, creating a $608,800 prize pool that left $121,760 for first. neker2013 gladly grabbed that and his first Sunday Major win.
Finally, 1,011 players ensured there would be no overlay for the $200k GTD on UB.
NO1TK took 45,151.26 out of a $202,200 prize pool with a win against a final table that also included Shannon "BLUFFFORRENT" Shorr (7th).
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Sorel Mizzi Wins 2010 Bluff Player of the Year Title
Titan Poker pro Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi is the 2010 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year, officials announced on Friday. Mizzi entered the top spot in the Player of the Year rankings in March and never relinquished his lead.
The 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year, Tom Marchese, finished in second place in the Bluff standings. Mizzi ended the 2010 calendar year with a whopping 1,777 points, the highest score ever turned in, while Marchese racked up just 1,257 during the stanza. Others in the top 10 included PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst, recent World Poker Tour (WPT) event winner Dwyte Pilgrim, and UB.com pro and former CardPlayer Player of the Year winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin.
Mizzi got the 2010 calendar year started off on the right foot by taking third place in the Aussie Millions Main Event for $659,000. Tyron Krost took down the marquee poker tournament and Mizzi quickly ratcheted his first six-figure score of 2010. Mizzi then won two preliminary events during the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Snowfest stop in March for nearly $150,000 total.
In April, Mizzi’s victory parade stopped off in Atlantic City, where he won the East Coast Championship Event during the Borgata Spring Poker Open for $170,000. That tournament drew 62 players and featured a top nine that included Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki, David “Davidp18” Peters, and former Full Tilt Poker pro Lee Markholt.
At the end of April, Mizzi final tabled the High Roller Event during the EPT’s Monte Carlo Grand Final for $190,000. Two weeks later, he ran deep in another High Roller Event, this time at WPT Paris. Just footsteps from the Eiffel Tower, Mizzi played second fiddle to Absolute Poker pro Freddy Deeb and walked away with $159,000.
In August, Mizzi placed second in the EPT Tallinn High Roller Event for $98,000. He concluded 2010 by bubbling a pair of WPT final tables, taking seventh in the Foxwoods World Poker Finals for $88,000 and grabbing ninth in the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio for $59,000. Remember, televised WPT final tables are played six-handed.
All told, Mizzi racked up nearly $1.9 million in earnings from live tournaments tracked by the Hendon Mob database last year. Along the way, he provided poker coaching to November Niner Matt Jarvis, a fellow Canadian. Jarvis ultimately bowed out in eighth place in the $10,000 buy-in tournament in Las Vegas for over $1 million.
Mizzi, who has been linked to several incidents on online poker sites in the past, has nevertheless remained a central figurehead in the industry. He told Poker News Daily in an interview in November that surrounding himself with talented poker friends has been critical: “I think it’s one of the most important things… That is how I got my start. I found players and tried to pick their brains. You know, it’s like anything in life, that’s the best way of learning, you find mentors. At least, for me, [it’s been] finding people where you want to be and trying to pick their brains as much as possible.”
Here were the top 10 players in the 2010 Bluff Player of the Year standings:
1. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi – 1,777.77 points
2. Tom “Kingsofcards” Marchese – 1,257.30 points
3. Fernando Brito – 1,060.53 points
4. David Peters – 1,009.26 points
5. Vanessa Selbst – 986.77 points
6. Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin – 943.92 points
7. Dwyte Pilgrim – 896.23 points
8. Chris Bjorin – 889.25 points
9. Jason Mercier – 882.40 points
10. Chris Bell – 879.63 points
Jason Mercier took down the 2009 Bluff Player of the Year title. Other past winners have included John “The Razor” Phan (2008), Bill Edler (2007), Chad Brown (2006), and Phil Ivey (2005).
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, absolute poker, aced, bellagio, canadian, Doyle Brunson, european, full tilt poker, interview, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, titan poker, tournament, Tyron Krost, vegas, WSOP
Poker News in Brief: Dec. 27, 2010- Jan. 2, 2011
That meant a few of poker's smaller stories may have slipped through the cracks.
Fortunately, we caught them and compiled them in our weekly Poker News in Brief feature below.
This week, Poker After Dark returns, the World Cup captains are named, UB goes back to Montreal and more.
Poker After Dark Returns
The new season of POKER PROductions' Poker After Dark returns to NBC this week.
POKER PROductions inked an agreement with NBC Universal extending the late-night poker show through 2014 in 2010 and the seventh season, filmed at the new Aria Resort and Casino at the City Center complex in Las Vegas, begins airing Jan. 3.
This season will feature more cash games than ever before. Most will be no-limit hold'em, but two weeks will also be devoted to Pot-Limit Omaha with a lineup that should impress fans.
Names like Mike Matusow, Chris Ferguson, Michael Mizrachi, Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Annette Obrestad, Eli Elezra, Phil Galfond, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, and David Oppenheim will all appear this season.
There will only be three weeks following the traditional Freezout format this season, including this week's "Big Heat," a $100,000 buy-in event featuring John Juanda, Erick Lindgren, Huckleberry Seed, Ivey, Dwan, and Galfond.
Leeann Tweeden will once again serve as the show's host with Ali Nejad providing commentary.
Fifty50 Sit & Go's
PokerStars has launched a new online poker Sit & Go format called Fifty50.
Although the tournaments end when half of the entrants have been eliminated, Fifty50's differ from the Double or Nothing format in that half of the prize pool gets split between the winning players equally and the other half is awarded based on chip counts.
Fifty50 events are currently running at the $10 level, but will soon be available at many different stakes.
World Cup of Poker Captains Named
The identities of the team captains for the seventh annual World Cup of Poker have been announced.
Last year, Chinese Taipei took the title. This year it will be Argentina, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Spain, Slovakia, Italy, France, Ukraine and the United States battling it out for a $100,000 first prize at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
Slovakia’s team will be led by Team PokerStars Pro’s newest member Dag Palovic. EPT San Remo winner Liv Boeree will lead the UK team while Argentina’s captain is back-to-back LAPT champ Nacho Barbero.
2009 APT champion Neil Arce will lead the team from the Philippines while the Spain squad will be headed up by Team PokerStars Pro Juan Manuel Pastor.
Luca Pagano leads Italy and Arnaud Mattern will captain the team from France.
And Finally, Vanessa Selbst will lead the USA while EPT Kiev runner-up Alexander Dovzhenko captains the Ukrainian side.
The action gets underway in the Bahamas Jan 14.
UB Returns to Poker Pro Canada Classic
For the second straight year, UB will be sending over twenty players to compete in the running of Montreal's biggest poker event, the Poker Pro Canada Classic.
The $1500+150 buy-in No Limit Hold 'em event runs Jan. 27-30, 2011 at the Four Aces Poker Club.
UB is running a series of super satellites and freerolls Jan. 2-16 giving players a chance to win a $2500 prize package that includes a seat plus $850 for travel expenses.
300-plus players and prize pool of $500,000 is expected in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Canada, freeroll, no-limit, Online Poker, Patrik Antonius, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, poker show, pokerstars, spain, Tom Dwan, tournament, usa, vegas
Biggest Poker Surprises of 2010
Last week, Poker News Daily ran an article recapping the top poker news stories of 2010. This, we were charged with the task of coming up with the top ten surprises of the past year. As fate would have it, the biggest shocker of 2010 came on December 30th, making the top surprise a no-brainer. Read on to find out.
10) Hip-Hop Hellmuth – Normally, I wouldn’t put an attention grab by Phil Hellmuth on a list of the year’s biggest surprises, but this one was phenomenal. The “Poker Brat” made a cameo appearance in a hip-hop music video by Ludacris donned in UB.net garb and raking in UB.net chips. Filmed at the Palms in Las Vegas, the video’s plot was supposed to be similar to that of the hit movie “The Hangover.” The song is called “Sex Room.” I’ll just leave it at that.
9) No Rest for the Weary – A crazy record not many people knew about before this year was broken not once, but twice. In June, Phil Laak set the poker endurance record by playing $10/$20 Hold’em at the Bellagio for a staggering 115 consecutive hours, breaking Paul Zimbler’s 72-hour mark from late 2009. Nobody would ever be silly enough to try to top Laak, would they? Of course they would. In November, Christie Teki-Reu and man who goes by the nickname “Chopper” played for 117 hours in the casino at the Grand Hotel in New Zealand as part of an organized effort to set the record in a special charity tournament. Afterwards, Teki-Reu slept for five hours, was up for two hours, then slept for another ten hours. Well deserved.
Kessler Max-Cashes – Well, almost. Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler is a very good poker player, but he is known to play to make the money in tournaments. He has definitely gone deep in tournaments and made a couple of WPT televised final tables, but for the most part, the poker community jokes about Kessler taking the conservative route and always looking to “min-cash.”
At the 2010 WSOP, poker players and fans lived vicariously through “Chainsaw” as he not only made the money in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event, but also continued to move up in the standings, making the final table and then finally reaching heads-up. He eventually lost, but the $276,485 payday was far from a min-cash. He finished with eight cashes, tied for most at this year’s WSOP. Sure, some were min-cashes, but his second place run was one of the most memorable and surprising moments of the 2010 WSOP.
7) Security Fail – In May, it was discovered that the CEREUS Network had a major security hole. The network did not have SSL encryption implemented, resulting in a vulnerability that made it possible to intercept network traffic and see an opponent’s hole cards. In July, the same flaw was found on the Cake Poker Network. It is unbelievable enough that one poker network could fail so miserably at something that should be so basic, but two networks dropping the ball? Sad.
6) WSOP is Healthy – With the down economy and the struggles of online poker in the United States, it would have been reasonable to expect WSOP attendance figures to decline. Not so. 2010 saw 72,966 players participate, the most in WSOP history by a wide margin and besting last year’s record by 20%. The total prize money was the highest of all-time as well, reaching $187,109,850 and beating 2008′s high mark by 3.5%. The Main Event was the second largest of all-time with 7,319 players, second only to 2006, which was the last WSOP Main Event before the UIGEA was passed.
5) Isildur1 is a Star – Isildur1, the nameless online nosebleed-stakes phenom, signed with PokerStars in December. His signing with an online poker room isn’t all that surprising, considering that whenever he plays, he attracts scores of railbirds who love watching his million-dollar swings. The shocker is that all of his high-stakes play has been at Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars’ closest rival. Stars must have given him a sweet deal.
4) Resurgence of “The Grinder“ – While Michael Mizrachi had a few strong performances on the live tournament circuit in 2008 and 2009, his cachet had appeared to have worn off since he made his mark on the WPT in 2005 and 2006. He also ran into major financial troubles this year. But then the 2010 WSOP came along and he exploded back onto the poker map.
“The Grinder” won the $50,000 Player’s Championship for over $1.5 million, placed fifth in the Main Event for more than $2.3 million, and along the way became one of the biggest rooting interests of the summer. To top it off, his three brothers – Daniel, Robert, and Eric – all cashed in the Main Event. Robert also placed fifth in the Player’s Championship and made two other final tables.
3) Partying Has its Limits – In February, PartyPoker suddenly placed a cap on the number of play money chips members could have in their accounts. Overnight, players with millions of chips had their accounts reset to the 250,000-chip maximum. Party cited the sale of play chips as the main reason for the decision as well as instances of players with overwhelming numbers of chips making enormous bets and disrupting games. The reaction was one of almost unanimous outrage by play money customers, many of whom had taken great pride in building up their accounts over several years.
2) Peter Eastgate Takes a Break – Nowadays, we have come to expect WSOP champions to serve as faces of the game and continue playing live tournaments around the world. Not so with the 2008 champ Peter Eastgate. Eastgate, who just turned 25, announced this year that he was taking an indefinite break from live tournament poker. So far, it appears that it has been a break from poker in general. His WSOP win set him up financially, which was enough for him. To top it off, he auctioned off his WSOP bracelet in November and donated the proceeds to charity.
1) Duke and Hellmuth Leave UB – Annie Duke leaving UB, to me, was easily the most surprising moment in poker this year… until Phil Hellmuth did the same a few hours later. Two of the biggest names in poker, the faces of UB since it was founded in 2001, left their online home on the same day. Through all of UB’s controversy over the last few years, Duke and Hellmuth stood by the poker room and took tons of heat within the online poker community. For better or for worse, they seemed like they were going to be with UB for life.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, aced, Annie Duke, bellagio, cake poker, charity, full tilt poker, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, vegas, WSOP
jungleman12 Caps Incredible 2010
Cates, who was already the overwhelming biggest winner of 2010 with $4.9 million in profit, played a marathon 1,172-hand session of heads-up $300/$600 Mixed HA.
Initially Cates lost $250k but he eventually erased the deficit and went on a world-class heater against Patrik Antonius and luckexpress10.
After last night Cates is up $5.4 million in 2010 and barring a catastrophic meltdown he will be this year’s biggest winner.
As of today Norwegian player Andreas “skjervoy” Torbergsen is a distant second with $3.7 million, Tom “durrrr” Dwan is third with $3.6 million, Phil Ivey is fourth with $3 million and finally harrington25 is up $2.2 million.
Unfortunately for Cates, he’s not even close to what the top players have made in previous years. Antonius won an astounding $8.9 million for top honors in 2009 while Phil Ivey raked in $7.3 million in 2008.
In other high stakes news from last night Gus Hansen had a strong outing, winning $149k. It looks as though the Great Dane will fall short of getting even for 2010 since he’s still down $1.6 million but he made up considerable ground over the last few months of the year.
Other winners from last night included hal0zination (+$68k), KobeYard85 (+$57k) and Urindanger ($38k).
On the losing side was Patrik Antonius, who poured $382k on to the tables last night. Most of Antonius’ loses were to Cates.
Antonius will likely finish 2010 with a respectful $550k in profit but down considerably from last year.
Some of the other players who had forgettable nights were DrugsOrMe (-$150k), luckexpress10 (-$120k) and harrington25 ($94k).
For information about the high stakes action from last night check our online poker stats section.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
Hellmuth, Duke Leaving UB
Seperate statements regarding the departure of each were released on the UB blog Thursday.
The statement regarding Duke, who gained some noteriety finishing runner-up to Joan Rivers in Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice on NBC in 2009, claims she has decided to pursue "other projects" on a full-time basis.
“I have nothing but positive things to say about UB and my experiences with the brand, management and the incredible people who work hard daily to deliver a terrific online poker experience,” she said.
Hellmuth, who's $11,445,927 million in career earnings put him fourth on poker's all time money list and 11 WSOP bracelet wins still marks the most of any player, will apparently remain a regular on the poker circuit, despite a few lean years recently.
"Today we are announcing that UB.com and Phil Hellmuth have mutually parted ways," the statement read.
"It has been great working with Phil over the last decade and we know we’re with the rest of the poker world when we say that we look forward to Phil’s next move on the world poker circuit."
The statement on Hellmuth also says Team UB will continue building with young, aggressive poker pros who today’s online poker players can identify with.
Some additions to Team UB, rumored to include Prahlad Friedman, Dwyte Pilgrim, and Tom Marchese, are expected in early 2011.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
Phil Hellmuth Leaves UB.com in Major Shakeup
It’s been a busy day for all of us in the online poker community. Just hours after Annie Duke announced her exit from UB.com to pursue non-poker business interests, site icon Phil Hellmuth departed as well. A statement posted on UB.com reveals that the two sides “mutually parted ways.”
Hellmuth was recently seen on ESPN’s coverage of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour’s (NAPT) Los Angeles Bounty Shootout wearing patches for the Aria Casino in Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Academy. Curiously absent were any logos for his home poker site, UB.com. Hellmuth also appeared on NBC’s “Poker After Dark” devoid of UB.com logos, leading many to believe that he was on the outs with the USA-friendly CEREUS Network room.
Duke left UB.com earlier today in order to extend her foothold in the business world. She commented in a statement posted on UB.com, “I have nothing but positive things to say about UB and my experiences with the brand, management, and the incredible people who work hard daily to deliver a terrific online poker experience.” Duke and Hellmuth had been with UB.com since 2001, the year the online poker site was launched as Ultimate Bet and two years before the modern poker boom.
Duke told Poker News Daily that she does not plan to sign with a competing online poker site; whether Hellmuth feels the same way is not yet known. Duke’s brother, Howard Lederer, is one of the main faces of Full Tilt Poker, which also accepts action from the United States. Hellmuth, who is widely regarded as one of the top tournament players on the planet, could also head to a site like PokerStars or Victory Poker.
Hellmuth owns the record for the number of WSOP bracelets won at 11 and number of WSOP cashes at 79. Along the way, he’s racked up $6.2 million in WSOP earnings alone and is a rumored contestant on the 2011 installment of the ABC reality series “Dancing with the Stars.” He’s one of the top marketable faces in the poker industry and has coined several memorable phrases including “I can dodge bullets, baby” and “Idiot from Northern Europe.”
Hellmuth won the 1989 WSOP Main Event at age 24 and, for the next 20 years, held the record as the youngest champ ever of the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament. Before anyone knew who Chris Moneymaker was, Hellmuth had already amassed seven bracelets; in fact, he racked up three pieces of hardware in 1993 alone.
In 2009, November Niner Jeff Shulman asked Hellmuth to help him with his short-handed game in preparation for the Main Event final table. As a result, Shulman took fifth place for $1.9 million.
Today’s two high-profile departures leave UB.com stocked with a pro roster that includes PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok, bracelet winner Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, and Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho, the Last Women Standing in the 2008 and 2007 WSOP Main Events, respectively. Also remaining on the Team UB roster are Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, Brandon Cantu, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian, among others. The group appears to have become noticeably younger sans Hellmuth and Duke.
Prior to announcing his exit from UB.com, Hellmuth Tweeted the prices of several sports tickets he was monitoring: “New Years Eve L.A. Lakers/Sixers tix, Row 5, center court trading for $460 apiece. Tix for once a year Rose Bowl on 40 yard line, 44 rows up: $350 apiece!”
Earlier this week, Lee Jones announced his resignation from Cake Poker as its Card Room Manager, citing “strategic decisions with which I’m not comfortable” made by Cake management. Cake Poker Tournament Director Serge “andanthar” Ravitch followed suit in what is traditionally a slow week for poker news.
Poker News Daily has heard rumblings that UB.com may add another pro to its roster early next week. Who that could be remains to be seen, but rumors seem to indicate that it’s Prahlad Friedman. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this developing story.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2011, Annie Duke, cake poker, full tilt poker, Online Poker, Phil Hellmuth, poker player, pokerstars, Tiffany Michelle, tournament, usa, vegas, women, WSOP
Gibraltar Raises Taxes on Online Gambling Companies
The British territory of Gibraltar has announced that it will be drastically inflating its taxes on all online gambling firms starting in January, a decision that could prove costly for several online poker sites. Online gambling companies are currently paying just a 1% tax in Gibraltar, with a ceiling of £425,000, but starting next month, they’ll be forced into the same 10% tax rate as other Gibraltar businesses pay.
Gibraltar has been an ideal location for many online gambling sites due to the low tax rate and has become something of an “online gambling capital” as a result. Poker rooms such as PartyPoker and 888poker currently hold their headquarters in the territory and the online bookmakers Ladbrokes and William Hill made the move to Gibraltar in 2009 – a decision that was expected to cost the Treasury of the United Kingdom about £12 million per year.
Gibraltar’s first minister, Peter Caruana, said the tax increase has been called for by Gibraltar government’s decision to conform to European law. “To comply with EU law, we must phase out the tax exempt company in 2010,” Caruana said. “However, in order to sustain our successful economic model, we must retain a commitment to a very competitive corporate tax model.”
Party Gaming, which owns and operates PartyPoker from Gibraltar, recently released details concerning its long-awaited merger with online gambling giant bwin. Party Gaming said in a statement that it would keep its headquarters in Gibraltar while bwin continues to operate in Austria. Whether the news of the tax increase changes those plans remains to be seen. “We’ve known about this for some time and we’ve factored it in,” said Party Gaming spokesman John Shepherd. “The tax is still going to be very low.”
According to a report in The Guardian, while online companies will now pay the standard 10% tax rate paid by other businesses, they will still not be subjected to any Value Added Tax (VAT), meaning that Gibraltar will remain an attractive setting for gambling companies. VAT is a consumption tax only on the “value added” to a product, material or service – similar to the state sales tax that most U.S. residents pay.
Many experts seem confident that the tax increase won’t cause companies like Party Gaming to flee to other locations. Victor Chandler, Chairman of independent bookmaker Victor Chandler International, expressed his assurance in an interview with regional newspaper El Pais: “Nobody will leave, although we’ll all complain about the tax going up.” Chandler began his U.K.-based company in 1946 that does much of its business online, including sports betting, casino games, and poker.
The decision will likely add up to big things for Gibraltar in the near future. Under the current 1% tax rate, Gibraltar collected £10.5 million in revenue from online gambling taxes in 2009. So long as online gambling firms decide to stay put, the government can expect to see that number magnify in the coming years.
Online gambling has proven to be an extremely important source of revenue for Gibraltar and it is believed that 2,000 people currently work in the sector, which is around 12% of the island’s workforce. The industry has also helped to protect the local economy against neighboring Spain’s harsh economic conditions. Of Gibraltar’s 30,000 residents, only 600 (2%) are unemployed. The bordering Spanish city of La Línea de la Concepción is estimated to have 10,000 of its 65,000 inhabitants (15%) out of work.
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The biggest promotion so far: NoiQ Poker’s January brings out the €2,500 Rake Races!
Party Gaming and bwin to Retain Brands Following Merger
In recent days, Party Gaming and bwin announced merger plans to form a giant gambling group that could become effective toward the end of the first quarter of 2011. The merger, which had long been rumored before the companies signed an implementation agreement in July, is expected to create the world’s largest listed online gambling business.
The new company will operate worldwide with its existing brands under the name of bwin.party Digital Entertainment plc in which current bwin shareholders will hold a 51.6% stake, while current Party Gaming shareholders will hold 48.4%. Both bwin and PartyGaming will retain most of the core of their brands, but will be operated under the new umbrella company, which will be based in Gibraltar and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Party Gaming will keep its main headquarters in Gibraltar, while bwin will continue to operate from Austria.
The companies issued a 478-page document to shareholders on Thursday giving a detailed outline of the planned merger. Shareholders will vote on the merger at a joint annual general meeting on January 28th. Should the general meetings of both bwin and Party Gaming approve the merger, all shareholders holding bwin stock when the merger is effective will receive 12.23 Party Gaming shares denominated in GBP for each bwin share.
“The online gaming industry is going through a phase of consolidation, making market players’ size and geographic diversification more crucial than ever,” said Norbert Teufelberger, Co-CEO of bwin. “Our products and target markets complement one another perfectly, and we can continue to expand our technology lead in all key product segments: sports betting, poker, casino, bingo, and games.”
According to the document, the merger would create a business with unaudited net revenues of €696.2 million, unaudited clean EBITDA of €193.7 million, unaudited profit after tax of €99.4 million, and unaudited net assets of €1.27 billion after consolidation adjustments for the year 2009.
Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Office of Party Gaming, will join Teufelberger to become Co-Chief Executives of the merged company. Current bwin Co-Chief Executive Manfred Bodner will become a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the enlarged group. Said Ryan, “This is a transformational opportunity for both our companies to create the world’s largest listed online gaming business. With market-leading positions in poker, sports betting, casino, and games, the enlarged group will have a winning formula to exploit the growing online gaming market, supported by a strong balance sheet, significant cash flow generation, and a highly experienced management team.”
The merged company will continue to focus on business-to-consumer products, an area in which it enjoys considerable strength. However, because of the financial gains added through the merger, the company will also encroach into business-to-business and business-to-government endeavors. Teufelberger explained, “Our many years of online know-how, healthy balance sheet, and one of the largest pools of poker liquidity in any regulated market will make us an attractive business partner.”
There will also be focus on regulated and newly opened markets, as the company intends to make plans to enter the U.S. market if and when the current situation changes for the better. In 2006, bwin stopped taking bets from U.S. residents due to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Party Gaming, which operates the popular online poker room PartyPoker, followed shortly thereafter.
Tom Marchese Wins 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year Title
In 2010, Tom Marchese claimed the CardPlayer Player of the Year honors, edging out Dwyte Pilgrim. At the time of writing, Marchese had garnered 6,738 Player of the Year Points and amassed more than $2 million in live tournament earnings during the 2010 calendar year. In 2009, UB.com pro Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin was CardPlayer’s Player of the Year.
Marchese also signed with Poker Icons, a popular management firm. Marchese commented in a press release that he was delighted to be receiving such a distinguished honor: “I’m ecstatic over being CardPlayer’s Player of the Year! It’s something that I have been working so hard for all year. Signing with Poker Icons will really help my poker career and I look forward to working with Poker Icons in the future.”
Lars Kollind, President of Poker Icons, welcomed Marchese to the family: “He is an awesome player and one of the biggest names Poker Icons has signed this year. I believe that Thomas will be one of the truly big superstars of poker for a long while.”
In the November release of the ESPN poker rankings dubbed “The Nuts,” Marchese claimed the sixth spot on the leaderboard, with ESPN’s Andrew Feldman commenting, “A year ago, you couldn’t pay anyone on this panel to pick Tom Marchese out of a crowd. Now, none of us would be able to miss him. He’s had 15 cashes this year for over $2 million in earnings and most likely will become CardPlayer’s Player of the Year.”
Marchese started off 2010 in style, taking third in the Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event for $190,000 in February. Three weeks later, he was crowned the champion of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian Main Event for $827,000. The latter aired on ESPN, giving Marchese exposure to a wealth of poker fans around the United States.
In May, Marchese took fourth in the High Roller Event held as part of the European Poker Tour’s (EPT) stop at Monte Carlo for $350,000. In the famed Monaco casino, Marchese battled against a final table that included Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, Allen Bari, former World Poker Tour (WPT) champ Olivier Busquet, and eventual winner Tobias Reinkemeier.
We’re not done there. During the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Marchese final tabled the $10,000 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em Championship to stash away another $123,000. Four months later, he hopped “The Pond” and finished seventh in the EPT London Main Event for $157,000.
Marchese’s final six-figure score of the year came in another televised tournament, the WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals. Marchese finished third, banking $211,000 in an event that saw Mizzi, Jason Mercier, DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania, Keven “Stamdogg” Stammen, and eventual champ Jeff Forrest all make the top 15.
Taylor “ambiguosity” Paur leads the way in the 2010 CardPlayer Online Player of the Year race with a week to go in December. Paur is the only player on the leaderboard with over 10,000 Online Player of the Year Points and has earned over $1 million on the virtual felts in 2010. Paur’s largest online cash in 2010 came by virtue of winning a $163 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys event during the 16th Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) in June for $192,000.
Here’s how the top 10 players in the CardPlayer Player of the Year standings look at the time of writing:
1. Tom Marchese: 6,738 points, $2,068,658 in earnings
2. Dwyte Pilgrim: 5,576 points, $1,074,997 in earnings
3. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi: 4,851 points, $1,524,371 in earnings
4. Vanessa Selbst: 4,608 points, $2,803,013 in earnings
5. John Racener: 4,493 points, $5,863,856 in earnings
6. Harrison Gimbel: 4,080 points, $2,530,000 in earnings
7. Andy Frankenberger: 4,010 points, $1,173,853 in earnings
8. Jeffrey “jpapola” Papola: 3,870 points, $1,176,919 in earnings
9. John Juanda: 3,717 points, $1,598,858 in earnings
10. Jonathan Duhamel: 3,600 points, $8,944,138 in earnings
Congratulations to Marchese on his 2010 CardPlayer Player of the Year honors.
Top Poker News Story of 2010
We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.
Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker
2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.
Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.
Annie Duke: Year of the Woman
I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.
Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld
I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.
Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss
2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.
Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.
John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill
Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!
Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile
I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.
What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.
Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event
When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.
Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.
Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi
For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.
Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi
For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.
Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel
As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.
The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, Canada, canadian, Daniel Negreanu, full tilt poker, ladies, legal, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, woman, women, WSOP
Top Poker News Story of 2010
We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.
Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker
2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.
Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.
Annie Duke: Year of the Woman
I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.
Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld
I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.
Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss
2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.
Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.
John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill
Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!
Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile
I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.
What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.
Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event
When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.
Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.
Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi
For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.
Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi
For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.
Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel
As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.
The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, Canada, canadian, Daniel Negreanu, ladies, legal, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, woman, women, WSOP
Top Poker News Story of 2010
We’re nearing the end of the 2010 calendar year and, as such, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days. There were plenty of headlines in 2010, but which one stole the show for our esteemed panel of writers? Poker News Daily asked our staff which poker headline of 2010 stood out.
Dan Cypra: Splintering of Online Poker
2010 saw the continued splintering of the online poker market worldwide. France and Italy now have their very own online poker fiefdoms, while legislation in New Jersey to create the very first intrastate internet gambling framework in the United States is gaining steam. In fact, the measure will be one of the first topics that the New Jersey Assembly tackles in the New Year.
Whether the division of the online poker market is detrimental to the player experience remains to be seen. Many of the FR and IT sites tracked by PokerScout.com hold strong in the top 20 worldwide in terms of cash game volume, but players cannot compete as part of the worldwide pool. Expect this trend to continue in 2011 and beyond, especially in the United States, where a state-by-state legalization of internet gambling appears to be in the cards.
Annie Duke: Year of the Woman
I think the biggest news story of 2010 is the breakout of women in poker, and that is not just because I am one of them. Vanessa Selbst winning two majors was a huge step forward for women in poker and, of course, an incredible accomplishment for her. Leading into that, Liv Boeree’s stellar performance in San Remo was a breakout for her and for women in poker. I guess my win has to get a mention here, too. Women have had a hard time getting true traction in this game and 2010 put an exclamation point on the quality of the women who play.
Linda Johnson: Washington Online Poker Law Upheld
I think the biggest poker news story involved the Washington State courts upholding the 2006 state law saying that playing online poker is a Class C felony, a crime on the same level as child molestation. This prompted Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars to pull out of that market. What a travesty it is for people in that state, many of whom will have to relocate. I think it is also very hypocritical of the government; after all, Washington State residents still can buy lottery tickets online.
Lee Jones: Year of the Near Miss
2010 will be remembered as the “Year of the Near Miss”. We will probably never know how close we got to overt legalization of online poker in the United States towards the end of 2010. Harry Reid tried every possible maneuver to get his bill passed that would have legalized and regulated online poker in the USA. Had it not been for Jon Kyl, the bill almost certainly would have passed and been signed by President Obama.
Despite poker pros’ concerns about the 15-month blackout prior to actual regulated play, I believe that legalization would have (and will eventually) produce a second renaissance of poker that will completely overshadow 2003, the year of Chris Moneymaker and the WPT. It will only be in the light of that second renaissance that we realize how unfortunate the “Near Miss” of 2010 was.
John “JimmyLegs” Wray: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill
Certainly the biggest almost-story was the Harry Reid online poker bill. But it looks like regulated online poker in the States will have to wait. Maybe it’ll be the biggest news story of 2011? Fingers crossed!
Chris “Fox” Wallace: Full Tilt Rush Poker Mobile
I think we will eventually realize that Rush Poker Mobile is the biggest poker news story of 2010. It might not be the biggest story right now, but it will probably bring about some significant legal changes. Seeing people playing poker on the bus, in the halls at work, at the bar, or anywhere that people congregate – and seeing all of those people playing online poker for real money on their phones – will change public perception.
What direction the public perception goes and how the legal aspects work out will have a huge effect on the future of our freedom to play our favorite game. I think Michael Mizrachi‘s trip to the WSOP final table was talked about a lot more at the tables, but Rush Poker Mobile will have a bigger splash in the long-run.
Brett Collson: WSOP Ladies Event
When I first saw Shaun Deeb seated wearing lipstick, makeup, and a cowboy hat at the WSOP Ladies Event, I knew the poker world was about to erupt. Deeb and more than a dozen male players crashed what was supposed to be an enjoyable tournament for female poker players. Instead, it turned into a media circus.
Some of the men claimed they were taking a “gender equality” stance by playing in the $1,000 event; others had lost prop bets. Regardless, all of the women were upset by it, as evident by the standing ovation that occurred each time a male player was eliminated. The unfortunate episode also fueled one of the biggest feuds of the year between Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu, which is another of the most memorable stories of 2010.
Bernard Lee: Michael Mizrachi
For me, it would be Michael Mizrachi. At the beginning of 2010, not many people put Michael Mizrachi in the forefront of poker, but as he arrived at the WSOP, he definitely wanted to make his mark. Mizrachi came out of the gates winning the $50,000 Player’s Championship. In addition to that, he made two other final tables and, of course, who could forget him almost winning the improbable double-double of the $10,000 Main Event as well? Michael Mizrachi had a phenomenal year and has put himself back in the forefront of the world of poker.
Sean Gibson: Michael Mizrachi
For me, the biggest news story of 2010 was the resurrection of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s poker career. Count me in as one of the guys who wrote him off for good, especially when all of the financial trouble started cropping up. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of the world’s best players; his run to the November Nine was every bit as magical as Phil Ivey‘s in 2009. Mizrachi is a player we can respect for his past accomplishments and track as one of the big names in the poker industry.
Earl Burton: Harry Reid Online Poker Bill and Jonathan Duhamel
As far as the biggest stories of the year in poker, I am torn between two. The four-year-long battle to overturn the UIGEA, which heated up even more over the past 12 months, seemed to get the hopes up of many of us in the poker community. I was always pessimistic about the passage of any legislation that would allow Americans to play poker online and, in the end, my pessimism proved to be correct.
The second story is Jonathan Duhamel’s victory in the WSOP Main Event. He became the first ever Canadian World Champion, capturing the attention of his country and the world. He was even nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year alongside such big names as Sidney Crosby and Joey Votto. When you think of players from Canada who came before Duhamel, such as Daniel Negreanu and Gavin Smith, for him to become the first Canadian champion of the Main Event was a truly significant feat.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Annie Duke, Canada, canadian, Daniel Negreanu, ladies, legal, Online Poker, Phil Ivey, poker player, pokerstars, tournament, usa, woman, women, WSOP
Margets Makes Good at Full Tilt Poker Masters Series
An 888 Poker ambassador and the last woman standing in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, Margets collected the €100,000 first prize outlasting 31 of Spain's best players, all of whom had all pre-qualified for the invitation-only event.
The three-day tournament series featured a varitey of poker challenges, including deepstack, shootout and turbo tournaments.
The title completed what was a remarkable year for Margets, beginning with a third-place finish in the Aussie Millions Six-Max side event and ending now with victories in two invitation-only events on the Spanish Poker Tour and Full Tilt Poker Series.
Margets now has well over half a million dollars in career tournament earnings.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com
No Suspects in PokerListings Murder One Year Later
Over a year has passed since the murder of the PokerListings founder Andreas Oscarsson, with no one charged for the killing and plenty of questions still unanswered.
Poker News Daily reported on the story last year in which Oscarsson – with his young son beside him – was shot six times as he laid sleeping in his bed on August 3rd, 2009. Neither his son nor Oscarsson’s father, who was also in the home, were harmed during the attack, leaving many to believe that Oscarsson’s murder was a contract killing. Since that time, a Swedish outlet has followed the story and recently presented their findings.
A translated version of the story that appeared on TwoPlusTwo details the path that Oscarsson took to reach his pinnacle in the poker industry. After starting PokerListings in 2003 with funds from venture capitalists, the company had shown remarkable progress. In 2004, PokerListings grossed 13 million Kronor and made a net profit of 4.5 million. In 2005, the company showed unbelievable net profits of 55 million Kronor on 92 million gross. 2006 saw Oscarsson report to his shareholders a 120 million Kronor profit on 195 million in gross revenue.
The article states that it seems the backers were happy with the performance, but wanted to audit PokerListings to see where the money was coming from. The backers, a company called Ekstranda and led in discussions with Oscarsson by Stefan Bengtsson, hired an auditing firm that ultimately suggested they should sell their minority stake in PokerListings. The deal was on the table when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) hit in late 2006.
After contentious negotiations, Oscarsson was able to negotiate Ekstranda’s buyout price down to 36 million Kronor from its opening of 50 million. The 14 million Kronor left on the table became a sore point for someone, allegedly an attorney with Ekstranda, which led to a possible plot to extort the money. In 2007, Oscarsson’s tax attorney was attacked and shot outside his home, with a 19 year old convicted in the incident.
Over the time span after that, Oscarsson kept PokerListings private, instead of staging an IPO, and dealt with issues regarding child custody with his former wife. On the business side, PokerListings continued to do well. 2008 saw the company, after an initial drop due to the effects of the UIGEA, almost rebound to the period prior to the U.S. law. On August 3rd, 2009, Jan Oscarsson found his son murdered, with the intruder gaining entrance through a bathroom window.
Since Oscarsson’s murder, the case has basically gone cold. Although Poker News Daily reported soon after Oscarsson’s murder that a man with ties to Sweden’s version of the Hell’s Angels was of interest in the case, there are currently no suspects, according to the Swedish article. Oscarsson’s former tax attorney lives in an undisclosed location and will not talk about the case. The 19 year old convicted in his shooting was sentenced to almost 2.5 years in jail and should be close to his release date. The attorney for Ekstranda was fired by the company in 2007 and now lives outside of Sweden.
Although there have been allegations of Oscarsson’s murder being a contract killing, there is no evidence to support those allegations, police say. With no suspects currently being pursued, it appears possible that the Swedish public, as well as the poker community, will never know who killed Andreas Oscarsson.
Internet Gambling Opponent Jon Kyl Mum on Reelection Plans
According to Politco, Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is keeping his 2012 reelection plans close to the vest, creating uncertainty in the future hierarchy of his party’s leadership. Kyl is the Senate Minority Whip, the second ranking position in the Republican Party.
Poker players know Kyl as Capitol Hill’s current public enemy number one to online gambling. He was one of the key players, along with then-Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA) and then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), behind the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006. The bill, which aimed to stop the flow of funds to offshore internet gambling sites, was attached to the must-pass SAFE Port Act in the middle of the night just before Congress adjourned for the year.
Since 2006, Kyl has continued to fight against online poker. Earlier this year, he blocked the appointment of six of President Barack Obama‘s nominees to the United States Treasury because he was upset that the UIGEA implementation deadline had been pushed back six months. This month, he was the most powerful opponent of Senator Harry Reid’s (D-NV) failed attempts to legalize and regulate online poker.
Rumblings about Kyl’s possible reelection bid began in November, shortly after midterm elections. When asked, Kyl told Roll Call, “One of the lectures I give is, what’s wrong with the political system today. It’s that every election starts the day after the last one. That is what’s screwing up our system, because there’s no time out to do legislation in a bipartisan way or without the press of elections. And, so I said, I’m not going to be a part of that game. I’m not going to start that right now.”
Randy Pullen, Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, does not think Kyl will seek reelection. “Things may change, but I don’t believe he is running based on past conversations that I’ve had with him,” he said.
Wes Gullett, who has eyes on the Phoenix mayoral post in 2011, couldn’t say either way whether Kyl will run, but he has no doubt he would win. “I wouldn’t put much stock in what you do or don’t see right now,” said Gullett. “Kyl is in the driver’s seat. If he does run, which I think he will, it’s an easy race for him.”
One byproduct of Kyl’s silence is the uncertainty of the future of the three Senators who rank immediately below him in the Republican Party: John Cornyn (R-TX), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and John Thune (R-SD). All three are in position to move up should Kyl retire from the Senate. Publicly, none of them have expressed concern with the uncertainty.
“I’m not even thinking about that,” Alexander said to Politico. “I can’t remember that we’ve ever had a better whip than Jon Kyl. Our leadership team functions easily, we work perfectly well together, and one of the reasons we do is that none of us are gunning for each other’s position. I think we happen to be in the right positions right now.”
Kyl, a Nebraska native who grew up in Iowa, got his start in politics 20 years after earning a law degree from the University of Arizona. An attorney by trade, Kyl first ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1986, handily defeating Democrat Philip Davis, 64.5% to 35.5%. He won three reelection bids in similarly easy fashion, serving a total of eight years in the House.
In 1994, Kyl made a run at a Senate seat, once again earning an easy victory. The Republican received 54% of the vote, compared to Democrat Samuel Coppersmith’s 40% and Libertarian candidate Scott Grainger’s 6%. In 2000, he ran without opposition from a major party, and in 2006, defeated former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Jim Pederson in one of the most expensive campaigns in the state’s history.
According to the National Journal’s 2009 Vote Ratings, Kyl was the 18th most conservative member of the Senate last year. He rated as the number one most conservative Senator in 2008.
Order of Abeyance Issued in Kentucky Internet Gambling Case
Last Friday, Judge Thomas Wingate issued an Order of Abeyance in the Kentucky internet gambling case, effectively freezing the status quo for 30 days. Motions filed by the State and the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) “shall be held in abeyance until such time as this Court rules on the legal standing question of whether associational representation is proper in an in rem proceeding.”
For those who aren’t legal experts, iMEGA Chairman Joe Brennan laid the groundwork for where the case currently stands: “Everything is in time out until everyone has an opportunity to be heard on the matter of associational standing. It seems by the court’s brief that they’ve accepted that iMEGA has met the requirements for associational standing as laid out by the State Supreme Court. The court must determine whether it’s warranted to have an association intercede in this matter when the court is still looking at it as an in rem jurisdiction.”
Now, iMEGA will submit a brief arguing why it’s appropriate for an association to intervene on behalf of the 141 internet gambling domain names seized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky two years ago. The southern state is seeking the forfeiture of the URLs, which belong to sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. If successful, these domains may be unavailable not just in Kentucky, but also around the world. Kentucky’s lawyers are allegedly working on a contingency-fee basis, according to Brennan.
On his reaction to hearing that the court had issued an Order of Abeyance in the case, Brennan told Poker News Daily on Monday, “When the court comes back and doesn’t rule against you, it’s always a victory for us. This draws things out more, which provides more exposure to a critically flawed argument by the State.” The State argued in part that domain names constitute “gambling devices” under Kentucky law, a two-word term traditionally reserved for tangible objects like slot machines that you’d find in an underground casino.
Also newsworthy in Judge Wingate’s court filing last week was his acknowledgment that Yatahay Limited is the owner of TruePoker.com. Wingate asserted, “Though another company may operate the TruePoker.com website, iMEGA has proven that Yatahay Limited owns TruePoker.com… Even so, it is unclear whether associational standing applies in an in rem proceeding.” The State had ardently questioned the legitimacy of affidavits filed to prove that Yatahay Limited was a member of iMEGA.
In the end, Judge Wingate explained, “iMEGA may be entitled to associational standing. However, iMEGA has not yet established that associational standing is proper in an in rem proceeding… Accordingly, iMEGA’s Motion to Intervene is, at the very least, premature.”
Organizations that wish to file amicus briefs in the case now have 30 days to do so. Judge Wingate asked that the briefs focus on whether associational standing is appropriate in the case. Last Monday, a hearing in Frankfort, Kentucky was held, but no ruling was made on iMEGA’s Motion to Intervene on behalf of the 141 internet gambling domain names at risk.
The domains were originally seized in September 2008, allegedly without due process and Judge Wingate upheld the State’s actions. iMEGA then sought the intervention of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which ruled by a 2:1 margin in January 2009 that the State did not have jurisdiction to seize the domain names in question. Commonwealth attorneys appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court, which promptly sent the case back to the trial court to determine standing.
The Commonwealth has also filed a separate case to recoup funds lost by state residents against Party Gaming, Pocket Kings, and Microgaming. The former two are the parent companies of PartyPoker and Full Tilt Poker, respectively. Party Gaming vacated the U.S. market in 2006 following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), while Microgaming followed suit in 2008. Full Tilt Poker continues to accept U.S. action and is the second largest online poker site in the world in terms of cash game volume.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest.
Isaac Haxton Defeats Isildur1 in First PokerStars SuperStar Showdown
The very first PokerStars SuperStar Showdown took place on Sunday and featured Isaac “philivey2694” Haxton squaring off against site pro Isildur1. In the end, Haxton boosted his bankroll by $41,000 over the 2,500-hand match and was declared the winner. Both Haxton and Isildur1 bought in for $150,000.
According to the PokerStars Blog, the lively rail for the very first SuperStar Showdown match featured high-stakes pros like Kevin “ImaLucSac” MacPhee and Chad “lilholdem954″ Batista. The group watched one of their own battle against an unknown Swedish online pro who many believe to be Viktor Blom. Four $50/$100 No Limit Hold’em tables served as the battleground for the Showdown, which kicked off at 6:00pm ET last night.
Through the first 372 hands of heads-up play, Isildur1 staked out an $11,000 lead. However, several minutes later, Haxton’s chips found the middle on one table holding Q-J of spades against Isildur1’s pocket queens. What seemed like an insurmountable lead quickly turned sour for Isildur1 when the flop came 10-9-4, giving Haxton an open-ended straight draw. The turn was a blank, but a king on the river filled Haxton’s straight and the challenge was back to even.
Isildur1 scooped a $34,000 pot after hitting a flush on the turn to take a $12,000 lead in the SuperStar Showdown with 1,124 hands in the books. By Hand #1,250, or the midway point, the mystery Swedish star was up by nearly $25,000.
However, the final 1,000 hands belonged to Haxton, who was the runner-up in the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the 2009 World Series of Poker $40,000 commemorative No Limit Hold’em event for a combined $2 million. The challenger hit a flush to cut into Isildur1’s lead and then promptly spiked aces-up to snap off a bluff from the Swede.
Text found on the PokerStars Blog explains, “Stuck and perhaps steaming, Isildur1 flicked the ‘Gambool’ switch to ‘On’ and ramped up the aggression. Instead of 3betting small over Haxton’s opening min-raises, he started 5x-ing. Rather than continuation-betting two-thirds of the pot, he was going for full pot.”
On a board of 9-7-5-A-6 with three clubs, Haxton shoved holding J-8 of clubs for a flush. Isildur1 called all-in for $8,800 with 9-8 for a straight, but Haxton scooped the mammoth $26,000 pot for a critical score in the late portion of the SuperStar Showdown.
Near the tail end of the match, a $44,000 pot occurred that saw Isildur1 move all-in for $15,000 on a board of 5-9-3-2-2. Haxton called and Isildur1 showed J-9 for nines-up, but Haxton had him out-kicked with K-9. When all was said and done, Haxton booked a $41,000 profit and became the first ever PokerStars SuperStar Showdown champ.
On TwoPlusTwo, a 90-page thread erupted about the match. One poster lamented that he wished there would have been more to the SuperStar Showdown besides a chance to play against Isildur1: “If they hype it up to be a special showdown of some sort, it really should have a special element to it rather than being 2,500 hands of Heads-Up NLHE.” Another TwoPlusTwo member disagreed: “This is pretty damn good entertainment. I hope PokerStars expands on this. Maybe they could have a league or a tournament.”
The next PokerStars SuperStar Showdown opponent for Isildur1 has not yet been announced and interested players are encouraged to e-mail showdown@pokerstars.com. On its blog, PokerStars claims that a SuperStar Showdown may take place at the upcoming PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, although whether Isildur1’s true identity would be revealed at that time remains to be seen.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest. Also, check out our video console to the right of the site for highlights from the match.
Caesars Entertainment Enters Joint Venture with Microgame.it
Looking to expand its brand further into the global marketplace, Caesars Interactive Entertainment (formerly Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment) has entered into a joint venture with one of Italy’s top online poker companies, Microgame.it.
In an announcement last Friday, Caesars Interactive and Microgame.it revealed a long-term agreement to co-brand Microgame’s online poker outlet, PeoplesNetwork.it, with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) name and logos. Through the agreement, Caesars Interactive and Microgame will offer both online and live events to the Italian market prominently featuring the WSOP logo. Additionally, Microgame will become the official satellite outlet for Italian players for the WSOP and also act as the exclusive pre-registration booking office for Italian players in the Main Event.
“We are honored to have been selected as the exclusive Italian partner for the WSOP,” Microgame Chief Executive Officer Fabrizio D’Aloia stated during the announcement. “The People’s Poker Network, powered by Microgame, confirms its position of leadership in the Italian poker market and we are truly excited to offer our customers something unique. The WSOP has over 40 years of history and heritage and an alliance with Microgame marks an exciting new chapter for both of us.”
Mitch Garber, the former head of Party Gaming who took over Caesars Interactive Entertainment in 2009, agreed with D’Aloia and looked at worldwide development of the WSOP name as a key reason for the partnership. “This agreement is a logical step in our European and global expansion strategy to partner with leading local companies as we look to expand the WSOP brand,” Garber said. “Microgame is a clear leader in Italy and we look forward to working hard together to grow the poker market.”
The partnership between the two companies should be a positive for both sides. In the Italian market, which opened its doors in 2009 to companies that provide gaming only to Italian citizens, Microgame has made tremendous inroads. According to PokerScout.com, the Microgame-backed PeoplesNetwork.it is second behind only the PokerStars Italian offering in the country. As a further indication of the power of the Italian market, PeoplesNetwork.it is the seventh largest online poker outlet in the industry in terms of cash game traffic, ahead of such longtime poker operations as the CEREUS Network, the Microgaming Network, the Entraction Network, and 888.
For Caesars Interactive Entertainment, the joint venture pushes the WSOP name further into the consciousness of poker players worldwide. The ability to operate in the Italian market, which has been quite lucrative for many companies in the online gaming industry, is important for any company due to the sheer number of players that are available. Information from Microgame states that the company generated a gross gaming turnover of more than €1 billion in 2009.
isildur1 vs Haxton Highlights – Part 1 of 5
We caught the highlights of the isildur1 vs Isaac Haxton SuperStar Showdown match-up and bring them to you in four parts. For the bigger hands of the video, we pan and zoom in so that you can see the hand develop as it was played on December 19th on PokerStars.
Isildur1, whose identity is not known but is widely believed to be Swedish poker pro Viktor Blom, recently signed a sponsorship deal with PokerStars. As part of his endorsement deal, he’ll be taking part in special SuperStar Showdown matches that will be played as four table heads-up contests of 2,500 hands in one session. The game can either be No Limit Texas Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha. The minimum blinds are $50-$100 and anyone can answer the call to challenge Isildur1 by emailing into PokerStars support under their special Isildur1 promotion address.
Isaac Haxton, who goes by both the name “luvthewnba” and “philivey2694″, is a heads-up cash game professional who is considered as one of the top minds in the entire poker industry. Haxton originally got his start in professional gaming, playing Magic: The Gathering since the age of four. Since then he’s racked up millions playing poker and even has had success in the live tournament circuit. His first major score was back in 2007 at the World Poker Tour‘s PokerStars Caribbean Adventure where he took second place for over $860,000. In 2009 he cashed in three World Series of Poker events and made two final tables, including second place at the $40,000 No Limit Hold’em 40th Anniversary Event for a $1.1 million payday.
This is the first of what promises to be many SuperStars Showdown matches for Isildur1 on PokerStars. The finally tally for this match-up was won by Haxton, who after 2,500 hands, won $41,701. There as yet to be an announcements if rematches are allowed against Isildur1 or if there’s another opponent lined up, although the rumor mill says that there are already several matches lined up in the coming weeks.